Planning fundraising events can be stressful. There’s pressure for your event to be a success and to raise money that’s critical for your programming and mission. But if you come up with a winning idea that your donors will love, then promote properly, you’ll be collecting donations before you know it. Here are some of the easiest, most effective fundraising ideas your nonprofit organization can try.
Fundraising Event Ideas
From in-person to remote, big to small, kid-friendly to sophisticated, you can find a great fundraising event that will work for you and your donor base.
Virtual Fundraisers
One of the most affordable and manageable ways to host a fundraising event is by using an online platform. With online fundraising, a donation is just a click away for your donors. Plus, you’ll have donor data at your fingertips to use for future campaigns and you don’t have to worry about all the logistics that come with physical products and in-person events.
Crowdfunding
Use people’s instinct to jump on the bandwagon to your advantage through a crowdfunding campaign. When people give, the total goes up for everyone to see. Plus, encouraging donors to share with their network will help you gain exposure and collect more funds.
Matching Gifts
Having a match in place motivates individual donors to give and amplifies their impact. It also decreases the amount of effort you need to reach your full fundraising goal. Matches can come from employer programs or philanthropic donors or businesses, so explore both options.
Text-To-Give
Most people are attached to their phones all day, every day. Text messages go unanswered far less often than emails do, so consider sending an automated text message to donors asking that they give to your campaign.
Facebook Fundraiser
Host a fundraiser directly from your nonprofit’s Facebook page, or have others host one on your behalf. This can work with average people from your online following, or you can draw from the clout and reach of a high profile person. The Facebook donate button makes it quick and easy for people to give on the spot.
Sell Merchandise
Think about trendy items or catch phrases that people would want to buy and wear proudly. Branded apparel (like T-shirts, hoodies, and hats) and other merchandise raise awareness for your brand while raising funds for your good cause. Sell from a fundraising page on your own website or a third-party platform.
Auctions
Auctions are an organic way to drive up the prices donors are willing to pay for items. Generally, auction items are donated by local businesses or high net worth individuals, so the planning and promotion phases are a way to reinforce those relationships and increase your future fundraising potential.
Peer-To-Peer Fundraising
Use peer pressure to your advantage by calling on your audience to become advocates for your cause. Through peer-to-peer giving campaigns, ordinary people who care about your mission serve as an extension of your development team. They spread the word, collect donations, and build momentum for your fundraising efforts.
Bonus resource: At ThankView, we offer personalized ThankGiving donation pages where you can do your entire fundraising campaign from our site. Our giving platform integration works for targeted giving days, peer-to-peer campaigns, and ticket sales. No matter the fundraising strategy, you can leverage convincing videos from real people in your network, then send custom ThankViews to those who engaged (and those who didn’t).
Entertainment-Focused Fundraising Events
People are constantly looking for a new source of entertainment. What better way to meet their needs than to host a special event just for them?
Battle of the Bands
While this will take a lot of work logistically, throwing a competition between bands is a dynamic and engaging way to raise funds. People can vote, cheer, sing along, buy band or event merchandise, and more. Plus, you’ll be able to draw upon the bands’ online following as you promote the event.
Benefit Concert
Book a performance from a favorite band, musician, or orchestra. This could be a casual lawn concert or a formal gala. Regardless of the style, bringing people together to hear music they love is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Talent Show
Celebrate people of all ages, backgrounds, and skills onstage for a classic talent show. Audience members can pay an entry fee and the talented groups and individuals can pay a small fee to perform.
Keynote Speaker
Recruit a celebrity, inspirational speaker, or exceptional teacher to speak to your community. Attendees will be willing to pay an entrance fee to hear from someone they admire or learn a skill or idea they’ve been wanting to master.
Food-Themed Fundraisers
Who doesn’t want an excuse to treat themselves? People need to eat and fundraisers centered around food always draw crowds.
Bake Sale
There’s nothing more classic than a bake sale. Have volunteers make baked goods, or ask around to local restaurants for donated sweet treats. Even small donations can add up and this is a low-cost, fun way to get family members of all ages involved.
Chili Cook-Off
A little friendly competition might be just what your fundraiser needs. Host a chili cook-off — or some other cooking competition, like BBQ, spaghetti sauce, cakes, or pies. Hold the event at a church, school, or local bar. Diners will come in droves to taste all the secret recipes.
Tasting Menu or Sampling Event
For more upscale event fundraising, consider a tasting menu from a “celebrity” chef. Or if you want to involve as many partner businesses and community members as possible, create a sampling event where people can taste a little bit of everything from a wide variety of vendors.
Activities To Raise Funds
Raising money can be enjoyable for everyone involved if you make it dynamic. These activities-based fundraisers work especially well for sports teams or other groups that are naturally related to health and fitness.
Carnival or Multicultural Fair
Nothing says family fun like a carnival or multicultural fair. Sell tickets for admission, hold a raffle, rent out games, and think of out-of-the box activities, like a pie-throwing contest. This event can even take place over multiple days, which stretches your prep work (and potential to raise money) a bit further.
Charity Sale
Donating feels a lot easier when you get something in exchange. Consider collecting books, antiques, art, flipped furniture, and other trinkets for a charity sale. Supporters can even host their own yard sale at their home, religious institution, or neighborhood. This way, the community raises money for you and donates the proceeds to your organization, without any effort from your staff.
Trivia Night or Bingo
Charge an entry fee, give away small prizes, and enlist an engaging emcee. You can even customize the decor, trivia questions, and bingo boards to your brand and mission. Or make the theme relevant to a holiday, like Valentine’s Day or Halloween.
Fitness Fundraising
Fitness sells! Host a walk-a-thon, 5K race, obstacle course, golf tournament, or a group exercise class. People will feel good moving their bodies while donating to a great cause.
Promote Your Fundraiser
No matter the type of fundraiser you choose, connecting with your donors is the key to its success. You can promote your events via email, direct mail, and flyers posted around town or sent home with kids. Depending on how much you plan to earn, it might even be worth investing in paid (or donated) ads via the local paper, radio, TV, and online.
And of course, you’ll need a social media plan to promote your great fundraiser. Focus on the platforms where you know your donors spend time or where you hope to reach a new set of donors.Remember, thanking your donors is an important step in the nonprofit fundraising process. Be sure that your donation receipt is tax compliant, and go for a high-touch approach through personalized thank-you videos. Sign up for a ThankView demo to see how it can help you raise awareness, promote your next fundraising event, update supporters, and thank those who matter the most.