Five ways to fundraise £3,000

If you're feeling overwhelmed by a £3,000 fundraising target, our resident star fundraiser and Big Battlefield Bike Ride rep, John Carpenter, has tried-and-tested advice to help you.

Having raised over £17,477.99, he's learnt to start early, break things into manageable chunks, and try different tactics.

The road to £3,000

For the Big Battlefield Bike Ride, there's three fundraising checkpoints to plan around:

• 19 March 2027: £1,549
• 7 June 2027: £2,400
• 3 September 2027: £3,000

It's much easier to work backwards from these, setting smaller milestones along the way. Instead of focusing on the larger number, concentrate on each stepping stone.

Money rarely needs to come from a single place or fundraising idea.

Ask what you enjoy doing, whether there are local opportunities, and who can lend a hand.

Donations from friends and family, a fundraising event, some support from work, a collection or help from a local business can all contribute. It adds up bit by bit.

Share the journey, not just the fundraising link

The most important thing about fundraising is that people give to people, not just causes.

My fundraising page shows why this challenge matters and why the Charity matters to me. A personal story can turn a good cause into something people genuinely connect with.

I share training rides, the hills I’ve conquered and, importantly, moments that don’t quite go according to plan. It’s also about celebrating wins and purposefully thanking my supporters.

Don’t just share the page once and hope for the best. Take people on the journey!

Not everyone will donate the first time they see your page, and that’s OK. Keep people updated so they can follow your progress and feel part of your challenge.

After all, people aren’t just supporting Help for Heroes. They’re supporting me on this challenge too.

Tins and public collections

Never underestimate that people still carry cash. 

A collection tin in a supportive local business makes smaller donations add up. If you know a local café, pub, shop or other business, it’s worth asking whether they’d be willing to support you.

I’ve also found that public collections provide a great opportunity to get out and speak to people about what I’m doing. 

Supermarkets, shopping centres and other busy locations give you the chance to meet lots of people. Just arrange these well in advance and make sure you have all the relevant permissions.

Local events

I like fundraising ideas that give people something in return for their support. Hosting a quiz night is a great example.

Bring people together, have some fun and raise money through entry fees, raffles and donations. 

You could also speak to local businesses to see whether they’d be willing to donate a prize. Or see if local events like festivals will allow you to fundraise at their event. 

You’re raising money, but you’re also giving people an enjoyable reason to get involved.

Work your employee benefits

Not everyone gets perks at work, but there are three key ways to get your employer and colleagues contributing to your fundraising. 

1. Match funding is a great way to boost your fundraising total. As I work for a charity, I can’t use match funding myself, but I’ve used it in past roles to great effect. We can help you understand a bit more about how to ask for your fundraising efforts to be matched too. 
   
   It’s well worth checking what support your employer might offer. They may have a match funding scheme that could give your fundraising a valuable boost.
2. Non-remote working is a benefit in this situation! Office events like bake sales always go down a treat. Savoury treats mix things up a bit and capture anyone who usually slips out for lunch. Or offer to host a social event, like a local pub tour for a small donation fee.
   
   
3. Charity days are often overlooked, but you can use these towards those bigger fundraising pushes. 

Don’t just ask for money. Ask for help.

Not everyone can donate, but they can still help. Friends, family and colleagues could find prizes, help at an event, introduce you to a local business or share your fundraising page.

Sometimes that helping hand can be just as valuable as a donation.

And the more people you involve, the less it feels like something you’re doing alone. Before long, it stops feeling like my fundraising and starts feeling like something we’re doing together.

The important thing for me is to keep trying different things. Not every idea will work in exactly the way I expect, and that’s part of fundraising. I just keep moving forwards and chipping away at the total.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from fundraising, it’s not to let that £3,000 figure overwhelm you.

Don’t look at the whole target and wonder how on earth you’re going to get there. Start early, break it down, try different things and celebrate the small wins along the way.

Every donation, every event and every person who lends a helping hand gets me that little bit closer to the target.

And before we know it, the fundraising will be done, the training miles will be in our legs, and it’ll be time for us to get on our bikes and take on the Big Battlefield Bike Ride together.

Happy fundraising!

- John