50 Charity Event Ideas: From Small Gatherings to Grand Galas

The right event can transform your charity's year. This list gives you 50 ideas organised by scale — pick the one that matches your capacity, audience, and ambition.

Small Scale (Under £200 to organise)

1. Coffee morning — The easiest event to run. Invite people, serve coffee and cake, ask for donations. Macmillan has made this a national institution.
Cost: £20-50 | Return: £100-1,000

2. Bake sale — Volunteers bake, you sell. Set up at any busy location.
Cost: £20-50 | Return: £100-500

3. Film night — Projector, popcorn, blankets. Charge £5-10 per person.
Cost: £50-150 | Return: £200-1,000

4. Quiz night — £5 per person, teams of 6-8. Raffle and bar extras.
Cost: £50-200 | Return: £500-3,000

5. Book swap — Donate a book, take a book. Suggested donation of £1-2 per swap.

6. Board game night — Bring your own games. Entry fee £5. Refreshments for sale.

7. Dog walk — Sponsored group walk with dogs. Sociable and Instagram-friendly.

8. Clothes swap — Everyone brings clothes they don't wear. £5 entry for a bag of "new" clothes. Sustainable and fun.

9. Car boot sale — Sell donated items. Use a pitch at a local car boot event.

10. Karaoke night — Hire a karaoke machine (£50-100). Charge per song or per entry. Audience votes for worst singer with donations.

Medium Scale (£200-1,000 to organise)

11. Comedy night — Book 3-4 comedians (many do charity gigs cheap). Ticket sales + bar.
Cost: £200-500 | Return: £1,000-5,000

12. Charity auction — Live or silent. Source donated items and experiences. Professional auctioneer lifts prices.
Cost: £200-500 | Return: £2,000-20,000

13. Fun run / colour run — 5K route with colour stations. Sponsorship-based entry.
Cost: £300-1,000 | Return: £2,000-15,000

14. Summer fete / garden party — Stalls, games, tombola, face painting, BBQ. The classic British fundraiser.
Cost: £200-500 | Return: £500-5,000

15. Craft workshop — Pottery, wreath-making, candle-making. Charge £20-40 per person. Materials included.

16. Open mic night — Poetry, music, comedy. Low cost, high atmosphere.

17. Sports tournament — Football, netball, cricket, rounders. Team entry fees + refreshments.

18. Murder mystery evening — Interactive theatre meets dinner. Buy a kit or hire actors.
Cost: £200-500 | Return: £500-3,000

19. Wine or gin tasting — Partner with a local wine merchant. Charge per ticket. Educational and sociable.
Cost: £200-500 | Return: £500-2,000

20. Sponsored walk — Scenic route, all ages welcome. Marshals and rest stops.
Cost: £100-300 | Return: £1,000-10,000

Large Scale (£1,000+ to organise)

21. Charity gala dinner — The flagship fundraiser. Three courses, entertainment, auction, pledges. Full planning guide here.
Cost: £3,000-15,000 | Return: £10,000-100,000+

22. Black-tie ball — Similar to a gala but can be themed (masquerade, James Bond, Gatsby).
Cost: £3,000-10,000 | Return: £10,000-50,000

23. Charity concert — Local bands or one headline act. Outdoor summer concert works brilliantly.
Cost: £1,000-5,000 | Return: £3,000-20,000

24. Golf day — Teams of four, 18 holes, corporate networking, dinner and prizes.
Cost: £1,000-3,000 | Return: £5,000-20,000

25. Iftar dinner — During Ramadan. Community iftar with fundraising appeal. Ramadan playbook.
Cost: £500-5,000 | Return: £5,000-100,000+

26. Festival / community day — Multiple stages, food stalls, activities. A full-day community event.
Cost: £2,000-10,000 | Return: £5,000-30,000

27. Charity fashion show — Partner with designers or boutiques. Models, music, and champagne.

28. Sponsored challenge event — Three Peaks, skydive, abseil, bungee jump. Extreme = extreme sponsorship.

29. Christmas market — Multiple stalls, festive food, mulled wine, carol singers. Annual tradition.

30. Charity race day — Group tickets to a local racecourse. Add your own fundraising activities.

Virtual / Hybrid Events

31. Online quiz — Zoom quiz with breakout rooms. Charge per team.
Cost: £0 | Return: £200-1,000

32. Virtual gala — Live-streamed programme with donation integration.
Cost: £200-1,000 | Return: £2,000-20,000

33. Webinar / masterclass — Ticketed online learning event. Expert speaker + Q&A.

34. Virtual challenge — Walk/run a distance collectively. Track on Strava. Social leaderboard.

35. Live stream fundraiser — YouTube/Instagram Live with real-time donation counter.

Seasonal Events

36-40. Seasonal events — Christmas ideas, Easter egg hunts, Valentine's charity dinner, Bonfire Night spectacle, harvest festival.

Community Events

41-45. Community events — Litter pick, park clean-up, planting day, community art project, neighbourhood street party.

Unusual / Memorable

46-50. See our 25 quirky fundraising ideas — duck races, jail & bail, sponsored digital detox, and more.

Maximise Every Event

1. Collect pledges, not just cash — PledgeNow captures the moment of inspiration
2. Claim Gift Aid — 25% extra at no cost to donors
3. Follow up within 24 hours — thank donors, share photos, announce the total
4. Plan the next event at the current one — "Save the date" while energy is high