Christmas might be two months away, but now is the perfect time to start planning your festive fundraising. There are quick and easy ways you can create campaigns and catch that wave of seasonal generosity.

Our data shows that people are at their most generous during the festive period, with single donations to Localgiving members going up significantly in November and December.

Then there’s Giving Tuesday, the international day of donating, volunteering and other forms of giving, that this year takes place on Tuesday 3^rd December and can provide a good focus for your efforts.

People are genuinely imbued with the spirit of the season! So how can you make the most of this seasonal generosity?

• Christmas jumper day – ask your colleagues, pupils or teammates to wear a Christmas jumper in return for a donation. Perhaps a prize for the best or worst?
• Festive bake sale – perfect for the office, school, community hub or place of worship
• Cold water swim – whether in the sea, a lake or river or even the kids paddling pool in the back garden– it’s the perfect activity to shake off some seasonal excesses and raise some money.
• Bucket collection – people are feeling more generous, so organise a collection on your local high street, train station, sports ground or festive event – you’ll be surprised what people give!
• Christmas quiz – as fun or as serious as you like , everyone loves a quiz!  Each team can pay to enter, with a prize for the winners. Works ‘in-person’ or online.
• Connect with business – reach out to a local company or corporation that works in your area and ask if they can support you. Perhaps they are looking to donate, or perhaps match fund your efforts?
• Be someone’s New Year’s resolution – what better way to start 2025, than with new donors, connect with your community and ask them to set up a direct debit, regular donation or create a Localgiving fundraising page for their own personal challenges or events. Plenty of people want to get fitter in January, why not raise some money whilst they are at it?
• Something for the new year? Bring your community together with a cèilidh, read our guide here. 

When planning your Christmas campaign, remember to keep your organisation’s story at the heart of the messaging – who you are, why you exist, who you support and the impact you make. Use quotes from people you support, and photos, videos and infographics if available.

Keep the language simple and relatable. And clearly show what donations deliver - £10 does this, £30 supports that, £50 can deliver this etc. This really show people what their money will support.

Creating your Localgiving page is easy, it’s a fantastic fundraising hub for your community and can quickly begin generating funds for your cause. 

It’s also very straightforward for your supporters to create a page for their own activities and link directly to you. And unlike many others, we don't take any fees! 

If you’d like some advice and best practice on making the most of your Localgiving membership for running a campaign, check out these webinars An Introduction to Online Fundraising and An Introduction to Creating a Communications and Marketing Strategy

Further guides to the new charity profile can be found here

Coming up on the 5^th November, is our next Lunchtime Learning session - An introduction to powerful and effective online fundraising

If you need further help or support, contact us here.