How to Host a Charity Coffee Morning

A charity coffee morning is one of the friendliest and most straightforward ways to come together with your local community behind a meaningful cause. All you really need is a kettle, some cake, and a bit of good company.

In this guide, we’ll take you through how to host a coffee morning from start to finish, including finding a date and venue, gathering some fun ideas, and collecting donations both on the day and online. Here’s the step-by-step plan we’ll break down for you:

• Pick a date and venue
• Invite friends, family, colleagues, or members of the wider community
• Ask a few people you’re close with to bake for the occasion
• Serve tea and coffee on the day to your guests
• Add extra fun like a raffle or quiz
• Set up a fundraising page so people can give online too

Why a coffee morning works so well

Coffee mornings work well because they ask so little of anyone and can work alongside people’s busy lives. It’s simply a nice get-together and a chat over a warm pot of tea or coffee and some delicious baked goods. They can be hosted at home, in an office, or in a communal area like a village hall.

Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is the best-known example of this kind of event in the UK. It’s a great example of how far some tea, coffee, and good intentions can go. As big as Macmillan’s event is, you don’t need anything of that scale to make a difference.

How to set up your coffee morning

Setting up a charity coffee morning doesn’t need hours of planning. Most of it comes down to sorting the basics early and then spreading the word.

• Pick a date and venue: A weekend will give people more free time to come, but a weekday morning in the office will work too.
• Invite your guests: Friends, family, neighbours, or colleagues all work well. A simple message or poster will do the trick.
• Coordinate who’s baking: Ask a few people to bring a cake, some biscuits, or some brownies, so no one person is stuck with it all.
• Sort your tea and coffee: The most important part! A couple of flasks and a few extra mugs will usually cover all you need.
• Add a table for extras: With people already baking, you could add a bake sale into the mix for extra support.

That just about covers how to host a coffee morning. Now let’s get onto some fun coffee morning ideas to make sure everyone attending leaves with a smile on their face.

Coffee morning ideas and extras

A great coffee morning is already fun on its own, but a few extras will give your guests more ways to get involved and more ways to support your chosen cause. These coffee morning ideas are simple to set up and don’t need much beyond what you’ll already have on the day.

Bake sale table

Set a small table aside for extra cakes, biscuits, and brownies that guests can buy alongside their coffee. It’s an easy add-on if people are baking anyway, and every slice sold is another step towards your donation target.

Guess the weight of the cake

Bake or buy one large cake, and ask guests to pay a small amount to guess its weight. Whoever gets closest wins the cake, and everyone else has still made meaningful contributions towards your goal.

Raffle or tombola

Buy small prizes or have friends donate items that can be won and raffle them off on the day. Sell tickets alongside your coffee morning and announce the winner once everyone’s settled down with their brew.

Quiz sheet on the tables

Leave a short quiz on each table for guests to fill in over their coffee. Charge a small fee per sheet and read out the answers before everyone heads home. You could bring prizes for the winners, and participants can play either by themselves or as a team with other guests. It’s a great way to bring people together and get them chatting, all while rallying behind a positive cause.

Pricing and collecting donations

Most coffee mornings work best with a suggested donation rather than a fixed price, for example, a small amount for a drink and a slice of cake. A pay-what-you-can approach keeps things friendly and stops anyone feeling put on the spot.

Set up a way to collect cashless donations too, since fewer people carry change these days. A tin works alongside a QR code linked to your online page, so guests can give however suits them. If your guests are UK taxpayers, remember to add Gift Aid to donations, since it adds 25% to every eligible gift at no extra cost to them.

To avoid any hassle, set up your fundraising page before the day of the event, share the link around and watch people get behind you and your chosen cause. For more ways to raise money, take a look at some extra fundraising ideas here.

Spreading the word

A coffee morning raises more when people know about it in advance, so give yourself a couple of weeks to spread the word before the big day.

• Invite colleagues, neighbours, friends, family, and members of your local community directly, rather than just posting and hoping.
• Share the details on social media, along with your fundraising link, so people who can’t attend can still support.
• Put posters up somewhere people will actually see them, like a noticeboard.
• Post your page link again after the event with a few photos, thanking everyone who came or supported.

Charity coffee mornings: your questions answered

If you’re ready to get started on your charity coffee morning but still have a few questions, take a look below:

How do I host a charity coffee morning?

Pick a date and a place, like your home, workplace, or community hall, and invite friends, family, colleagues, or neighbours. Ask a few people to bake, serve tea and coffee for a donation, and add extras like a raffle or quiz. Set up a free page online so people can give that way too.

When is Macmillan Coffee Morning?

Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is an annual campaign held each September, though supporters are welcome to host on whichever day suits them. We’re proud to be helping to power their campaign.

What do you need for a coffee morning fundraiser?

All you need for a successful coffee morning is a venue, some tea and coffee, baked goods, a way to collect donations, and great company.

How much should you charge at a coffee morning?

Most hosts ask for a suggested donation rather than a fixed price, as a pay-what-you-can approach keeps the event open to everyone and doesn’t put anyone on the spot.

What activities can you do at a coffee morning?

Popular extras include a bake sale table, a raffle, guess the weight of the cake game, and a simple quiz for attendees to play.