22 fundraiser flyer ideas to captivate your audience

With so many digital marketing options available, you may be tempted to ditch traditional flyers for the latest marketing trend. But fundraising flyers are still a low-cost, high-impact way to spread the word about your nonprofit’s fundraising campaign. 

Ready to create an attention-grabbing flyer? Below, we’ll go over must-have information and top tips, and share some of the best easy-to-use flyer templates for fundraisers.

Essential information to include in your fundraising flyer

A well-designed flyer is perfect for raising awareness about your fundraising event or campaign. But to be effective, make sure to provide all the necessary details.

Your fundraising flyer should feature everything your audience needs to take action right away—whether you want them to buy a ticket, make a donation, volunteer, or learn more. 

Here’s what to include in your flyers for fundraising: 

• Campaign name or headline
• Date and time
• Location
• Your cause or goal
• Key details (activities, speakers, age range, etc.)
• How to participate
• Entry fee or suggested donation
• Contact information
• Your organization’s logo and any sponsor logos
• Prize, raffle, or sweepstakes information
• The primary call to action (e.g., a link to your fundraising page or event)

Stick to the list above and you’re well on your way to an effective fundraising flyer!

⭐ Pro tip: Add a scan-to-donate QR code to your event flyers to make it easier than ever for supporters to buy tickets or make donations on the spot.

12 fundraising flyer ideas to make your campaign stand out

It’s noisy out there, especially if you’re promoting a seasonal campaign around a holiday. To stand out from the crowd, use the design of your fundraising flyers to catch attention and convert them into donations or ticket sales.

Increase your success with these 12 unique ideas for your fundraising flyer wording and design. 

1. Put a face to your cause

People connect with people, not abstract concepts. Use images, testimonials, and quotes to drive home the human (or animal!) impact of your charity fundraiser. 

Look for ways to feature the beneficiaries of your program or event with your imagery, whether that’s through photos or illustrations. 

⭐ Pro tip: Givebutter’s Canva integration enables you to design graphics for your fundraising campaigns without leaving your Givebutter dashboard. Match the design of your fundraising flyer with the design on your event landing page to create a seamless experience for your supporters! 

2. Switch up the shape

Think outside the box and experiment with shape for your next campaign flyer. Not only is a unique shape easy to see on crowded bulletin boards and lamp posts—it’s also immediately recognizable. 

Shapes also carry meaning. For instance, a heart signals love and giving and could work well for a blood drive fundraiser event. Get creative with simple shapes like circles, triangles, and squares, or try options relevant to your cause, like a water droplet or leaf.

3. Choose striking typography

The typical 8.5” x 11” flyer doesn’t give you a lot of space to work with, but you can get more bang for your buck by using interesting typography. This is also an effective way to get attention if you don’t have a library of photos or illustrations to use.

Choose a font that matches your campaign theme or your brand style, and use it to make your flyer design stand out. By blending the right typography with color, you can create a unique design that isn’t like all the others.

4. Play with perspective

For a fun take on styling your flyer, align your text at an angle or in an unusual way instead of in straight lines. Diagonal or angled text can make the design feel dynamic, edgy, and unusual.

Be sure to balance this strategy with the right font and make sure essential details are easy to read. Don’t sacrifice accessibility for style; instead, use it to enhance your message.

5. Try a high-contrast design

Having a high contrast between the colors you choose for text and background doesn’t just make it more readable, but it can also have a visual impact. 

Whether you stick with traditional black and white or opt for bolder colors, use this difference in hue to make specific elements of your design stand out—like your call to action.

⭐ Pro tip: Use an accessibility color contrast checker to ensure the colors you choose are easy for everyone to see.

6. Use eye-grabbing patterns

Make a statement without typing a single word. Bold, exciting patterns and repeating shapes draw the human eye like a magnet. Plus, you don’t need a graphic designer to help you out here. Websites like Canva have thousands of graphics available and it’s simple to use a premade pattern or create your own.

7. Make giving easy with scan-to-donate

Standard flyers are limited on space, so what you include needs to make an impact. If you have too much information to fit on one page or want to quickly direct supporters to the place where they can give or buy a ticket, adding a QR code, URL, or text message short code is a must.

With Givebutter, you can easily use scan-to-donate or text-to-donate to send your supporters straight to your landing page. From there, they can take action immediately—no need to open up a browser and manually navigate to your webpage.

8. Ask a thought-provoking question

“Did you know 1 in 9 Americans struggle to get enough to eat?” “When was your last meal?” “Hungry for change?” “What are you waiting for?” Curiosity is a powerful emotion. Asking a question can engage your readers and encourage them to find out more.

Get people thinking with a pertinent question. Although the examples above are serious, yours doesn’t have to be. If you’re hosting a wine tasting or silent auction with beverage packages, you could try something lighthearted like, “Got wine?”

9. Feature a compelling fact

Many nonprofit organizations are taking on major challenges like climate change, world hunger, ocean pollution, and cancer research. Issues like these are often complex, but with the right supporting details, you can make them easier for your audience to understand. 

Highlight a fact or figure within your flyer. Then, promote your campaign and explain how your supporters can help. Sometimes, facts and statements can strike a chord better than any clever, catchy headline.

⭐ Pro Tip: Check out some of our favorite Canva fundraising flyer templates below!

