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All fundraising ideas
Church fundraising ideas
Looking for exciting ways you can rally your congregation and raise money for your next project? Discover fresh approaches to raising the roof (literally) and hitting your financial goals with these big and small church fundraiser ideas.
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Neighborhood tailgate party
Swap the stadium for your local streets and host a neighborhood tailgate party. Clear a block or two and set up food stalls, carnival games, and plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy.
You can make the event free and charge for activities or create a ticketed event—whichever you choose, our fundraising event features can help.
You can make the event free and charge for activities or create a ticketed event—whichever you choose, our fundraising event features can help.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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All
Events
Donation forms
Membership drive
Incentivize supporters to invite friends and family to sign up for a membership during a specific period of time. Offer discounted rates or additional perks, and accept recurring donations with ease on a user-friendly platform.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Snowman contest
If you've been lucky to have enough snow, host a pop-up snowman contest for your local area. Invite everyone to take part, tour the entries, and then award the winner with a prize donated by a local business. Use team fundraising pages and encourage people to donate to vote—they’ll be able to see who’s winning on the live leaderboard!
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Peer-to-peer
Oktoberfest
Take inspiration from the popular German event and host your own Oktoberfest with carnival games, a haunted house, and plenty of beer and non-alcoholic drinks.
This fall festival idea is a great way to raise funds for your cause and give your supporters an exciting day out.
This fall festival idea is a great way to raise funds for your cause and give your supporters an exciting day out.
Cost:
3
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Fundraising page
Annual holiday party
Throw a big annual holiday party to finish the year in style. Make this a VIP event and raise funds through ticket sales or partner up with sponsors to help offset costs and reach more supporters.
With Givebutter you can create unlimited custom event ticket types—allowing you to create fun VIP packages to offer to your partygoers.
With Givebutter you can create unlimited custom event ticket types—allowing you to create fun VIP packages to offer to your partygoers.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Lip sync competition
Invite community members to sign up and submit their songs for an unforgettable lip-sync battle. Recruit a volunteer panel of judges to select the winners—and don’t forget prizes for the winners!
Sell tickets for this fundraising event online, streamline check-in, and accept extra donations with the same easy platform.
Sell tickets for this fundraising event online, streamline check-in, and accept extra donations with the same easy platform.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Adopt-a-mile fundraiser
Raise funds for a mission trip by asking congregation members to “adopt a mile.” This is a fun way to tie your fundraising activity into the experience and drive donations closer to your goal.
Highlight how close you are to reaching your target by displaying a live goal bar on your fundraising page, where the fundraising goal total equals the number of miles.
Highlight how close you are to reaching your target by displaying a live goal bar on your fundraising page, where the fundraising goal total equals the number of miles.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Fundraising page
Donation forms
Reverse raffle
Unlike a traditional raffle, the last ticket holder gets the grand prize in a reverse raffle. Offer custom ticket types to feature various raffle items so participants have lots of options.
Before you start planning, be sure to check for any state regulations on raffles where you live!
Before you start planning, be sure to check for any state regulations on raffles where you live!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Auctions
Donation forms
Virtual bike-a-thon
Set a distance and have your bikers pay a registration fee to join in. Then, foster some friendly competition by encouraging supporters to start or join a team, raise funds, and set off wherever they are.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Peer-to-peer
Events
You name it
Come up with a creative fundraiser with a cathy name like “Pancakes for Parents” brunch or a “Chicken Wings for Cheerleaders.” To get supporters excited, create a custom fundraising page full of on-theme photos, videos, ands more!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Superhero training camp
Sell tickets to a “training” camp where participants undergo exercises to become superheroes (think obstacle courses and agility tests).
After your event, use email marketing software to share your gratitude with participants and volunteers along with pictures you captured of the day!
After your event, use email marketing software to share your gratitude with participants and volunteers along with pictures you captured of the day!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Flower bulb sale
Sell wholesale flowers or request donations from nurseries and landscaping stores to sell to supporters. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage individual supporters to compete to see who can sell the most!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Donation forms
Fundraising page
Teen film festival
Invite teens to showcase their own short films and charge admission to audience members. In order to cast a vote for their favorite films, supporters must give a donation to the film’s/filmmaker’s team fundraising page. Watch the results roll in on the live leaderboard and offer awards for the best film winners in various categories.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer
LGBTQ+ trivia night
Charge a registration fee for a fun night of testing your LGBTQ+ knowledge. To raise additional funds at this fundraising event, sell pride-themed merch, drinks, and snacks, too!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Scratch card fundraiser
Buy a bulk batch of scratch cards from a wholesaler. Each circle hides a dollar amount, usually ranging from 50 cents to several dollars. Participants scratch off as many sections as they’d like, and the total amount is how much they’ll donate!
