This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.
One of my most often requested blog topics involves fundraising ideas for nursing homes. Today I’m featuring four more successful fundraisers created by organizations in the United States and in the UK.
For even more fundraising suggestions, be sure to check out over 100 ideas featured in my blog archives. I always include links to each featured organization, so you can contact them directly for more information.
Silly Pet Portraits
The Wisconsin Humane Society hosts this event to raise money for their own programs. However, I know it would also work well as a fundraiser in a senior living community.
Participants send in a photo of their pet, along with a $15 donation. In return, they receive a silly hand-drawn portrait of their pet. The amateur artists are staff and volunteers, and they make it clear upfront that the portraits aren’t meant to be of professional quality.
The response to this fundraiser was stunning. In just one day, the Humane Society received requests for 700 portraits. People obviously enjoy the humor in these silly portrayals of their pets.
Besides amateur artists from among your staff and volunteers, you could also recruit high school and college students. Perhaps you even have residents who would like to help create the portraits.
Go Yellow Day
Since the yellow sunflower represents hospice care, Hospice UK celebrates Hospice Week by hosting “Go Yellow Day”. Staff pay to take part in various activities with donations helping support their many end-of-life services. Activities could include:
- Wear yellow outfits or yellow headgear. Offer prizes for the most creative entries.
- Host a potluck meal consisting of only yellow foods.
- Set up a scavenger hunt challenging staff to find yellow items.
- Sell yellow food or drinks during staff breaks.
- Host a trivia contest with questions based on the color yellow.
- Guess the number of yellow candies in a jar.
A color-themed fundraiser also works well in a senior living community. Staff often enjoy raising money for an outside charity, especially if it does research on a medical condition that affects many of their residents. This type of activity also promotes teamwork and helps employees feel good about their jobs.
These days, various colors represent a multitude of medical conditions. Ask staff to vote on a charity to support, then plan activities that focus on the color representing the condition. Possibilities include:
- Blue: arthritis
- Orange: multiple sclerosis
- Purple: Alzheimer’s disease
- Red: heart disease
- Lavender: cancer (all kinds)
Drive-Thru Lunch
Washington County Elder Care in Bartlesville, Oklahoma raised money by offering a drive-through boxed lunch for anyone who donated $35 or more to their programs. A local restaurant provided the lunches which were ordered in advance.
During their inaugural event, over 100 people took part. To make the event even more fun, an Elvis impersonator greeted the guests in each car.
Knitting Event
With the cooler weather of fall and winter just around the corner, Compass Continuing Healthcare in the UK offers a perfect fundraiser. You simply recruit a group of people who love to knit and host a knitting marathon.
Donors sponsor the knitters for their time spent knitting, just as you might for a bikeathon or a dance marathon. You could also include people who enjoy crocheting or other crafts. I’ll bet some of your residents would like to take part, too.
Knitted items might include scarves, mittens, hot pads, baby blankets, or headbands. The organization sells the finished products to the public when the marathon ends.
How do you raise money for special activities in your senior living community? Please share in the comment section!
Leave a Reply