As the summer air cools down, thinking of different ways to raise vital funds for the charities you’re supporting may well become harder and harder. Shorter days and bleaker weather can make people feel less excited about spending time outdoors. But these autumnal fundraising ideas will give your efforts another surge of inspiration and help you attract even more donors.

Take advantage of people’s diminishing urge to go outside by offering to walk their dogs for donations. Not only is it a lovely way to make up funds – you’ll get some exercise and fresh air as well.

Autumn brings a flurry of falling leaves – which, although absolutely beautiful, can mess up people’s gardens. Why not offer to help your neighbours out with their gardening for donations?

Halloween is coming – and it’s a scarily simple way to mix up your fundraising. Into baking? Include witchy treats in your next bake sale: pumpkin pie, ghoul-shaped cookies, cakes the colour of blood… Possibilities are as endless as a vampire’s life.

Fancy a healthier Halloween? Make the most of autumn’s gorgeous colours and organise a local Halloween fun run or walk, where every participant comes in costume. Offer small prizes for the fastest time and the best dressed.

Do you know your local area really well? If so, why not organise a walking tour for a small fee or donations? You can advertise your tour on social media and contact your local paper to ask them to list your event. Get your friends, family and neighbours involved, too, so they can all offer their insights into the local area.

Make it spooky for Halloween: call it a Ghost Tour and tell scary stories as you walk around.

You may have seen the Murder Mystery dinner party sets in shops or even taken part in one yourself. If you haven’t heard of them, basically you host a themed dinner party, where every guest plays a role in a fictional murder mystery. Throughout the night, you all follow the guidelines to uncover together which one of you is the murderer.

Find a Murder Mystery you want to host, put on a really good night and ask your guests for a small fee or donation to attend.

Halloween is also an excuse to throw a fancy-dress party with prizes galore.

Include a terror tombola, a best-dressed competition and Halloweeny activities to give the event a boost, such as dunking for apples, a pumpkin carving contest and a fancy-dress photo booth with fun props and accessories.

If you’re feeling really enthusiastic, you could even set up an obstacle course or treasure hunt for guests, with creepy obstacles to get around, such as prop cobwebs, pumpkins and even live actors (ie. you and your friends/ family members) jumping out and blocking the trail.

Love to sing? I hear a Rocky Horror Show/ Dracula Spectacular coming along! Or why not host your own local talent show or acoustic night and pop it on the neighbourhood Facebook group? See if you can hold it in your town/village hall and invite anyone and everyone to come and show off their skills!

25 September is Comic Book Day and so a super fun day to raise extra funds for your charity challenge. Dress up as a comic book character and hold a Comicon themed party. You could even get your work place involved and ask your boss to allow a Come to Work as a Comic Character day for donations.

Are you crafty? Offer to make Harvest Festival and/ or Halloween decorations and costumes for your local schools and families. Parents will love your help making something original for their children and it’ll save them resorting to the one-size-fits-none costumes in shops!

Gain inspiration from the biggest festival in the world and organise an Oktoberfest Pub Crawl. See if you can find three or four pubs in close proximity. Ask each pub if they will provide beer and cider for the challenge. If they can’t donate it, they should be happy to offer a discount for participants, considering it’ll bring them loads of business.

If you can grow a moustache, do it for donations! Start on the 1st November and resist shaving for the month. Post pictures of how your tache and beard are coming along and get people to sponsor you.

We hope these ideas have brightened up your Autumn and helped you to come up with new ways to fundraise. Whichever events and activities you decide to try, have a great time! Never forget, you’re working towards an invaluable cause and we’re forever in awe of your incredible efforts and commitment to the charities you’ve chosen to support!