Fundraising for charities

The end of the calendar year is an important time for fundraising activities. Many parts of the world are celebrating religious and worldly feasts during which we tend to exchange gifts and tokens of appreciation. Many in the development industry depend greatly on replenishing during the pre-holiday season, and so does the field of sport and development. sportanddev, therefore, would like to highlight some of the most innovative fundraising initiatives that we’ve spotted during the last few weeks to get you thinking about how you, as an organisation delivering good services to your communities, can raise your token of appreciation in the future.

Don2Star
An initiative created by Johan Fernandez, son of the former French football star Luis Fernandez. It invites well-known public figures, many of them sport stars, to donate gifts, which will be auctioned on the site to raise money for charities. The gift can either be an object, or a service such as attending a meeting. At the time of writing, a pair of trainers donated by San Antonio Spurs basketball player Tony Parker, and a signed basketball jersey from Chicago Bulls player Joakim Noah were up for grabs. There are currently 11 charities listed as potential beneficiaries, including Sport Sans Frontières. The buyer is able to decide which charity will receive the money raised from their gift purchase.

Visit the Don2Star website.

Beyond Sport/Easy Fundraising
The Beyond Sport Foundation has been encouraging its supporters in the UK to register with Easy Fundraising before doing online shopping. Prospective shoppers are able to choose a charity that they support and, when they shop online, the retailer they buy from will make a small donation to that charity. 2,000 retailers are currently registered with the site, including many household names. Any charitable organisation with headquarters in the UK can sign up as recipient.

Visit the Easy Fundraising website.

The Kenya Power Charity Cup
The Kenyan public are being asked to vote by text message for their favourite football clubs from the recently completed 16-team Kenyan Premier League and the 3 top finishers in the Nationwide League zones. Lines will close on 23 January 2013. The 4 teams with the most votes will enter a competition. Money will be raised through the SMS votes and ticket sales to the tournament. It directed towards a number of charitable organisations and initiatives, including some football for development projects. Organisers also hope the competition will highlight the unifying ability of football to cut across ethnic and class divisions in Kenya.

Visit the Kenya Power Charity Cup Facebook page.