Ideas for your fundraising

Whether you're a fundraising pro or new to the whole concept, we are here to help and inspire you. We have the materials, creative ideas and bags of enthusiasm to get you on your way!

Top Tips

Your event is more likely to be a success if it's enjoyable, so choose something you love and turn it into a charity opportunity.
Keep your eyes peeled for events, concerts, fairs in your local area which may welcome a charity focus and be happy to support ART.
Our Guide to Fundraising has everything you need to organise and publicise your event.

CommuniCAKE!

Everyone loves a cake sale! Which is why the Autism Research Trust has chosen to develop it as its annual fundraiser.

Simply invite 5 friends for a coffee and nibble in exchange for a donation; or why not really go for it with a large garden party including cakes along with book sale, raffle, face paints etc for extra fundraising potential? It can take place wherever and however you like.

Why CommuniCAKE? Playing on the word Communicate, obviously a key challenge for a lot of people with autism, the CommuniCAKE campaign raises awareness of how tough social situations and interactions can be.

April: Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month which can be an effective hook for your fundraising efforts. Organise your own fundraiser and help raise awareness about autism!

Past initiatives include:

A FILM SCREENING of Jack of the Red Hearts, at Christ’s College in Cambridge, a powerful autism film. Organised by Aicha Massrali (from the Cambridge Neuroscience Society) and introduced by Amber Ruigrok (Binks Autism Neuroscience Research Fellow & Research Associate at the ARC), the film was followed by a lively open discussion led by Helena Leathers, a girl with autism and an advocate for females on the spectrum. Refreshments were provided, the dress code was blue (Light It Up Blue for autism) with proceeds to ART.

AUTISM AWARENESS AT LEGOLAND
We were excited to team up with the popular leisure and entertainment park in April 2017. The attraction is known for its exceptional educational focus, especially its Lego therapy workshops of which ART was official partner. Teachers, parents and care givers received information about ART and the benefits of playing Lego together.

STELLA & DOT: jewellery partnership
We collaborated with boutique jewellery company, Stella & Dot, in 2016 and 2017. Representatives Sarah Hudd and Sarah Allmond, mothers of young autistic boys, kindly hosted events and donated a percentage of profits from the evenings.

CHARITY DINNER PARTY with celebrity chef Jo Pratt
Wonderful TV chef and author, Jo Pratt, supported our cause for Autism Awareness Month, showing us how hosting our own charity dinner parties is easy and lots of fun! Jo provided tips and recipes from her book ‘In the Mood for Healthy Food’ and tweeted messages of support.

Recent fundraising efforts

We grateful to all those who create opportunities to support us, including:

Northallerton & District Lioness Club organised a series of street and shop collections, raising £1000.
Sky Central team raised £100 via a Netball World Cup sweepstake.
Daryl Copsey raised over £4,000 by hosting a charity boxing match.
Malden Manor School raised £200 during Autism Awareness Week from a toy sale and autism workshop.
Southfields Community Choir raised £1,000 through their Spring Charity Concert.
Robert Akehurst raised over £10,000 via a game-streaming event during Autism Awareness Month.
Abingdon House School had a Dressing Up Day and cake sale, which raised £200.
The President of the Rotary Club of Oxford hosted a classical music evening at Oxford’s Tingewick Hall.
Awareness Walks inspired by ART supporters Jenny Jones and Jayne Tasker have proved successful and easy fundraisers, raising nearly £1,000.
Hoare & Co Private Bank hosted two ART events for their customers.
Cambridge University RAG committee organised a city street collection.

Latest

Mental Health Awareness Week: the link between autism and suicide

Autistic people are 9 x more likely to die from suicide than non-autistic people. This week we are highlighting a research project about the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, one of the most recent explanations for why someone decides to take their own life.
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Dan's 7 year old son, Joshie, is severely autistic and non-verbal, but while being on the Autistic Spectrum is far from easy, Dan explains it is the lack of awareness within society that is the real challenge.
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Read more about the contrasting experiences and reactions of the autism community to the exceptional circumstances of the past year, the challenges and what we can learn.
Autism Awareness Month: progress of last 20 years

Lisa, mother to 22-year old Robert who is autistic with moderate to severe learning difficulties, explains the importance of Autism Awareness Month and how while lots more needs to be done, the progress of the past 20 years should be celebrated.

Are autistic people being misdiagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder?

A new study has shown that there is an overlap in the behaviour traits of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and Autism. Could this mean people are receiving the wrong diagnosis?
What is autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability, that can affects people's ability to communicate and build relationships.
The Autism Research Trust

We fund research to understand the causes of autism, improve diagnosis and explore interventions to ensure that autistic people receive the best possible support.
Our Priorities

Our goal is to support research that can help understand the causes of autism, improve the diagnosis and explore interventions to ensure that autistic people receive the best possible support.
Vulnerabilty and Mental Health

The research aims to get a broad but detailed representation of types of vulnerability experienced by autistic children and adults, and documate those that may be risk factors for developing anxiety and depression.
Rover's story

By his father, Robert
The Autism Research Centre

At the cutting edge of autism research, the Centre is based in Cambridge and led by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen.
Meet the team
Bricks for Autism: LEGO-based therapy for children

Bricks for Autism is a social venture that aims at supporting children with communication and learning disabilities through a therapy of building LEGO models. And whilst helping children with autism develop key skills, it also helps funding vital research.
Investigating the role of NRXN1 in autism

This project looks to fill the gaps in our knowledge about the role of the Neurexin 1 gene in autism using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology.