19 Donation Drive Ideas for UK Charities (2026)

Hosting a donation drive is a powerful way to engage your community and gather essential resources for your charity's mission. With so many options, it can be challenging to choose the right approach.

We'll explore 19 creative and effective donation drive ideas that go beyond the basics. From school supplies and baby essentials to technology and mental health support, you'll discover innovative ways to rally your supporters and make a tangible impact.

Whether you're a seasoned fundraising professional or just starting out, this article will equip you with the inspiration and practical tips you need to launch a donation drive that truly makes a difference.

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In this article:

• What is a donation drive?

• 19 donation drive ideas for charities

• How to run a donation drive well

• Final thoughts on donation drive ideas

• Frequently asked questions

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What is a donation drive?

Charities organise donation drives to collect and distribute essential items among individuals with limited means. You can collect any items connected to your cause, from food and clothing to baby supplies, books, and school materials. Donations may also be monetary, particularly for virtual donation drives.

In contrast to traditional fundraising, donation drives directly impact the community your charity serves.

Ask individuals from your community to donate items for your drive. Volunteers can then collect the donations and distribute them among those who need them.

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19 donation drive ideas for charities

Charities have numerous donation drive ideas to choose from for their next initiative. The chosen approach should reflect the nature and mission of your organisation.

Here are some common yet effective donation drive ideas charities can consider:

• 1. School Supplies Donation Drive

• 2. Food Drive

• 3. Baby Essentials Drive

• 4. Blood Donation Awareness Event

• 5. Pet Supplies Drive

• 6. Book Drive

• 7. School Garden Project

• 8. Clothing Drive

• 9. Household Goods Drive

• 10. Hygiene Items Drive

• 11. Medical Equipment Drive

• 12. Technology Drive

• 13. Homelessness Support Drive

• 14. Care Package Drive for Older People

• 15. Mental Health Awareness Drive

• 16. Emergency Preparedness Drive

• 17. Refugee Support Drive

• 18. Community Garden Initiative

• 19. Text-to-Donate Drive

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1. Run a school supplies donation drive

A school supply drive can positively impact students' learning experience.

Schools need various resources to offer quality education to their students. With a school supply drive, you can provide them with the resources to help pupils thrive.

It can be especially helpful for students from underserved communities without access to essential resources.

Donors can contribute school supplies such as:

• Stationery

• Notebooks

• Crayons

• Binders

• Markers

• Books and textbooks (new or used)

Contact the school administration you are helping and ask what resources or supplies they need the most. This ensures you collect only the most essential supplies and do not overstock items they already have.

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2. Run a foodbank collection

Food insecurity is a significant concern across the UK. The Trussell Trust distributed a record number of emergency food parcels in 2023/24, and foodbank use across the UK has risen sharply since 2020. Many independent foodbanks operate alongside the Trussell network, and together they serve communities in every part of the country.

While this is a complex issue, even small-scale foodbank collections can make a positive impact on local communities.

Before you start, check your local foodbank's website or contact them directly, most Trussell Trust foodbanks and independent foodbanks publish weekly "most needed items" lists. Collecting what is actually needed prevents waste and helps the foodbank operate efficiently.

To get started, consider organising a collection to support families in your immediate area:

• Single-site drop-off: Ask people to bring food donations on a specific day. Fix a location and communicate the set hours for the drive. Encourage donors to bring non-perishable items like tinned food, rice, and pasta.

• Extended food drive: Set up multiple collection points for food donations, which you can collect at regular intervals.

• Event-based food drive: Partner with local community events, such as a fete or a community fair, and set up food donation points at the event.

You can also host online fundraising drives and raise money to buy food for people in need.

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3. Run a baby essentials drive

Raising a child can be challenging for low-income families. Babies, especially newborns, have several needs every day.

A baby essentials drive can reduce costs and help these families care for their children without worrying about supply shortages.

You can support them by collecting:

• Feeding bottles

• Baby formula

• Clothes

• Nappies

• Baby wipes and more

Raise awareness about your initiative among your local community and ask people to drop their donations into specified collection boxes.

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4. Host a blood donation awareness event

Hospitals require substantial amounts of blood on a daily basis for a range of critical needs, including surgeries, post-operative care, and supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment and transfusions.

In England, blood donation is coordinated centrally by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). Scotland has the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, Wales has the Welsh Blood Service, and Northern Ireland has the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service. Independent charities do not collect blood directly, but your charity can play a vital role in promoting donation among your supporters.

