On 5th January 2021 it’s the 5 year anniversary since the PDA Society became a registered charity. To help mark the occasion we’ve put together the following ideas for everyone to get involved and have fun, whilst helping to raise awareness and vital funds, on the theme of the number 5.

To kick things off, several PDA Society trustees, volunteers and friends have teamed up to do various Couch to 5k and other 5-themed challenges (from walking, running and cycling to line dancing, yoga and virtually climbing the steps of famous landmarks) between now and 5th January. All of the challenges are listed here on our fundraising page and we’ll also be sharing progress updates over the next 8 weeks too. A big thank you to everyone who has already donated.

We’ve also launched a brand new way to donate £5 to the PDA Society via text message. Simply text PDA to 70085 to donate £5 (texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message).

FIVE 5-themed ideas for inspiration

Your health and safety are our top priority, so we’ve made sure that all the ideas here can be carried out or adapted in line with COVID-19 government guidance regarding events and social distancing – please keep this in mind too when planning and carrying out any activities.

We can’t wait to see the creative and unique ideas people come up with on the theme of 5 … but for anyone looking for a little inspiration to get started, here are five 5-themed ways you can support the PDA Society …

1. Choose a COVID-safe sponsored activity or challenge to take on either at home, online or socially distanced

When it comes to deciding what COVID-safe sponsored activity or challenge to take on, the choice is yours! What you do is up to you.

Here are a few ideas to help and inspire …

5 ideas for incorporating the number 5 into a challenge or activity:

  • 5 units of length (cm, inch, m, km, miles)
  • 5 units of time (minutes, hours, days, weeks, months)
  • 5 people (from the same household or create a virtual/online team)
  • 5 o’clock start time or the 5th day of the month
  • Doing something 5 times or making 5 things

5 activity/challenge ideas:

  • Fitness activity/challenge (e.g. walking, running, cycling, bouncing, doing yoga etc.)
  • Performance activity/challenge (e.g. singing, dancing, roleplaying, dressing up, telling jokes etc.)
  • Creative activity/challenge (e.g. crafting, drawing, writing, building, painting etc.)
  • Learning a new skill (e.g. baking, foreign languages, musical instrument, photography, DIY etc.)
  • Tech & gaming activity/challenge (e.g. gaming, coding, film, apps, puzzles etc.)

For more inspiration …

Follow our Team PDA 5th anniversary challenges here and on Instagram

See Give as you #StayAtHome ideas

These examples for the 2.6 challenge could be adapted to the number 5

Creating an online fundraising page to collect donations is quick and easy. There’s the choice of using Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe – simply find the PDA Society in their list of charities and follow the steps on screen.

Once your fundraising page is set up, you’ll see options to share it with friends and family and they’ll be able to sponsor you with a donation via the page.

The Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe website will collect your supporters’ donations and automatically send the funds you raise to us, so you don’t have to.

Here’s a copy of the PDA Society 5 logo which can be saved and used to promote your fundraiser including on posters, signs, social media etc.

Good luck and thank you!

2. Organise a COVID-safe fundraising event

When it comes to deciding on a COVID-safe fundraising event to organise, the choice is yours! What you do is up to you.

Here are a few ideas to help and inspire …

5 event ideas:

  • Online quiz
  • Virtual get together (e.g. online coffee morning, afternoon tea, night in, watch party, game night etc.)
  • Online craft-a-thon or bake-a-thon
  • Teach a skill or offer a service to others (online) in exchange for a donation
  • Put on an online performance to showcase a talent or skill

For more inspiration see Give as you #StayAtHome ideas.

5 ideas for incorporating the number 5 into an event:

  • Holding your event at 5 o’clock, on the 5th day of the month or over 5 weeks
  • Donating £5 or asking attendees to donate £5
  • Getting 5 people together (from the same household or online)
  • Hosting a quiz with 5 rounds of 5 questions
  • Offering/making 5 things

Creating an online fundraising page to collect donations is quick and easy. There’s the choice of using Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe – simply find the PDA Society in their list of charities and follow the steps on screen.

Once your fundraising page is set up, you’ll be able to share it with your event attendees and they’ll be able to make a donation via the page.

The Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe website will collect your attendees’ donations and automatically send the funds you raise to us, so you don’t have to.

Here’s a copy of the PDA Society 5 logo which can be saved and used to promote your event including on posters, signs, invitations, social media etc.

Good luck and thank you!

3. Create a Facebook or online fundraiser for the PDA Society and ask friends, family and followers to donate what they can to help you reach your goal

This is a simple way to raise funds without organising an event or challenge. There are options to say why you’re fundraising for the PDA Society and to tell people what their donations would mean to you personally.

The number 5 could be incorporated by …

  • Running the fundraiser for 5 weeks
  • Sharing it at 5’oclock every Friday with the #FundraisingFriday hashtag on social media
  • Setting a fundraising goal containing the number 5
  • Sharing your fundraiser with 5 people
  • Asking 5 friends to share your fundraiser with their friend

Creating a Facebook or online fundraising page to collect donations is quick and easy …

For Facebook fundraisers, here’s the link to get started.

If you aren’t on Facebook, there’s the choice of using Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe to create an online fundraiser to share with family and friends via email, WhatsApp or text message – simply find the PDA Society in their list of charities and follow the steps on screen.

Once your fundraising page is set up, you’ll be able to share it with friends and family and they’ll be able to make a donation via the page.

Facebook or the Give as you Live Donate or GoFundMe website will collect the donations and automatically send the funds you raise to us, so you don’t have to.

Here’s a copy of the PDA Society 5 logo which can be saved and used to promote your fundraiser.

Good luck and thank you!

4. Raise free donations whilst shopping online

This is a simple way to raise funds all year round without organising an event or challenge.

By shopping with Amazon Smile they’ll donate 0.5% of the price of your purchases to the PDA Society at no extra cost to you.

Give as you Live and EasyFundraising also donate a percentage of your purchases to us for free when you shop online with thousands of stores via their websites.

The number 5 could also be incorporated by asking 5 friends or relatives to sign up too!

Supporting the PDA Society whilst shopping online is quick and easy …

For Amazon Smile, simply visit this link and follow the on screen steps to sign up. Then shop at smile.amazon.co.uk or using AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping App and they’ll automatically make a donation to us at no extra cost to you. Learn how to turn on AmazonSmile in the mobile app here.

For Give as you Live, simply visit this link and follow the on screen steps to sign up. Then every time you shop online visit giveasyoulive.com first, click on the store you want to shop with and shop as normal. Your purchase will automatically generate free funds for our charity!

For EasyFundraising, simple visit this link and follow the on screen steps to sign up. Then start your online shopping at easyfundraising.org.uk first, click on the shop you want to shop with and shop as normal. The retailers will then make a small donation to the PDA Society to say “thank you”.

Thank you!

5. Share information about PDA and the PDA Society with others

This is a really simple yet effective way to help improve understanding of PDA and signpost our services to those in need of support.

Here are five 5-themed ideas for inspiration:

There’s a wealth of information and resources about PDA on our website as well as links to third party advocates and providers. Feel free to browse and share any links, tips, pages, videos or resources you think will be most helpful.

We’re also very active on social media and post most days on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. If you use these platforms too, sharing our social media posts is quick and easy and every share really does help information about PDA to reach more people including the wider public who might not otherwise see our posts. There are many other PDA advocates also on social media whose posts can be shared widely too.

YouTube also has a handy ‘share’ button for easy video sharing via email, messaging apps or social media – our YouTube channel contains a wide range of informative videos and webinars about PDA.

And if you’re inspired to share your personal stories and experiences of PDA, there are various options for creating and sharing your own content with the PDA community and wider public: starting a social media page, YouTube channel or blog is free; there are lots of third party online and local support groups to join and contribute towards and our website discussion forum is also free to join.

Good luck and thank you!

Whatever you plan to do to mark our 5th anniversary, raise awareness and funds, we’d love to hear about it! If you’re happy for us to share with others, please share photos and information by tagging us on social media or sending via email.

Thank you for helping us to help others, we’re incredibly grateful to everyone for supporting the PDA Society, now, over the last 5 years and in the future.