Fundraising

Mermaids relies on the support of the community

Since 1995, Mermaids has worked around the clock to support thousands of transgender and gender-diverse children, young people and their families.

Your amazing fundraisers help us make a real difference for kids and families across the UK.

Our overarching aim is to create a world where gender-diverse children and young people can be themselves and thrive. Our goal is to relieve the mental and emotional stress of gender-variant kids and teenagers, as well as promote education and awareness.

There are many ways you can get involved and raise money for Mermaids – some are super easy and take minimal planning.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and rules in place around staying home and social distancing, please only undertake fundraising activities that are legal and safe for you to do so.

Here are some great, fun ways you can fundraise for Mermaids from the comfort of your own home.

Livestream Fundraising

If you’re a streamer, you can dedicate one of your streams to fundraising for Mermaids. Whether you are a Fortnite pro, RPGer or want to just have fun online with your friends, there are lots of ways you can raise funds for Mermaids on Tiltify. We’ll support you along the way.

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Virtual run

MyRace Virtual Racing have teamed up with Alex Bertie to create ‘Miles for Mermaids’! This event is a 5km virtual run – a virtual run can be completed at a time and place to suit you, so you have complete flexibility over where and when you complete the distance. You can even break it down into smaller chunks if you wish! £5 from every entry goes to Mermaids!

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Donate as you shop

When you shop at Amazon, you can select Mermaids to receive a donation when you checkout. All you need to do is make sure you are shopping on Amazon Smile and select Mermaids as your chosen charity, when you come to pay! In the last quarter alone, £978.68 was raised by our supporters using Amazon Smile!

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Quick and easy

Photo: j 5uh

Car Wash

With just a sponge and a bucket raising money from Car Washing couldn’t be simpler.

Photo: Rachel Kramer Bussel Follow

Cake Sale

Show off your baking skills and sell some of your baked goods for Mermaids. Not a baker? No problem – pop some shop brought cakes onto a tray and they’ll sell like, well ‘hot cakes’.

Photo: The Open University

Sponsored Head Shave

One of the more dramatic fundraising ideas – but one that’s almost guaranteed to grab people’s attention.

Please note that due to COVID-19 challenge events may be postponed or cancelled. Check the organiser’s website for the latest updates.

Run, swim, walk or bike

You can do this at your own pace using JustGiving or by entering a local event

JustGiving
Global Challenge Adventure

We’re delighted to offer Challenge Events to take your fundraising to the next level! We are partnered with Global Challenge Adventure.

Challenge Events
Action Challenge

We are working with Action Challenge to provide even more Challenge Events throughout the year, so that you’ll be able to find the challenge that is right for you.

Action challenges

School related fundraising

Sponsored silence
Non-uniform day
Sponsored sing-song

Get active

Trusts & Foundations

The support of trusts and foundations is crucial to Mermaid’s work, enabling us to continue providing vital support to transgender children, young people, and their families. We are incredibly lucky to have received some great funding towards our projects over the years, and a very big thank you is extended to all those Trusts and Foundations that have supported our work. These include:

  • The Tudor Trust
  • The Henry Smith Charity
  • The Paul Hamlyn Foundation

If you know of any Trusts or Foundations that would like to get involved in supporting our vital work, then please do get in touch with Rosanna on [email protected]

Become a corporate supporter

At Mermaids we have a proven track record working with corporate partners who share our values in wanting to support trans and gender-diverse youth and their families. We work with businesses to create meaningful partnerships that meet their objectives. There are a number of ways we can work together, including:

  • Staff training and volunteering opportunities
  • Charity of the year partnerships
  • Mutually beneficial collaborative and/or commercial partnerships
  • Supporting client or staff events
  • Consulting on your CSR or LGBT inclusion strategy

In return, we can help to strengthen your CSR initiatives, engage your staff and build your brand. If you would like to discuss how we could work together, please get in touch with Matt on [email protected]

Find out more

JustGiving

An easy way to raise sponsorship for your fundraising activity or event is to create an online fundraising page with JustGiving and email, tweet and share your link on Facebook to all of your friends, family and colleagues. It’s a simple and effective way to collect funds, and the donations come directly through to us! Take a look at their fundraising help guides for hints and tips to make the most of your online fundraising page. You can also connect your Strava app!

Volunteer with the Fundraising Team

We love volunteers and that is where you come in! Volunteer for a couple of hours with us at a street collection, exciting event or awareness day and you’re guaranteed to go home with a big smile on your face. If you’re interested, email Rosanna on [email protected]

Give As You Live

Raising vital funds for us is as easy as a tap of your screen thanks to Give As You Live. They’ll make a donation to us every time you shop online via their website or app! Click here to find out more.

Text Giving

You can donate up to £20 via text.

Text MERMAIDS 3 to 70470 to donate £3

Texts cost £3 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £3 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text MERMAIDSNOINFO 3 to 70470.

Live Streaming

Tiltify gives you the platform and the resources to fundraise while live streaming. Whether you’re tackling a 24 hour gaming stream, creating art, or chatting with your friends, Tiltify can take your stream to the next level. Featuring a number of incentives for donors, personal dashboards and team integration. Click here to find out more.