Thank you for choosing to fundraise for RSPCA Woodside.
We hope that this pack gives you some great ideas to get your fundraising off to a flying start. There are lots of ideas, hints and tips to make the most of your fundraising. Don’t be afraid to mix it up and create your own unique event. Your support ensures that we can continue to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals in need. Thank you for helping us to make a real difference to abandoned and abused animals throughout Leicestershire, Peterborough and Rutland area.
We simply couldn’t do it without you and we really appreciate all of the support that you give us
RSPCA Woodside community fundraising ideas.
A
- abseil: reach new heights with an abseiling challenge
- afternoon tea: hold an elegant afternoon tea with friends or family
- arm wrestling contest: see who’s crowned the arm wrestling champion
- art exhibition: showcase local artists and raise money through an entry fee
- auction: encourage local businesses to donate items to be auctioned off
- Auctions and raffles: Ask friends, family and local businesses to donate goods which you can then auction or raffle.
- Afternoon tea: Put the kettle on and invite your friends to join you for tea and cake – for a donation of course.
- Art: attetion all you buding artists – Auction off your own or a local artist’s works, or hold an exhibition.
- Animal Food Donations
B
- bake sale: get your local community baking to sell some delicious treats
- bingo: who will be the first to check off all their numbers at a bingo night?
- birthday giving: ask your loved ones to donate instead of buying you gifts
- Book sale: Ask friends to donate their preloved books and sell them in aid of the RSPCA Woodside
- Barbecue: Ask for a donation for a burger, hot dog or vegetarian alternative such as grilled halloumi or vegetable kebabs.
- Barn dance: Put your dancin’ boots on. Barn dances are great fun as a social evening for all. Ask for a donation for entry. Or run a raffle on the night.
- Battle of the Bakeoff : You’re an aspiring baker. Battle it out in front of a discerning panel or your family and get people to donate asenter or vote!
- Black tie ball: Put on your best dress or dinner suit for a night of glitz, glamour and fundraising or raise money as a company event.
- Burns night: Host a Burns Dinner in aid of the RSPCA Woodside on or around 25 January for your friends.
- Bad Tie Day: Wear with pride that tie you keep in the back of the wardrobe. Get sponsored or ask people to donate to wear theirs. You could even hold a competition!
- Bathe in beans: Not so yummy, this fundraising idea involves getting in a bath filled with baked beans! Get sponsored to give it a go.
- Bring and Buy Sale: Encourage everyone who attends to donate something to sell that’s in good condition.
- Beat the Goalie: Bring parents, teachers, kids and visitors together for a bit of friendly sporting competition with a beat the goalie game
- Bungee Jump For Charity
C
- car wash: help shine up local cars in a community car wash event
- cocktail night: mix up your favourite drinks in a charity cocktail evening
- coffee morning: get together and enjoy a cuppa while raising money
- crafts: turn your hobbies into a fundraising activity and get crafting
- cycling: get sponsored to hop on your bike for a charity cycle
- Cuppa for the cats (& dogs): Use video-calling platforms to enjoy a cuppa with friends and family while fundraising for Woodside .
- Car boot/jumble sale: Clear out your unwanted items and raise money.
- Collection tin: Place a tin in communal areas and invite people to donate spare change to help save animals in need. Request an RSPCA Woodside collecting box or bucket
- Climb Everest: On an indoor climbing wall! Ask people to sponsor you.
- Cabaret: For an entry fee, entertain your guests with music, comedy, refreshments and magic.
- Cooking competition: Take turns with friends to host a dinner party, and at the end of each evening, rate the host’s performance. Ask for a donation to take part and offer a prize for the best party
- Custard pie throwing: Colleagues and bosses love volunteering to be part of this activity.
- Company car wash – organise a car wash on your company car park
- Crazy hair: Grow out your hair, moustache or beard. Or maybe you’re brave enough to shave your hair off completely! Show your friends on social media and get sponsored.
- Cake sale: The ever-popular cake sale. You could even get your friends involved and make it a competition!
- Calendar: Design and sell a calendar – something with animals would be nice
- Christmas: The perfect time to do some RSPCA Woodside fundraising! Card sales, hamper raffles, Secret Santa or even hold a Christmas fair and ask for an entry donation – help raise for funds for animals at Christmas.
