Event Fundraising Showcase
Dream A Dream’s evenings out at the Little Theatre, Bangalore
An inspirational guide to nights out at the theatre, courtesy of Dream A Dream, Bangalore. The annual theatre production is a classic example of an exchange model, where all participants gain value through the collaboration. The audience, adults and children alike, enjoy an entertaining play by a leading theatre group. Dream A Dream is able to raise funds for its development activities.
The Beautiful Foundation: building philanthropy in South Korea with Lego block banks
The Beautiful Foundation wanted to further promote charitable giving in South Korea, during a time when a ‘giving culture’ was rapidly taking root. This campaign aimed to increase the awareness of the needs of children and poor people and to raise necessary financial social support through a non-conventional monetary system.
The Medical Foundation’s immortality auction
A durable, readily replicable fundraising idea. This concept from the Medical Foundation is not just simple it seems hard to imagine it not being a success in the right hands.
ITIHAS (I Think I Have a Solution) leadership workshop
If you want to find new angles on fundraising, SOFII has long been an advocate of keeping a close eye on what’s happening in India.
The Movember moustache-growing campaign for men’s health
This fun and lively event encourages men to grow a moustache, find out more about men’s health and raise money for prostate cancer research and education and awareness of men’s health issues.
Covenant House Alaska’s ‘moustache march’
Covenant House helps homeless and runaway youth in Alaska. Moustache march, has brought new supporters to their cause, as well as raising much-needed funds.
RSPCA New South Wales: cupcake day
The brilliant thing about this idea is that the supporters do most of the work and they have a great time too.
HomeFront’s virtual gala: ‘Don’t Save the Date. Just Save the World.’
The offer is simple: for your next charity fundraiser, save money and hassle and stay at home. You save on catering and save the planet, just by staying at home.
Cure Cancer Australia: ‘can too’ sporting events
Young people raise money for a great cause while being coached by professionals in a whole variety of sporting skills.
Ben Franklin touring education and fundraising shows
This creative example of fundraising educational entertainment seems to SOFII to be very flexible and potentially easy to copy.
Dream a Dream’s ‘uncrush a dream’ campaign
From India, this ‘uncrush a dream’ concept is a brilliant idea for engaging donors, whether it used when introducing and explaining a cause to passers-by in the street or as people gather at organised events.
Hannah’s school cake and biscuit bake
Emboldened by the success of her first fundraising direct mail appeal, talented nine-year old fundraiser Hannah is this time raising money for her school’s funds by baking cakes.
Croatian Dogs appeal for new building
This campaign to build a rehabilitation centre in Zagreb raised a large amount of money at an impressively low cost to income ratio.
Casa Speranti Edelweiss campaign
Public fundraising is an increasingly important but still emerging activity in Romania. Here Casa Speranti correctly identified the power of linking their fundraising initiatives to the church.
Trick or treat for UNICEF
A simple idea that has grown over many years. A fun way for children to help other children, which has lasted for nearly 60 years, is now supported by hundreds of thousands of young people plus their teachers each year and is still going strong.
UNICEF and Futbol Club Barcelona: a global partnership for children
UNICEF scores for children through forming a valuable, useful partnership. Together UNICEF and the Barcelona football club will use this power in numerous ways to further the cause of children.
UNICEF Pigotta project: adopt a doll and save a life
Another excellent idea from UNICEF that not only raises lots of money, but shows volunteers, particularly children, how important immunisation against deadly childhood illnesses is in the developing world. It also demonstrates how ‘it will never work here’ just isn’t true and that good ideas can be adapted to other cultures.
Covenant House candlelight vigil
Fundraising is at its best when it mobilises large numbers of people to take action for a cause that will bring about change. This exhibit demonstrates how to reposition an event that is ‘tired’ and make it work on multiple levels.
Jeansforgenes: statues wearing jeans
This is an original and fun idea that seems great for attracting awareness and as a backdrop against which the charity can easily rasie money from an intrigued and amused public.
The GIVING WELLY Campaign
SOFII doesn’t have many rules but this exhibit nevertheless breaks a few of them, in that it focuses not on a charity/nonprofit but on a commercial sponsor. Still, it’s a colourful, creative idea very well executed and several charities benefited rather significantly from it. It strikes us as a sound win-win situation, a good example of both commerce/charity partnership and of charities working together.
