DIY Big Freeze FAQs

A DIY Big Freeze is a fundraising event organised by generous people like you to raise awareness and funds for FightMND within their community.

It might be at a school, sports club, workplace, or at home. It could be a slide, an ice bucket challenge, or even a BBQ with fun activities in your backyard with an inflatable pool filled with icy water - it’s up to you. Your event can be as big or small as you want.

No matter what kind of DIY Big Freeze event you run, it's an incredibly rewarding and fun way to bring your community together. Dress up, do your bit and make a splash!

You’ll be raising awareness and vital funds that are invested towards Care initiatives, finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

MND is a devastating disease and currently, there are more than 2,000 Australians living with MND, with an average life expectancy of just 27 months from diagnosis.

Your actions speak louder than words. The more people who take on the challenge and fundraise for FightMND, the closer we get to beating the Beast.

The hope and support that new research and care initiatives brings to those living with MND is well worth that temporary icy cold feeling!

Getting started is easy. Firstly, decide if you want to fundraise solo or team up with your work, sport or school mates.

Then set up your fundraising page here.

Make sure you include a great profile photo and all the important details in your event description. You’ll want to include:

• a brief introduction
• when and where the event takes place
• how best to support your event
• and most importantly, why people should support you and your DIY Big Freeze.

Explaining why you're getting involved helps people understand how much this cause means to you and why raising funds for MND research and care initiatives is so vital.

Try and make your fundraising page as personal as you can. Feel free to contact us if you need a hand.

Share the link (or QR code) to your fundraising page with everyone you know (social media is great for this!) and ask them to support you by donating and sharing your page with their networks. 

Recruiting volunteers or asking suppliers to donate to your event will help to save on expenses. A nominal entry fee of $15-$20 can also help cover costs. 

Asking attendees to ‘bring a plate of food’ rather than getting an event catered is a great way to keep the community feel going, and can keep expenses low. Alternatively, you could look into partnering with a local food truck so attendees can purchase food or drinks on the day. 

If you're looking to run a major fundraiser, event hire and public liability can be where the biggest costs are. If you're looking for an affordable and simple DIY Big Freeze event, we recommend an ice bucket challenge. Buckets and ice are inexpensive - and it's always fun to pay pack a boss or coach with an icy dunking! 

As much as we’d love to build slides and send them across the country, sadly we can’t. You'll be responsible for organising your own event, including equipment like a slide and pool. 

Research hire companies for giant inflatable slides with a pool at the bottom or look for a dunk tank. Or if you want to keep things simple and do an ice bucket challenge, a bucket and ice is all you need.

Whatever you choose, please make sure it’s safe! We highly recommend mixing the ice with water.

Also to give you an indication of how many ice bags you might need, 6 x 5kg bags of ice mixed with water should fill a child’s inflatable pool.

Make sure you capture the event through photos and videos and share proudly – people will love it! You can tag FightMND using @FightMND and #FightMND on Facebook and Instagram. You can also tag us on TikTok using @fightmnd_

Here are some tips that will help you plan a great event:

• Decide on the Who, What, When, Where, How and Why
• Set up a fundraising page and include key details about your event
• Consider getting a team together to share the planning and tap into multiple networks
• Seek out sponsors - contact diybf@fightmnd.org.au for a copy of our sponsorship proposal template
• Plan fundraising activities in the lead up to your DIY Big Freeze, like raffles or a trivia night
• If you're running a sliding event, nominate and invite your Sliders as special guests, and encourage them to share your fundraising page with their networks to spread the word
• Send a ‘Save the date’ to your guestlist followed by an official invitation closer to the event
• Create a basic run sheet to help you clearly map out the event schedule and work through all your requirements (like staffing, catering or appointing an MC)
• Plan how you'll promote and market your event. Council news, school networks, workplaces, radio, news and social media are all great resources to help get the word out.

The Big Freeze Community Round is a weekend of special games hosted by local sporting clubs, leagues and organisations. This year, the Big Freeze 10 Community Round will be held on 1-2 June 2024.

We can’t wait to see your team pulling up their Big Freeze Socks and your supporters wearing a Big Freeze Beanie for FightMND. Rally your friends, family and players, turn your local sporting ground blue and join us in our fight against the Beast!

No! You can hold a DIY Big Freeze event any day of the year.

We love hearing about DIY fundraising events! Take lots of photos and videos, and tag us on social media. The FightMND team and our loyal followers love to see your success!

Because our supporters are located all around the world and most of them won’t physically be able to make it to your community event, it makes most sense to promote your event through your own channels where it will reach people who have a connection to your community and can be there on the day.

Share news of your DIY Big Freeze event via social media, council newsletters, school networks, workplaces, local radio and newspapers - all great resources to help get the word out.

Yes, there are two ways you can order bulk Big Freeze Socks and Beanies:

• Pay instantly on credit card or
• Pay your invoice by Saturday 29 June 2024.

If you decide on the invoice option, we will need your credit card details for security purposes. To verify your credit card works, we will transact $10 on your credit card. When you pay your invoice, we will refund you the $10.

You can bulk order Big Freeze Socks and Beanies here.

You’ll find helpful resources like info sheets, posters, invitations, event guidance etc. to download and print in the Resources section.

We can also help you set up a fundraising page on our DIY Big Freeze site if you need a hand.

The FightMND social media handles are: 

• Facebook and Instagram: @fightmnd
• TikTok: @fightmnd_

You can also use the following hashtags:

• #BigFreeze10 
• #DIYBigFreeze
• #TeamUpForBF10
• #FightMND