Hold up — is it time to create your fundraising plan again? Before you stick to your tried and tested event ideas, we’re here with some fun new suggestions to mix things up a bit.
Take a walk through our collection of 30 fundraiser ideas for four types of campaigns, and get ready to build a calendar of events and activities your supporters will love.
Fun and Unique Fundraising Ideas
Looking for something different from your usual fundraiser? Take a look at some of these fundraiser ideas to spark ideas for a new event, challenge, or activity that’ll bring in the money.
1. Obstacle Course
Isn’t it fun watching people scramble over obstacles? It’s even better when you throw in some water or mud. An obstacle course is a great fundraiser idea for a community event where you can charge an entry fee for any brave supporters who want to take on the challenge.
2. Movie Night
Rent a cozy space, get the corn popping, and set up a big screen for a show stopping movie night. In the planning stage, survey your supporters for their favorite movies, then put on a film you know people will love to see. This is the perfect fundraiser idea if your team loves creativity because you can really go wild with theming and decor — especially around Halloween and the holiday season.
3. Charity Gala
Put on your best suit or dress for an opulent charity gala. Invite your major donors and most loyal supporters to a special evening that’s all about your cause. Throw in a silent auction and a raffle, and you have the perfect atmosphere to raise vital funds.
4. Board Game Night
Get plenty of tables ready, and arrange some comfy seating for an evening of gaming, conversation, and competition. Shape your board game night around your supporters. Transform this into a fun chess tournament, a Monopoly showdown, or just an opportunity to enjoy a laugh over some of the best board games.
5. Talent Show
Know a few people who love to get up on stage and sing karaoke? Maybe you also know a great comedian? Make their day by throwing a superstar talent show. Invite people up to showcase their bold and beautiful talents to raise money for your nonprofit. This is a flexible event that you can host as a standalone with an entrance fee or use as a fundraiser at an existing community event.
6. Trivia Night
There’s always someone who thinks they’re a trivia master. Use that as the perfect opportunity to raise funds by hosting a trivia night. Create the perfect list of questions, hire a confident quiz master, and make sure there are plenty of drinks and snacks to go around. Set a ticket price for teams to enter, and try to get the hosting venue to match donations, so you can maximize your fundraising opportunity.
7. Golf Tournament
Dust off your golf clubs, find your best plaid, and meet on the course for a fun charity golf tournament. This is the perfect way to get local businesses involved in your organization. To raise money, ask for donations in exchange for team entry — and challenge your entrants to raise funds themselves too. Stage a great event the first time and you can make this a yearly tradition.
8. Fashion Show
Ready for an alternative to a charity gala that’s just as glamorous? How about a fashion show fundraising event. Partner with a local school or college and stage a student fashion show for a great cause. Make a real event out of it by offering live music, tasty canapes, and plenty of delicious drinks. This is one of those events where you can really call on the business community around you to create a spectacular experience and raise money.
9. Casino Night
Give your guests the perfect excuse to dress up and enjoy a few games of blackjack or poker with a thrilling casino night. Bring in a talented casino host and bartenders from your local bar to recreate the feel of a casino. Your guests get the Vegas experience with a feel good cause, knowing that the funds raised will help your organization.
10. Supper Club
This fundraiser idea is perfect for foodies. Partner up with one of your favorite local restaurants to host a supper club or dinner party. Keep it simple with delicious local dishes or create an exciting themed dinner, with a percentage of the ticket price raising money for your good cause.
Community Fundraiser Ideas
There’s a lot to love about the communities around us. They’re often where we find our biggest supporters to help us reach our fundraising goals. Rally them around you with these great community fundraiser ideas.
11. Yard Sale
Invite your local community to take part in a yard sale with you. Offer to host their treasures and put them up for sale, or create a map for a neighborhood-wide yard sale instead. Ask for a donation fee from each person who wants to get involved or ask that a percentage of their proceeds go towards your cause.
12. Scavenger Hunt
Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? Give people the perfect reason to explore their neighborhood with a team scavenger hunt. Ask for teams to sign up, collect a trail sheet, and send them off on their way to find the clues. This family friendly event works great as a corporate fundraiser too.
13. Art Installation Project
Raise some money for your nonprofit organization, and add a fun new art piece to your community with an art installation project. Work with talented local artists to create one installation or an art trail with plenty of ways for people to get involved and donate. Set up collection points near your art installations, and encourage people to give via text or online donation too.
14. Cutest Pet Contest
Everyone thinks their pet is the cutest, but there can only be one ruler. Stage a cutest pet contest and watch as the adorable entries flood in. Encourage people to vote for their favorite and crown a winner live in front of a crowd. This one’s super popular with the kids — and with plenty of grown-ups too.
15. Community Day
Want to create the community event to end all community events? Host a complete community day at a local park where everyone can come together and enjoy lots of different activities. Charge vendors to set up tables with things to sell, host a bouncy castle, put on live music, and create a fun day out for the whole family.
