Our vital work to transform the lives of prisoners of conscience is possible thanks to people like you who host events and take on challenges to raise funds. If you would like to ride, run, shave, grow, swim, bake, sew or do anything which might raise much needed funds or awareness for us, we’re here to support you every step of the way!
Creative Fundraising Ideas to Support Human Rights Defenders
Discover innovative fundraising ideas and activities to support human rights defenders worldwide. Whether you’re planning online events, charity fundraisers at work, or easy fundraising activities, we would love to provide you with some inspiration and guidance.
Online Fundraising Ideas
- Social media challenge – remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014? This initiative raised over £200 million for motor neurone disease charities. Take advantage of social media pressure and nominate others to complete the challenge with you.
- Social media birthday fundraiser – use your network to raise valuable funds and awareness for HRPF.
- JustGiving challenges – become a fundraiser as part of our HRPF page and join our other fabulous fundraisers during our challenges. Walter (pictured below) raised a life-changing £941 for HRPF by walking across the Tay Road Bridge in Dundee each day, as a symbolic act of solidarity with human rights defenders like himself forced to flee persecution
- Add a charity link to your out of office
- Get crafty and sell your creations on an online selling site like Ebay or Etsy – turn your hobby of knitting, painting or jewellery-making into funds for good!
Fundraising Ideas for Charity at Work/University
- Host a bake sale like Laura – she managed to raise £60 for HRPF by selling brownies and muffins on her university campus:
- Host a trivia or pub quiz night for colleagues or societies – charge an entry fee per team, and you could even boost donations by adding a raffle or selling snacks on the night.
- Create an office/seminar ‘bingo’ using fun workplace scenarios (such as someone having their mic on mute during a Zoom call, or running over on time) and charge a small donation for each bingo card. Have a prize for the first person to get a full row or a full house!
- Charity haircut – have colleagues or peers volunteer to have their hair cut, shaved in exchange for donations. Set a fundraising target and encourage sponsors for these brave participants.
- Host an open mic night at your student union
- Get in touch with your fundraising society at uni (if you have one). They might be able to come up with some fun ideas and place more budget behind events.
- Hold a coffee morning
Easy Fundraising Ideas for Individuals
- Take on a fitness challenge and encourage sponsors from your local network. Rachel and her partner ran a half-marathon, separated by cold water plunges to raise awareness for human rights defenders:
- Celebrate and donate
- Complete a sponsored silence – if you’re a talker, challenge yourself to remain silent for 24 hours or more, like Hamidah. Hamidah is an activist from Uganda, who used the silence to raise awareness of the silencing of activists and human rights defenders in her country. She raised over £300 for HRPF.
- Get involved with our April challenge:
Our April challenges in 2024 and 2025
in April 2024 and 2025, our amazing supporters raised over £14,000 for human rights defenders in need by walking, cycling, running and reading for human rights. Some special challenges included Dan’s 5-hour blindfolded public meditation in central London, and Heather’s art sale at Goldsmith’s University.
Find out more about the challenge here.
How your fundraising supports us
£50
£50 could cover one month’s rent for a journalist like Juliette (pictured above) living in exile
£100
£100 could help to reunite children with their families in a safe country after standing up against human rights abuses.
£250
£250 could help cover shelter, food and emergency medical care for a prisoner of conscience who has been tortured and by government forces.