10. Show the route to success

Fun runs and -athon events (walkathons, bike-a-thons, dance-a-thons, etc.) are extremely common fundraising events, so it’s highly likely your marathon flyer will face off against other contenders.

Here’s one way to separate yourself from the pack: Show the race course on your flyers! They can double as maps and schedules for racers, as well as friends and family who want to cheer them on. If there’s room, you can also include water stations, snack areas, activities, and points of interest.

11. Highlight your incentives

Incentives come in many forms, from a free cookbook to a VIP getaway. Make sure you promote your prize drawings, silent auction items, perks, or offers on your flyers so your supporters have an extra reason to get involved.

Using familiar design elements like a star, award ribbon, or dollar sign is a good way to communicate this. And it’s hard to go wrong with “FREE!”

12. Go for the tried-and-true

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Although using a microphone to represent a talent show or an owl to represent education might feel cliché, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s a bad fundraising flyer idea.

Simplicity and familiarity are always attractive. A treble clef and music notes mean live music. Burgers and grills might mean a cookout or block party. Rainbow design elements signify support for the LGBTQ+ community. Your supporters instantly understand why you’re fundraising, and you skip the creative headache.

10 popular fundraising flyer examples and templates

Spark ideas for your next campaign with our most-loved samples of flyers for fundraisers, all designed in Canva and seamlessly accessible within Givebutter’s platform.

1. Donation drive flyer 🎁

This school supply donation drive flyer is clean, simple, and gets the message across. The front of the flyer catches attention, while there’s plenty of space on the reverse for all the important details.

2. Food fundraiser flyer 🍕

Invite your supporters to join you for a slice with this fun food-themed fundraiser flyer. Stick with the included photo or replace it with an image from the pizza company sponsoring your event.

3. Bake sale fundraiser flyer 🧁

Tell everyone there’s a delicious bake sale coming up with this cupcake-themed flyer. The sweet illustration is perfect and the colors work well together, but you can also swap out these elements for your own.

4. Walk or run fundraiser flyer 👟

Inspire your supporters to sign up to participate or make a donation with this fun run flyer. Not only does the illustration make it clear what’s happening, but the colors also reflect the reason for the event.

5. Car wash flyer 🚘

This boho-inspired car wash fundraiser flyer is a good example that you don’t have to stick to what’s traditional to get the message out there. It effectively communicates what the fundraiser is, and stays true to the organization’s brand.

6. T-shirt fundraiser flyer 👕

Take this e-commerce flyer and turn it into an impressive fundraiser flyer. Include photos of your t-shirt designs, a few lines about why you’re selling them, and a call to action to a page where they can buy one right away.

7. Raffle flyer 🎫

This animal-themed raffle flyer includes several of our top flyer ideas—like using colors and imagery to make a connection and attract attention. You can customize this for your cause by changing the graphics and using your own brand colors.

8. Sports fundraiser flyer ⚽

Promote your next golf day with this mini golf fundraiser flyer, or change the background graphic to highlight your next soccer match, volleyball game, or another sports fundraiser.

9. Restaurant fundraiser flyer 🍽️

Partner with a local restaurant or dessert parlor and use this food-themed fundraiser flyer to promote the occasion. Use a tempting image on the front cover and talk more about your cause on the reverse side of this sample fundraiser flyer.

10. Seasonal flyer 🍂

The fall elements on this Thanksgiving-themed fundraiser flyer are a great example of seasonal marketing. All you need to do is replace the text with your own and you have a ready-made fall-themed flyer.

Create and send fundraising flyers that inspire action

Use this guide to help you create fundraising flyers that make an impact and encourage your supporters to take action—whether that’s to donate, buy a ticket, or purchase branded merch. 

Don’t just use these ideas for your flyers, incorporate them into the marketing materials for your entire campaign promotion. Send the right message and let Givebutter help you do it. Craft a compelling fundraising event page, share cohesive designs with our Canva integration, and make giving easy with our scan-to-donate and text-do-donate features. 

Ready to get started? Sign up for Givebutter for free and enjoy a seamless way to promote and manage your fundraising campaigns.

Fundraising flyer FAQs

We’ve covered the important steps above, but it’s only natural to have more questions about fundraising flyers! Here are some of the questions we hear most often, along with the answers.

How do I make a fundraiser flyer?

You can make a fundraiser flyer with any graphic design tool, but we recommend using Canva—especially if you’re a Givebutter user. It’s a simple and easy-to-use design tool that integrates seamlessly with Givebutter, so you can access your designs without even leaving the platform.

What should a fundraiser flyer say?

Your fundraiser flyer should highlight what the event or campaign is, the date, time, and location, and any other essential details. It should also include a call to action (CTA) that motivates your audience to respond—like a call to buy a ticket, sign up now, make a donation, or learn more.

What is the most profitable fundraiser?

The most profitable fundraiser for your specific nonprofit will vary based on your goals, size, supporter base, and location. For many organizations, fundraisers like raffles and charity galas bring in a lot of attention and donations. For others, walk-a-thons or sponsored sports events are more profitable.

How do I ask for donations on a flyer?

Asking for donations can feel tricky, especially on a flyer. With limited space it helps to be clear and concise, so a message like “Donate now” or “Make a donation” is absolutely fine. It’s short, simple, and inspires action.