16. Arts and Crafts Festival
Make the most of the movement toward handmade products with a local arts and crafts fair. Play host to this event where people can sign up for a stall to display and sell their creations. It’s a great way to support local makers and raise funds for your organization.
17. Neighborhood Cook Off
Challenge the cooks and bakers in your local area to an exciting cook off. Set a theme for your event like a chili cook off or an international food day, or welcome all types of dishes from BBQ to cupcakes. This is the perfect way to raise funds from community members — with attendees eager to take part either in the making or the eating.
18. “Design Your Own” Contest
Encourage creativity with this expressive fundraiser idea. Create a simple template that people can download and print, or host a creative corner at one of your events. Encourage entrants to create their own design and submit it alongside a small donation to win. The winner gets their design made into a final product.
19. Community Olympics
Discover who’s an athlete in disguise and who can’t make it over a single hurdle by hosting a community Olympics day. Set up plenty of sports activities for people to get involved in. Relay races, table tennis, and skateboarding are all fun options. Stage the events for fun or invite competition by awarding gold, silver, and bronze medals or a grand prize.
Traditional Fundraiser Ideas
Not ready to dedicate your entire fundraising budget to a newfangled fundraiser? Here are some of our favorite traditional fundraising activities — from bake sales to sponsored walks.
20. Raffle
Raffles are still great ways to raise money. You can often sell tickets to most of your audience. Charge a small fee per raffle ticket, and see who gets lucky. Ask local companies to donate small prizes like attractions tickets, restaurant vouchers, and gift cards. These are always a hit.
21. Bake Sale
Is there anything more delicious than buying home baked goods from a traditional bake sale? They remain a favorite way to raise funds, and it’s not hard to see why. You can do this in lots of different ways. Host a stall at an event, invite local schools to fundraise, encourage local companies to host their own bake sales, or suggest supporters stage a sale at home for friends, neighbors, and family.
22. Phone-a-Thon
Gather your best volunteers and set them a challenge to call your list of supporters and encourage each one to make a donation. Make sure your approach matches your brand style and is always respectful — some people won’t be open to the interruption, and that’s okay. Let your donors know how appreciated they are by sending a personalized thank you video their way afterwards.
23. Penny Drive
Ready to put your pennies to work? Encourage your supporters to save their pennies in a jar or bag. This makes a great team challenge or office fundraiser, as your donors race against others to fill their jar the fastest. While this won’t raise thousands of dollars per jar, it’s a fun way to get everyone involved and remind them that every penny counts.
24. Car Wash
Buckets and sponges at the ready — it’s time for a car wash. This fundraiser idea is timeless and still works great. People’s cars get dirty all the time, so why not have your car washed and donate at the same time? Plan this for a sunny weekend or embrace the chaos if the weather turns bad.
25. Sponsored Walk or Run
We’re rounding out this section with one of the most successful fundraiser ideas — the sponsored walk or run. This is the perfect way to use peer to peer fundraising to raise money. Ask your race entrants to collect donations on behalf of your organization from friends and family. Get creative and host a themed run, and set the stage for an event that you can continue year after year.
Online Fundraising Ideas
It’s time to take your fundraising campaigns online. Here are some of the best ways to raise money for your nonprofit through the power of the internet.
26. Online Classes
Have a team member that’s great at flower arranging? Know a brilliant artist? Enlist their help to run online classes to raise money for your organization. What’s great about this is you won’t have any venue hire costs to worry about, so more of the income goes toward your programs and services.
27. Social Media Challenge
Remember the ice bucket challenge? This viral sensation might be hard to replicate, but a social media challenge can still be a fun way to fundraise. Challenge your team to get creative and think up the perfect idea, then make it easy to copy and share so you can reach a wide audience.
28. Online Auction
Sometimes you can’t find the perfect space or don’t have the funds to host a live auction or charity gala. That’s okay, because you can take your event digital in a simple way. Set up a background, fire up your webcam, set up a donation page, and host your auction live on social media instead.
29. Game Streaming Fundraiser
Online gaming is super popular, so why not use it as a new way to raise money? This fundraiser idea is perfect for donor bases with a strong interest in gaming or watching streamers. Ask your team or volunteers to get involved, or see if you can work with a well known gamer or streamer to bring your fundraiser to a bigger crowd.
30. Crowdfunding Page
It may sound simple, but crowdfunding still works. Just look at the pages that have raised thousands to help with vet bills or to rebuild a community center. It’s easy to set up a crowdfunding page and promote it across your networks. All it takes is for your fundraising page to be shared by the right people, and you could see donations start to pour in.
Creative Fundraising Ideas To Make Your Supporters Smile
You don’t have to stick to the same old fundraising activities. Mix in new ideas like live streaming games and put a new twist on classics like a themed charity auction. All these fundraiser ideas should help you to attract new donors, engage current supporters, and introduce you to a bigger audience.
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