Red Nose Day Ideas for School, Work and Fundraising

Red Nose Day ideas

Red Nose Day runs every other March for Comic Relief, and the whole point is that the fundraising should be daft. The ideas that raise the most are the ones people can photograph.

Sorted below by setting - school, workplace, and easy fundraisers anyone can run - plus the sponsored challenges that consistently raise the most per person.

Register with Comic Relief for the free fundraising kit and paying-in details before you plan anything.

Thank you cards for the people who baked

Somebody made forty cupcakes at 11pm. A thank you card, printed in the UK and blank inside, is the least they're owed. Bunting, banners and cake toppers for the table are on our party supplies page.

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Shop thank you cards

Red Nose Day ideas for schools

  • Non-uniform day, £1 a head. The simplest and still the highest earner.
  • Wear something red, or something funny, or both.
  • Silly hair day - the photographs alone raise money.
  • Teachers in fancy dress, voted on by the children for 50p a vote.
  • Sponsored silence for a class, which teachers will support enthusiastically.
  • Joke competition, with the best jokes read out in assembly.
  • Talent show at lunchtime, 50p entry to watch.
  • Decorate a red nose or a biscuit competition.
  • Guess how many red noses in the jar.
  • Cake sale at pick-up - see our bake sale ideas for pricing.

Red Nose Day ideas for work

  • Wear red to work, £2 to take part, £5 not to.
  • Boss in fancy dress, chosen by whichever costume raises the most.
  • Sponsored silence in an open-plan office, which pays for itself in gratitude.
  • Desk bake-off with a judged winner.
  • Office joke wall - £1 to pin one up.
  • Sweepstake on something daft and harmless.
  • Quiz at lunchtime, £2 a head, teams of four.
  • Swap-a-job hour, where senior staff take the phones.
  • Ask about employer matched giving before you start.

Sponsored challenges that raise the most

  • Sponsored silence - highest raise per participant in schools by a distance.
  • Sponsored walk, run or step count over a week.
  • Give up something for a month: coffee, chocolate, social media.
  • Sponsored head shave or leg wax, the perennial top earner in workplaces.
  • 24 hours of something: gaming, baking, cycling in reception.
  • Sponsored spell, times tables or reading challenge for younger classes.
  • Wear the same outfit for a week.

Games and stalls

  • Splat the teacher with a wet sponge, £1 a throw. Unbeatable.
  • Guess the weight of the cake.
  • Penalty shootout against a member of staff.
  • Hook a duck or a tombola with donated prizes.
  • Name the teddy at 50p a guess.
  • Guess the baby photo of the staff.
  • Pin the nose on the face - a Red Nose Day classic.

Decorating for the day

  • Red bunting or a banner across the hall or reception.
  • Red table confetti on every stall table.
  • Cake toppers on everything from the bake sale.
  • A big total board that gets updated through the day - it drives late giving.
  • A photo corner with props, with a donation for each photo.

Shop thank you cards

Cards for volunteers and organisers

Thank you and well done cards, blank inside, posted first class.

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How to write it so it lands

  • Register with Comic Relief first so you have the paying-in details and free materials.
  • Set a public target and a total board. Visible progress raises more than a silent tin.
  • Thank your volunteers with a card afterwards - the same people are asked every single year.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

When is Red Nose Day?

Red Nose Day is run by Comic Relief and usually falls in mid-March, in alternate years with Sport Relief. Check the Comic Relief website for the current date before you plan.

What are easy Red Nose Day ideas for schools?

A £1 non-uniform day, silly hair day, a joke competition, a sponsored silence and a bake sale at pick-up. Between them they take almost no organising and raise the most.

What raises the most money on Red Nose Day?

Sponsored challenges - silences, head shaves and step challenges - raise the most per person, because people sponsor an individual rather than dropping a coin in a tin.

Do you sell red noses?

No. Comic Relief sell the official red noses and merchandise, and buying elsewhere doesn't help them. We make the bunting, banners, cake toppers and thank you cards for the day itself.

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