Here at COS we provide much needed support for adults and children who are Deaf, hard of hearing, Deafblind, blind or have sight loss. We work with the people of these communities to ensure we fully understand their needs in the language of their choice, and help to preserve their history and culture. We can not do this however without the support of the winder communities around us. One way we get that support from you is through your fundraising for COS.
We are always looking for enthusiastic fundraises but know its not easy to sometimes come up with an idea. So here are some ideas in our fundraising A-Z to help inspire you. That way you can begin your journey to supporting so many people.
A
Abseiling - Abseiling is a thrilling, adrenaline-fueled experience. Be brave and get sponsored for your vertical descent.
Aerobics class - Set up an aerobics class, and get friends and family to pay a donation to join. Raise funds whilst getting fit!
Afternoon tea - Tickets to an afternoon event are always popular and you can do extra fundraising at the event by having an auction.
Arts fair - Show off your artistic side and sell your goods to auction to raise funds for life saving research.
B
Bake sale - Get together with friends and set up a bake sale together. Whether it's at work or a local venue, you can't go wrong with tea and cake!
Barn Dance or Ceilidh - An entertaining evening of dancing with music provided by a live band and a caller to keep everyone on their toes. It’s perfect for all ages and abilities and infectiously good fun!
BBQ - Rain or shine, everyone loves a BBQ! Invite friends, family, neighbours, and ask for a small donation in return for your event.
Bike ride - No matter how long you decide to cycle for, you'll be helping to ride all over heart and circulatory diseases. Download our poster to promote your bike ride event.
Bingo - There's nothing like a bit of bingo for a little excitement and some healthy competition. Charge for tickets and ask around locally for donations you can give as prizes.
Busking - Once you have permission from your local authority and the right licence, all you need is some generous passer-bys and you're good to go!
C
Car boot sale -Set up a sale at your local car boot sale event and sell items that you don't really want or need anymore in exchange for cash for heart research.
Charity Ball - Holding a charity ball or dinner is a very special way of bringing people together to raise money for life saving research.
Coffee morning - A nice way to raise money collectively, a coffee morning which lets everyone contribute and raise money.
D
Dinner party - Ask guests for a donation upfront, or send an envelope around at the end of the meal and ask everyone to donate what they would have paid in a restaurant for the meal.
E
Egg and spoon race - Race friends and family in this old school classic!
Eighties evening - It's all about neon clothes and disco tunes at this party.
F
Fancy dress day - Get sponsored to wear fancy dress for the day - the more zany, the better! If you're wearing fancy dress at work, get your colleagues to cast their vote on what you should come in wearing - voting costs a small fee, and the money goes towards our heart research.
Five-a-side football tournament - A great fundraiser as a match between friends, or for something bigger ask everyone to enter teams of colleagues to turn it into a tournament. Raise funds by charging a player fee.
G
Games night - Host an evening of games and challenges. Add a bit of extra fundraising into the night by giving penalty fines for being late or talking about work!
Give something up - Can't live without chocolate or your beloved glass of red with dinner? Why not donate the money you save from giving up your habit or get sponsored by friends and family for your hard efforts?
Golf Day - Whether you love golf or know someone who does, golf days have amazing fundraising potential.
H
Hiking - Raise money and tell heart and circulatory diseases to take a hike!
Hug a pug - Bring your dog to work for the day and ask for donations in return for a few minutes of play time and photos.
I
Indoor rowing - Set yourself a personal rowing challenge or have fun tackling the distance as a team with friends, family and colleagues.
International evening - Host a dinner party inspired by your favourite holiday destination and theme your menu, dress code and music for something a different.
J
Jumble sale - Have a clear out at home and raise money for heart research at the same time.
K
Karaoke - Always a classic, for friends who don't mind being a bit silly in front of each other it's guaranteed to be fun.
L
Luncheon - Whether it's a 'ladies that lunch' formal event or something simpler like a potluck lunch party on a Friday lunchtime in the office.
M
Manicure and makeover - Host a pamper party and swap skills to give each other makeovers and manicures.
Marathon running - If you're a budding athlete and have the aptitude to run 26.2 miles, then why not dedicate your event to raising money for our life saving research? Getting sponsored will help you stay motivated and power you over the finish line!
N
Netball tournament - A great fundraiser as a match between friends, or for something bigger ask everyone to enter teams of colleagues to turn it into a tournament.
O
Office party - There's plenty of ways to incorporate fundraising into an office event, whether it's a bake sale, a dress-down day or a bucket of beans over your boss' head!
Olympic sports day - Sign up for one of our schools events or use your fundraising pack to host your own sports day. Get everyone together for a day of fun, sports and raising money.
P
Pancake party - Ask everyone to bring a donation and pancake topping of their choice, then treat everyone to as many pancakes as they can eat.
Q
Quiz night - An easy one to host, whether it's in a pub, church hall or at home. For an evening of relaxed entertainment, ask groups for an entry fee some find your quiz questions online.
R
Raffle - Ask around locally to drum up some donated prizes and sell off your tickets to friends, family and colleagues alike.
S
Singing/Sign Singing - Why not have a Sing-a-thon or a sign sining event.
Skydive - If you're feeling brave enough to challenge yourself, take on a skydive to raise money for our us.
T
Talent show - Get friends, family and colleagues together for a talent show! Raise money through ticket sales to help fund life saving research.
Treasure hunt - As big as you like or as simple as you like, this could be a race in groups across locations or something as simple as a grid map where you sell of the squares to give people a chance of choosing the winning coordinates.
U
University challenge -Take on your local university for the challenge and invite students, friends and family to donate for tickets to the event. Talk to the student's union to see if they can help organise.
V
Variety show - A novel way of raising money and discovering talents you never knew your friends, colleagues and neighbours had.
Veggie feast - Host a vegan or vegetarian dinner party. Serve heart-healthy food and ask guests for a donation in return.
W
Walk - Gather a group of friends and pick your route to keep fit and raise money for life saving research at the same time. Our Just Walk packs are full of walking-themed resources to help you get started.
X
X-Factor night - A singing competition if you want to go big, or if you fancy something smaller and more relaxed a night in watching X Factor with a sweepstake to raise money.
Y
Yodelling competition - A singing competition for the seriously brave! If you're looking for something unusual this is it.
Yogathon - If you're a self-confessed yoga bunny, why not run your own yoga class and ask your pupils to contribute a small fee for taking part?
Z
Ziplining - Whether you're an adrenaline junkie or afraid of heights and ready to face your fear, there's ziplines across the UK that you can visit. Get friends and family to sponsor you for the challenge.
Zumbathon - If you're feeling energetic and want a physical challenge that lots of people can take part in, this is a great way to raise sponsorship together.
Whatever your idea, please contact us here at COS at info@signsightsound.org.uk or on 01492 530013 and we will be happy to advise and help as much as we can to make your goal a reality.
The easiest way to collect sponsorship is to sign-up to our JustGiving page(LINK) and encourage your sponsors to give to your fundraising event online. This is a trusted method and promotes confidence.
For events where it is more practical or easier to collect cash donations, please download and use the COS Sponsorship (LINK) Form to help you record and collect sponsorship and also to help keep a record of which donations have been gift aided.