Your role as a charity is to host a blood donation awareness event: share information, encourage supporters to book a session, and help NHSBT reach new donors. NHSBT has a partnership programme through which your charity can register as a promotion partner and direct supporters to their nearest donation session.

A few things to bear in mind:

• Do not offer gifts or financial incentives to encourage blood donation. NHSBT's policy prohibits paid or incentivised donation, as voluntary altruistic donation is the foundation of a safe blood supply.

• Volunteers should guide interested supporters through how to book a session, not through the donation process itself.

• This kind of awareness event works well alongside other drive activities, for example, pairing a blood donation sign-up table with a foodbank collection on the same day.

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5. Run a pet supplies drive

The UK is home to some of the world's most recognised animal welfare charities, the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Cats Protection, Blue Cross, and Battersea among them, alongside hundreds of small independent rescue organisations. Each year, these groups rescue and rehome tens of thousands of animals, and they rely heavily on donated supplies to keep animals healthy and comfortable while they wait for a home.

A pet supplies drive can help them nurture animals in their care. You can organise a pet supplies drive to:

• Collect dry food, tinned food, blankets, towels, and unopened treats

• Assist families struggling economically to provide for their pets

• Raise awareness about animals in rescue that are available for adoption

Before collecting, check the rescue's published wish list, most UK animal charities post their current needs online, and some items (such as certain branded foods) are preferred over others.

Apart from supplies, you can raise funds online to provide essential veterinary services to these animals.

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6. Run a book drive

Many people have books piling up on their shelves, unread or forgotten over time. These include textbooks that are no longer needed after completing studies.

Donating these books can put them to good use and spread the joy of reading. Organise a community book drive to collect donations and distribute them to those who need them, including:

• Libraries

• Churches and places of worship

• Children's shelters

• Schools

If these organisations in your area do not currently need books, you can turn a book drive into a fundraising book sale. Sell books to raise money and offer monetary help to local libraries, schools, and community groups for projects such as improving infrastructure.

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7. Support a school garden project

School gardens are growing increasingly popular, and for good reason.

They provide students with hands-on learning about food growth and nutrition. A real garden can be integrated into other subjects, such as science or health studies.

Additionally, teachers can demonstrate concepts more effectively with an on-site garden and teach children about environmental stewardship.

Many schools lack the funds and resources to establish and maintain a garden.

Organise a fundraiser to help schools introduce or expand their school garden programmes. You can host a donation drive to gather gardening tools, seeds, soil, and other supplies.

Try raising money for school garden projects through other fundraising methods like:

• A peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

• Fundraising events like a bake sale

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8. Run a clothing drive

Clothing drives offer several benefits and help a charity:

• Increase awareness about its mission. You can share information about your cause through marketing materials distributed during a clothing drive.

• Enhance its reputation. You can showcase how you are working to make a difference in people's lives.

• Promote environmental sustainability. A clothing drive helps your supporters clear their wardrobes and donate old clothes to a worthy cause. Reusing and recycling old clothes supports environmental sustainability.

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9. Run a household goods drive

Setting up a home can be costly, especially for individuals with limited means. Many people have household items they no longer need, often stored in garages or lofts.

You can organise a household goods drive to connect these two groups. Inspire people to donate their old but functional household goods instead of discarding them. This can help those in need furnish their homes more easily.

A household goods drive can help you collect:

• Old furniture

• Electronics

• Kitchen essentials

You can also refurbish these items and hold a sale to collect donations for your cause.

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10. Run a hygiene items drive

Maintaining good hygiene is essential for staying healthy. Many people do not have the means to buy personal care products while struggling for basic food and shelter.

Poor access to hygiene items can significantly impact their well-being, a reality that drives the growing period poverty movement in the UK, alongside wider hygiene poverty.

Help people from your community by organising a hygiene items drive. Here are some items you can collect:

• Personal care products, such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, hairbrushes, and razors

• Cleaning products like disinfectants, sanitisers, detergents, and toilet essentials

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11. Run a medical equipment drive for hospices and community health charities

NHS trusts do not accept unsolicited medical supply donations from the public. However, there is a genuine and meaningful alternative: organising a medical equipment drive in partnership with hospices, air ambulance charities, community first-responder schemes, or international medical charities operating in low-resource settings.

