When the temperature rises, so do the spirits and summer time is the perfect time to hold a fundraising event (or nine) – there’s so much more room outside! Have a look at the ideas below and see if sum-erve them could give your fundraising a major boost.

If you have a nice garden, why not open it to the public? It doesn’t have to be Kew Gardens and even if you have a communal garden with your neighbours, they might like to get involved and help set it up! Loads of people like having a nose round other people’s gardens, especially if you throw in a cream tea with the entrance fee. Set up an event on Facebook, try and get a free advert in your local paper and print off some posters to put around key places in your local community. To make extra cash, you could easily hold a bake sale in your garden, too. As it’s your own property, there’s no need to get license or anything – just rustle up some tasty treats and sell them to your guests. If baking isn’t your slice of cake, sell raffle tickets all afternoon instead, with the winner to be revealed by phone/ email later.

If you charge £6 a head (including the cream tea) and you have 30 people you should make at least £150 after costs. Why not try and sell plants and other garden items you may have to raise extra cash? The raffle, bake sale and donations should make you another £150. After expenses you should clear £300.

See if you can find three or four pubs in close proximity. Ask each pub if they will provide beer and cider for the challenge. If they can’t donate it, they should be happy to offer a discount for participants, considering it’ll bring them loads of business. You then need to recruit as many pairs/ couples as possible to take part in the race. Try to recruit 20 pairs and charge them £10 entry fee per pair, this will make you £200. The aim of the challenge is for the participants to race three-legged to each pub and drink a pint of beer/cider and then to race onto the next pub. The winning couple will be the ones that drink all three pints and finish in the quickest time. Ask the last pub if they will let you hold a raffle, which should make you another £100.

Hold this event is at the start or end of Wimbledon. Try and get your local tennis club (or leisure centre or school) to let you have the use of their courts for free. Then invite friends/contacts/family to a “Tennis Fun Day”. See if the venue will advertise the day to their members. Organise mini-tournaments throughout the afternoon. The highlight of the day will be the delicious strawberries/cream served with ice-cold sparkling wine. Try to get everything donated from local stores so your outlay is small. If you charge £10 per head and you have 30 guests you should make £300 – if all your food is donated. Berry nice indeed!

This is one for the kids! Find a nice circular walk – hopefully in a wooded area and invite the public to a teddy bears’ picnic. Again, posters in local shops and snippets in your local newsletter will help you get people (and bears!) to come along. All the kids and adults will of course need to bring their favourite cuddly toy. Everyone brings either their own picnic or a contribution to a larger picnic for everyone to enjoy together. Perhaps organise some kind of entertainment, like a rounders match and some games of hide and seek, to make it worth their entry fee (beside the amazing cause)! Charge each family £10 for the day, hopefully you will get 20 families – this should make you £200 minimum.

We hope these ideas have fuelled your summer spirit and whichever events you decide to throw, have a great time! Never forget, you’re working towards an invaluable cause and we’re forever in awe of your incredible efforts and commitment to the charities you’ve chosen to support!