Festive fundraising ideas: your guide to maximising seasonal campaigns

The final weeks of the year are when generosity peaks ... and when competition for attention peaks with it.

November and December are typically the busiest months for UK giving, coinciding with Christmas appeals, Giving Tuesday, Children in Need and the Poppy Appeal. 

CAF research has found that half of the public (50%) say they always or usually donate to charity over the festive period, compared with around a third (34%) who give regularly throughout the rest of the year.

For some of the charities we work with, Christmas fundraising funds their work for the whole year ahead.

But, the wider giving landscape is changing. The 2026 UK Giving Report found that the public donated an estimated £14 billion in 2025, down from £15.4 billion in 2024, with average donations falling too. There are around six million fewer donors in the UK than a decade ago, and affordability is the most common reason people give for not donating.

That might sound like a gloomy backdrop for the season of goodwill, but there's a more positive way to frame it. The same report highlights that most donations now happen in the moment: reactive, unplanned giving prompted by the right ask at the right time.

And no moment finds more people ready to give than Christmas.

In other words, the opportunity hasn't shrunk, it's concentrated. The charities that thrive at Christmas are the ones that show up visibly, make giving effortless, and give motivated supporters a reason to choose them.

Which brings us neatly to the festive fundraising ideas ...

The season sees a range of charity Christmas fundraising ideas and strategies that gain traction and make a year-long difference.

Here's a selection of proven possibilities that you can tailor to your organisation's own needs. In a hurry? Jump straight to the one that catches your eye:

1.  Digital advent calendars
2.  Festive peer-to-peer challenges
3.  Christmas jumper days
4.  Donor thank-you campaigns
5.  Gift donation appeals
6.  Seasonal sporting challenges
7.  Virtual Santa's grotto
8.  The gift of AI

When one door closes, another one opens

• Best for: daily engagement through December 
• Effort: medium-high
• Start planning: autumn

Who doesn't love an advent calendar? This Christmas, take the tradition digital.

Each 'door' can reveal something special: a moving story, a discount for your shop, a festive thank you, or, most importantly, a giving opportunity. It's a familiar yet flexible format that helps you share impact, explain your cause and strengthen supporter connections.

Whether you're encouraging donations or simply keeping your charity front of mind as the year wraps up, a digital advent calendar is a creative way to make every day of December count.

Crank up the creativity

• Best for: reaching new audiences
• Effort: medium (your supporters do the legwork)

You provide the campaign page, pack or platform, and your supporters bring their festive game faces! From Christmas cake decoration contests to cold water dips, themed challenges are a tried and tested way to raise funds and spread cheer.

The real magic lies in the ripple effect: your supporters use their own networks to reach friends, family and colleagues, extending your campaign's reach far beyond your usual audience.

Tool tip: Using Access Raise? Supporters can easily create their own fundraising page on your website.

The trusted and tested

• Best for: quick wins with workplaces and schools
• Effort: low

Has the Christmas jumper had its day? In a word - no. Every year, without fail, those gloriously garish seasonal sweaters make a comeback in offices, schools, and homes across the country. It's no surprise that fundraisers have embraced this enduring tradition.

A big attraction is how easy the idea is: supporters just wear a delightfully (or disastrously) festive knit and either get sponsored or make a small donation to join in the fun. Easy, familiar, and full of cheer, it's a classic that never goes out of style.

The art of appreciation

• Best for: retention into the new year
• Effort: low to medium

A thoughtful, heartfelt thank-you goes a long way. Whether through handwritten notes, personalised emails, social media shoutouts, video messages, or one-to-one calls, showing genuine gratitude helps supporters feel seen and valued.

While the detail is down to you, making it personal is a crucial part of success. Recognise each donor's unique contribution and, where possible, show the real-world impact of their support with tangible results and stories. It's a classy, strategic, and timeless way to deepen relationships and inspire continued giving into the next year.

Tool tip: With Donorfy, you can segment supporters and automate thank-you messages, helping turn data into meaningful engagement.

For terrific, specific campaigns

• Best for: focused, urgent asks
• Effort: medium

When it comes to gift donation appeals, focus is everything. Keep your message tight and targeted, clearly outlining the need and how your organisation is making a difference.

Bring your appeal to life with real stories and examples of impact. This is critical when other charities have great stories, too. Why should supporters choose you for their donation? Show how their gift helps deliver meaningful change. Adding a gentle sense of urgency can also encourage supporters to take action sooner rather than later.

"The appeals that cut through are specific. Less 'support our work this Christmas' but 'your gift provides a hot meal and a warm welcome on Christmas Eve'. When supporters can picture exactly what their donation does, giving becomes the easiest decision they'll make all season."

- Ali Costerton, Senior Consultant, Access Not For Profit

Finally, be transparent about how donations will be used. A clear explanation builds trust and reassures supporters that their generosity is in capable hands.

Tap into their competitive spirit

• Best for: active supporters and team building
• Effort: medium

From festive fun runs to endurance events, there's no shortage of ways to get active, and raise funds, in December.

How about a 12 Days of Christmas Challenge, with a different sporting task each day? Supporters could aim to reach 12,000 steps, swim 12 lengths, or hold a 12-hour cycle relay in a day.

Christmas and New Year walks or runs are always popular, but almost any physical challenge can capture supporters' imaginations, especially during a season famous for its indulgence!

Say hi to Father Christmas without leaving home

• Best for: family audiences
• Effort: medium-high (worth it for the smiles)

A classic Christmas idea with a digital twist ... and a little help from your best IT elves! Host virtual visits with Santa through video calls, or go all-out with an interactive VR experience if you're feeling ambitious.

Create a magical grotto backdrop, whether it's a real-life set or a digital winter wonderland, then invite families to make a donation and book their slot. Each child can enjoy a personalised live chat (or even a recorded message) from the man in red himself. It's festive, heartwarming, and full of fundraising potential.

A gift for you! 

• Best for: time-poor teams
• Effort: low (the whole point!)

For charities juggling multiple priorities at Christmas, AI can reveal insights you might otherwise miss: who's most likely to give, when to launch an appeal, and what messages will resonate. AI functionality may already be built into the tools you use every day, so check your platforms for AI features that can help save you time.

Platforms like Access Raise include AI features that help you tidy your messaging, so you can focus on what really matters (like connecting with your Christmas supporters).

You don't have to be Santa to love a list!

Here's a helpful checklist of actions to help you plan, launch, and promote a successful festive fundraising campaign.

Prefer the PDF? Download it for free

If any charity knows about festive fundraising at full tilt, it's Caring in Bristol.

The independent charity has been supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness for over 35 years, and Christmas is their busiest time by far. Their Caring at Christmas campaign is a Bristol institution, bringing in thousands of donations every festive season.

For a small team, thousands of donations used to mean one thing: a sleigh-load of manual admin, right when time was shortest.

So they built a better setup. Donorfy to manage donors, Gift Aid and reporting in one place. An Access Raise website built for fundraising, with campaign landing pages and custom donation journeys – and an integration connecting the two, set up just weeks before their biggest appeal of the year.

"We reached out close to our go-live date and the integration was set up so quickly. A few steps and the donations just started appearing in Donorfy like magic. One less thing to stress about!"

– Helen McCartan, Head of Public Fundraising, Caring in Bristol

Now it's "removed a layer of stress." Thousands of Christmas donations sync straight into Donorfy, complete with supporter information and communication preferences, without the team lifting a finger.

Read the full Caring in Bristol story

Every busy workshop needs the right equipment.

At this time of year, a donor-first approach is more important than ever. In a crowded festive marketplace, make sure giving feels quick, easy, mobile-friendly and personal. There are plenty of clever tools to help, including these from the Access Charity Suite:

Access Raise

A charity-specific web platform, like Access Raise, is the heart of online giving. From fundraising pages to raising awareness, it's built for everything you need to raise (except festive stress, it reduces that).

Donorfy

An intuitive charity CRM, like Donorfy, makes it easier to track your festive gifts and build lasting relationships with the people that give them.

Access Charity Ad Grants

For the final festive tool treat, have you heard about Access Charity Ad Grants? You can secure up to £7,500 a month in free Google Ad Grants, and experts will manage them for you. This gives your campaigns a major visibility boost, aka, the gift that keeps on giving!

Access Assemble

Every workshop needs its elves! Volunteer management software, like Access Assemble, helps you recruit, schedule and stay in touch with your Christmas volunteers, so every shift is covered and every helper feels appreciated.

They say Santa's workshop is never quiet, and the same goes for your fundraising team at this time of year.

Whether you've got a big budget or a small team, limited resources or a merry band of helpers, there's always something special you can do to make an impact.

As Caring in Bristol shows, you don't need to be a technical expert or a giant organisation to make the season count, and hopefully these festive fundraising ideas have given you a great place to start.

With nearly one in ten donors supporting Christmas appeals in 2024, the season of giving really is full of opportunity.

Whatever you decide to create, good luck, and here's to a joyful and successful fundraising season!