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All fundraising ideas
Creative fundraising ideas
While bake sales and car washes are tried-and-true strategies for raising funds, it’s good to mix things up and keep your supporters on their toes with innovative fundraising ideas, too. To get inspired, check out these unique fundraiser ideas that offer a twist on traditional events and challenges—either by flipping them entirely on their head or introducing new and exciting themes.
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Art festival
Secure a large space, reach out to local artists, and charge an entrance fee to your very own art festival. Check-in attendees and accept payments at the door and use scan-to-donate to encourage additional in-person donations throughout the event.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Easter egg hunt
Set up an epic Easter egg hunt and create a fundraising event page for families in your community to register and make a sliding-scale donation to participate.
Create an Easter Bunny photo booth and host a bake sale to bring in even more donations with scan-to-donate and Venmo donations on the day of the hunt!
Create an Easter Bunny photo booth and host a bake sale to bring in even more donations with scan-to-donate and Venmo donations on the day of the hunt!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Student art auction
Auction off students' art projects online, in-person, or both! Add photos and descriptions for each masterpiece using easy auction software.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Auctions
Events
Fundraising page
Teacher “jail”
Challenge students to meet a fundraising goal. If they do, their teacher is sent to relax in the teachers’ lounge while students play games in the classroom. Use a custom fundraising page with a live goal bar to build excitement!
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Peer-to-peer
Fall carnival
Host your very own fall-themed festival with live music, food and drink, local vendors, and carnival games.
Ask local businesses for supplies and prize donations and raise funds through refreshments, games, and stallholder fees.
Ask local businesses for supplies and prize donations and raise funds through refreshments, games, and stallholder fees.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
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:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
Superhero run
Participants pay an entry fee to partake in a costumed fundraising run. Encourage runners to raise more for your cause with their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and award prizes for race winners, best super hero costumes, and most donations!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Peer-to-peer
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
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Events
Night at the museum
Secure a sponsorship from a local museum and invite families and community members to pay a donation to enjoy a crowd-free evening of fun.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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TikTok dance-off
Challenge participants to create a dance and post their video to social media. Each person must tag someone and donate once they’ve completed the challenge.
For easy and simple sharing, create a custom donation form that’s optimized for mobile!
For easy and simple sharing, create a custom donation form that’s optimized for mobile!
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
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.
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
Inspiration
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Peer-to-peer
24-hour marathon
Host a 24-hour livestream fundraiser for a high-energy day of fun and fundraising.
Great livestream activity ideas include a poetry slam, gaming tournament, or virtual concert.
Great livestream activity ideas include a poetry slam, gaming tournament, or virtual concert.
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Pancakes for parents
Charge a small entrance fee for a dropoff pancake breakfast just for kids, allowing parents to take some much-needed time to rest and relax.
Make the whole process even more convenient for parents with easy online ticketing and scan-to-donate options at the door.
Make the whole process even more convenient for parents with easy online ticketing and scan-to-donate options at the door.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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One for one pledge
Whether you’re offering branded merch, boxed lunches, or other appealing products, incentivize even more donations for your cause by pledging to give away one “reward” item for each one purchased. (For example, for every pair of cozy socks sold, you’ll donate a pair to a local shelter.)
Showcase this cycle of generosity on your donation forms using custom labels and donation amounts to make it clear you’ll be making an in-kind donation for every monetary donation received.
Showcase this cycle of generosity on your donation forms using custom labels and donation amounts to make it clear you’ll be making an in-kind donation for every monetary donation received.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Festive volunteers
Rally volunteers to act as festive little helpers to put up holiday decorations for others in your community in exchange for donations.
Set up a donation form and use custom labels to create fun options, like a $50 donation = putting up your roof lights.
Set up a donation form and use custom labels to create fun options, like a $50 donation = putting up your roof lights.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
Engraved bricks
Give your supporters the opportunity to “buy” a brick for your new construction project that will have their name or dedication engraved on it for all to see.
Use custom fields on your donation form to capture essential details for donors’ bricks—make sure to provide a word count so they don’t go over!
Use custom fields on your donation form to capture essential details for donors’ bricks—make sure to provide a word count so they don’t go over!
Cost:
2
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
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.
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
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Peer-to-peer
Postcard drive
Handwritten, personalized messages can have a huge impact on your fundraising efforts. During your next campaign, ask volunteers to write and address postcards to your contacts to ask for donations.
Add a modern twist to this old-school tactic and have volunteers include an easy-to-read, short URL that goes right to your fundraising page.
Add a modern twist to this old-school tactic and have volunteers include an easy-to-read, short URL that goes right to your fundraising page.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Flamingoed
Invite supporters to make a donation to have lawn flamingos placed on their friends’ yards. Volunteers will sneak them onto recipients’ lawns so they awake to a pink surprise!
To make pulling off this silly fundraiser a breeze, create custom fields on your donation form, like the address of the Flamingo recipient.
To make pulling off this silly fundraiser a breeze, create custom fields on your donation form, like the address of the Flamingo recipient.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Murder mystery night
Arrange a classic "whodunnit" event in which your guests roleplay to find out who the criminal within the group is.
Use easy event ticketing features to register guests online and check them in quickly with your mobile app to get the festivities started sooner!
Use easy event ticketing features to register guests online and check them in quickly with your mobile app to get the festivities started sooner!
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
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
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Events
Street food stand
Bring in donations with the sizzling smells and sweet treats from a street food stand.
Partner with a local restaurant or food truck, or set up your own stall for the day. Want to strike up a relationship with a local restaurant? Use our sponsorship proposal guide to get started!
Partner with a local restaurant or food truck, or set up your own stall for the day. Want to strike up a relationship with a local restaurant? Use our sponsorship proposal guide to get started!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Donation forms
Costumed car wash
Sprinkle some extra magic into the classic car wash fundraiser by giving it a theme! Get everyone in your group to dress up in costumes representing the ‘80s, classic Disney characters, superheroes, you name it.
Create a smooth experience for all with fundraising pages that include easy in-person payments and a range of giving options.
Create a smooth experience for all with fundraising pages that include easy in-person payments and a range of giving options.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Donation forms
Fundraising page
Telethon
Livestream an engaging program from your fundraising page with information, entertainment, and impact stories to inspire viewers to donate. Task volunteers with accepting gifts over the phone and replying to comments and gifts on your supporter feed. Don’t forget to display a live thermometer so everyone can watch donations come in in real time!
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Peer-to-peer
Fundraising page
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
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Frequently asked questions
How can I be creative in fundraising?
Creativity in fundraising means thinking outside the box and finding unique ways to entice donors. Try hosting themed events, leveraging social media challenges, or tapping into the specific interests of your local community or audience. If you offer a spin on some classic, easy fundraising ideas, your supporters will surely love it, and you’ll be closer to your fundraising goal.
Why are unusual fundraising ideas important?
Alternative fundraising ideas keep donors engaged and active. They generate excitement around your cause with existing supporters and can even bring in new ones—especially with peer-to-peer fundraising!
How do I get supporters excited about a different fundraising idea?
If your supporters are used to the same predictable ways of raising money for your cause, new, creative ideas for fundraising might be an adjustment. To help get your audience on board, partner with local businesses that can boost your fundraising efforts, help spread the word, and even offer fun prizes for winners.
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