Fundraising FAQs

Thank you for choosing to support SOS Children’s Villages UK. There are lots of ways you can get involved with fundraising for us, from organising your own event to running a marathon. Take a look at our sponsored events or our community page to get started.

If you want to talk to someone from our team to find out more, please give us a call on 01223 365 589 or get in touch at hello@sosuk.org


If you would like to fundraise on behalf of a specific SOS programme, our fundraising team would be happy to discuss this with you. A £1000 donation, for example, could sponsor an entire SOS village for four years, and we can help you decide which of our communities would benefit most from your support. 

We generally recommend, however, that you donate to our general funds, as such donations give us the flexibility to direct the money you have raised to where the need is greatest. We also launch several campaigns every year which have been specifically designed to raise funds for issues or emergencies which need your help.


Of course. Our website contains lots of fundraising ideas and handy tips to help you plan your fundraiser, including our fundraising guide and media pack, which will help you achieve publicity for your fundraising event.  

We can also provide you with leaflets, balloons, stickers, and sports kits* to let everyone know who you are fundraising for, and help you promote your fundraising pages and events.

Contact hello@sosuk.org to request fundraising resources and keep us up to date with what you’re doing and how it’s going.

*Please note, for some of the sports items we do ask for a donation to cover our costs.


SOS Children’s Villages UK buys places in advance for popular challenge events such as the London Marathon and Bath Half so we can guarantee our supporters a place even after the general entries sell out. We ask applicants to cover the costs of these places by paying an initial agreed amount before being allocated a place.


Gift Aid allows UK charities to claim back the tax you have paid on your donations. This means that for every £1 you donate, SOS Children’s Villages UK receives an extra 25p. This doesn’t cost you a penny extra, but it means we can provide care for more children without parental support.

If you are a UK taxpayer please make sure you tick the Gift Aid box when you donate through our website.


We do not accept donations of items such as clothing and gifts for our programmes overseas. This is because our staff working on the ground know what items are needed by the children and families we care for and purchase them in-country from trusted suppliers, with specific considerations in mind.