It is worth knowing that all UK air ambulances are registered charities, not NHS-funded services. They rely entirely on charitable income and donated equipment to operate.

You can also partner with an NHS Charity, every NHS trust in England has an associated NHS Charity, coordinated through NHS Charities Together, and support their specific equipment appeals.

Here are some ways to structure this kind of drive:

• Contact your local hospice or air ambulance charity and ask what equipment or supplies are on their current wish list

• Raise money online to help purchase specific items a partner charity has identified as a priority

• Organise a virtual drive to reach a wider audience and collect larger gifts

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12. Run a technology drive

Discarding technology products is wasteful in every sense. A laptop contains thousands of pounds of raw materials, and consigning one to landfill when it could be reused is both environmentally costly and a missed opportunity.

Technology products can instead be donated to students or families who need them but lack the means to acquire them. Such donations can provide those in need with better educational and career opportunities.

Host a technology drive requesting people to donate new or second-hand laptops, tablets, and other gadgets.

The donations are not limited to devices. You can conduct a virtual technology drive and raise money to provide internet connectivity to underserved community members.

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13. Run a homelessness support drive

A homelessness support drive can be a combined effort: clothing, hygiene items, and food all in one collection.

While organising each drive individually is straightforward, a combined support drive requires more coordination. Work with all trustees to develop a comprehensive plan to build care packages for homeless people in your area.

Some of the UK's most recognisable homelessness charities, Crisis, Shelter, St Mungo's, and Centrepoint (for young people), publish care-package wish lists during winter, and many run local volunteering programmes that your drive could complement. Crisis's annual 'Crisis at Christmas' campaign is the largest volunteer-led UK moment for this cause and a natural hook for a winter homelessness drive.

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14. Run a care package drive for older people

Around 1.4 million older people in England alone experience chronic loneliness, according to Age UK. Living away from family or losing a regular social network can leave older people feeling isolated, and a thoughtful gesture from your organisation can make a real difference.

Care packages for older people offer a tangible way to show care and support for the elderly members of your community. These packages can help bridge emotional distance and provide practical assistance in daily life.

Host a care package drive and encourage donors to contribute items that older people value. The care packages do not have to be limited to food or clothing, consider including engaging activities like puzzles, crosswords, sudoku, and board games.

UK partner organisations worth knowing include Age UK, Independent Age, and Re-engage (a befriending charity). Many have local branches that welcome practical support.

Collaborate with organisation members to come up with further ideas and adapt packages to the preferences of older people in your specific community. Use 'care homes' or 'sheltered housing' when describing residential settings.

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15. Run a mental health awareness drive

Mental health is central to well-being, yet it is often overlooked.

Mind and the Mental Health Foundation are the UK's leading authorities on mental health prevalence and support. Both publish current statistics on how many people in the UK are affected by mental illness each year, check their websites for the most recent figures before citing in any materials you produce.

Hosting a mental health awareness drive can help raise awareness about mental health conditions and connect people with support.

UK-recognised charities to name or partner with include Mind, Samaritans, YoungMinds, CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), and the Mental Health Foundation.

Consider timing your drive around Mental Health Awareness Week (held each May, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation) or World Mental Health Day (10 October), both are well-established in the UK charity calendar and generate substantial public interest.

Donations for these drives can include:

• Self-help books

• Meditation guides

• Stress-relief items

• Colouring books

• Aromatherapy products

• Monetary support to help people access counselling

You can also organise workshops to promote self-care practices and encourage people to seek help for their mental and emotional well-being.

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16. Run an emergency preparedness drive

Natural disasters and severe weather events can gravely impact communities across the UK. Winter flooding is a recurring reality in England and Wales, power outages affect rural and urban communities alike, and extreme heat events are becoming more frequent. The UK government's Prepare campaign provides practical guidance for households on building resilience.

Emergency preparedness drives can help you raise funds and collect supplies for people who lack the resources to prepare for these events. The British Red Cross operates emergency response teams across the UK and is a recognised partner for community resilience work.

You can help communities prepare by collecting supplies such as:

• First aid kits

• Torches

• Batteries

• Tinned food

• Blankets

• Packaged water

You can also offer educational resources and workshops on emergency planning and response.

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17. Run a refugee support drive

The UK operates several active resettlement schemes, including Homes for Ukraine, the UK Resettlement Scheme, and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. Organisations such as the British Red Cross, Refugee Council, Refugee Action, and local groups like Refugees at Home and Care4Calais work directly with displaced families throughout the country.

