One of the activities you will do as part of your COmMISSION programme is join in a fundraising challenge. You will learn how much fun it can be to help raise funds and support for organisations like SU Scotland. You can work on this together with other trainees. This page has been put together to help you with the fundraising part of your COmMISSION programme. With a bit of effort and imagination, you raise a surprising amount in no time! 

Making a Start: the 6 Golden Rules of Raising Funds  

  1. Be enthusiastic and get excited. Having someone doing things with you can really help. The more you enjoy it, the more other people will too. 
  2. Be realistic about what you can achieve. A few small money-raising schemes may be more effective than one major extravaganza which could fall flat.  
  3. Be prepared to work hard in order to raise the cash – it's not always going to fall into your lap.  
  4. Be creative! You do not have to reinvent the wheel – but do use the gifts that God has given you, and involve as many other people (with gifts that you don't have) as you can.  
  5. Be thankful – to God and to those who have given. Whatever the size of their contribution a thank you card or hug can go a long way.  
  6. Be a planner. Things will work better if you think ahead, organise and have a Plan A and a Plan B. 



Below are some ideas for fundraising, and if you want any support from SU Scotland, need to ask questions, or want a chat, please email Dave Clipston, or get in touch with Dave Page who know all about the ups and downs of raising funds. 

Ideas 

These are just a few ideas... for more ideas see our Fundraising Page! 

  • Ask people to organise an event on your behalf – however don’t be lazy, get involved! Ask folk to bake for a bake sale or hold a coffee morning for you.
  • How about a church BBQ? You are not allowed to charge per burger, but you can encourage people to make suggested donations or sell tickets.
  • A karaoke night with your youth group, or your friends' parents who love ABBA.
  • Make something to sell. Craft a fabric brooch, weave a friendship band, write a personalised poem, sculpt a... you get the idea.
  • Gunge the minister - but not in the pulpit and only with their permission.
  • Organise a game of football, dodgeball or mini-golf. You could even make a trophy!
  • Pizza! Everyone loves pizza. Pizza and a movie, pizza and a quiz, pizza and a Fifa tournament, pizza and anything. 
  • Mow people's lawns, wash cars, babysit, tutor maths, paint nails – offer your services for a fee. If you let folk know what it's for, they may even add in a big tip! 
  • Sponsored anything. Silence, walking, singing... anything.

How to Get the money raised to SU Scotland 

The easiest option is to set up a Just Giving page at justigivng.com/suscotland which can keep track of both your online and offline gifts. The money will automatically be sent to our bank account. This is great for sponsored events and for sharing on social media.

Depending on what you do, you might collect funds in a variety of forms. If not using Just Giving, folk can donate online, by card or PayPal, cheques (made payable to SU Scotland) can be posted to Commission, SU Scotland, 70 Milton Street, Glasgow, G4 0HR, with a letter letting us know what it is for and money can even be sent to us by Bank transfer (contact finance@suscotland.org.uk to get the bank details). Cash is a bit harder as this should not be posted, but you can pop into any SU Scotland Office to hand it in. 

Gift Aid 

Most UK taxpayers can gift aid their donations which adds an extra 25p to each £1 raised. Just Giving has an option for gift aid as do our sponsorship forms and online donations. Money raised from selling things cannot be gift aided however.