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Plan your autumn fundraising season
The days are getting shorter, the air is crisp, and school is back in full swing. Autumn is officially here.
The season is busy, but it is also an excellent opportunity to generate new fundraising ideas for your charity. New does not have to mean complicated, and some simple event ideas might be just the spark that ignites year-end giving at your charitable organisation.
We have put together 25 autumn fundraiser ideas and rated each by minimum, medium, and maximum effort. Regardless of how packed your calendar is or how many volunteers you have, there is a way to raise funds during these generous months.
Why run an autumn fundraiser
An autumn fundraiser is a great way to kick off the largest giving season for UK charities. Between Giving Tuesday in late November, the Big Give Christmas Challenge, and the Christmas Appeal, autumn is the ideal moment to warm up current donors and build new relationships with those curious about your cause.
The UK charity sector is substantial. According to NCVO, registered charities in England and Wales reported total income of around £96 billion in 2023/24. Autumn events help your charity capture a share of that year-end generosity before the competitive December window.
Gift Aid is your autumn superpower. For every £1 a UK taxpayer donates with a valid Gift Aid declaration, your charity reclaims 25p from HMRC at no extra cost to the donor. Autumn events are the ideal moment to collect those declarations before the Christmas Appeal. (gov.uk Gift Aid guidance)
You can also claim a 25% top-up on small cash and contactless donations of £30 or less through the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS), up to £8,000 in eligible donations per tax year. This is particularly valuable at Bonfire Night stalls, coffee mornings, and fete bucket collections.
What makes autumn fundraisers stand out
- Seasonal appeal: cooler weather and a festive atmosphere attract more participants and create a memorable experience.
- Community engagement: autumn events bring people together, fostering stronger relationships and a sense of unity around local causes.
- Holiday giving: as the Christmas season approaches, supporters tap into a giving spirit that makes them more likely to donate.
- Gift Aid uplift: autumn is when charities lock in Gift Aid declarations ahead of the Christmas Appeal, boosting every £1 donated by 25p.
- GASDS for small donations: cash and contactless donations of £30 or less at autumn events qualify for the GASDS top-up, maximising every bucket and tap-to-pay transaction.
- Visibility and awareness: hosting events when people are more social and active increases visibility and raises awareness of your mission.
- Fundraising momentum: a successful autumn event creates momentum into the new year and helps kickstart future campaigns.
- Creative themes: autumn offers a wealth of theme ideas, from Halloween and Bonfire Night to harvest suppers, helping you take a fundraiser to the next level.
- Community interaction: local businesses can elevate your in-person event or online campaign while gaining meaningful connections.
Explore 25 autumn fundraising ideas for UK charities
Below is a full list of autumn fundraising ideas to get your creative sparks flying. These ideas can be customised and personalised based on the donor segments you are trying to reach.
It is always a good idea to set goals in advance so you have a clear sense of which ideas align with your vision, time, and resources.
1. Host a Macmillan-style coffee morning
A coffee morning is the UK's most-replicated autumn fundraising template. Macmillan Cancer Support's World's Biggest Coffee Morning (held on the last Friday of September each year) has raised tens of millions of pounds annually, and the format is freely available for any charity to adapt for its own cause.
Hire a church hall, community centre, or workplace meeting room. Ask volunteers to bake cakes and biscuits. Invite supporters to pay a suggested donation on entry or to drop coins into a collection jar. Cash and contactless donations of £30 or less qualify for the GASDS top-up, so make sure your charity is HMRC-recognised and capturing those small donations correctly. (GASDS guidance)
After the event, send a thank-you email to attendees with a Gift Aid declaration request for anyone who has not yet signed one.
2. Raise awareness with a volunteer day
Volunteering is a great way to kick off relationship-building and does not require much effort to organise. Invite curious supporters to come and learn about your cause during a volunteer day where they can help with a variety of tasks while getting to know one another.
After the event, automate an email series to keep volunteers engaged and share upcoming autumn events throughout the season.
3. Put on a costume swap event
A costume swap will attract attention from your donors. Use Zeffy's online ticketing software for charities to organise a costume swap event where people can bring their gently used costumes and exchange them for another.