Collect cash or accept virtual payments on the spot with Tap-to-Pay, Venmo, and more convenient options.
Collect cash or accept virtual payments on the spot with Tap-to-Pay, Venmo, and more convenient options.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
Events
Pizza party
Each class or grade creates a team fundraising page for easy donations and campaign sharing. The team that raises the most or brings in the most donations is rewarded with a bottomless pizza day, either made by volunteers or donated from a local pizzeria.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Pet picture day
Ask a photographer in your area to volunteer to take pictures of pets and their owners at a local park. Customize your fundraising event page with time-slotted tickets to make the day go smoothly.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Donation forms
Date auction
Brave individuals offer themselves up for your auction to go on a date with the highest bidders. This idea is a little bit dated, but with the right planning, you can have a lot of fun with it.
Ask sponsoring restaurants to donate gift certificates to bring in more bids for these “items” and make for an easy, in-public location for each date.
Ask sponsoring restaurants to donate gift certificates to bring in more bids for these “items” and make for an easy, in-public location for each date.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Auctions
“Celebrity” breakfast
Charge an entrance fee for a special family breakfast with a beloved children’s character like Elmo! Check-in attendees and accept in-person donations with Tap to Pay as guests arrive, ask volunteers to whip up scrambled eggs and pancakes, and arrange a corner of the room for family photos and selfies.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Kids vs. grownups field day
Organize an afternoon of hilarious games and exciting dual-team events, such as tug-of-war, that are sure to get the competitive spirit going.
Charge entrance fees for this fundraising event, offer for-sale hydration and snacks, and don’t forget prizes for the winners!
Charge entrance fees for this fundraising event, offer for-sale hydration and snacks, and don’t forget prizes for the winners!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Valet parking
Create and sell custom VIP event tickets that offer parking perks to donors who'd appreciate the convenience of getting dropped off right at the game entrance.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
More money, no problems
Instead of hosting an event, ask your supporters to donate a specific amount for the entire year. Create a fundraising page with photos, videos, and a compelling story in order to encourage gifts. Be sure to customize your donation amounts and add descriptions that are specific to your needs and impact.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Virtual telethon
Plan exciting entertainment, such as talent showcases and cooking lessons that you can share with your audience entirely online.
Plan a day or evening program, then livestream it to your community right from your event page, so members can make a donation without clicking away from the show.
Plan a day or evening program, then livestream it to your community right from your event page, so members can make a donation without clicking away from the show.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Street painting competition
Choose a theme and get permission to secure a paved area where your supporters can register to paint their own parking space or designated square.
Ask a local business to donate painting supplies, and then invite the community to vote for the best-painted square by making a donation ($1 = 1 vote) with an easy scan-to-donate QR code.
Ask a local business to donate painting supplies, and then invite the community to vote for the best-painted square by making a donation ($1 = 1 vote) with an easy scan-to-donate QR code.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
Donation forms
Guest speaker event
Host a webinar or TED-style talk with an interesting topic and a captivating guest speaker sourced from your network.
Raise funds for your livestream by selling tickets and include upgrades like signed copies of books to bring in even more donations.
Raise funds for your livestream by selling tickets and include upgrades like signed copies of books to bring in even more donations.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
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Frequently asked questions
What are some good fundraising ideas for churches?
The best ideas for church fundraisers build on the deep connections that congregations foster. These include community cook-offs, service days, or peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, in which individuals create online donation pages and ask for support from friends and family members to fund certain programs.
How do churches make money?
Most places of worship sustain their mission through consistent donations, sometimes called tithes, from members of the congregation. Churches may also have multiple fundraising drives and events throughout the year, including rummage sales, silent auctions, and family-friendly activities that charge a small fee, in addition to in-kind donations and investments.
What does the Bible say about fundraising in the church?
Many verses throughout the Bible promote various acts of giving—whether that be through sharing kindness, service, or prosperity. One example is in 2 Corinthians 9:6, which states, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Which church fundraiser ideas are the easiest?
The easiest ways to raise funds for your church are those that your team has the skill, resources, and motivation to host and encourage others to take part in—book or bake sales, postcard drives, you name it. Additionally, a source of passive income for many churches is through renting out their space to other groups in the community.
Which fundraiser ideas for church groups raise the most money?
Beyond passing the plate on Sunday morning, church fundraising events that bring in the most funds are either large-scale events, like a 24-hour social media livestream marathon, or exciting and time-specific campaigns like “Raise The Roof” or “Bail Out The Pastor” challenges.
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