Reaching your target can be difficult, and requires a lot of hard work and persistence as well as the generosity of your family, friends and total strangers. However, it doesn’t have to be a chore and can actually be pretty fun.

To take the stress out of your fundraising, realbuzz.com have compiled a list of 20 fundraising ideas or tips to get you on your way.

Start as soon as possible

Quite simply, the sooner you start, the more you will collect.

Enlist the help of others

Encourage family, friends and work colleagues to help fundraise on your behalf or approach organisations, businesses or individuals where you have a contact.

Plan and be prepared

Adopt a similar determined and planned approach to your fundraising as you do for your training. Planning how you are going to raise your sponsorship money from start to finish can save you a lot of time and hassle later. Carry a sponsorship form with you at all times. Set up a facebook page and pages on other social ntworking sites to get and get all your friends to join, this will help get the word out.

Personalise your mission

Why are you undertaking this challenge? If you are fundraising for a charity that is close to your heart due to a family member or friend needing help from that charity, let people know. In casual conversation you can let people know what you are doing and why. This makes your request more real.

Sponsorship from individuals

This will be your main means of fundraising and is the main purpose of doing your chosen challenge. Although you may feel a nuisance, don’t be shy about approaching people, particularly family and friends. Get someone generous to sign your form first as this will set a precedent for the amounts that other people sign up to.

Approach the local press

If you are participating in a particularly challenging event and need to raise a significant amount, then the local press may be interested in giving you some publicity. Make it easy for them by providing your own write-up and a picture. You could include a phone number if anyone wants to sponsor you, and get publicity for any fundraising events you are doing.

Contact local businesses

Many of the larger companies in your area will provide sponsorship for individuals or provide a donation. After all, it’s good for their public image to be seen to be doing so.

Also, if you require any equipment to do a particular challenge, then some companies will help out. You could offer to wear their logo on your t-shirt in return for their backing.

Hold a party

Why not hold a party and then charge people to attend? You could even be cheeky and ask some of your guests if they would donate food and drink too!

Dress down

Ask your boss if you can hold a charity 'own-clothes' day and ask everyone to pay an amount to wear their own clothes to work.

Dog walking

How many of our family and friends have dogs that could do with taking for a walk? Not only can you charge them for exercising their pet pooch, you may also be able to count the walking as part of your training preparations.

Become a ‘slave’

You could auction yourself off so that you are at someone else’s beckon call for a day to do whatever they request (within reason!)

Clear out you clutter

Get rid off your unwanted items and hold a jumble sale. You could also try putting some of the better items on an internet auction site like eBay for some of the best returns.

Approach your local bar

See if they will let you organise a charity pool or darts competition. The prize money can come out of the entrance fees. The landlord will usually oblige, as your event will be bringing more drinkers into his establishment.

Rope in a good friend/partner

You are not superman, so it may be wise to involve a good friend in helping organise some of your fundraising activities, so you will have some time to fit in your training.

Approach your employer

As unlikely as it may seem, see if your employer will give you any time off for your fundraising efforts, or if they will ‘match’ any funds you raise.

Get the money first

Try and get as much of the money prior to the challenge, as people lose interest quickly and find excuses for not paying up! You can always give it back if for some reason you are unable to take part.

Hold a quiz event

Hold an event, perhaps in the workplace or in the local pub, with prize money coming out of the entry fees.

Hold a raffle

Raffle off whatever you like. A bottle of spirits or a crate of beer will often go down well.

Friendly competition

Just try getting your friends together, whether it be for a round of golf or whatever, and get them to thrown money into a kitty with the winner taking half the cash and the remainder going to charity.

Don’t give up

Keep at your fundraising efforts. Remember, you are doing it for a charity so you have nothing to feel awkward about when it comes to approaching people for help or money. The worst they can do is say ‘no’, and more often than not they will say ‘yes’.