Your charity can support these efforts by running a refugee support drive, gathering essential items to help during the resettlement process:

• Warm clothing

• Blankets

• Food and baby supplies

• Hygiene products

Always check your partner charity's published wish list first, what is most needed changes depending on current arrivals and existing stock.

You can also organise educational drives and encourage donors to contribute to educating refugee children.

Organise online drives to raise funding for providing shelter and collecting larger gifts.

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18. Support a community garden

Help establish or improve community gardens to enhance the benefits they offer, such as:

• Access to healthy and fresh food

• Greater food security

• Beautification of public spaces

• Promoting water conservation

• Creating a place for social activities and community gatherings

Encourage donors to provide gardening equipment and essentials like seeds and compost. Ask volunteers to help cultivate green spaces and increase growing activities.

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19. Run a text-to-donate drive

Try organising a tech-friendly and convenient text-to-donate drive, a particularly effective option for reaching supporters on their phones.

Text-to-donate drives allow donors to contribute through their mobile phones using charity SMS shortcodes. In the UK, services such as Donr and other Fundraising Regulator-approved providers offer charity shortcodes (typically in the 70xxx or 84xxx ranges). Donors send a keyword to a shortcode, for example, DONATE to 70970, and receive an automated response, often with a link to a simple fundraising page.

Gift Aid can also be captured via SMS follow-up: supporters who have given can be asked to confirm their taxpayer status via a return text, allowing your charity to reclaim 25p for every £1 donated.

Connect with an approved SMS provider and encourage donors to send a specific keyword to your charity's number. Once they send the text, they will receive an automated message, often with a link to a simple fundraising page.

You can run a text-to-donate drive alongside any charity event. After obtaining consent, collect attendees' phone numbers and add them to your communications list.

Follow up through texts and encourage them to donate. You can reward their loyalty with early access to future event tickets or other relevant benefits.

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How to run a donation drive well

Donation drives can be organised in person or online, each approach requiring distinct considerations.

In-person drives require more extensive planning, promotion, and logistical arrangements to attract attention and raise funds effectively. Online charity drives, while easier to coordinate, still demand thorough planning and effective marketing strategies.

Regardless of your chosen format, here are a few essential steps to organise a successful donation drive.

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Set goals for the drive

As a charity, you will have a cause or mission for which you work. Think about how a donation drive will benefit it. You will need a specific and achievable goal for the drive.

With a fixed goal, you can more easily optimise your campaign's success. Consider your charity's needs and decide whether you want to raise money or collect physical items.

Determine how much money or which items you will collect. Examples include clothing for a clothing drive and tinned food for a foodbank collection.

With a clear intent, you can also motivate your donors. If they know you are close to your target, they may contribute more to help you reach it quickly.

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Understand Gift Aid at donation drives

Gift Aid is one of the most valuable tools available to UK charities, but it is important to understand what qualifies at a donation drive.

Gift Aid applies to cash monetary donations from UK taxpayers who complete a Gift Aid declaration. It does not apply to donated goods themselves (clothing, food, toys). However, if your charity sells donated goods on a donor's behalf (as charity shops do), you can operate the Retail Gift Aid scheme and claim 25p per £1 on the net sale proceeds, provided the donor has agreed in writing (Charity Tax Group guidance).

The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) allows charities to claim a 25% top-up on small cash and contactless donations of £30 or less at collections, without needing a written declaration. The annual cap is £8,000 in eligible small donations per tax year (yielding a £2,000 top-up). Your charity must be HMRC-recognised for at least two complete tax years to use GASDS.

Provide Gift Aid envelopes at cash collection points so that donors who are UK taxpayers can complete a declaration and maximise the value of their gift.

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Recruit team members and create a plan

You must fulfil several tasks to organise a successful drive, from promoting and arranging the event to collecting and sorting donated items.

Having more people on your team will lighten the burden.

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Conversely, if you do not have enough people, reach out to friends or family who may be willing to help.

Once you have a team, plan out your drive's structure. Will you organise a one-day event or carry out the drive over a week? You must also decide where and how you will store donations until you can distribute them.

Define a timeline for your drive and choose an end date. Then decide when to start and steer the campaign in the right direction.

For example, if your donation drive aims to collect Christmas gifts for children in need, begin the campaign around October. This gives you enough time to gather and sort donations and distribute them on time.