- Car Share: Pool your resources and share cars with colleagues to travel to and from work and save the environment at the same time
D
- dance-a-thon: see who can last the longest on the dancefloor
- darts contest: take aim to see who lands the bullseye in a round of darts
- dinner party: pick a theme and host your own charity dinner party
- dog show: let those pups strut their stuff to see who is voted the winner
- drawing contest: challenge people to show off their drawing skills
- Duck race: Get a group of people together to buy numbered rubber ducks and launch them into a river (please remembering to collect them all afterwards!). There is a prize for the duck that finishes first. Ideal for a fete or garden party near a river.
- Dress Down Day: Donate a small sum to come into work wearing your casual clothes. Or dress up and donate a larger sum to come into work wearing you evening dress.
- Dog Walking: Raise funds by helping out your neighbours by walking their dogs for a small donation.
- Donate Your Coffee Money – don’t splash out on a fancy coffee donate the money to charity
E
- eBay: sell any unwanted items you have lying around on eBay
- egg painting contest: get creative to see who can paint the best egg
- Egg and Spoon race: Challenge your friends to a good old egg and spoon race!
- Etsy: use your crafting skills to sell your awesome creations on Etsy
- exercise marathon: hold a day long event to see who can go the distance
- Eurovision party: everyone can represent a different country at this party
- Easter egg hunt
F
- Facebook fundraising: use Facebook fundraising tools on your social media posts
- fancy dress day: hold a fancy dress day at school or work for a donation
- fashion show: rock your best outfits in a local charity fashion show
- film night: host your own film night, you can even get creative with themes
- football match: see who will score the winning goals in a charity game
- Film night: Watch a film with friends and ask for a donation.
- Fishy Friday: A fundraising favourite! Cook up a delicious fish supper, order your favourite fish and chip takeaway or rustle up a sustainable veggie option and invite some guests. Simply ask your guests for a donation, or make it more fun with fishy, ocean-themed party games and prizes.
- Fashion show: Host a fashion show with support from local clothes shops or designers and ask spectators for a donation.
- Fancy dress party: Pick a theme – film styles, cartoon characters, Give prizes and donations for the best dressed.
- Fill Your Boots: With your school or club, fill a welly with coins and donate what you raise!
- Flower show: Show and sell your finest displays and specimens. Get people to join in and organise some stalls.
- Face painting
G
- games night: get competitive in a board games or video games night with family and friends.
- give something up: get sponsored giving up something you love
- golf day: get outside and take to the green in a charity golf day event
- grow a beard: let it all grow out while raising money for charity
- guess how many: challenge people to guess how many items are in a jar ie sweets or dog treats.
- Guess the baby: Ask your colleagues to bring in their baby snaps and see if they can guess who’s who!
- Guess the number: Put a load of sweeties or dog treats in a jar and ask colleagues to donate a small amount to guess the number.
- Give it some welly: Wear your favourite wellies to school. Go on a welly walk. Or have a go at Wellympics or organise a welly throwing competition.
- Get creative: Make great things you can offer for a suggested donation to Woodside . For example, T-shirts, loom bands or cookies.
- Get knitting: Knit jumpers, scarves, hats or toys and sell them in aid of Woodside
- Garden Sale: Take advantage of the popularity of gardening by organising a sale of seeds, bulbs and both indoor and outdoor plant
- Guess the Breed of Dog
H
- Harry Potter party: discover Hogwarts with your own Harry Potter party
- head shave: shave all your hair off for some sponsorship money
- hiking: take a sponsored hike and see how long you can trek for
- homebrewing: try your hand at some homebrewing and sell your drinks
- hour of earnings: challenge your colleagues to donate an hour of their pay
- Holiday day: Check with the boss first ! – , then hold a silent auction at work to earn an extra holiday day.
- Helping hands: Get sponsored to help out with your chores such as tidying your room, washing the car, cleaning and walking the dog.
- Halloween party – get spooky with family, friends or work colleagues
I
- ice cream tasting: discover all the different flavours in a tasting event
- improv night: let your community flex their skills at an improv night
- iron man challenge: hold an iron man event and see who can tough it out
- It’s a Knockout: have some fun with an It’s a Knockout event
- International food evening: A night of enjoying your favority food from around the world. Participants cook a dish or order a takeaway from a country of their choice. The yummier the dish, the higher the donation!
