Delicious Recipes
All the inspiration and dishes you need to kick start a very special evening of feasting, fundraising and fun.
Fundraising tips and ideas
Discover our top tips for raising money
Every penny you raise for ShelterBox helps us bring light to families in their darkest hour.
There are many opportunities in a Shine for ShelterBox evening to have a little fun, and fundraising. Try these ideas.
Guess who?
A great conversation-starter, and a way to raise money. Ask your guests to bring a picture of themselves when they were a baby. Create a gallery on the wall, and write up some name cards. Guests take it in turns to see who can match the names to the photos correctly – making a donation each time they try.
Games tournament
The possibilities here are endless. From hula hooping to darts to a good old fashioned game of cards, discover the competitive streak you never knew about, and charge a healthy entry fee for competitors. And, if your guests are of a certain age, how about dusting off the vintage board games from the attic?
Who’s got talent?
Invite your guests to enter a hidden talent competition, for a small entry fee. Encourage them to try something they wouldn’t normally do – it could be telling a joke or singing a song. Create a performance space and enjoy a home cabaret show for a great cause. You never know what you might start. If they end up in front of Simon Cowell, you can ask him for a donation too.
Raffle and prize draw
Never forget the fundraising power of a simple raffle. If you ask around local businesses or encourage friends to bring raffle prizes along, you can raise a considerable amount with a book of raffle tickets and some great prizes.
Skills auction
In a room full of people, you’re bound to have plenty of skills worth bidding for. Invite each guest to pledge to do something – whether it’s drawing a portrait, cleaning a car or trimming the lawn – and see who’s willing to bid the most for it.
Book club
Everyone brings a book they love and tells the other guests why they love it. If it’s a book, they might read out the first page. The rest of the table can then bid to buy it. If the guest really wants to keep their item, they have to beat the highest bid with their own donation.
Conversational ’swear’ box
Do you know your guests all too well? Heard one or two themes crop up over dinner before? This is a way to raise money AND disrupt any chance of predictable conversation at the table. Get everyone to declare three topics that they might normally talk about and write them on cards in front of their setting. If another guest hears you mention one of yours during the evening, they can call you out and you have to put money in the collection box.
Get quizzical
Everyone loves a quiz. Why not test your guests’ knowledge about what we do at ShelterBox? Download our Shine for ShelterBox quiz, then create teams and ask them to donate to take part.
More inspiration for your event
Shine for ShelterBox
Host a Shine for ShelterBox dinner and fundraise to support families after disaster with solar lights, emergency shelter and other essential items.
Shine resources
Resources to help shape your evening and engage your guests