Group of people gathered together enjoying food.

Host a charity dinner party

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Put the fun into your fundraising by hosting a fundraising dinner party or Come Dine with Me for UNICEF. This is a great way to raise money and awareness of our work. Gather your family and friends and turn your dining room or kitchen into a restaurant for the night.

Fundraising dinner ideas to get you started

It’s all in the prep

  • Decide on the date and time of your charity dinner and send out invitations to family and friends. You can send out physical invites or keep it simple by sending a group email, text or WhatsApp.
  • You could make it a sit-down formal affair, or something more casual – make sure to think about how many people you can comfortably fit in your home.
  • Keep in mind the timing of your event – if you’re hosting in January, why not throw a healthy food dinner party to appeal to people kicking bad habits in the new year?
  • Set up an online fundraising page to collect donations. The easiest way to raise money is to ask guests to make a donation to attend. Creating an online fundraising page also means that people who can’t attend can donate anyway. Don’t forget to set a fundraising target to encourage your guests to give a little more – either on the night or after.
  • Think about a theme for the party to make it extra fun and you can even ask your guests to dress up, whether your theme’s The Great Gatsby, Game of Thrones or superheroes.
  • Once you’ve chosen your theme, think about how you might decorate your house/table/food.
  • Plan your menu. Go all out with a 5-course banquet or create a few simple sharing dishes – whatever you choose, just remember to check the dietary requirements of your guests.

On the night

  • Organise some fundraising dinner games such as a quiz, sweepstake or you can even organise a raffle to raise money on the night.
  • Boost your fundraising by organising some food-related challenges. For example, you could ask guests to identify mystery ingredients or dishes whilst blindfolded.
  • Remember to take photos to remind your guests what a great time they had (and encourage extra donations after the night!).
  • Don’t forget to have fun!

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