Budget Fundraising at Uni: 25 Ideas that Actually Work

Got 2 hours and £20? Raise £100+ with your society, flat, or on your own!

These ideas are ideal if you are a university student and can fundraise on campus, BUT they can be easily adapted to suit you! If you’re not a student on campus, common rooms can be swapped for your town hall or local pub.

1. Quiz Night (+ mini raffle)

• Pitch: 5 rounds, 6 teams, £2–£3 pp = £60–£90.
• Setup: Book the Students’ Union/common room, 5 rounds, £2–£3 pp, print QR codes, assign host/scorekeeper.
• Cost/Time: £5–£15 for snacks, 60 min prep, 90 min event.
• Accessibility: Seated, low-sensory option, no music between rounds.
• Twist: “I ride for…” board, share a 60-sec MS story at halftime.

2. Movie Night

• Pitch: Low-cost, cozy, great for societies/halls.
• Setup: Projector & popcorn, £2 entry. 
• Cost/Time: £10–£20, 2–3 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Captions on, quiet space available. 
• Twist: Show a short reel about your ride before credits/30-sec intro about your ride, QR on opening slide.

3. Karaoke / Open Mic

• Pitch: High participation, charge per song or £3 entry.
• Setup: Mics/speaker, screen for lyrics.
• Cost/Time: £0–£20, 2 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Seated options, volume breaks.
• Twist: “Sing for someone” dedications wall with MS ribbons and QR code.

4. Clothes Swap & Bake Sale

• Pitch: Sustainable (bring-one-take-one clothing item), tasty, £2 entry + bakes.
• Setup: Racks/tables, allergen labels, QR code on price cards.
• Cost/Time: £10 float, 2 hours.
• Accessibility: Quiet hour at start, wide aisles, allergen labels.
• Twist: “Orange or Blue item = bonus donation” theme.

5. Book Swap / Revision

• Pitch: Clears shelves, helps students, raises £.
• Setup: £1 per swap, donate leftover to library charity. 
• Cost/Time: £0–£10, 2 hrs.
• Accessibility: Seated browsing.
• Twist: Add MS fact bookmarks in swapped books.

6. Board Game Café Night

• Pitch: Relaxed social, low noise, broad appeal.
• Setup: Borrowed games, £2 entry. 
• Cost/Time: £0–£10, 2 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Calm, conversational.
• Twist: “Beat the Rider” table, winner gets BTUKFMS sticker sheet.

7. Campus Treasure Hunt

• Pitch: Team fun across landmarks, great for societies.
• Setup: Teams follow clue checkpoints, £10 per team. 
• Cost/Time: £0–£10, 90 mins. 
• Accessibility: Add “seated clues” route around accessible paths.
• Twist: Clue about MS Awareness Week, finish line selfie and QR code.

8. 5-A-Side (or Walking Football)

• Pitch: Sporty, competitive, easy to organise.
• Setup: £20 per team, knockout. 
• Cost/Time: Pitch booking, 2–3 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Include walking-rules bracket.
• Twist: Bonus points for orange socks, halftime MS shout-out.

9. Keepy-Uppy / Juggling Challenge

• Pitch: Micro-donations with a leaderboard hook.
• Setup: £1 per attempt, leaderboard. 
• Cost/Time: £0, 60–90 mins. 
• Accessibility: Alternative hand-eye stations.
• Twist: “Beat the Bike the UK For MS total” challenge with live tally and QR code.

10. E-Sports or Mario Kart Tournament

• Pitch: Big reach, rain-proof, inclusive.
• Setup: £3 entry, winner’s medal. 
• Cost/Time: Consoles and room, 2–3 hrs.
• Accessibility: Seated and inclusive.
• Twist: Map names match ride stages, MS facts between rounds.

11. Mini-Photo Booth

• Pitch: Practical value = higher donations.
• Setup: £3 per portrait for LinkedIn/societies. 
• Cost/Time: Lights and backdrop, 2 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Seated version available.
• Twist: Overlay Bike the UK for MS frame.

12. Craft Market

• Pitch: Sellers + donors = double impact.
• Setup: £5 per stall & donation %, footfall via SU. 
• Cost/Time: Tables/posters, 2–4 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Quiet hour first.
• Twist: Bike the UK for MS stall with route map prints and QR code.

13. Pancake or Hot Chocolate Stall

• Pitch: Comfort food = consistent sales.
• Setup: £1–£2 per item, allergy labels.
• Cost/Time: £10–£30 ingredients, 2 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Seated queue option.
• Twist: Orange sprinkles = “MS Awareness” special.

14. Study Snack Packs (in exam week)

• Pitch: Prepped convenience, exam-season hit.
• Setup: Pre-bagged snacks and note, £2–£3. 
• Cost/Time: Bulk buy snacks, 1 hr pack, 1 hr sell. 
• Accessibility: Soft-food option.
• Twist: Include a mini MS myth-busting card and QR code.

15. Give-it-Up Week

• Pitch: Sponsored micro-habit (coffee/lifts/screens), great for halls.
• Setup: WhatsApp group, daily check-ins, pledge £1–£3/day.
• Cost/Time: £0, 15 min to set up, 5-min updates.
• Accessibility: Choose personal, low-pressure goals.
• Twist: Post a daily MS fact in the chat.

16. Sponsored Silence / Read-a-thon

• Pitch: Quiet fundraiser for introverts.
• Setup: Set hours/pages, pledges per hour/page. 
• Cost/Time: £0, flexible. 
• Accessibility: Low-sensory friendly.
• Twist: Read MS stories or health science articles, share one takeaway.

17. Speed-Friending / Society Mixer

• Pitch: Social utility = easy sell.
• Setup: £3 entry, prompts on tables. 
• Cost/Time: £0–£10, 90 mins. 
• Accessibility: Quiet corner, opt-out prompts.
• Twist: “I ride for…” wall where guests pin dedications.

18. Hall vs Hall “Change Jar War”

• Pitch: Friendly rivalry drives donations.
• Setup: Jars in reception, points for coins. 
• Cost/Time: £0, 1-week run. 
• Accessibility: Online top-up via QR code too.
• Twist: Bonus day where silver coins count double.

19. Static Bike ‘Ride the Route’

• Pitch: Visual, on-brand, great footfall.
• Setup: spin bike in the Students’ Union, distance target; £1 per km sponsor. 
• Cost/Time: Borrow bike, 3–6 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Time-based or tag-team options.
• Twist: Milestone signs (Stonehenge/Avebury etc.).

20. Guess-the-Sweets / Name-the-Teddy

• Pitch: Simple, classic, low effort.
• Setup: £1 per guess, prize reveal live. 
• Cost/Time: £5–£10 sweets/teddy, 2 hrs table. 
• Compliance: Keep a simple prize/entries list.
• Twist: Orange teddy scarf, keep entries/prize list, QR code page.

21. Lecture “Minute of Giving”

• Pitch: 60 seconds times 200 students.
• Setup: Lecturer okays 60-sec pitch, QR code on screen. 
• Cost/Time: £0, 1 min per class. 
• Accessibility: Captions and alt text on slides.
• Twist: “First 10 donors get a Bike the UK for MS sticker or sweets” incentive.

22. Photography Walk & Print Sale

• Pitch: Creative and later revenue from prints.
• Setup: £3 entry, later sell best prints £5. 
• Cost/Time: Free walk, print costs recouped. 
• Accessibility: Step-free route.
• Twist: Best shot becomes next event poster, credit photographer.

23. Skills Auction (‘Promises Night’)

• Pitch: Big totals from talents, not budgets.
• Setup: Tutoring, baking, bike-fit, CV review. 
• Cost/Time: £0, 2 hrs. 
• Compliance: Record promises/donations.
• Twist: “Rider for a Day” promise, keep simple promises/donations log.

24. Seasonal Deliveries

• Pitch: Pre-order convenience with feel-good vibes.
• Setup: Pre-orders, delivery of roses on Valentine’s or sweets on Halloween. 
• Cost/Time: £20–£40 stock, 2–3 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Opt for non-food gifts too.
• Twist: Include MS awareness card, bundle with QR code to fundraising page.

25. Sustainable Fashion Show

• Pitch: High-profile collab (Fashion/Drama/Film soc).
• Setup: £3–£5 tickets, runway in the Students’ Union. 
• Cost/Time: Low-cost props, 2–3 hrs. 
• Accessibility: Seated show, step-free backstage.
• Twist: Orange accent theme, mid-show 60-sec MS impact story and live QR code total.

Things to remember!

Hopefully, this list gave you lots of inspiration for a few fundraising ideas! Make sure to check out our other fundraising blogs, including our A-Z list and workplace fundraising ideas. Continue to check your inbox for our fundraising emails too.