Looking for some fundraising inspiration or a trip down memory lane?
Some of the fundraisers in this article have stood the test of time, running for years (or even decades), and raising millions for their cause. Others are grassroots, started by people rather than a charity. And with some luck and good timing, went viral – engaging people around the world to get involved, donate, and get their friends to do the same.
Here are nine iconic fundraisers, from 1988 to the present day.
Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day is one of the oldest annual fundraising events in the UK. The first Red Nose Day took place in 1988, where it raised a staggering (at the time) £15 million.
Over 30 million people tuned in to watch the Young Ones on University Challenge and Blackadder – the cavalier years – as well as other celebrity guests and comedy skits.
1989 saw over 20 million Brits take part in 70,000 activities for Red Nose Day, raising £26.9 million – close to double of what it raised in its first year.
Sadly, 2024 marked the end of Red Nose Day with over 4 million people tuning in and over £38 million raised. A jaw dropping £1.5 billion has been raised since it began, making it arguably the most successful UK fundraiser.
No-Makeup Selfie
Back in 2014, and in Twitter’s (now X) heyday, sometimes all you needed was a bit of luck to raise millions of pounds. No one is certain how it started but women started posting selfies of themselves without makeup, using the hashtag #NoMakeupSelfie, and nominating their friends to do the same. As it gained traction, someone suggested that people donate £5 by text to Cancer Research UK and six days later, the charity had raised a staggering £8 million!
Of course, the charity’s social media team played a big part in helping it to gain traction by engaging with everyone who was taking part, sending out ‘thank you’ tweets and getting charity staff to take part themselves.
The ice bucket challenge
2014 was definitely a great year for viral social media fundraisers that raised bucketloads. The ice bucket challenge, originally in aid of American charity ALS, took the world by storm.
Pat Quinn and Pete Frates started the challenge, and it involved people being filmed pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads and then nominating friends to do the same and to donate.
Soon everyone was doing it, including tons of celebrities across the world. In the UK, people took on the challenge for the Motor Neuron Disease Association (MND Association) and the charity raised more than £7 million, of which £5 million went towards research.
Globally the ice bucket challenge raised over $220M.
Stephen Sutton for Teenage Cancer Trust
When teenager Stephen Sutton MBE was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 15, he made a bucket list of what he wanted to achieve in his short life. Stephen believed that life shouldn’t be measured in terms of time but rather in terms of the difference you could make.
The top of his bucket list was to raise £10,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust as they had supported him throughout his cancer experience. He soon had to increase his fundraising target when his story went viral after he posted what he thought would be his last ‘thumbs up’ photo from his hospital bed. Soon everyone was posting their own ‘thumbs up for Stephen’ selfies and donating to the charity.
Along with support from Teenage Cancer Trust, Stephen went on to raise a staggering £3.2 million at the time of his death in May 2014. By the first anniversary of his death, the amount had grown to over £5.5 million. His positivity, courage and selflessness propelled people to want to support his fundraising efforts and do something positive in his name.
Stephen’s memory lives on as the money raised in his name has helped to build and refurbish specialist units for teenagers at hospitals across the UK. In 2021, the new Teenage Cancer Trust unit opened at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, which was funded by Stephen’s legacy.
PewdiePie and Save the Children
In 2014, YouTuber PewdiePie (real name, Felix Kjellberg) launched a crowdfunder on Indiegogo to raise $250,000 for Save the Children to celebrate reaching 25 million subscribers on YouTube.
There were a series of tiered rewards for people who backed the campaign, which ranged from being named in a ‘thank you’ video ($50) to a personal Skype chat with PewDiePie ($1,500).
This type of fundraiser was so innovative at the time – giving fans access to a YouTube star, while raising money for a good cause. In the end, the crowdfunder raised $342,000 with private donors and corporate donations taking the total to over $600,000.
#FirstFiver
In 2016 when the new £5 notes were rolled out, fundraising and management consultant John Thompson tweeted a poll saying he would donate his #FirstFiver to a charity and asked if others would do the same. Over 2,500 people voted, however the result was surprising as the majority (65%) voted ‘no’.
While the poll may have been a flop in terms of the outcome, the idea caught on and soon even media outlets such as The Huffington Post and the BBC were running stories on it. In the end CAF estimated that it raised £12.5 million for charities across the UK.
It’s amazing what a simple idea expressed through a tweet can achieve. John is now encouraging everyone to donate their first new banknote with King Charles to charity.
Macmillan Coffee Morning
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. In 1990, Macmillan held its first Coffee Morning fundraiser, asking people to come together over coffee and donate the cost of the coffee to the charity. It was so successful that they rolled it out nationally in 1991 and to date it has raised over £310 million.
Stand for Rights. Stand for Freedom
In 2017, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wanted to be the first nonprofit to host a major telethon on Facebook Live and be the first to use the (then new) Facebook Donate button.
Armed with a bunch of celebrities, like Tina Fey and Tom Hanks, and a lot of help from an agency, they got 3.2 million views on the night and raised over $500,000. Not only that, but they also grew their Facebook audience by 25,000.
This is such a great example of taking a risk and testing new technology.
Race for Life
Race for Life is Cancer Research UK’s biggest series of fundraising events. The first Race for Life took place in Battersea, London in 1994 and was just one event. It had 750 female participants who ran or walked 5k and the event raised £48,000.
Fast forward to today and Race for Life has hundreds of events across the UK, and anyone can take part. It has raised over £970 million since the first event, which has gone towards funding life-saving treatments for people with cancer.
