Raise money

There are a number of ways you can raise to get more trees planted in our city streets - over these pages you will find some inspiration, but any event - big or small - will help us to carry out our work.

Here are some general tips for organising an event:

  • Ask friends and colleagues to help - it'll be much more fun if you share the workload and input from others will be valuable.
  • Remember to get in touch with us here (email Steve Dobbing or call 020 7820 4415) for any further hints and tips, and to let us know what you've got up your sleeve.
  • It is a good idea to have a clear plan from the very beginning and be sure to check that the date of your event doesn't clash with other events.
  • Promote your event in your local area by putting up posters, handing out flyers and even getting your local papers and radio stations involved. Online social networking sites like facebook, myspace and bebo are a brilliant and simple way of promoting your event to a warm audience of friends, family and colleagues.
  • After the event, don't forget to thank everyone involved for their support!
  • Download and print our sponsorship form to help you keep track of all your sponsorship money

If you are doing a sponsored event, download our sponsorship form and print it out. A good tip when collecting sponsorship is to get a really high donation near the top of the page so others will see this first and hopefully follow the example! It might be a good idea to set up a Justgiving page so people all over the world can make online payments to your event (see justgiving.com for details).

Don't forget about Gift aid - ask your sponsors to gift aid their donations. You'll get the most out of your sponsorship as we receive an extra 25% with no extra cost to anyone.

Coffee Morning

Simply get together a group of friends, family or colleagues, at home, at work, at school or anywhere you like, and ask them to make a donation for the coffee they drink and the cake they eat. You don't even have to use coffee, and could use instead tea, fruit juice or even plain old water!

However you do it, and however many people attend your coffee morning; remember every single penny raised will help make a difference to the urban environment.

Here are a few tips to help you make a little bit more from your event:

  • Contact your local community centre about the possibility of hosting a coffee morning there if you are planning a larger event.
  • Approach local businesses to donate prizes for you to raffle or auction at your event.
  • Organise a quiz and ask people to give a donation to enter it. Half the entry money goes to the winner; half goes to Trees for Cities.
  • If your coffee morning is early - why not sell bacon or sausage sandwiches for a donation. Wash them down with a large cup of coffee.

Pool/Darts/Sporting Tournament

You'll need to find a willing local venue with a pool table or dart board - it'll most likely be a pub or a pool/snooker club. If hosting a sports event you'll need to get permission to use appropriate facilities from a community sports club or leisure centre. Explain your reasons for wanting to host the tournament, and give an idea of the likely number of people the event will bring - a pub will appreciate the extra custom, but might prefer the event to be held on a quiet night or a weekday afternoon.

Charge everybody £10 to enter, and put each competitor's name into a hat for the draw. For team sports you may decide to charge £5 per team member. Decide the rules of the tournament; you may decide to play each round as a best of three, or best of five games, depending on the number of competitors, or to have a round-robin format if there are a large number of applicants/teams. Nominate a tournament referee, someone who will decide any disputed games.

Approach local businesses to donate a suitable prize for the winner, and consider holding a raffle as well to generate even more money from your event!

Virtual challenge

Get people to sponsor you to swim the English Channel in your local pool or cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats without leaving your gym. All you have to do to conquer these challenges is work out how far they are and then cover that distance. And remember, you don't have to do it all in one go!

Treasure hunt

Simply mix clues, a map and some willing contestants. Get colleagues to do it over a lunchtime for an hour or so and you'll end up with a whole lot of fun. Finish off with a sprinkling of tasty treats and drinks.

Holiday Raffle

Organise a holiday raffle at work by asking your boss to raffle off a day's holiday! Charge £5 per person - you're sure to get loads of takers!

Bake some tree biscuits for your colleagues

Make a lovely cake or tree shaped biscuits for your work buddies and charge them for the privilege of eating it! Either charge per slice (£1), per biscuit (50p) or for the entire cake (£5). Remember to budget the recipe ingredients in to the price of the cake. Go all creative and decorate your cake with trees and runners to push up the price.

Cook for your mates!

Cook a meal for your friends or family and ask for a donation towards your fundraising efforts e.g. £10 per person. It doesn't have to be a blow out - you can make delicious meals on a budget. How about a barbeque as the weather heats up? Or a series of theme meals based on the cuisine of different countries - you could make this a fancy dress event too. Remember to budget the food in to your fundraising. We've got some delicious recipe ideas to help get you inspired and get cooking!

Raffle

Set up a raffle amongst friends/ at your local pub using unwanted gifts (in good condition!), your own craft creations, your skills, vegetables or plants from your garden and donations from local business as prizes. Promote your raffle to your workmates, friends, family, neighbours etc. Depending on the kind of prizes you have on offer charge £1-2 per ticket.

Dog Walk

Walk (or run!) with your friends' dogs once a week or more for a donation (£5). This won't only raise your fundraising amount but is something you can integrate into your training programme!

Help out with some chores

Help your mum /granny /friends with their gardening/ cleaning /babysitting/car wash. Give them a rest for a donation towards your fundraising. A couple of hours to let them relax while you do some useful chores for them.