Enterprise ideas

Pants for Poverty

The Student Union bar at Hertfordshire University was transformed for a ‘Pants for Poverty’ night run by student volunteers. Students were encouraged to attend the event in their personally designed pants.

How could you grow this event to increase the income?

Income: £1,500 from 1,300 students (there was a £1 entry fee, Save the Children donation buckets were circulated and a raffle was held).

Strictly Come Dancing

Last year Save the Children staff held their very own ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ event, turning our Farringdon head office into a ballroom.

Six couples were trained by a dance instructor for free. They learned two dances, the waltz and the jive, to perform on the night.
They collected sponsorship from supportive friends and family before the event, and the committee sold 300 tickets.
There was a judge’s panel and our very own Save the Children ‘Bruce’ and ‘Tess’.
The winners were then announced at the end of the evening and won a trophy.
A raffle, collection bucket and bar all bought in valuable additional income.

Income: £15,000

Enterprise ideas

Your Business Heroes team can either sell products or services or deliver an event. Your challenge is to raise £10,000.

Here are a few of our most enterprising volunteers’ ideas. You can work your Business Heroes magic on these old Save the Children favourites or put an inventive idea of your own to the test.

Tennis tournaments

Our fabulous Save the Children volunteers run a range of tennis tournaments for businesses and schools every year.

Each tennis pair pays £50 to register. They’re then encouraged to fundraise and ask their companies to match the amount they raise. Prizes are awarded to the tournament winners and those who raise the most money.

Could you give your tennis event a new spin, make it more profitable and deliver it within a £1,000 budget?

Income: Approx £4,500 per event
Participants: 16 pairs per event

Festival of Trees

Our most profitable fundraising event is the Festival of Trees. Royalty, rock stars and celebrities came together at the Natural History Museum last year to raise a phenomenal £425,000 for Save the Children. Throughout the black-tie event, guests were invited to bid for bespoke trees and unique gifts, specially created and donated to raise money for our vital work around the world.

Could you deliver your own version within a £1,000 budget?

Income: £425,000 in 2009

A ‘50/50’ sale

For three days every April volunteers in Petersfield create a ‘50/50’ clothes sale. 50% of each sale goes to Save the Children and the other 50% goes to the owner of the garment. This ensures that the items sold are of the highest quality.

Income: £50,000 (£23,000 to Save the Children)

Living and Giving ‘Pop Up’ shop

Mary Queen of Shops (Save the Children’s Retail Ambassador) tested a ‘Pop Up’ shop in the new Westfield shopping mall. Run entirely by volunteers and selling donated designer clothes, Mary’s shop has changed the face of charity retailing.

Income: £100,000 over three weeks