J
- jam making: try your hand at making some jam at home to sell
- jazz night: take in some smooth tunes at your own jazz night event
- jigsaw puzzle marathon: see who can complete the most puzzles fastest
- joke-a-thon: crack out your best jokes to exchange laughs for donations
- jumble sale: see what old or unwanted items you have lying around to sell
- Job swap – Job swapping is a great way to fundraise at work, and you also get to see what life is like in your colleague’s shoes! Get sponsored to give another job a go or auction off a job role to the highest bidder.
- Jewellery making: Buy your own beads and make bracelets or necklaces that people can buy for a donation.
K
- karaoke: find out who’s got the chops to be the best at karaoke
- kayaking: take to the water to see who wins a charity kayak race
- keepy uppy contest: who will keep the ball up in the air the longest?
- kick a habit: challenge yourself to break a bad habit while raising money
- knitting: use your knitting skills to create some items to sell
- Karaoke: Ask for a donation for entry to a karaoke night.
L
- Las Vegas night: enjoy a glitzy Vegas casino themed evening
- learn a new skill: get sponsored to learn a useful new skill
- lego contest: see who can build the most impressive lego creation
- livestream: host an online gaming, cooking, fitness, or crafting livestream
- loose change collection: ask people to donate any loose change they have
- Lawn mowing: Help a friend or neighbour by mowing their lawn and ask for a donation.
- Lucky dip: Seek donations to take part in a lucky dip for small presents provided by your colleagues.
- Lunch from around the world – In this bring-and-share event ask everyone to cook or buy a dish from a country of their choice. People can donate to join in and then enjoy a delicious lunch together
M
- makeover: ask people to donate skills for hairdressing, manicures, etc.
- mobile free day: challenge everyone to go without phones for a full day
- mountain climb: rise to the top with a mountain climb challenge
- murder mystery party: find out who done it at a murder mystery night
- music concert: hold your own local music event or battle of the bands
- Money pots : fill small jam jars with 5p coins! How many can you fill?
- Monthly Mile: Walk, jog or run 31 miles in a month and raise funds with every step.
- Murder mystery: Host a murder mystery evening with obligatory donations from your guests. Especially the one who guesses who dunnit!
N
- nail art: raise money through creating beautiful nail art on people
- name the [blank] contest: challenge people to name the song or movie
- needlework sale: create some impressive needlework you can sell
- netball tournament: take to the court for charity netball matches
- nighttime walk: get sponsored to walk alone or with friends all night long
- No hair: Maybe you’re brave enough to shave your hair or beard off completely! Show your friends on social media and get sponsored.
- No vices: Get people to sponsor you to give up your favourite treats or social media. Challenge your friend to a competition and see who can last the longest.
O
- obstacle course: see who can complete the obstacle course fastest
- onion chopping challenge: who can go the longest without shedding tears?
- open mic night: let anyone take to the stage in an open mic event
- original recipe contest: bring out your best recipes to be crowned winner
- outdoor theatre: hold an outdoor theatre show with entry fee
- Office Olympics: Compete against colleagues in your own mini office Olympics. Sporting events could include table tennis or running round the office building. Ask for donations to take part.
P
- penalty shootout: step up to the line for a penalty shootout tournament
- plank / press up challenge: see who has the strength to hold out the longest
- poetry day: get lyrical and share your poems in front of an audience
- poker night: all money won in the game gets donated to charity
- pot luck event: everyone brings a dish to contribute to the pot luck
- Play football: A full match, five-a-side or a penalty shoot-out, depending how energetic you are! You could run it as a competition and ask for a donation for taking part and spectating.
- Parachute jump: Dare to leap out of an aeroplane and skydive to raise money for the RNLI? Take your first steps on your challenge of a lifetime with our free jumping and skydive resources.
- Play DJ: Organise a 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s night and ask for donations to dance the night away.
- Pirate Day: ahoy there shipmates, muster your crew and ask them to donate to dress up as a pirate for the day for RSPCA Woodside
- Payroll Giving: Speak with your HR team to find out how employees can give via the monthly payroll
Q
- quad bike racing: get the adrenaline pumping in a quad bike race
- quickest time contests: see who can complete a task the fastest
- quiet hour: challenge people to stay quiet for an hour, donate for every noise
- quintissentially British party: tea, scones, and everything British
- quiz night: test everyone’s knowledge with a quiz night to raise money for charity
- Quit Smoking
R
- read-a-thon: challenge people to get reading for charity
- roaring twenties party: host a decadent theme party for your friends
- rock climbing: see who can reach the top in a rock climbing challenge
- Ramble: Head out into some of the nation’s most beautiful landscapes and ask for sponsorship for each mile you walk. Our free coastal and inland walking resources will set you on the right track.
