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All fundraising ideas
College fundraising ideas
Whether you're raising money for your study abroad trip or on behalf of a local nonprofit, college fundraising requires strategy. To stand out in a crowd of other activities, you’ll need fresh campaigns and events that are fun and easy to get involved in.
These university fundraising ideas will help you tap into the generosity of your fellow students, faculty, alumni, and the broader campus community.
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Featured campaign
Women's Club Basketball at NC State
3rd Annual Play4Kay Basketball Tournament & Competition
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Employee appreciation day
Hosting an employee appreciation day is a great opportunity for workplace giving. Let your employees know how valued they are with a special day in their honor, during which you ask for their preferred charity and make a donation on their behalf.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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All
Donation forms
Pet run/walk
Invite community members to bring their furry friends along to walk in a charity 5k. Encourage participants to create individual fundraising pages that feature their pets, set a donation goal, and help spread the word about the cause.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer
Autographed jersey auction
Connected to the right people? Procure and auction off autographed jerseys (or other memorabilia) to your supporters. You’d be surprised how willing athletes are to offer their signature for a good cause! Take advantage of intuitive auction software for simple and easy bidding, custom item descriptions, and more—no matter if your auction is in-person or completely virtual.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Auctions
Pride-themed merch sale
Design and sell pride-themed merchandise such as t-shirts, buttons, stickers, and flags. To drum up excitement, create a custom donation form, event, or fundraising page that includes images of the available items.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Events
Fundraising page
Family and friends game night
Sell custom event ticket types and group tickets that offer unlimited access to games. Or, charge a certain amount of tickets per game.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Holiday card campaign
Craft a festive holiday card to mail directly or send digitally to your supporters. Extend season’s greetings, express gratitude for their support, and invite them to contribute toward your year-end fundraising goals.
Use Givebutter’s built-in Canva integration to add a little extra cheer to your letters or emails in just a few clicks.
Use Givebutter’s built-in Canva integration to add a little extra cheer to your letters or emails in just a few clicks.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
Fundraising page
Baseball bingo
Create bingo cards featuring baseball terms, players, and teams. Sell tickets and show off prizes with a custom fundraising event page that makes it easy to purchase more cards during the event by accepting every kind of payment method—even Venmo.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Puppy party
Team up with your local animal shelter to host an event to raise awareness and funds for both the shelter and your organization or campaign. Attendees get bonus puppy snuggles!
At the event, highlight the different mobile giving options your supporters can choose from with live display.
At the event, highlight the different mobile giving options your supporters can choose from with live display.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
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
Carnival night
Host a magical fundraising event with traditional carnival games, rides, and booths. Charge an all-inclusive fee or make each activity pay-as-you-go using QR codes for a smoother donation experience.
Cost:
3
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Maze for a cause
If you don’t have corn maze capabilities, find a large outdoor space where you can build a maze from hay bales!
Charge an entrance fee to walk the maze, and make transactions easy with scan-to-donate and Tap to Pay options.
Charge an entrance fee to walk the maze, and make transactions easy with scan-to-donate and Tap to Pay options.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Community service day
Organize volunteers to take part in a day of community care in which you work together to tackle projects and tasks in exchange for donations from your community members.
Showcase every project or fundraiser you’re working on with a central giving hub. Your supporters can then see all your amazing work in one place.
Showcase every project or fundraiser you’re working on with a central giving hub. Your supporters can then see all your amazing work in one place.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
Donation forms
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.
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
Inspiration
All
Events
Photo contest
Run a short photo contest for an inexpensive, all-ages fundraiser. Choose a theme, charge a small fee to enter, and invite community members to submit their photos alongside their donations in your supporter feed.
Raise even more by turning the top photos into a deck of cards or a calendar.
Raise even more by turning the top photos into a deck of cards or a calendar.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
LGBTQ+ workshop series
Charge a registration fee for a series of educational workshops or panel discussions on topics such as gender identity, allyship, and queer history.
Spread the word and follow up with attendees using free email marketing software.
Spread the word and follow up with attendees using free email marketing software.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Street clean up
Use the longer days of summer to your advantage and schedule a street clean-up to help keep your neighborhood feeling fresh and welcoming.
Work with local businesses to sponsor the day and encourage donations towards your charity or group.
Work with local businesses to sponsor the day and encourage donations towards your charity or group.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Touchdown sponsorships
Ask local businesses to sponsor your team for the entire season! Create a sponsorship proposal that outlines exactly what donors will get in return—like featuring their signage or logo each time you score!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
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
Give it up challenge
Invite supporters to “give up” something small like their morning coffee order for a set amount of time and donate those funds towards your campaign instead.
Create a fundraising page for your challenge, including a list of ideas and suggested donation amounts. Share campaign updates and donor shout-outs to keep momentum going toward your goal!
Create a fundraising page for your challenge, including a list of ideas and suggested donation amounts. Share campaign updates and donor shout-outs to keep momentum going toward your goal!
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Fundraising page
Peer-to-peer
Trike-a-thon
Create a race course and encourage family and friends to sponsor your little big-wheel racers by making a donation on their behalf on your fundraising page.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
Parents’ night out
This fundraising event can be a fun gathering for parents, or you can make it an opportunity for grownups to drop off their kids for a few hours in exchange for a donation to your cause! Charge an hourly rate or a flat “entrance fee” and give caregivers some priceless peace and quiet.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Social media challenge
Choose a theme and a hashtag, encourage supporters to post their video or picture, and then tag others to challenge them to do the same—and donate!
Learn more social media fundraising tips to take your efforts to the next level.
Learn more social media fundraising tips to take your efforts to the next level.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
Apple bobbing
Set up a stall where people can try apple bobbing in exchange for a small donation. This works well as part of a fall festival or Halloween event where you can set up a range of fun activities for families to get involved with.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
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Events
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
How do college clubs and groups make money?
College clubs and groups use various strategies to raise money and collect donations in support of their activities. Common fundraising ideas for college organizations include running bake sales or car washes, selling tickets to events, getting sponsorships from local businesses, and receiving grants.
What are the most popular college fundraising ideas?
The most popular fundraising ideas for college students engage fellow students and the local community while providing value or entertainment. Favorite options include charging an entry fee to themed parties or events like a battle of the bands, organizing social media challenges, selling raffle tickets, or teaming up with local restaurants to add some flavor to your fundraising efforts.
What are the most profitable college fundraisers?
The impact of college fundraisers can vary depending on factors such as the size of the audience, the level of engagement, and the expenses involved. Some of the most profitable fundraisers for college clubs and groups include hosting large-scale events such as concerts, festivals, charity galas, gaming tournaments, and auctions, and leveraging online platforms for crowdfunding campaigns.
Strategic partnerships with businesses or alumni networks can also help maximize fundraising potential, too!
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