2025/26 Fundraiser Spotlights
Big ideas, festive energy & unreal effort from our challenge teams…
These past few months have been packed with creativity, commitment, and some seriously impressive fundraising. From bake sales to casino nights, skipping challenges to masquerade balls, you’ve all shown that fundraising certainly doesn’t have to be boring (or stressful).
This blog is all about celebrating your wins, sharing ideas, and inspiring anyone who might be feeling a little bit stuck (we’ve all been there). And so, here are some of our fantastic 2026 challenge participants’ fundraiser spotlights. Let’s dive in!
BIG EVENT FUNDRAISERS
High effort, high reward
Prithija Perem - Masquerade Ball
Raised over £700
Prithija and her team hosted a full masquerade ball and absolutely smashed it.
“I emailed practically all the societies and clubs at Keele, shared posters everywhere, printed flyers for accommodation blocks and laundry rooms, and even made a promo video for Instagram. Seeing people dance, have fun, and support such a great cause made it all worth it.”
Why this works:
Big social event = big turnout
People want to dress up and do something fun
Multiple income streams (tickets, raffles, bar sales)
Don’t forget:
Promote early
Use socials (videos work!)
Ask societies/clubs to share your event
Joseph & Ianto – Casino Night
Joseph and Ianto from the Machester Kilimanjaro team looking pretty suave at their casino night
Raised £1,000
Hosted in a student bar with blackjack, poker, roulette, raffles, and donated prizes — this one was a crowd favourite.
Why this works:
Interactive and different
Easy to get friends involved as volunteers
Feels like a proper night out
Pros:
Scales really well
Great atmosphere
High fundraising potential
Things to plan:
Venue permission
Volunteers & prize donations
Aisha Rahman – Winter Ball
Raised £1,800
Aisha and her team hosted a Winter Ball complete with a DJ, photo wall, raffle, and themed cocktails.
Tickets sold out within a week after heavy promotion across Instagram stories, society group chats, and campus posters. On the night, they raised extra funds through a raffle featuring donated prizes from local restaurants and gyms.
Why this works:
Big events feel worth paying for
Multiple ways to raise money in one night
Creates serious buzz across campus
Don’t forget:
Ask local businesses for raffle prizes
Promote across every platform
Create urgency (“limited tickets remaining”)
COMMUNITY & PUB FUNDRAISERS
Local support goes a long way
Kieran Shapcott – Raffle Board in Local Pub
600 squares sold – £600 raised
With prizes donated by local businesses (wine, vouchers, even a custom charcuterie board), this raffle sold out by Christmas Eve.
Why this works:
£1 entry feels easy for people
Pubs LOVE supporting locals
Businesses are often happy to donate prizes
Top tip:
Let the pub promote it for you, it makes a huge difference.
Cian McLoughlin – Christmas Fair Raffle
Cian’s raffle in Limerick in full swing (featuring a fantastic Christmas jumper)
€800 raised
Hosted at the Killaloe/Ballina Christmas Fair, Cian’s raffle got overwhelming community support.
Why this works:
Festive crowds
People are already in a giving mood
High footfall = high engagement
Ella Balanowska – Pub Quiz Fundraiser
Hosted a quiz in a local pub with six rounds, featuring general knowledge, “Who Am I?”, flags, anagrams, a music round and ‘true or false.’ A relaxed, social night with homemade cupcake prizes for the winning team!
Why this works:
Familiar, low-pressure format people enjoy
Easy to organise with minimal costs
Encourages groups to attend together
Creates momentum for future fundraising events
Top tip:
Varied quiz rounds keep everyone engaged so there’s something for everyone.
Alexander Mainds – Pub Quiz with a Twist
Raised £400
Alexander hosted a festive pub quiz in a student bar, adding a twist with live music and entry that included mulled wine and a mince pie. The event was timed to follow university Christmas dinners, making it an easy and appealing way for people to keep the celebrations going.
Why this works:
A familiar fundraiser made more exciting with live music
Festive drinks and food add value to entry
Easy to adapt for any university or student bar
CHALLENGE-BASED FUNDRAISING
Simple, personal, and seriously impressive. Creating a mini challenge before your big challenge.