- Reindeer Run: Take part in the 10K or 5K fun run, or a 1K Santa Saunter.
- Row the (virtual) Channel: Using machines at your local gym, get sponsored to row the distance of the Channel or any waterway you fancy! Maybe it could be the distance between the RSPCA Woodside shops.
S
- sports day: get nostalgic with a school sports day themed event
- street party: all your neighbours can get involved with a local street party
- superhero party: dress up as the person you consider your superhero
- short story contest: hold a contest to find the best short stories
- Superhero Day: Celebrate our RSPCA Woodside heroes by dressing up as a superhero for the day and donating to our cause.
- Swear box: Any verbal misdemeanours can earn money for a good cause! Get your family and colleagues involved.
- Sponsored swim: Work out how far a mile is at your local pool and set a target.
- Sponsored walk – plan a route and get sponsored
- Sports team challenge: Organise a charity tournament and a sporty teambuilding event. Choose from badminton, netball, five-a-side football and more. Sell tickets in aid of RSPCA Woodside.
- Strictly Dance off: Get everyone to perform their very own version of a famous dance routine in front of a panel of judges. Collect donations from spectators and contestants – or get sponsored to see how long you can keep dancing.
- Stocks or wet sponge throwing: Colleagues and bosses love volunteering to be part of this activity.
- Scavenger hunt: Get your friends together for a scavenger hunt and ask for donations.
- Sponsored silence: This one might not be so easy! Get sponsored to stay silent for a long period of time for charity.
- School Non-Uniform Day: students just contribute a small amount of money in return for the privilege of being able to be able wear casual clothes to school for the day.
- Summer Fête
- School Disco
- School Uniform Swaps – really helpful fundraising event that can reduce the cost of kitting kids out in new uniform
- Spelling Bee: A low-cost event that allows the bright sparks to shine and raise valuable funds for the charity
- Supermarket Bag Packing: Find out from your local supermarket whether they allow charity bag packers
- Spare Change: Tell everyone in your household that all money left unattended – on the floor, down the back of the sofa, left in pockets to go in the washing machine – is fair game for the collection box for your cause.
- Sponsor an dog kennel or a cat pod:
T
- table tennis tournament: see who edges out the competition at table tennis
- talent contest: give everyone the chance to show off their best talents
- teddy bear picnic: host a teddy bear picnic for families to enjoy
- tombola: run a local tombola with fun prizes to help raise money for charity
- treasure hunt: put together a treasure hunt around your town
- Teddy Bear’s Picnic: A fantastic fundraiser for little children
U
- ultimate frisbee: take to your local park for an ultimate frisbee competition
- uniform free day: skip the uniform for a day in return for a small donation
- University Challenge: host your own University Challenge style event
- unplug from tech: get sponsored to completely switch off from tech for a day
- upcycling: transform old items into something new that you can then sell
- Ugly Jumper Competition: An alternative to Christmas jumper day that works at any time of year
V
- variety show: hold a local variety show and enjoy an evening of entertainment
- vegetable growing: see what vegetables you can grow and sell
- video game competition: discover who’s the best when it comes to gaming
- village fete: organise a village fete to help raise money
- vintage sale: rummage through your closets to find vintage looks to sell
- Vanity check: Be sponsored to go without make-up or hair gel for a day – or, better still, a week!
W
- wear RSPCA Woodside blue day: encourage people to wear Woodside blue for the day
- wedding gifts: instead of gifts, you can ask for donations to charity
- window cleaning: offer to clean neighbourhood windows for a donation
- wine tasting: enjoy some delicious drinks at your own wine tasting event
- world record attempt: challenge people to try and break a world record
- Wacky races!: Make go-carts and get people to place their bets on who will win and race away!
- Water-only drink challenge: No morning coffee. No after-work beer. Can you do it for 10 days? Even better, make it a competition with your friends or colleagues and see who can go the longest only drinking water!
X, Y, Z
- X Factor competition: host your own X Factor style singing contest
- yoga marathon: release the tension and stretch out your body for longer
- yo-yo contest: crack out your best yo-yo skills in a competition
- zero waste day: challenge yourself to go fully zero waste for a week
- zip wire: soar through the sky as you take on a zip wire challenge
School Fundraising Pack
Did you know that there has been an RSPCA Branch in Leicestershire since 1881? And the Woodside animal centre celebrates is 50th birthday at the Scudamore Road site this year.