Collect entry fees or, for something more creative, charge a fee per costume taken home. This is a great way to promote sustainability while helping families save money on Halloween outfits.
4. Autumn-themed bake sale
Turn your stall into a bake sale featuring autumn-inspired treats such as pumpkin spice biscuits, apple pies, and caramel apples. You can even ask visitors whether they would prefer a trick or a treat and, if they say trick, have a juggler or entertainer on hand.
5. Bonfire Night community event (5 November)
Guy Fawkes Night is a fixed point in the UK autumn calendar and an excellent fundraising opportunity. Partner with a local council, scout group, or sports club to run a hot-food stall, mulled cider sales, and a small society lottery raffle at a public bonfire and fireworks display.
Raffle rules for Bonfire Night: if you sell raffle tickets to the public in advance, your raffle is legally a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. You must register with your local licensing authority before selling a single ticket (£40 initial registration, £20 annual renewal). Single-draw ticket sales are capped at £20,000, the annual aggregate at £250,000, at least 20% of proceeds must go to the cause, and the maximum single prize is £25,000. If you sell and draw tickets entirely at the event on the night, it counts as an incidental non-commercial lottery and requires no registration. Gift Aid never applies to raffle ticket purchases. (Gambling Commission small society lottery guidance)
For public-collection rules at street and community events, consult the Fundraising Regulator Code of Fundraising Practice.
Promote the event on social media, add a QR code to your donation page so attendees can give digitally, and use the evening to tell supporters about your Christmas Appeal.
6. Chocolate bar fundraiser
Consider selling chocolate bars to raise funds for your cause. Cadbury fundraising boxes are a well-established PTA staple in UK schools, and the format works just as well for any small charity or community group. It is especially effective in the autumn because of increased social activities, making it easy to reach a broad audience.
Add custom branding to the wrappers or attach a small card about your cause alongside each bar, and use it as a way to promote your year-end fundraiser.
7. Pie eating or baking contest
A pie-eating contest is lighthearted and fun. Participants compete to eat mini pies, drawing in spectators and donations as you charge for entry. Teaming up with a local bakery or restaurant is never a bad idea.
This autumn fundraising idea plays into the season's harvest themes and love for festive activities, attracting community members of all ages. Try a pie-baking contest for something a little less messy while still raising money and getting your community involved.
8. Run a Fantasy Premier League mini-league fundraiser
The Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has tens of millions of players in the UK and around the world. Autumn is the ideal recruitment window because the Premier League season runs from August through to May, and early-season form shapes the league table all year.
Set up a private FPL league for your charity. Participants pay a suggested donation to join (keep this framed as a voluntary contribution rather than an entry fee for a prize, to stay within Gambling Commission guidance on prize competitions). Charge a small additional donation for mid-season transfers or bonus chips. Offer a celebration for the league winner at the season's end. It is free to set up on the official FPL platform, so your entire income goes to the cause.
9. Autumn film night
Host a film night fundraiser by screening a popular film and charging admission to support your cause. Choose something autumn-themed or screen a documentary related to an upcoming initiative your organisation feels passionate about, to spread awareness.
A film night is ideal for autumn because cooler evenings create a perfect setting for cosy outdoor or indoor gatherings, attracting families and friends looking for seasonal entertainment.
10. Decorate your doorstep competition
A decorate-your-doorstep fundraiser invites community members to showcase their best autumn-themed decorations, creating a festive atmosphere while raising funds. Set the rules, choose some judges, and let the fun begin. It is perfect for the season's focus on home decoration and neighbourhood gatherings, encouraging community involvement and creativity.
11. Apple bobbing challenge
This one is a real classic. To organise an apple-bobbing competition, you need a few large buckets of water and apples. When visitors walk by, they compete to retrieve apples using only their mouths. Remember to offer prizes for the fastest or highest number of apples retrieved at the end of the day.
12. Leaf-raking fundraiser
A yard raking service is simpler to organise than it sounds. Round up some volunteers and prepare to rake in the donations. With a leaf-raking fundraiser, your charity raises funds while making a real difference in the community.
