Fundraise for neurological research

Bowling for Brains is designed as a fun, active and social event that everyone can get involved in – it is a great chance to learn something new too!  Whether it’s lawn bowls, indoor bowls, pétanque, bingo, cards, quizzes, other board games, or just a morning tea, get creative with how you organise your event. At the end of the day, it’s not about how you play – it’s about coming together to support brain health and funding vital neurological research. 

Consider fundraising by setting an entry fee, include a gold coin trail around your bowling green or activities table, have a bake sale, fire up the BBQ with a sausage sizzle, reach out to your community for raffle items, or raffle off the Bowling for Brains t-shirts. The choice is yours. 

Bowling for Brains 2027 is held in the month of March. If the weather or your social calendar requires you to hold your event in the month preceding, or following, this is okay. Just let us know.  

Find the team you are supporting and choose the donate button.  Everyone who donates via our fundraising page on our website will automatically receive a receipt for all donations received for $5 or more.   

Individuals 

When individual supporters donate via a supplied donation box, if wanting to receive a receipt, please complete the supplied Request for Receipt form. The Village/Club event organiser will return completed forms to the Neurological Foundation to enable us to issue receipts, where appropriate, at the conclusion of the Bowling for Brains event. 

Event organisers 

At the completion of the Bowling for Brains event, please transfer the total cash donations via online banking to: 

Bank: ANZ
Branch: Queen Street
Account name: Neurological Foundation of New Zealand
Account number: 06 0287 013301 07
Particulars: [Team name] (Please ensure this is included so we know which team to attribute the offline donation to on our Bowling for Brains website.)
Reference: B4B

Once the transfer is complete, please notify us at keeley@neurological.org.nz and email us a copy of the completed Request for Receipt form so we can acknowledge and receipt accordingly. 

If you are intending to reach out to your community for items to raffle to assist in reaching your fundraising target, below is some text that might be useful: 

The Neurological Foundation is a New Zealand charity that funds vital research and education into neurological conditions, which includes diseases and disorders of the brain, spine and nervous systems.  

One in three New Zealanders are impacted by a neurological condition in their lifetime which includes Parkinson’s, stroke, dementia, and many other conditions. The Neurological Foundation receives no government funding, so this March we are getting behind the fundraising campaign, Bowling for Brains, to raise funds for this incredible cause. We will be [include your activity here].  

We have set our fundraising target of $[     ] and it would be amazing if you could help us achieve our goal by providing a raffle or spot prize to be used on the day. 

Every dollar raised goes towards research, searching for earlier diagnosis, better treatments, and one day hopefully cures, looking to improve quality of life for New Zealanders impacted by neurological conditions.  

Please join us on this pathway to hope.   

Neurological research: Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, $10,943,000 has been directed toward neurological research in the past year, with the potential to improve understanding, treatment, and care. This is research that has the potential to change lives.. Learn more.

Education: We run a range of events to share the latest knowledge and raise awareness. Our quarterly magazine, Headlines, is read by more than 20,000 Kiwis.

Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank: We fund New Zealand's only Human Brain Bank, supporting vital research here and internationally. Learn more.

Chair of Clinical Neurology: Since 2008, we have funded the Neurological Foundation Chair of Clinical Neurology, a position set up to bridge the gap between researchers and clinicians. Learn more.