If organising an in-person drive, pick a date and venue for the event and start planning accordingly.

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Handle donor data lawfully (UK GDPR)

When you capture names, addresses, or email addresses at a drop-off point, via a text-to-donate follow-up, or through any digital sign-up, you are processing personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

You must have a lawful basis for collecting and using that data, typically consent for marketing follow-up. Make sure you have a clear privacy notice available at collection points, keep records of how consent was given, and store personal data securely.

The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice sets the standard for in-person fundraising data handling. Review it before running any drive that involves capturing contact details.

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Pick a tool to manage the event

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You will need to create an online donation page to raise funds from a virtual event. Alternatively, you may collect items in person and sell tickets for a community event to raise additional funds through the drive.

Pick a tool that offers several fundraising features in one place and also helps you manage your donors.

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Partner with a local business or corporate supporter

Join hands with a local business to increase your donation drive's chances of success. Getting sponsorship from a business or through corporate partnerships helps you:

• Advertise your drive on a larger scale

• Access matched donations for greater impact

• Organise a larger event and increase involvement

Consider mentioning Payroll Giving to your business partners, it allows their employees to donate directly from their pre-tax salary, making every pound go further. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is the recognised UK infrastructure body for workplace and corporate giving and can help businesses set up a scheme.

Local businesses are also ideal for placing donation collection boxes. Apart from supporting your cause, they can set up small stalls and promote their business to attendees.

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Spread the word

It is time to promote your donation drive and let your community know how they can support your work.

With social media and other online channels, this task has become more straightforward. Promote your donation drive through online channels by:

• Sending direct messages to donors

• Broadcasting in community groups on messaging apps like WhatsApp

• Posting campaign details and donation forms through social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, or via local Facebook community groups and Nextdoor

• Sending email requests to existing donors

Cast a wider net with traditional channels too. Expand your promotional efforts by:

• Advertising in local newspapers (if budget allows)

• Distributing leaflets and flyers

• Posting notices on community noticeboards and in parish magazines, still highly effective for village-hall, church, and PTA drives

• Contacting your local BBC radio station, which often carries community listings free of charge

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Host the donation drive event

On the day, provide clear instructions to team members and volunteers. Everyone should be aligned to execute the event smoothly.

Assign roles and shifts. Create distinct teams for each task.

Add some fun activities to make the event more engaging for attendees. You can organise a raffle, bake sale, cakewalk, or other activities. These can engage attendees and help you raise more funds alongside the drive.

If you are planning a raffle to run alongside your drive, bear in mind that most charity raffles in the UK are 'small society lotteries' under the Gambling Act 2005 and need registration with your local council (£40 initial, £20 annual renewal), unless the whole draw takes place at a single event, in which case it is an 'incidental non-commercial lottery' and no registration is needed.

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Thank your donors

Express gratitude to your donors for supporting your cause. It is an excellent way to cultivate strong relationships with them. When you organise your next donation drive, you will already have supporters willing to help.

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Make it even more personal by writing a handwritten thank-you letter. A handwritten note stands out in the age of digital messages and emails.

Apart from thanking donors, keep them updated about the progress of your drive. It demonstrates that their contribution has been impactful.

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Analyse your event's results

Reflect on your donation drive's success. Did you achieve the goals set for the drive? If yes, analyse what you did well and consider how to build on it in future campaigns.

If the results are not as expected, think about what could be improved and how to refine your approach next time.

Share the insights with your team members and volunteers and thank them for their efforts.

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Final thoughts on donation drive ideas

Donation drives are a powerful way to engage your community, rally support for your cause, and make a tangible difference in the lives of those you serve.

Whether you choose to focus on a specific need, such as school supplies or baby essentials, or run a multi-faceted drive covering various areas, the key to success lies in careful planning, effective promotion, and seamless execution.

One final tip for UK charities: do not overlook Gift Aid. Cash donations collected at your drive from UK taxpayers can attract a 25% top-up from HMRC via Gift Aid declarations, and small cash or contactless donations of £30 or less can qualify under GASDS without a written declaration, capped at £8,000 per tax year. That is income your charity earns simply by having the right forms available on the day.

As you plan your donation drive, consider partnering with Zeffy, a 100% free fundraising platform designed specifically for charities. With Zeffy's tools, you can create customised donation pages, manage your donor data, and streamline your fundraising efforts, all at no cost to your organisation.

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Frequently asked questions

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