Charity fundraising events that invite you to take it easy
Howard Lake | 20 July 2014 | Blogs
Plenty of charity fundraising events involve physical exertion – marathons, triathlons, swims, press-ups, mountain climbs, trekking to far-flung climes. Perhaps it is all down to the belief that people will only sponsor you if you are clearly going to some effort and even feeling some obvious discomfort.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Some charities have taken precisely the opposite approach and developed fundraising events that are much easier on the body and mind.
Here are some charity fundraising events for the less adventurous, or those who are simply too tired after completing their 10th charity fun run or half-marathon.
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1. Born Free’s Big Cat Nap
The Born Free Foundation’s annual ‘Big Cat Nap’ took place from 30th June – 6th Jul 2014. The Horsham-based international wildlife charity encourages people to join in the occasion by behaving “like a big cat and having a leisurely, sleepy time”.
It suggests a range of sleep-themed fundraising activities. For example, since male lions sleep for 23 hours a day, “participants can choose to wear their pyjamas to work or school for the day, get sponsored to read or stay in bed or even invite some friends over for a slumber party, raising money while they are at it”.
If even that sounds too energetic then supports can take a sleepy pet selfie photo and share it online using #BigCatNap. It doesn’t raise funds but does promote the campaign.
2. Digital Detox for Scope
Not using your mobile phone for a weekend should be an easy fundraising event, although for many of us it could involve quite an effort.
Digital Detox is an annual campaign for people who need a break from technology. It raises funds for disability charity Scope.
Participants sign up by making a £10 to Scope and pledging to embrace analogue for 48 hours on 25 and 26 July 2014. “No phone. No social. No Google Maps helping you get around.”
3. Samaritans’ Phone Free Friday
Samaritans offered a similar ‘easy’ challenge this year for the first time with their Phone Free Friday campaign. They simply asked people to go without their mobile phone for the working day on 20 June 2014, from 9 to 5pm.
With support from SimplyHealth, the campaign invited participants to donate £4. The charity explained: “that’s what it costs us to take just one call – and that call could save a life”.
There was a clear link between phones and the charity: “for us at Samaritans to go without our phones for a single minute could be a matter of life and death”.
[Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMNhZ_QS0jI no longer available].
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.