Here are a few top ideas on how to raise funds for your rugby tour with an A-Z guide to tour fundraising to follow.

Calendar

Have pictures of all the lads in various poses with rugby balls covering our modesty. Sell advertising space on each page. Sell the calendar to friends and relatives back home, flat mates, course mates, girlfriends, etc. Donate some of the profits to charity so that people are more likely to buy it. Make a quid or two from each calendar.

Gentleman's Evening

Organise an evening comprising of beer, food, beer, women, beer, casino, beer, comedian. Use the clubhouse free of charge as they get to keep the bar profits.

Run/Row/Cycle

If you're touring Spain for example, get sponsored to run/row/cycle around Spain. Choose a journey with 3 stages then run one, row one and cycle one using a treadmill, rowing machine and an exercise bike. Pick a route that you can complete in under 24 hours. Everyone going on tour has to do half an hour/an hour each according to a rota.

Borrow the exercise machines from the university or a local gym if they can advertise in return.

Holiday Raffle

Buy a cheap weekend away round about Valentine's Day and raffle it off. Could sell tickets to friends and relatives back home, flat mates, course mates, Rugby Club, etc. Give half money to charity so that people are more likely to buy.

Balloon Race

Sell balloon race cards to people before the event. On the day, attach all the race cards to balloons then release them. When people find the race cards over the next few days they post them back (they get £20 if they post back the winning ticket). Whoever's balloon travels the furthest distance in 2 weeks wins a prize.

Get someone to donate a prize. Put the company's name on all the advertising for the event in return. Half the money goes to charity. Advertise in the local paper.

Bag Packing

Stand at the end of the check out at a supermarket and help people pack their shopping bags. They then make a donation into the bucket if they wish.

Give half the money to charity and wear our rugby kit as you do it.

5-a-side Football Tournament

Book all the pitches at the sports arena. Advertise the event around your club, university or school and in the local paper. Get a sponsor for the event to donate prize money and trophies. Charge an entry fee for all the teams.

Have barbeque and sell burgers and beer cans.

7-a-side Rugby Tournament

Book pitches at the sports arena. Get a sponsor to donate prize money and trophies. Invite other local clubs. Charge an entry fee for teams. Again, have a barbeque and if possible a beer tent.

Free Tour Place

Have a raffle - £5 per ticket. The winner gets a free place on tour or £200 cash. Get every tourist to sell at least X amount of tickets.

Race Night

Hold a virtual horse racing evening in a bar.

Slave Auction

Classic slave auction - sell services to the ladies.

A - Z OF FUNDRAISING IDEAS

Every fundraiser has individual talents, skills and abilities. Fundraising ideas are often the most successful when they come from recognising these talents and using them to their full advantage. Unusual events are often the best for attracting both sponsors and publicity, so be creative! However, don't forget all the old favourites.

If you are under 16 you must get your parents' permission before you start fundraising.

So, here's our list of fundraising ideas to get you started in your quest to organise an outstanding event!

A

Abseil, aerobathon, afternoon tea party, antiques fair, arts and crafts stall / exhibition / fair, auction of promises, autograph sale, activities day, advertising booklet (companies may pay to advertise in a local information booklet), as new sale, auction, art competitions, assault course.

B

Bad hair day, BBQ, barn dance, bedroom tidying, bingo night, blind date, book sale, boot sale, bring and buy sale, balloon race (fill balloons with helium, the purchasers name and address are written on a tag fixed to the balloon, prizes are awarded, balloons could be made to advertise the charity to raise awareness, or sponsored by a company who wishes to use the event for advertising), balloon rides, beat the goalie (competitor pays to try to score a goal past the goalie), bed push (obtain sponsorship to push a hospital bed), beetle drive (similar to bingo where people compete by rolling a dice to build a beetle), blanket collection (at a spectator event, like a football match, walk around the perimeter of the pitch with a blanket held out for people to throw money into it); board games evening, boat race, boat trips, bonny baby competition, bottle stall, bouncy castle, bowling, bungee jump, bus pull, bridge tournament, Blind Date.

