All fundraising ideas

Summer fundraising ideas

Set up your nonprofit, community group, or school to thrive this season with these fun summer fundraiser ideas. From yard sales to pool parties and summer concerts in the park, your supporters will be delighted to help you raise funds and build community in the sun.

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Spaghetti dinner

Host a pasta party where you serve spaghetti, salad, breadsticks, and dessert to attendees for a ticket price. Make your event even better by securing a restaurant as a sponsor.
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Donation forms

International Women's Day fundraiser

Highlight the power, strength, and talent of women in your community today and throughout history with a special fundraising event.  

Whether it’s in-person, virtual, or hybrid, raise more and stress less with easy online registration, mobile app check-ins, and live display
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Auctions
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Peer-to-peer

Virtual food/wine tasting

Partner with local eateries and provide tasting kits for participants to enjoy at home for a small fee. Then, host a livestream tasting experience.
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Obstacle course

Challenge supporters to complete a course of obstacles like walls, mud pits, and rope climbs. To amplify your impact, and spark some friendly competition, encourage team fundraising: all supporters can join an existing team or create their own to compete! 
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Peer-to-peer

Local celebrities

Invite a local children’s book author or beloved mascot to an event. Guests will pay a fee to attend, ask questions, and take photos! 
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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. 
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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.
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Car wash

Gather volunteers, soap, and plenty of rags to wash cars in exchange for donations. Collect onsite donations easily by displaying a simple scan-to-donate QR code, which allows donors to select from a variety of payment methods. You can even offer different package options for those who are willing to donate more for a deeper clean.
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Birthday fundraiser

Encourage friends and family members to make a donation to your nonprofit cause instead of giving you a birthday gift. 

Givebutter’s fundraising pages make it easy to get creative and express your personality. Add photos and videos, share your story, and leave comments and drawings for your supporters as they give.
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All you can eat buffet

Host an all-you-can-eat buffet or potluck dinner, and charge a small fee to enjoy a meal together with your community.

A free event ticketing platform can help you organize and manage your evening and check people in from your mobile device without any stress. 
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Lemonade stand

Sell lemonade (and maybe some tasty treats, too!) to raise funds for your cause. Make purchases smooth as butter with scan-to-donate and donation forms that accept every payment method, including Venmo!  
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Pumpkin carving contest

See who can carve or decorate the best pumpkin while raising funds for your community group or cause. Award prizes in different categories for kids, families, and talented adults.

Make it easy as pumpkin pie for participants to vote for the winners with a small donation using text-to-donate
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Peer-to-peer

Crawl for a cause

Build community and explore your city with a themed art, food, or experience crawl. Collect registrations on your fundraising event page, and partner with the featured venues to benefit from a percentage of ticket or food sales at each stop. 
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Petting zoo

Partner with a local farm or petting zoo to bring in animals for a day of fun. Charge an entry fee and offer optional donations for extra activities, like pony rides, to raise even more funds. Make sure attendees can make quick payments from their phones, using methods like Venmo or Tap to Pay, so they don't need to return to their cars for cash.
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Raffle

Ask your sponsors and community members to donate items or experiences, then raffle them off! The sky is the limit when it comes to raffle ticket prizes: gift baskets, movie tickets, artwork—anything that will appeal to your community members. 

Just be sure to check your state laws regarding raffles before you start planning!
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Costume contest

Throw a themed costume party to match the season or holiday and award prizes for the best costumes! Sell tickets to your fundraising event online and work with local sponsors to offset costs and spread the word.
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Partner with a local restaurant

Partner with a celebrated local eatery to donate a percentage of their profits from a certain night or weekend to your fundraising campaign. Check out tips for securing corporate sponsorships to make the most of this opportunity. 
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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!  
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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.
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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. 
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Fitness class

Ask local instructors to donate a virtual or in-person class for your cause. Sell tickets and bring in some extra funds on the day of by selling snacks and branded merch.
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Frequently asked questions

Summer fundraising event ideas that enable your supporters to enjoy the warm weather are often the most popular. Organize a movie night in the park, a food truck competition, a themed car wash, an ice cream social, or set up a neighborhood tailgate to bring your community together outdoors.

Check out the complete summer fundraising checklist to get even more top tips for making the most of this sunny season.

Empowering your supporters to raise money through peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns is a fantastic way to hit your fundraising goals in the summer. Host a walk-a-thon, swim-a-thon, or summer beach games tournament and encourage pledges and donations from friends and family. Don’t forget to partner with a local sponsor to raise more funds and awareness for your cause.

Planning a summer fundraiser is exciting but can also be daunting if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, we’ve created a step-by-step event planning checklist that walks you through the journey from idea to execution.

Awareness days and holidays make for perfect summertime fundraising ideas. Host a golf tournament around Father’s Day, a hot dog eating contest on the 4th of July, or plan a social media-based campaign that recognizes Juneteenth or Pride Month.

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