Last updated: 28-09-2023

Christmas Fundraising Ideas

Ho ho ho! Yet again, Christmas is just around the corner... Are you prepared? With hundreds of different appeals, campaigns, events and activities lined up, this is the perfect time of year for fundraising. In this blog, we'll take a look at some of the different ways people raise money over the holiday season, and how you can complement your efforts with a seasonal visual fundraising page.

Virtual Christmas Trees

Christmas tree decorated with lights, presents, bells, baubles and candles. — Ask for donations to hang decorations on a virtual Christmas tree with a short message and optional photo.

Invite people to donate and hang a decoration on a virtual Christmas tree with a message and photo. Popular for all festive appeals and also a lovely way to remember someone special during the holiday season.

Read our guide to learn how to create your own virtual tree.

Santa Dash

cheer squad in grandstand watching runners dressed in santa suits — Upload a photo onto the grandstand banner at this Santa Dash and ask for sponsorship donations to add a spectator to the virtual cheer squad.

If you're taking part in a Santa Dash or Santa Sprint event, you can create a festive-themed fundraising page to raise sponsorship money. With the Santa Dash template, you can upload a photo onto the grandstand banner and invite people to donate and cheer you on! As more people give, more spectators will appear in your virtual cheer squad.

Christmas Jumper Day

A collection of Christmas Jumpers and novelty socks hanging on a washing line — Instead of passing a collection envelope around the office on Christmas Jumper Day, you could ask people to donate online and add a festive jumper to the washing line.

If you're taking part in a Christmas Jumper Day at school or in the workplace, you can collect contributions from everyone who's taking part by creating your very own Christmas Jumper fundraising page. When people donate, they can choose to hang something on the washing line - either a Christmas Jumper or a pair of novelty socks! Even better, when you collect donations online, the money you raise will go directly to the charity, so there's no need to worry about any additional administration.

Elf Day

a group of Christmas elves standing in the snow. There is a sign pointing to Santa's Workshop — Create an elf fundraising page and invite people to donate or contribute to add an elf to the scene.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without elves! So if you're taking part in an Elf Day or a festive fancy dress event, you could create a fundraising page with the Festive Elves template. Whether you're using the page to collect contributions from participants or to raise sponsorship money, every person who donates can add an elf to the page with a little touch of Christmas magic!

Gift Appeal

Lots of colourful presents in front of a building — Zoe's Place baby hospice created a page and asked people to donate money for a virtual present and put it outside the front of their building. This is a great way to raise unrestricted funds and still allows the supporter to leave a Christmas message for the children.

It's quite common for people to buy presents and donate them to children's hospices and hospitals at this time of year. But it can be quite difficult to know what to buy or to avoid duplicates. A lot of charities run Present Appeals or Gift Appeals over winter, asking for donations instead of physical gifts, so that they can spend the money on things that will make a real difference to the lives of the people they care for. To raise money instead of giving gifts, you could create a page with a present template, so that more presents appear on the page when people give.

Snowman Fundraiser

Cartoon snowmen wearing hats and scarves playing in the snow — A snowman fundraising page could be the perfect addition to any snowman-themed fundraising event.

Snowman building competition? Making snowman cakes? Or maybe dressing up in woolly hats and scarves? If you're holding a snowman-themed fundraising event, you could create a snowman fundraising page to collect donations and raise money for a good cause.

Star Appeal

a snowy landscape with a snowman in front and deer towards the back. The moon is out and there are stars in the sky. — Wish upon a star or dedicate a star in the name of a loved one at Christmas.

When we get together with friends, family and loved ones at Christmas, we are often reminded of people that we miss. Lots of people choose to remember loved ones by looking up to the stars. If you are thinking of someone special, you could dedicate a virtual star in their name and upload a favourite photo of them.

Donations in lieu of cards or gifts

Some people choose to give money to charity instead of sending Christmas cards. Others ask people to donate to a favourite cause instead of buying them a present. If that sounds like you, you could choose any Christmas template to create a fundraising page, where people donate to add a festive symbol or icon to the page and leave a Christmas message. This could be a great way to raise money for your favourite charity over the holiday season.