Love it or not, it's the month of love! A great month to refresh your fundraising methods with a lick of pink and red glitter paint! Surrounded by all the Valentine's Day gifts and adverts, people around us (couples and singles alike) may be feeling the pressure of trying to think of something different to give and do for Valentine's Day. So we're going to help you help them out with five festive fundraising ideas that will provide them with a unique celebration and you with more funds!
1. Eat your heart out
... Or at least encourage other people to eat your heart-shaped biscuits and cakes! A Valentines’-themed bake sale is a great way to raise some funds for your charity challenge - and the best part: you can get really creative with the decorations! Edible glitter, love notes, pink and red icing galore. You could even decorate and fill boxes of Valentine's cakes, cupcakes and cookies to sell as Valentine's gifts.
2. Cards and crafts
Feeling crafty? Why not make and sell some Valentine's cards and gifts? Get people to pre-order, so that you can personalise them and make them really special for their loved one. Keepsakes, jewellery, charms and trinkets are all fab little gifts that you can make relatively easily, encouraging people to give their Valentine something a bit different than the generic Hallmark stuff! There are a range of gorgeous gifts and decorations you can make yourself in this slideshow from Country Living.
3. Valentine’s party
Throw a Valentine’s party or dinner and sell tickets to raise some funds. You don’t have to make it romantic: it could even be a Bachelors’ bash as a kind of anti-Valentine type do. Have it in your own house or try and get a good price to hire out a local hall. Rope in some friends to DJ or load up a playlist on Spotify and make the most of the opportunity to include a charity raffle.
4. Make some meal deals
Love to cook? Why not offer to make and deliver meals to your friends, family and work colleagues for Valentine’s day? Your price will be less steep than a posh restaurant and they can enjoy it in the comfort of their own home. It just takes out the faff for them and means that you can raise some more money. You could give them a menu to choose from or get them to make requests in advance, so that you can prepare whatever they want.
5. Speed Dating
You'll have a great time organising this one: a speed dating evening! Hire out your local hall or even ask a pub, hotel or restaurant to host your event - it could generate a lot of business for them as well! Then organise an evening in which singles rotate between each other to have loads of mini dates, until they've all met each other. These mini dates can last from three to eight minutes, but be sure to be consistent - because all's fair in love and war. ;) You can signal when it's time to move on to the next date by setting a timed alarm and clinking your glass or clapping your hands.
Charge each person a small fee for their ticket and advertise your event on social media, posters and flyers, a sign outside the venue and by good old word of mouth!
Share your love with the world
Let's just take this opportunity to remind ourselves that despite what all the advertisements seem to say, love is not in a bunch of flowers or a commercial card.
Love is in the genuine smiles we give every day, the random acts of kindness, the support we give to our friends and family - and even total strangers.
It's in the time we take to spend with each other, in lending a helping hand when someone needs it most.
Love is pushing yourself out of your comfort zone for a cause that means a lot to you. It's helping out an invaluable charity in a big way! It's supporting a team of like-minded heroes while you tackle steep hills in the saddle or trek through unknown terrain. Love is taking on a Dream Challenge.
Share your love with the world and discover another side to yourself by taking on the feat of a life-time.
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