Volunteers rake leaves for donors in exchange for a donation. Zeffy's event fundraising software and ticketing system with one-time scannable tickets will make the whole thing straightforward to manage.
13. Pet costume contest
Host a pet costume contest in a park, a community centre, a school gym, or anywhere that works. You need a cat or dog walk, some human and pet snacks, and as many Halloween-ready animals as possible.
Donors dress up their pets in creative autumn or Halloween-themed outfits, pay an entry donation (or purchase a scannable ticket), and turn up. Find a venue, delegate snack provision to a food van or volunteers, invite the community, and award prizes. Offer categories such as "Best Costume", "Most Creative", and "Funniest". Set the whole thing up using Zeffy's free event management software.
14. Fortune-telling booth
To set up a fortune-telling booth at an autumn festival or community event, dress up as a fortune teller and offer tarot card readings, palm readings, or other mystical experiences. Sell tickets for each reading and make clear it is for a good cause and for entertainment only.
15. Pumpkin carving contest
Host a pumpkin carving contest where participants carve the best, scariest, or funniest pumpkin. The entry donation should include everything they need: a pumpkin, carving tools, atmospheric music, and a few sweets for much-needed energy boosts.
Display the carved pumpkins and invite the community to vote for their favourites.
16. Autumn quiz night
Hosting an autumn-themed quiz night at a local pub or community centre is one of the highest-ROI fundraisers for small UK charities. Find a venue (most pubs will offer up the space if you promise to fill a quieter night), prepare your questions, write your rules, and make it happen.
Participants can register in advance through Zeffy's ticketing platform, or you can ask for donations at the door. Offer a few prizes to keep things interesting. The pub might even throw in a few rounds for the winning team.
17. Chilli cook-off
A chilli cook-off is a great way to invite participants to showcase their creative and family-friendly recipes. Attendees donate to taste and vote for their favourites. It works well in autumn because the cooler weather pairs perfectly with hearty, warming chilli, making it a popular and enjoyable community event.
18. Matchday supporters' fundraiser
Why just support your favourite team when you can support your favourite cause at the same time? Partner with a local football, rugby, or cricket club to run a pre-match food stall, hot-drink sales, and a half-time raffle at a home fixture. Get your volunteers to wear the charity's colours alongside the club's kit, and use the matchday crowd to tell supporters about your Christmas Appeal.
Check your raffle against small society lottery rules if you plan to sell tickets in advance. For a raffle drawn entirely at the event, no registration is required. (Gambling Commission guidance)
19. Five-a-side football tournament
A five-a-side football tournament is a great way to get donors, volunteers, and the wider community playing for your charity. Set it up like a peer-to-peer campaign: have participants pay an entry donation to form their team and set up personal fundraising pages. Invite teams to raise sponsorship in the weeks leading up to the tournament, then gather on the day for the matches.
The format works equally well as a touch rugby tournament or a mixed sports day if football is not the right fit for your community.
20. Autumn paint and drinks night
Host an autumn paint and drinks night for a unique experience where participants paint while enjoying wine, prosecco, or mocktails. Choose a more formal setup with wine tastings and guided paint lessons, or keep it casual with free painting under the stars.
You can adjust the level of painting to suit your community, or break the event into levels to appeal to everyone from young children to those simply looking for a social gathering.
21. Candle-making workshop
One of the best things about autumn is coming in from the cold and curling up with a warm drink, a favourite blanket, and a candle to complete the ambiance. Host a candle-making fundraising event so your donors can create their own autumn-scented candles.
For the price of a ticket, donors receive all the supplies they need to make a soy wax candle and enjoy a night of blending pumpkin spice, caramel apple, and other autumn fragrances, all while contributing to your cause.
22. Zombie fun run
A zombie fun run to raise funds for a good cause is the sort of event people talk about for years. Think of it as a family fun run with a Halloween twist.
Participants sign up, create their peer-to-peer fundraising page using Zeffy, raise money by getting businesses to sponsor them or asking for donations, dress up, and run, limp, crawl, or do whatever their zombie does across the finish line. Add a costume contest for extra fun.
