Best fundraisers to run before Christmas

The lead up to Christmas is one of the best times of year to run a fundraiser and also one of the easiest to get wrong. People are already spending on gifts, food and end of year events, so the trick isn't asking for more money. It's offering something they were going to buy anyway, just with your club or school getting a cut.

Here are some of the best options to run before the season kicks off.

Wine drives

Christmas is one of the biggest wine buying times of the year, whether it's for a gift, a Kris Kringle or just something to have on hand when family turns up. A wine drive taps directly into that. Instead of asking supporters to buy something extra, you're simply asking them to buy the bottle they were already going to grab, through your fundraiser instead of the bottle shop.

It also solves a genuinely tricky Christmas problem for a lot of people: what to get the neighbour or the teacher or the mate who has everything. A nice bottle or a gift pack is an easy, appreciated answer and running your campaign through Vinate means every purchase supports your cause at the same time.

Timing Tip: Because couriers get busy in December, launching your wine drive by mid October ensures all cases arrive well before the school break.

Christmas hampers

Hampers do well this time of year for similar reasons. People are already gift shopping and a ready made hamper saves them the effort of putting one together themselves. The catch is that hampers usually rely on donated items or bulk purchasing, which means someone on your committee needs to source, assemble and wrap them, often at the busiest time of year for volunteers too.

If you've got the people power for it, hampers can work well. If your committee is already stretched, it's worth weighing that effort against something that arrives ready to sell, like a wine drive.

Christmas raffles

Raffles are a familiar go to and a Christmas themed prize table (think hampers, gift vouchers or a slab of something festive) can do reasonably well simply because people are in a giving mood. That said, the same limitations apply as any other raffle: someone needs to source the prizes, ticket prices are usually low and most buyers walk away with nothing. It can work as a smaller side activity, but it's rarely your best option if you're trying to hit a big end of year target.

Advent calendar or chocolate drives

Seasonal chocolate and advent calendar fundraisers lean into the Christmas mood and they're an easy sell to families with young kids. The trade off is the same as any chocolate drive: thinner margins once supplier and packaging costs are factored in, plus the usual dietary and allergy exclusions.

What actually works best before Christmas

The fundraisers that perform best this time of year all share one thing in common: they don't ask supporters to buy something extra, they simply redirect a purchase people were already going to make. A wine drive fits that better than almost anything else on this list, since wine buying naturally spikes in the lead up to Christmas anyway.

It also has a practical edge over hampers and raffles specifically: there's no sourcing donations, no assembling gift baskets and no chasing prizes, right when your volunteers have the least spare time all year. The wine simply arrives, ready to sell, while your committee focuses on getting the word out rather than doing the manual work behind the scenes.