Bosnian Handicrafts: ‘shopping with a purpose’ campaign
This highly professional multi-media campaign from Bosnia shows that inspirational and innovative fundraising can succeed anywhere.
Uzhgorod City’s ‘path to life’ concert
This is a straightforward but very professionally run event, the first of its kind in Uzhgorod. The objective of the event was to raise money to support the centre and to introduce the concept of a benefit concert to the local community.
Riverside School: the Design for Giving contest.
An inspirational initiative from Riverside School designed to encourage India’s young people to come up with solutions to the sub-continent’s great challenges.
The India Giving Challenge
By harnessing a competitive element to fundraising, GiveIndia were able to provide a new and unusual opportunity for all involved.
Coriell Institute for Medical Research: What’s in Your Genes - A Celebration of the Science of Genetics.
This exhibit features a novel way of getting the attention of potential donors by sending a pair of denim jeans by mail, with a sponsorship proposal and the message, ‘What’s in your genes?’
Reprieve’s campaign for justice for Linda Carty: ‘death’s waiting room’.
This compelling exhibit from Reprieve shows how to make a dramatic and powerful statement to attract public attention to your cause. The exhibition replicates the real death row cell of British grandmother Linda Carty, now facing imminent execution in Texas.
7days7gifts – part of Give India’s ‘joy of giving’ week.
Can one person really change the world? Well, as this exhibit demonstrates, he can certainly make a very good start. This is a wonderful example of how one man’s idea can motivate many.
ChildLine’s Got Talent ball.
This is event fundraising at its best. Raising almost £350,000, the ChildLine ball 2010 demonstrates some excellent fundraising techniques.
The Children’s Hospital Trust operating theatre complex campaign
This is a good example of how different types of fundraising can work alongside one another to create a successful campaign with a broad appeal.
Operation Christmas Child – the shoebox appeal.
This festive exhibit is a wonderful example of how one person’s idea (and a lot of help from volunteers) can really make a difference. Operation Christmas Child has maintained constant success over the past 20 years.
Kids Help Phone: buy a kid some time
This exhibit demonstrates how a simple but powerful message combined with a comprehensive integrated campaign strategy can secure real success.
Thunderbird School of Global Management: a 24-hour telethon to save their famous tower
There’s not much that’s new in alumni fundraising nor in running a ‘phoneathon’, but a 24-hour telephonic marathon so that you can call all your alumni wherever in the world they might be, that’s an idea well worth trying.
The history of Live Aid
It’s more than 25 years since this remarkable event, so we thought it was about time we put it on SOFII. In this exhibit we look back at how the idea was conceived and what made it one of the most significant fundraising campaigns of our time.
The London marathon – a human race
This exhibit details the interesting history of one of the biggest and most iconic fundraising events of all time – the London marathon. In true SOFII tradition, the idea was borrowed from somewhere else, but aren’t they always the best ones?
St Baldrick’s Foundation: shaving the way to conquer children’s cancer.
This is a wonderful example of volunteer-led fundraising that demonstrates just how successful it can be when you choose an activity that everyone can take part in.
Jersey Hospice Care: million pound lottery (MPL)
With a guaranteed income of £500,000 every year from this event alone, this is a great example of taking a successful commercial idea and making it work for your charity.
Morinville and District Hands Across the Seas (HATS) ‘delightful treasures’ event
Small local events often raise small amounts of money. But if there are hundreds nationally, or even internationally, they have the potential to raise thousands.
The German Leprosy Relief Association’s Different Strokes
Different strokes – an art show with a cause – organised by the German Leprosy Relief Associaiton in India created a world of opportunity for disabled, or rather differently-able, adults and children artists by giving them the opportunity to show – and sell – their work alongside that of professionals.
The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, by Macmillan Cancer Support
What would fundaising be without volunteers? Another great exhibit that shows how partnerships can turn a simple idea into pure gold.
Arrels Fundació: cardboard hearts for the homeless
Arrels Fundació have come up with an excellent way to wear your heart on your sleeve to raise money and awareness of the growing number of homeless people in Barcelona. It is also easily copied.
