We put together some ideas to help you decide the event you wish to host. Be creative and have fun!
Look for this logo to find youth-friendly ideas!
A
Auction
This is a great way to raise money. You can involve the local businesses by asking them to donate goods/services for the auction. The action can be only a part of your fundraising event or part of other events in your community. Use donated items in your auction for greater revenue.
Art and craft sale
Contact artisans and crafters in the community and ask them to participate in the sale. They can donate a fixed percentage of their sales.
B
Birthday party
What a fun way to raise money. Ask your guests to make a donation instead of bringing you gifts. You can also ask them to become Friends of the CCR (monthly donors). Alternatively, you may create your own birthday web page on Canada Helps website and invite your guests to visit your page and make a donation.
BBQ
Invite your friends, neighbors for a BBQ. You can sell entry tickets. Also ask everyone to bring salads and/or fruits. Plan some entertainment for the guests: dance contest, games for the children, etc. Contact local businesses to donate food or other items for the BBQ.
Bake sale
Organize a bake sale in your community, on your campus, or in your school/cégep. Ask people and businesses to donate goods or your volunteer committee to bake goods for the sale.
Baby
Celebrate the arrival of the youngest member of your family and ask your friends to make a donation instead of bringing a present. Create your own web page on Canada Helps website and invite your guests to donate online.
C
Cheese and wine tasting evening
Invite friends over and have fun. Ask local business for in kind support. Sell entry tickets to the guests.
Cocktail evening
This is a great social networking opportunity. You can invite a local band or other performers to entertain the guests. This type of event demands ahead planning in order to be successful and generate bigger revenue. Sell the tickets in advance to better plan the revenue.
Concert
Ask local musicians to donate their time and perform. Invite multicultural performers to make the event more attractive for different communities.
Candle making
It’s a great outdoor or indoor activity. Invite your friends and neighbors. Organize a candle sale afterwards.
Casual Friday
The easiest thing to do is to organize a dress down day. Ask your colleagues to pay an amount set in advance ($1, $2 or more) for the privilege not to observe the dress code and to dress casual on a designated day. Usually Friday is the most convenient day of the week to do that. Don’t forget to ask your boss, HR manager or teacher if you organize this in your school.
D
Dance
What a fun thing to do. Book a venue (school gymnasium, community center, etc.) and sell tickets at the door and then sell chips, soda, and more at the dance. Youth council members can help with advertising, decorating, choosing music, collecting tickets, selling food, and checking to see everything is running smoothly during the dance.
Dinner
Invite friends, neighbors, people from the community for dinner. You can organize a spaghetti night, fondue night, taco night, etc. Use your culinary creativity. Charge your guests for the meal or sell tickets at the door. You may want to plan games and other activities such as a silent auction.
E
Evening with a guest speaker
Invite someone knowledgeable and well known in your community to come and talk on issues concerning refugees and immigrants. Time the event with a special occasion like Refugee Rights day, World Refugee day, Human rights day, etc. Make a visible display table and also sell awareness raising materials. You may also ask the attendees to pay more for the materials as part of the fundraising efforts.
F
Formal dinner
For a big fundraiser, you could plan a formal event such as a fancy dinner. Invite wealthy people in the community and charge $50 per person or even more. Take the opportunity to educate big money makers about refugee issues by inviting well-known guest speakers. Make the event fun by inviting performers. You may also want to hold a silent auction where the guests bid on various items of value. Don’t forget to invite your guests to become “Friends of the CCR”!
Fifty/Fifty Raffle
Sell raffle tickets to people at events. At the end, draw one ticket. The winner gets half the money, and the other half is donated!
G
Garage sale
Great way to give away your old and unwanted stuff and make a room for new things. Invite your neighbors to join you.
H
Hunger Banquet
This is a fun and powerful way to raise awareness about world inequalities while raising money for social justice. Each guest randomly draws a ticket assigning them to a high, middle or low income group and is served a corresponding meal. 15 % of banquet guests are in the high income group and are served a delicious gourmet meal. 25 % of guests are in the middle income group and eat a simple meal of rice and beans. 60 % of guests are in the low income group, they must wait in line for small portions of rice and water. Hold a talent show or invite a guest speaker during the event to discuss the links between world inequalities and migrant issues. Make the poor sit far away from the stage and walk a distance to go get their food and water, while treating the rich like VIPs.
Holiday events
Lots of events can be organized around holidays.
I
International meal tasting
Ask your friends and their friends to prepare traditional dishes from the country they came from. Organize a buffet dinner in your local community centre or other venue and invite the community to test the meals. Ask some local restaurants to participate also. Charge for the meal and the beverages.
J
K
Karaoke night
Book a karaoke club or do a karaoke at home if you have the necessary technical equipment.
L
M
Movie night
Rent a documentary or fiction movie related with the refugee and immigrant issues. Organize it at home or use the local school or university facilities. Create a questioner for the discussion after the movie.
N
O
P
Poetry reading
Organize a poetry evening. Invite friends, neighbors, community members passionate about reading and/or writing poetry. Serve coffee and refreshments afterwards.
Potluck supper
Ask your friends to prepare a meal and organize a supper at your place. Invite many people and charge them for the meal. Plan fun activities for the night.
Q
Quiz night
Organize a quiz night at your community center or school. Charge entry fee.
S
Sport event
Organize a sport event such as marathon, cycling, tournament and invite colleagues, friends and/or community members to take part. Invite local businesses to sponsor the event. You also may collect pledges from friends, colleagues or others.
School event
Organize a fundraising event in your school. Time it with a special occasion such as Refugee Rights Day (April 4). Involve your fellow students, colleagues, and/or local community.
T
Theatre night
Ask the local theatrical group or the students from a school or university theatre course to put on a performance. Invite the community and sell tickets.
Tea party
Put the kettle on and invite people for a late Sunday afternoon cup of tea. Ask guests to pay for the tea and other baked goods they consume.
U
V
W
Workplace event
Organize a sale or other event at your workplace during the lunch hour or at another appropriate time.
Wedding party
For your special day ask your guests instead to donate to the CCR instead of giving gifts. Create your own wedding webpage on Canada Helps web site (http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPages.aspx) and invite everybody to visit it and make a donation. A great fundraising idea for couples who have everything.
X
Y
Yoga
Organize yoga class in the park and charge people a participation fee.
Your own fundraising web page
Create your own fundraising page powered by Canada Helps. Include photos, personal messages and invite your friends and families to make a donation.
Z
Zumba dancing
Organize a Zumba dancing or another dancing competition in your gym and collect a participation fee.