Help us celebrate by raising money to help dogs and cats in need, and have some fun while doing it. We know it’s not easy to fundraise so we really appreciate everything that you do to help helpless cats and dogs. We hope this pack will give you some ideas but if you want any more help please get in touch.
We really can’t do this without you and the incredible things that you do for the animals.
You can make a big difference
We look after cats and dogs that have been cruelly treated, neglected or abandon to look after themselves. We take them in and look after them, making sure that they see a vet, get the medicine they need, get a good meal, a warm bed and have loads of cuddles, then we find them a new loving home
Fundraising Idea’s
Bake Sale
Who doesn’t love cake, use your skills to turn your ingredients into yummy cake and raise money for animals.
Non-Uniform Day
Get permission from your teachers to come to school in non uniform and pay a fee
Spare Change
Get people to give you their spare change – Preferably gold coured ones
School Disco
Keep dancing – organise your own school disco and have a great night out
Walk, Run, Swim
or get on your bike. Set a distance and get people to sponsor you, then go for it!
Sponsored Silence
Give your teachers a break and organise a sponsored silence, a big fine for anyone who breaks the peace and quiet.
Car Wash
Everyone wants a clean shiny car so organise a car wash for parents, teachers, family, neighbours and friends
Bring & Buy Sale
Encourage everyone who attends to donate something to sell that’s in good condition
Cuppa for the Cats & Dogs
Just put the kettle on and have a cuppa with friends and family. Maybe something for the busy mums or dad?
Beat the Goalie
Bring parents, teachers, kids and visitors together for a bit of friendly sporting competition with a beat the goalie game
Give it Some Welly
Wear your favourite wellies to work, Go on a welly walk during your lunch hour or organise a welly throwing competition
Helping Hands
Get sponsored to help out with your chores such as tidying your room, washing the car, cleaning, mowing the lawn and walking the dog.
Lego Contest
See who can build the most impressive Lego creation
Mobile Free Day
Challenge everyone to go without phones for a full day
Creative Writing/Art
Hold a competition to write a story about an animal, or a drawing contest of your favourite pet
As a self-funded Centre that costs over £20,000 per week to run, we rely on our fundraising to keep Woodside open and to continue rescuing, rehabilitating & re-homing animals. Here are just some of the ways in which you can help:
Organise an Event
Please get in touch with us if you’d like to organise a fundraising event in aid of Woodside. Examples of previous supporter events include: BBQ, Concert, Open Garden, Cake Sale and Fashion Show.
Donate Used Items
We are very grateful for any towels, blankets and sheets for use in our animal centre. Unfortunately we do not use pillows or duvets / quilts. Dog and cat items, including food, are also gratefully accepted!
Sponsored Challenge
Please get in touch with us if you’d like to take on a sponsored challenge in aid of Woodside. Examples of previous sponsored challenges include: Abseiling, Sky Dive, Mountain Climbing and Leicester Marathon.
Payroll Giving
A very simple way to help us rescue, rescue and rehome the neglected, unwanted and abused animals of Leicestershire. To donate directly through your salary, please talk to your employer.
Safe Haven
Help us provide a safe environment for local animals. Become a monthly donor to give Woodside’s rescue pets the security of long-term support.
Donate Items
Order specialist products and equipment directly to Woodside, via Amazon. The wishlist is regularly updated with the items that the animals need most.
Amazon Smile
Raise money for Woodside every time you shop, at no extra cost! Select us as your Smile Charity and Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchases.
Amazon Wishlist
We are very grateful for any towels, blankets and sheets for use in our animal centre. Unfortunately we do not use pillows or duvets / quilts. Dog and cat items, including food, are also gratefully accepted!
Opening Hours
Centre Open for General Animal Viewing
We are open to the public to have a look around on Thursdays, Saturday and Sundays from 11:00 to 15:00
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Pet Shop and Reception
Open 7 Days a week
Monday - Friday: 08:30 to 16:30
Saturday & Sunday: 09:00 to 16:00
If you are interested in adopting an animal in our care, please go to the animal profile pages and complete the contact forms. Our team will then contact you to discuss the current adoption process.
Contact Us
Post:
Woodside Animal Centre
190 Scudamore Road,
Leicester
LE3 1UQ
Phone:
General Enquiries: 0116 233 6677
Woodside Pet Shop: 0116 233 6677
RSPCA Cruelty Line: 0300 1234 999
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