Everything you need to raise money for NBCC.

An A to Z of fundraising ideas

Not sure where to start? Pick a letter, any letter. The best fundraisers are the ones you will enjoy, so choose something that suits you, your friends and your diary.

• Abseil Brave the drop and ask friends to sponsor every metre.
• Bake sale Cakes, biscuits and traybakes at work, school or church.
• Bucket collection Shake a bucket inside your local shop, with the owner’s say so.
• Coffee morning Put the kettle on and invite the neighbours round.
• Dress down day Everyone pays a pound or two to swap the suit for jeans.
• Elf run Pointy hats on, jingle bells jingling, off you go.
• Football tournament Five a side teams, a small entry fee and bragging rights.
• Games night Board games, cards and snacks, with a donation at the door.
• Head shave Bold, brilliant and very sponsorable.
• International food night Cook dishes from around the world and charge for a taste.
• Jumble sale Clear out the cupboards and sell the lot.
• Karaoke night Pay to sing, or pay to make someone else sing.
• Lunch club Bring a packed lunch for a week and give what you save.
• Marathon Or a half, or a 5k. Every step counts.
• Nearly new sale Toys, books and clothes looking for a second home.
• Open garden Show off your blooms and charge a little for tea and a wander.
• Pyjama day Come to work or school in your pyjamas for a small donation.
• Quiz night Teams, a quizmaster and a raffle at half time.
• Raffle Ask local businesses for prizes and sell tickets on the night.
• Santa dash Red suits, white beards and a very festive finish line.
• Tombola A table of prizes and a bucket of tickets at your next event.
• Unwanted presents sale Sell the presents you never quite got round to using.
• Village fair Stalls, games and home baking for the whole community.
• Wrapping station Wrap presents in December for a small donation.
• Xmas jumper day The more tinsel the better.
• Yoga session A class in the park or the village hall, pay what you like.
• Zumbathon Dance for an hour, or two, or three.

Got an idea that is not on the list? Brilliant. Tell us about it and we will cheer you on.

Paying in what you raise

However you raise it, here is how NBCC’s money reaches us.

• Online donations made on your fundraising page come straight to NBCC. There is nothing for you to do.
• Cash and sponsor money can be paid in by card from your private area. Go to nbcc.scot/fundraise/manage, put in your email address, and we will email you a code to sign in.
• By bank transfer. Call or email us for our bank details, and use your fundraiser’s name as the reference so we know it is yours.
• Dropped in to us by arrangement. Get in touch first so someone is there to meet you.

Need a sponsor form? Print our sponsor form, which has the Gift Aid boxes we need. Once you have signed up, your private area has one with your fundraiser’s name already on it.

If you used a paper sponsor form, please send it to us once you have paid in. We need the forms to claim Gift Aid on your sponsors’ donations, which can add a quarter to what they gave.

Gift Aid made simple

Gift Aid is a way for UK taxpayers to make their donation worth more, at no cost to them. For every £1 they give, we can claim an extra 25p from the government.

For us to claim it, each person must:

• be a UK taxpayer, and have paid at least as much Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in that tax year as all the charities they give to will claim on their donations;
• tick the Gift Aid box or make a Gift Aid declaration;
• give their full name, home address and postcode.

Gift Aid cannot be claimed on money given in return for something, such as raffle tickets, cake sales or event tickets, or on payments from companies. If someone is buying a slice of cake, please do not ask them to tick the box.

You can read more on the official Gift Aid page for donors on GOV.UK.

Staying safe and legal in Scotland

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change, so please check with the official source we link to, or ask us and we will help you find out.

Collecting money in public

To collect money in a street or other public place, or from house to house, you need a public charitable collection permit from your local council. This comes from the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. It is free, but some councils need up to three months’ notice, so ask early. To collect on private property, such as inside a shop or a supermarket, you need the owner’s permission. Find out more on GOV.UK’s page about collection permits in Scotland.

Raffles and lotteries

A small raffle or tombola at an event is usually fine, as long as the tickets are sold only at the event, while it is happening. The draw can be during or after the event. You can use up to £100 of the money raised for costs like printing tickets, and up to £500 to buy prizes (donated prizes have no limit). Anything bigger, such as selling tickets in advance, online or over several weeks, is a different kind of lottery that has to be run by the charity itself, so please talk to us first. The Gambling Commission explains how to run a raffle or lottery at an event.

Selling food

Home baking is a fundraising favourite. Follow good food hygiene, keep things clean and chilled where they need to be, and list the allergens in everything you make so people can choose safely. Food Standards Scotland has guidance on food at community and charity events.

Keeping everyone safe

• Think through what could go wrong before the day, and plan for it.
• Have first aid to hand, and know where the nearest help is.
• Tell someone where you will be and when you expect to finish.
• Children taking part need an adult with them at all times.
• Keep cash safe, count it with someone else, and pay it in quickly.

The Code of Fundraising Practice from the Fundraising Regulator sets out the standards all fundraising should meet, and is a great place to look if you are unsure.

Saying who you are raising for

You are fundraising for NBCC, which is wonderful, so please say exactly that. You are not raising money on behalf of NBCC or as a member of our team, so please do not describe yourself that way. Always tell people where their money is going: to the Night Before Christmas Campaign, Scottish charity SC047995.

Using our logo

We would love you to show that you are fundraising for NBCC. You can download our official logos, with a few simple rules and an example. Please:

• use only our official logos;
• keep them as they are, with no stretching, recolouring or redrawing;
• leave a little clear space around them so they can breathe;
• ask us if you are not sure. We are always happy to take a look.