Donating to charities as part of your hen party
Making a donation to a charitable cause as part of your hen party is a great and easy way to give back.
Many charities rely on donations, both financial and of physical items, to carry on supporting the people that need it most.
There are lots of fun and easy ways to raise awareness and donate to your chosen charity and plenty of reasons to do it.
Charities provide valuable human connection and services to people and communities that are otherwise unable to access the support they need.
From children’s charities to housing or organisations that tackle terminal illnesses, there are so many places that rely on public generosity to keep helping their networks.
Plus, donating to charity as part of your hen party couldn’t be easier.
Either incorporate a donation as part of the party budget or make raising money or physical items a fun group activity.
“Making a donation in this way can be easily aligned with the bride’s values by choosing a charity that is meaningful to her. ”
How to donate to charity as part of your hen party
Make a monetary donation by collecting from your hen party budget.
Donate items that charities need by asking all your hens to bring something and make a collection together.
Fundraise together by doing an activity that other people will donate to to support you.
Keep reading for fundraising inspiration ideas and make a donation with a difference!
Making a personal donation
It's completely understandable that busy lives can make volunteering your time tricky, plus it’s not something that appeals to every individual.
That’s totally ok!
Instead, if finances allow it, consider making a personal donation to a charity as well as or in place of giving your time.
Since everyone is already spending to attend the hen party, it's not out of the question to ask for a small donation on top, or build it into the initial cost.
Building a small donation into the hen party budget is a really easy way to commit to helping others through your hen.
Adding as little as £5 each (that’s only about 2% of an average hen party cost) to your hen party budget can go a long way.
Once you’ve chosen a charity, one way you can quantify what impact your donation has is to find out how far certain funds go.
For example, £50 helps a mother with childcare or £100 allows someone to access medical support they’ve been waiting for.
Making a donation in this way can be easily aligned with the bride's values by choosing a charity that is meaningful to her.
This personal connection can really encourage your hens to give in support of a cause close to her heart, which makes the move especially impactful- both for the charity and yourselves.
Donating Items
Another way to donate to charity is by collecting items that they need, instead of just collecting money. Your hens may connect more with buying something specific than giving money, too.
This could be for a food bank, womens and children's charity, sports equipment, school books - the possibilities really are endless.
Items needed by charities are not expensive and can mostly be bought at a supermarket or regular shop, so it’s super easy to pop a few extra essentials for someone who needs them in your basket.
There are a few things to remember when making a plan for collecting and donating items to charities as part of your hen do.
Firstly, you should check directly with the charity about what items they accept and in what condition. Generally items should be new or show very minimal signs of use, and making a judgement on these is reserved for the charity.
As a general rule, you shouldn't be donating items to charity that you wouldn't want to use yourself. No one wants perished clothes or out of date food items, and the people who benefit from charity support deserve no less than you’d want for yourself.
You should also check with charities about donating items before you organise a collection so you don’t waste your efforts. Some charities prefer to buy items directly from their suppliers with donated money and some have specific items they need, or are overstocked on others.
Crowdsourcing items: A step-by-step guide for hen parties
Choose a charity and check their donation policy. It’s also a good idea to make contact and say you’ll be crowdsourcing items to be delivered to them on a certain day.
Download or obtain a list of items that they currently need with information about condition
Hens choose and buy in advance 1 item from the list that they will each bring.
In some cases you can all buy the same, but it might make sense not to double up on things and provide a variety of supplies - again, check in advance and you could use a shared document online to track what everyone will bring.
On the day of collection (either during or before the hen party) 1 hen is responsible for collecting all the items from everyone and keeping them safe.
Drop off the items at the charity base that they specify.
Congrats, you’ve successfully crowdsourced items for charity!
Fundraise
If you fancy something a little different for your celebration that gives back at the same time, fundraising is an awesome way to get your hens together, have fun and do some good!
Fundraising is the act of collecting money to support a charitable cause.
It’s a little different from volunteering where you give up your time for a charitable cause, as you’ll be sending money to a charity once you’re done instead.
You can fundraise by completing a challenge or task together - like a fun run, hike or other activity.
In all, donating to charities as part of your hen do is a great way to get everyone involved in a way that feels good and helps others.
So what are you waiting for?
Celebrate with style and support a cause you care about!