C

Cabaret, car boot sale, car wash, carol singing, coffee morning, cookie / cake bake, computer games marathon, concert, conker championship, cover a distance with coins, craft fair, copper collection, cheese and wine evening, Christmas grotto.

D

Dance marathon, darts tournament, dinner dance, disco, dog walking, donkey derby, drawing competition, duck race.

E

Easter egg hunt, Easter egg auction, exhibitions, expert talk, expeditions.

F

Face painting, fairs, fetes, fancy dress party, fancy dress football, fashion show, film show, fireworks party, flower arranging, foam party, football tournament, fairground, flower show, festival, fortune teller, fun day, fast day, furniture sale, fantasy career day (get everyone at your institution to dress like someone who works in their dream job), fun run.

G

Game shows (participate in a televised version or hold your own), garden party, girls v boys day, gigs, go-karting, golf match, guess the height / weight / amount / name, gymkhana, gardening (offer a service), Give As You Earn (participate in this scheme or encourage others to do so), glamorous Granny, glass painting, greeting cards, guest speaker, guided tours, gunge tank.

H

Halloween party, handicrafts, harvest festival, head shave, hole in one, hook a duck, hoopla, horse race night, hair plaiting, hockey match, heritage walks and cultural evenings for tourists.

I

Ice-skating, international food dinner party, It's a knockout.

J

Jail break (being dumped in the middle of nowhere and having to get back to headquarters with no money and no transport), jazz festival, jewellery making, job swapping, job week (small jobs are undertaken for payment), juggling competition, jumble sale, judo competition, job swap (get sponsored to swap jobs for the day).

K

Karaoke, keep fitathon, kite flying, kiss chase, knobbly knees competition, kidnap, knitting.

L

Line dancing, Land's end to John O'Groats, litter collection, live band, lottery, lucky dip, limbo dancing, leg waxing for men, luncheons, letter day / party (base your activities, dress code and food around a specific letter from the alphabet).

M

Mobile telephones (collect old mobile telephones and sell them to a recycling firm, old mobiles are bought by such companies for a minimum of £5), Magic show, marathon, mufti day, murder mystery event / dinner, music quiz, musical event, mouse race, model making, mad make-up day, makeover party.

N

Nature trail, new years resolution, netball tournament, New Years party, non-uniform day, name the _____ (get people to pay to suggest a name).

O

Obstacle course, odd jobs, odd clothes day, open garden day, orienteering, opera night, open day.

P

Paintball, parachute jump, pantomime, parties, pet show, petrol tokens (collect, collate and auction), plant sale, play your cards right, pop concert, postage stamp collecting, pub games evening, puppet show, photo competition, poetry writing competition, paper plane throwing contest, pram push, play, picnics, posters (produce and sell), penny mile (collect coppers and see how far they stretch).

Q

Quiz night

R

Races, raffles, raft race, rambles, recipe book, record breaking attempt, re-cycling collections, radio controlled car racing, rock and roll night, rugby match.

S

Santa's grotto, shoe shining, slide evening, swear box, sports day, scavenger hunt, sponsored silence, sing along, skydiving, splat the rat, sponge throwing, sun flower growing competition, swim-a-thon, snail racing evening, sponsored spell, stop smoking.

T

Talent competition, tea party, teddy bears picnic, theme day / evening, tombola, three legged race, treasure hunt, tug of war, tennis tournament, Triathlon!

U

Underwear as outerwear day, uniform day, University Challenge.

V

Valentines Ball, Valentine Roses (sell this secret service at your institution), variety show.

W

Water games, swellie throwing competition, wacky races, wheelbarrow racing, wine tasting evening, window cleaning, white water rafting.

X

X files day, Xmas ball / bazaar / card sale / panto.

Y

Yacht race, yogathon, yo-yo competition, yard of ale.

Z

Zany clothes day, zoo trips, zodiac readings.