Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Your Guide to Fundraising Success

Thursday, 5th February 2026

Fundraising during Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April is a fun and easy way to make a meaningful difference for the 200,000 Aussies living with Parkinson’s disease – as well as the 38 diagnosed every day. 100% of the funds you raise will support Australian Parkinson’s research thanks to our founding director’s commitment to cover all administration costs. By signing up to fundraise, you become part of a global community joining forces to change the future.

How Can I Participate?

Sign Up to Fundraise – Make your fundraising page in minutes, letting people know about your idea/event and why you want to support Parkinson’s research.
Share with Friends & Family – Spread the word and ask for their help to meet your goal – you might be surprised at how many people want to donate!
Raise Funds for Research – 100% of every single dollar that you raise will go directly to Australia’s best scientists working to slow, stop and cure Parkinson’s.

Fundraising Ideas

At Shake It Up we believe that everyone has the power to make a difference in their own way. From challenges and athletic feats to events big and small, everyone in our community chooses the fundraising idea that works best for them. When coming up with an idea, consider:

How much time do you have? Some ideas may take just a few hours to arrange, some may take a longer time, such as training for a run or planning ahead for an event. Choose the timeframe that works for you and your other commitments.
What’s your budget? Are you in a position to host an event that will involve some costs, or would you prefer to sign up for a fun run or create your own challenge to raise funds?
Are you doing it solo or in a group? Some people will take on a challenge on their own, while others find inspiration in getting a group of friends, family or colleagues involved.
What things do you love to do? Are you an avid cyclist, runner, painter, musician, dancer? Do you love to socialise with friends, or go to a local community group? Have a regular yoga or boxing class? Any existing passion, hobby, group activity can be easily turned into a fundraiser with a just a few simple steps.

Stuck for ideas? Pick a ‘P’ theme, and get creative! Here’s some inspiration to get started.

🍕 Pizza for Parkinson’s – Gather a group of friends and family for a pizza night with purpose! Or, make it a workplace fundraiser and order pizzas for the team on a Friday. A donation tin makes it an easy way to gather funds for research.

🥞 Pancakes for Parkinson’s – Love a good excuse to eat breakfast at any time of day? Hosting a Pancakes for Parkinson’s event is a simple way to bring people together and make a difference.

⛳ Putt for Parkinson’s – Gather your crew for a golf day in April, raising funds and awareness. Whether you host a fundraising event after finishing the course, or ask friends to sponsor your efforts, you’ll make a real impact.

💪 Push-Ups for Parkinson’s – Choose your goal! Pick a certain number of push-ups to do every day, aim for a total across April or challenge your colleagues, with donations from friends and family to support.

🎮 Play for Parkinson’s – Have a community on Twitch, YouTube or Facebook Live? Host a fundraising live-stream and drive donations for research. Bonus: start conversations with your viewers to increase awareness about PD.

Fundraising Tips

Once you’ve signed up to fundraise, now you can get started on raising funds and building towards your goal! Here are some tips to help you get the ball rolling.

Make a donation to your own page to kickstart your efforts and inspire others to donate
Say thank you to your donors, either in person, via message, or through the dashboard of your fundraising page
If you’re fundraising in your workplace, ask your organisation if they can match donations to double your impact
Share your photos, videos and stories on social media using #PAM2026ShakeItUp and tagging @shakeitupaust so we can reshare!
Send a message to friends & family to share your motivation and fundraiser, or feel free to copy the below:

“Hi! I’m on a mission to raise funds to support Parkinson’s research this April in support of Parkinson’s Awareness Month. This is a cause close to my heart and 100% of donations go straight to researchers working to slow, stop and cure Parkinson’s disease. Can you chip in to the cause? Every dollar counts!”

If you’re looking for things to share with your community, check out our resources page to find heaps of printable and shareable content, including our logo, posters, quotes, fact sheets and videos. You can also find quick facts about Parkinson’s below to help people understand the importance of raising funds to support Parkinson’s research.

Quick Facts about Parkinson’s Disease

Over 200,000 Australians live with Parkinson’s
It’s the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world
10% of those are under 40 years old, and 20% are under 50
38 people are diagnosed in Australia each day. That’s one approximately every 40 minutes.
No two people have the same experience of Parkinson’s

Cash Donations & Tax Receipts For Events

If you are hosting an in-person event and receive any cash or cheque donations, these can be deposited directly into our bank account. Please contact us at enquiries@shakeitup.org.au to receive our bank details.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible. If your guests require a receipt, please complete the form here with their details and return to Shake It Up after your event to admin@shakeitup.org.au. Receipts will be issued by Shake It Up.

If donations are made directly to your online fundraising page – created when you sign up to fundraise – the receipts will be issued to donors automatically.

This is a crucial moment in the quest for a Parkinson’s cure – but we can’t do it without your help. Sign up to fundraise this April for Parkinson’s Awareness Month and join forces with a global community propelling us towards a world without Parkinson’s.