# A Christmas selection of fundraising novelties

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/12/18/christmas-selection-fundraising-novelties/
- Published: 2011-12-18T11:00:07+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The approach to Christmas this year has already yielded a wide range of online and
offline fundraising activities, so I thought I’d share some with you here, and invite
you to suggest your own.

### In case you missed them

We have of course featured several Christmas fundraising stories recently including:

• [22 December sees peak of online donations via JustGiving](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/22-december-sees-peak-online-donations-justgiving)

## Advertisement

 [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/)

• [Localgiving.com Christmas campaign offers £125,000 in matched funding](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/localgivingcom-christmas-campaign-offers-125000-matched-funding)

• [Twitter charity song an instant hit](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/twitter-charity-song-instant-hit)

You can find these and many more fundraising stories from Christmas past at

www.fundraising.co.uk/news/christmas

 

But there are so many Christmas fundraising stories that we have decided to pull
together a selection for you.

 

#### Twitter Advent Calendar

![Twitter advent calendar](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u11/twadvent.jpg)

A [Twitter Advent Calendar](http://www.twadvent.com) is raising funds for Marie 
Curie Cancer Care. Its creator Stuart Witts (@stuartwitts) describes it as “a social
advent calendar populated by tweeters”. Any Twitter user can take part and contribute
a Christmas-related picture. They just have to tweet them with the hashtag #Twadvent
to take part. Kodak is offering a digital photo frame as a prize for the best picture.

Participants are invited to make a donation to Marie Curie Cancer Care via JustGiving
in return for the pleasure of opening the digital doors on the calendar.

This is the second year that Witts, who describes himself as a “Social Media Conversationeer
at a national charity” has run #Twadvent. Both times he has used curation tool Storify.
com.

 

#### Kids Company wish list at John Lewis

Kids Company hasn’t set up an online shop this Christmas and is instead using the
[John Lewis Gift List facility](http://www.johnlewisgiftlist.com). To order you 
just search for the gift list via its number 484121. At the top of the list is the
option to donate a minimum of £10 to Kids Company’s CAF Charity Account.
Items to
buy include t-shirts, a football, a table football game, woolly hats, toys and much
more.

 

#### Dogs Trust’s Ho, No, No campaign

![Ho No No campaign](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u11/ho_no_no.jpg)

Dogs Trust is running a campaign to urge Harrods and other pet shops across the 
UK to help prevent pet sales that are regretted once the festive season is over.

It has partnered with [CharityGreetings](http://www.charitygreetings.com) in its
[Ho, No, No campaign](http://greetingcards.dogstrust.org.uk) to enable supporters
to send a free Christmas Card to Harrods or an outlet of their choice to ask them
to stop selling puppies at Christmas.

Dogs Trust is funding the free cards but they say that “if you want to help our 
message go even further and help dogs at the same time, you can opt to pay for a
card yourself.

 

#### Flashmob choir

On 1 December [Crystal Chords](http://www.crystalchords.org.uk) descended as a [flashmob choir on a Tesco Superstore](http://www.alzheimers-tesco.org.uk)
in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, to surprise shoppers with a Christmas carol. The singers
were collecting for Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland and to raise awareness
of dementia during the festive season.

The 30-strong ladies barbershop chorus stunned Tesco customers when they broke into
_a capella_ harmony singing ‘Jingle Bells’ in the middle of the busy supermarket.

Andrew Brown, Tesco store manager said: “The flashmob took both our staff and customers
by complete surprise, creating a wonderfully Christmassy atmosphere to kick-start
the festive season. Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland are our charity of
the year and as a store we’ve been doing lots to fund raise for them this year, 
so we’re delighted to be hosting this fantastic event for such a worthwhile cause.”

 

#### Gift cards from Fairsharemusic.com

![Fairsharemusic.com Gift Card](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u11/fairsharemusic_giftcard.
jpg)

[Fairshare Music](http://www.fairsharemusic.com), who donate 50% of their profits
to charities, have launched download gift cards just in time for Christmas. “With
over 16 million tracks to choose from and albums costing just £5, the giftcards 
are perfect stocking fillers”. The gift cards are available in £5, £15 and £25 versions.

Profits from each track are donated to charities including Amnesty International,
War Child, Centrepoint, Friends of the Earth and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

 

#### Santas ln the Run

![Foresters Santas on the Run, Oxford](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/u11/foresters_santa_run.
jpg)

Foresters UK, part of the international financial services organisation has sponsored
the annual Santa Run in Oxford in aid of Helen & Douglas House Hospice. The event
took place on Sunday 11 December and 1,200 supporters all dressed up as Santa went
on a sponsored run through the streets of Oxford. Santas on the Run is a series 
of fun runs which sees national charity Children’s Hospices UK and children’s hospices
throughout the country working together to raise awareness and vital funds. This
is the fifth year that the event has taken place.

 

#### v’s 12 days of Christmas

Volunteering charity v says that “Time is the most valuable gift you can give this
Christmas” so asks “How many of the 12 Christmas actions can you do?” Their [12 Days of Christmas](http://dosomething.vinspired.com)
campaign suggests 12 different activities for people to do, including fundraising
while you shop, plant next year’s Christmas tree, fill a shoebox for Christmas, 
and check-in for charity.

 

 * **[Another selection of Christmas fundraising novelties](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/12/22/another-selection-christmas-fundraising-novelties/)**(
   22 December 2011)
 * **[NI Charity commission issues giving guidance](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/12/22/ni-charity-commission-issues-giving-guidance/)**(
   22 December 2011)
 * **[Yet another selection of Christmas fundraising novelties](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/01/05/yet-another-selection-christmas-fundraising-novelties/)**(
   5 January 2012)
