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Fundraising ideas

We’ve got the best fundraising ideas for good causes of all shapes and sizes! Check out our curated lists or browse all fundraising ideas below by cost, effort, and impact.

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Puck cancer


Host a hockey-themed fundraiser in support of cancer research or a cancer care facility. Rally your community of hockey fans to raise much-needed funds through ticket sales, themed merch, and peer-to-peer fundraising.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/puck-cancer
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Cooking competition


Take inspiration from the TV show “Chopped” and challenge teams to a culinary showdown!

You can get even more spectators in on the fun by livestreaming the event and asking for donations throughout the program.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/cooking-competition
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Events
Peer-to-peer
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Chords for Cancer gala


Invite your community to an evening of music, dance, and entertainment in support of cancer research. Host one large gala event or a series of smaller shows throughout the year.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/chords-for-cancer-gala
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Fall festival


Host your own fall-themed festival with carnival games, food and drink, local vendors, and live music.

Ask local businesses to donate supplies or prizes, and raise funds through refreshments, games, and stallholder fees.

Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/fall-festival
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Storybook Character Dress-Up Day

Invite students to come to school dressed as their favorite storybook characters. Charge a small participation fee and organize storytimes throughout the day.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/storybook-character-dress-up-day
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Escape Room Challenge

Charge a participation fee and challenge teams to solve puzzles and clues to "escape” from various spaces in this exciting, community-building fundraising event.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/escape-room-challenge
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Charity golf outing

Plan an outing for your golf team somewhere special and donate a percentage of ticket sales towards your nonprofit cause. This works great for school, college, and work golf groups.
Cost:
3
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/charity-golf-outing
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Talent show


Host a talent show and invite supporters to take to the stage and show off their skills. Sell tickets, drinks, and snacks to raise funds for your cause.

Make the experience even more interactive with text-to-donate. Let audience members vote from their seats and help you raise money in real time.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/talent-show
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Strike out cancer


Rally supporters for your cause with a “strike out” event. Choose baseball, softball, or bowling, then add a fundraising page, sell tickets, and include a themed auction to boost donations.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/strike-out-cancer
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Holiday card campaign


Send a festive holiday card—by mail or email—to share season’s greetings, thank your supporters, and invite them to contribute toward your year-end fundraising goals

Use Givebutter’s built-in Canva integration to add extra cheer to your letters or emails in just a few clicks.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/holiday-card-campaign
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Trivia night

At this crowd-favorite activity, you can come up with fun questions, charge entry fees for teams, and raise extra money by providing sweet and salty snacks.

Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/trivia-night
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Events

Kiss the pig


Invite supporters to donate to your good cause—with a creative twist. The top fundraiser earns the honor of kissing a pig!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/kiss-the-pig
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms

That’s a wrap

Students make donations to buy sections of toilet paper. At the end of the fundraising period, they get to wrap their teacher with it! For a smoother process, set custom donation amounts and labels on your fundraising page or donation form.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/that-s-a-wrap
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PTA mimosa breakfast

Invite parents to a fun twist on the pancake breakfast by selling tickets to an adult-only meal at your next fundraising event. Offer extra goodies—like espresso martinis!—at an additional cost.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/pta-mimosa-breakfast
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Events

Pizza party


Have each class or group create a team fundraising page for donations and campaign sharing. Reward the team that raises the most with a bottomless pizza day, donated by a local pizzeria or made by volunteers. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/pizza-party
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Peer-to-peer

Pumpkin patch

Partner with a local farm to host a family-friendly pumpkin patch event. Invite your community to take fall photos and pick out a pumpkin or two in exchange for a donation.

Make transactions quick and easy with Tap to Pay and a scan-to-donate QR code to let donors choose their payment method—PayPal, Google Pay, Venmo, and more.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/pumpkin-patch
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Youth lock-in


Plan a good old-fashioned lock-in for your younger community members. Charge a registration fee and have chaperones on hand to supervise activities like trivia, movie screenings, and video game tournaments.

Set up an online fundraising event page where participants can register and supporters can make donations.
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/youth-lock-in
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Pancake breakfast


There’s nothing like pancakes to bring a community together. Charge an entry fee for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, or ask a local restaurant to sponsor the event to make it even sweeter.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/pancake-breakfast
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Social media takeover

Let a supporter, influencer, or volunteer run your socials for a day! A takeover brings fresh energy, authentic voices, and new eyes to your fundraiser.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/social-media-takeover
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Peer-to-peer

Bail out the pastor

Lock your pastor or church leader away behind closed doors and ask congregation members to donate towards their freedom. This is a fun and fast-paced way to raise funds quickly! 

Create excitement by displaying a live goal bar on your fundraising page so supporters can watch the total rise in real time. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/bail-out-the-pastor
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Beach Games

Plan an exciting beach competition including an Olympics-style championship for events like volleyball, surfing, and sandcastle making. 

Ask participants to pay a small fee to register and raise even more funds by selling cold drinks and ice cream.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/beach-games
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Raise the roof

Challenge your congregation to reach your fundraising goal by pledging that your pastor or ministry leader will sleep on the roof if you hit it—or until you do!

Embed a donation form on your website with a live goal bar, so your community members can see just how close you are to hitting that target.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/raise-the-roof
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Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms

5k walk/run


Map out your fundraising run route and have supporters donate to participate. Then, use peer-to-peer and team fundraising tools that let supporters create their own donation pages, set goals, and ask friends and family to contribute!
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Share idea
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/5k-walk-run
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Events
Peer-to-peer

Earth Day

Reserve an indoor or outdoor space and invite your community to come arrange flower bouquets and pot their own plants to celebrate Earth Day (April 22). 

Charge an entrance fee and make your fundraising event move smoothly with mobile app check-in and easy scan-to-donate payment options. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Share idea
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https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/earth-day
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