Raising Money for Charity in a Fun Way

On Thursday evening I watched ‘Friends With Money’ (starring Jennifer Aniston) on DVD.  One scene involved the friends going to a charity ball and paying £1,000 for a ticket, the money of which went to a charity.  Somebody asked why money had been spent on organising such an event, for people to spend such money on a ticket – would it not be easier putting the money spent on the event itself directly to the charity?  I must admit, I thought like this myself – not just about this particular event, but other events that have involved money to set up.  I thought ‘why go to all the bother when the money used initially can just be sent to the charity’.

The following morning, I got a text message from a friend asking if I would go to a charity coffee morning that she was having.  She provided cakes/teas/coffees, etc, while everyone who went would leave a donation.  I went along with my son for a while, and was pleasantly surprised.  My friend’s oldest daughter – who is 12 – and two of her daughter’s friends had spent the previous day baking.  They had provided lots of cakes, and while I would have initially thought that the money spent on the baking maybe should have gone directly to the charity, I soon came around to the idea that this was a fun way to raise much needed money for charity.  People who attended got a chance to socialise with others, while children got a chance to play in a child-friendly environment.  It also gave the girls who did the baking a chance to do their bit for charity. 

All in all, my friend raised over £50 for a couple of hours coffee in her house, and I think everyone got something out of it – enjoyment, fun, as well as providing skills for her daughter and her daughter’s friends.  I am now swayed that it is worth putting out money in order to raise money for charity, as people do not mind spending money on charity, but I think people enjoy giving money to charity more if they are getting some fun out of it.  I was swayed so much, that I am now thinking of a charity that me and my son can do it for too!!