We want to put the fun back into fundraising! Since our charity is all about helping to keep the smile alive for our children, we’d like you to think of creative ways of raising money that also give something back to the people who take part i.e. make people smile!
As an individual…
We’ve been lucky to have many loyal individual supporters who have raised very significant one-off sums of money by holding events in aid of Smile Malawi – either for entertainment or as a sponsored sporting event. Here are some of their ideas:
- A quiz night in a pub or village hall
- A themed dinner at a restaurant – with spot auctions to raise money
- A summer garden party or Family Fun Day
- A sponsored sporting event (marathon, bike ride, swim)
- At work – a designated Smile Malawi fundraiser day
If you would like to organize an event, do let us know about it, make sure you publicise it on Facebook, and set up a special fundraising page via our pages on either MyDonate or Just Giving for your special event.
As a group, club or society…
The immediate and personal appeal of Smile Malawi, and the heart-warming story behind it, make it a great topic for an illustrated talk at your club or society. Our founder, Elspeth Baecke, is happy to come to give an inspirational and informative talk - in return for a donation! She obviously has a busy schedule, so please make sure you email early and give plenty of notice. Contact elsepth@smilemalawi.com
In your school...
We have been amazed at the spontaneous reactions of school children when they hear about the plight of street children and how a little of their pocket money makes a huge difference to orphans’ lives in Africa. The kids love to hear about our children at Smile Malawi and see the changes in them as they grow up, go to school, play football – kids just like them in fact!
If you are a sixth former, or a teacher or Head Teacher and are looking for an inspiring deserving cause to raise money in your school, then look no further than Smile Malawi!
To give an example, sixth formers at Vandyke Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, started a fundraising ‘Smile Week’ over seven years ago. During a designated week each Autumn term, the students employ all their creative and entrepreneurial skills to organize a wacky week’s fundraising for Smile Malawi. It is so popular that it has become an annual fixture in the school’s calendar; in 2014 they raised over £3,000.
Director of Sixth Form Mr Downey said: ‘I’m proud and delighted by their efforts. They all worked incredibly hard to deliver some excellent fundraising events, and to make such a huge sum in a short period of time is an amazing achievement. Staff members were also extremely supportive. As ever, there was a really special atmosphere, with staff and students having fun together to raise money for a very important cause, whilst remaining focused on the important business of teaching and learning. It was a truly great week.’
We are currently preparing a fundraising pack for schools. To reserve a copy, please click here.