23. Harvest supper
A harvest supper leverages the season's festive atmosphere and love of comfort food to attract and engage your supporters. The harvest supper is a long-standing British tradition, particularly in villages, churches, and community halls, typically held in late September or early October around the harvest festival.
Book a church hall, village hall, or community centre. Offer a set supper with beer samples or live folk music, sell tickets for seating, and secure local business sponsorships. Feature your charity's name and cause on event programmes, donation pages, and registration forms. The evening is also a natural moment to tell attendees about your Christmas Appeal and encourage Gift Aid declarations.
24. Haunted house or graveyard trail
There is nothing new here. But when an idea works, it works. To create a spooky haunted house experience, set up atmospheric decorations, design themed rooms, recruit actors, and get creative with your donations.
Sell tickets, but consider charging a little extra for those who forget to scream or awarding prizes to those who scream the loudest.
25. Oktoberfest fundraiser
Bratwurst, pretzels, and beer. Host a German beer festival fundraiser to turn a classic autumn event into a fundraising opportunity for your cause. Partner with local pubs to provide food for your guests and keep things lively with a silent auction on autumn-themed prizes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good autumn fundraiser for a small UK charity?
coffee morning, quiz night, or Halloween-themed event are all reliable starting points for small charities and community groups. Coffee mornings are low-cost to organise, familiar to UK donors, and qualify for the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme on cash and contactless donations under £30. Quiz nights consistently deliver a strong return per hour of effort and suit pub or community-hall venues. For larger ambitions, a five-a-side tournament or zombie fun run with peer-to-peer fundraising pages can generate significant sponsorship income in the weeks before the event itself.
Which fundraiser makes the most money for UK charities?
For mid-to-large charities, gala dinners combined with silent auctions and a live appeal typically raise the highest totals in a single evening. For smaller charities, a well-run Christmas Appeal or a campaign that coincides with the Big Give Christmas Challenge (which matches donations during a set window) can multiply income significantly. On a per-hour-of-effort basis, an autumn quiz night or a Macmillan-style coffee morning consistently outperforms more complicated events. Peer-to-peer fundraising events such as sponsored runs or five-a-side tournaments build over several weeks and can outperform single-night events when the community engages with the fundraising pages.
What is the best month for UK charity fundraising?
Autumn and early winter offer the strongest giving window in the UK calendar. Late September brings the Macmillan Coffee Morning and harvest events. October is Halloween and the run-up to Bonfire Night. Early November brings Remembrance Sunday appeals, with Bonfire Night on 5 November a strong community-event opportunity. Late November is Giving Tuesday (a global moment observed widely in the UK) and the launch window for most Christmas Appeals. December is the Big Give Christmas Challenge, carol services, and the busiest single month for online donations. Note that the UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, not the calendar year, so there is no December tax deadline for UK donors equivalent to the US year-end. Encourage Gift Aid declarations year-round, not only in December.
What makes a successful autumn charity fundraiser?
The most successful autumn fundraisers combine a strong seasonal theme with clear donor communication, easy payment options, and a Gift Aid declaration process built in from the start. Promote the event at least three weeks in advance across social media, email newsletters, and local community boards. Make it easy for supporters to pay by card or contactless at the event (cash is declining rapidly in the UK). Set a clear fundraising target and share progress updates before and after the event to build momentum. For ticketed events, use a free platform such as Zeffy so that 100% of ticket revenue and donations goes to your cause, with no platform or transaction fees.
What fundraising software is best for UK charities running autumn events?
Zeffy is the only UK-compatible fundraising platform that charges no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no credit card fee. It handles ticketing, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, donation pages, raffles, auctions, memberships, and donor management in one place, with Gift Aid support built in. For small-to-mid charities currently juggling separate tools for ticketing, donations, and supporter management, Zeffy consolidates that stack at no cost. You can sell tickets with one-time scannable QR codes, set up a peer-to-peer campaign for a sponsored run, and collect Gift Aid declarations all from the same free account.
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