Jake Butler - Half Marathon Challenge
£700 raised
Jake pushed himself outside of his comfort zone (exactly what we love to see at Choose a Challenge!) by running 13.1 miles in a Edinburgh half marathon - what better way to train for Kilimanjaro and contribute to that fundraising target!
Dan Sleight – 12 Days of Christmas Running Challenge
£105 raised
… even completed while on holiday in Gran Canaria (in the heat!)
Running 12km a day from Christmas Day to Jan 5th — dressed as Santa.
Why this works:
Clear challenge
Easy to explain
Great for social updates
Can alternate outfit depending on celebrations and the time of year (Dan has told me there may be an Easter bunny on the streets to look out for…)
Harriett Tyler – Skipping 100km Across Advent
Skipping (yes, skipping!) 4km a day across Oxford, Leicestershire, and London, sometimes with a Santa hat, sometimes with her dog.
“It’s harder than running but way more fun… and the odd looks definitely help with donations!”
Bonus idea:
Let donors vote on embarrassing outfits for the final day!
Max Sheppard – Lifts with a Twist
Max has been turning his gym sessions into a social-media-friendly fundraiser by dressing up in increasingly silly outfits while completing his squat, bench, and deadlift sessions. By posting regular updates on Instagram and TikTok, people get to follow the journey and donate to see what outfit comes next.
Why this works:
Entertaining and highly shareable
Builds momentum over time
Social media keeps supporters invested in the challenge
LOW-PRESSURE, HIGH-RETURN IDEAS
Perfect if you’re short on time to organise a large-scale event
Bake Sales
Shout-out to Freya-Elise Baker and Nicole Lee for wholesome, crowd-pleasing bake sales.
“It was so wholesome, to see people get excited over homemade cookies, also they all felt great contributing to a good cause while getting a sweet treat”
Why this works:
Cheap to run
Easy to repeat
Always popular
And to Lucca Demarzo for selling Brigadeiros - Brazillian sweets, with a friend from Delft!
Sold Brazilian sweets with a friend in Delft.
Why this works:
Who doesn’t like a sweet treat!
Giving people a chance to try something different (and tasty)
Simple and so effective!
The month of love (AKA Valentines) saw a flurry of pink, red and love-heart themed bake sales!
Team RGU Kilimanjaro’s Lauren utilised her home community and natural love for baking by making Valentines Day Afternoon Tea boxes, and they looked beautiful!
Why this works:
Celebrating a generic event and easily replicable (Lauren says she will be repeating over Mother’s Day)!
Easy to advertise (Lauren shared it on Facebook and used posters)
Good fun!
Evelyn Winton - Tarot Card Readings
“It’s a skill I learnt a long time ago and a friend gave me the idea of promoting it to fundraise for Hft… I’ve been doing tarot card readings for people around my campus and my friends! It’s been super fun and always gets people laughing and excited.”
What better way to turn a hobby into a fundraiser, and to utilise your University Campus!
QUICK & CREATIVE FUNDRAISERS
Low effort, big engagement
Kyra Chapman – Guess the Name of the Snowman Scratchcard
£200 raised
With prizes donated by family (including a crocheted snowman), Kyra even did a video reveal on Facebook.
Snowman names included:
Snowbama
Scarlett Snowhansen
Nicold Kidman
Why this works:
Super easy
Fun & shareable
Great for friends & family
Nicole Lee - Haircut and Donate
Nicole went above and beyond (11 inches beyond, to be exact!), donating her own hair to Little Princess Trust whilst fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust. A truly amazing gesture.
Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their fundraising events with me. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have a fundraising target to reach, and how it can feel tough at times.
But the fundraising journey and the adventure that follows are worth every bit of effort. My fundraising journey and the trip I went on with Choose a Challenge became the most rewarding and fulfilling experience of my life, and I truly believe the same will be true for you.
So keep going - you’re doing something incredible.
- Lucy, Choose a Challenge
