Society has mixed opinions on fundraising for charity; the majority of people in which I have encountered are extremely generous, and then there are others who go out of their way to avoid the irritating street collectors. But less frequently do people actually engage in fundraising themselves…Have you ever thought about doing it? It can be so much fun!

The ways in which to raise money for charity are endless, from a small bake sale to a sponsored skydive.

I’m currently a second year at university, and this year I have decided to really get involved in raising money for charity. Next month I will be taking the once in a lifetime opportunity of skydiving for Dementia UK! This charity is so important to me; Dementia is an incurable symptom of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, with around 850,000 people in the UK affected. The charity provides practical and emotional support to sufferers of dementia, family and friends, as well as family carers, which is why I want to raise money for them!

In June next year I will be flying out to Uganda with a team of volunteers to build a playground in a primary school, for a charity called East African Playgrounds! This charity provides jobs, education, and safe sustainable playgrounds for those in poverty in Uganda; with the primary focus on benefiting young children. Who doesn’t want to travel and experience what life has to offer?!

For a low personal cost whilst helping people in need, doing these events through a charity is the perfect opportunity.

To raise the money for each charity I’m going to have to be extremely creative! I’ve got tonnes lined up; raffles, pub quiz’s, karaoke nights, car boot sales…There are so many ways to fundraise money without just point blank asking people to donate. Raising money is so rewarding; especially if the charity has some kind of personal connection to you or your family and friends, I would definitely recommend getting involved! I’ve met some great friends from fundraising; before I started university I spent a lot of my time sat around being bored, wishing that I had something fun and creative to do. I was also very shy and pretty scared to talk to people! But charities are always looking for new people and new ways to fundraise, most of them are also extremely friendly and will help you out wherever you need it if you have a high fundraising target. I know that it won’t be as easy for me to experience these kinds of things ever again; at university I have a lot of free time on my hands, and I know that when I commit to a full time job and a house it will be slightly more difficult to get involved.

My advice would be to start now! Have a browse at charity web pages; almost all of them have great events going on across the country!