Here are some ideas to get you started. Be as creative as you can within your limits. Decide on an idea or combine a number of ideas into a one-day event.
Tip: Include an activity for everyone - If it’s a children’s event, have something planned for the adults. That way all are keen to turn up and no one gets bored.
| Bike ride | Organise a sponsored bike ride around your local area. Map out a safe and appealing route. Get a local sponsor to provide drinking water and other refreshments at the end. |
| Themed ball | Dress up a local hall with a theme for an evening of dinner and music. Check your local costume hire place for ideas or base it on a movie such as Moulin Rouge. Requires time to plan and a budget. |
| Book fair | Everyone has books they’ll never read again. Collect books from the area and hold a book sale. Donate unsold books to charity or a local nursing home. |
| Dog walk | Organise a sponsored dog walk around your local area. Map out a route that’s good for the dogs and their owners. Have a bbq and sell refreshments at the end. |
| Football/netball/cricket match | Organise a match with local businesses or schools. Perhaps invite a celebrity or two. Each team member can be sponsored and charge admission to the field. |
| Quiz/trivia evening | Hold one-off events or a regular series with a prize for the winners. If you have the budget, there are trivia kits available or professionals that will run the night for you. Ask at the local hotel or check the internet for suggestions. |
| Training or coaching sessions | Provide training classes, clinics or coaching sessions to members and non-members for a fee. |
| Fetes and market stalls | Sell donated items and local produce. Hire space at the local markets as a one-off event or on a regular basis if you have willing volunteers. |
| Barbeques and refreshment stalls at matches | While people love a sausage sizzle, do some research. You may find one or your members or their families can produce a tasty alternative. Or approach a local shop or two to donate in return for free advertising on the stall and in the newsletter. |
Fundraising idea - Buy a Brick
When a NSW Surf Life Saving club is arranging funds for a building project, they can launch a Buy A Brick campaign. Clubs can sell ‘bricks’ for different values and then acknowledge the support by means of a dedicated wall in the newly constructed area of the club.