5 exciting fundraising ideas for your Scouts

Have fun whilst fundraising if you’re hoping to raise the funds needed for your Group facilities, trips and more with our fun ideas.

01st October 2019

Fundraising is often a crucial part of Scouting. Not all Groups are fortunate enough to charge subs that will cover more than the basic events, care and equipment.

Often, fundraising events are needed to be able to afford a new hut, transport or trips abroad.

Take a look at some of our fun ideas for your Scouts to raise those all-important funds:

Upcycle furniture to sell

Feeling crafty? See what you can get for free from websites such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Freecycle or even your local tip/recycling centre or car boot sale!

Have a go at upcycling furniture with recycled materials, paint and other decorative items and see if you can sell it for a profit elsewhere. You never know, you might have a gem on your hands that people will be desperate to buy!

Find free materials such as tester paint pots and old craft bits to upcycle items before selling

Find free materials such as tester paint pots, scraps of craft paper and old embellishments to upcycle items before selling

Organise a series of bag packing events

Possibly the most popular and effective fundraising activity there is. You and your members will be raising your Group’s profile, helping the local community and securing useful funds all at the same time!

All you need to do is get in touch with your local supermarket to get permission and organise a weekend for you to carry out the fundraising.

Top tip: the run up to Christmas is the perfect time for this fundraising activity, more people are out stocking up for the festive season, and possibly feeling more giving at this time of year!

Hold a promise auction

Hold an evening where parents can come and bid on your Scouts to carry out tasks for them such as gardening, painting, dog walking etc.

You could even invite the local community and auction off any adults’ help if they have a specific talent or skill.

Put your Scout and Guides' skills to good use with a Promise Auction

Put your Scout and Guides’ skills such as gardening and DIY to good use with an auction

Run a pay-as-you-feel restaurant

Organise a night where your Scouts plan a menu, decorate the hall as a restaurant and serve their guests (parents and visitors). If you have the facilities, they can cook and serve a three-course meal where guests pay what they like for it.

Some may surprise you and pay more than you expected. Make it even more fun by having a theme such as Curry Night, Pizza Night or something unusual like Peruvian Cuisine Night.

This is a great way to promote planning, teamwork and raise money at the same time!

Top tip: Make sure to use your website and social media to promote your fundraising events. You could even use it to sell tickets to events that you hold, or link to your online fundraising pages!

Take part in a sponsored hike challenge

Hiking, a common activity that Scouts take part in on regular basis, why not make it even more interesting by requiring your Scouts to get sponsored for each mile they can cover? You would be surprised how quickly the sponsors can tally up when they’re bringing in £1 per mile. This gives the Scouts extra motivation to keep going and get the most from their sponsors.

You could make this even more exciting by adding in challenges along the way, where sponsors will be able to donate money if they complete each one successfully.

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