All fundraising ideas

Fundraising ideas for teens

While bake sales and car washes are tried and true ways to raise funds, they can start to feel stale over time. These fun fundraising ideas for teenagers will help you raise what you need for your band trip, sports team, or youth group community service project without repeating the same old idea. Plus, they’ll encourage friends and family to take part in reaching your fundraising goals, too.

Get fundraising ideas, tips, and best practices right to your inbox

Subscribed! Your fundraising journey just got a whole lot butter. 🧈
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Featured campaign
Fletcher High Band Donut Dash '21
Fletcher High School Band
Donut Dash
Filter
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Alumni night

Sell tickets to an all-inclusive alumni dinner before a big game or event. During half-time or intermission, bring out the alumni for special recognition. Alternatively, you can livestream a special alumni message during a virtual event.
Cost:
3
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events

Holiday market

Ring in the festive season with your own holiday market. Invite stallholders to participate for a small fee and raise funds through selling refreshments, merch, and game tickets.

Use engaging fundraising event features to make it an enjoyable experience for all—with easy online ticket sales, on-the-spot donations, and more.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

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! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

Pancake breakfast

There’s nothing like pancakes to bring a community together. Charge an entry fee for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, and ask a local restaurant to sponsor the event to make your fundraiser even sweeter. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

Pool volleyball tournament

Turn your community pool into a sports arena with a pool volleyball tournament. To make this a high-value event, charge teams an entry fee and encourage them to raise sponsorship through their team fundraising pages.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer

School Karaoke

A silly and fun way to raise funds, students pay a small donation to sing family-friendly karaoke songs over the school’s P.A. system or in a special assembly. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

Players vs. parents game

It’s kids vs. grownups in this ultimate showdown. Ask for a small donation per participant or family or charge a small fee for supporters to come watch it all go down.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer

Yard sale

Turn old treasures into fresh new funds for your good cause! Ask community members to host individual yard sales and donate their proceeds to your campaign. Or, host one large community yard sale using donated goods. 

Create a fundraising page for your yard sale, use campaign updates to keep your community engaged, and update the fundraising total to reflect how much you’ve raised.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
Donation forms

Peer-to-peer fundraising

Multiply your reach with a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in which individuals reach out to their own networks of family, friends, and coworkers to solicit donations for your cause. 

Create teams to add some fun competition into the mix—and bring in more donations! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Peer-to-peer

Masquerade ball

Whether it's time for Mardi Gras or you’re looking for a creative New Year’s Eve idea, a masquerade ball will make for a memorable evening and bring in lots of donations. Create an unforgettable fundraising event experience with easy ticket sales and check-ins, live display, and a silent auction.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page
Donation forms
Auctions

Online garage sale

Collect new and used goods from your community and sell items on a first-come, first-served basis—virtually. To introduce some fun competition and bring in more funds, turn the sale into an auction with buy-now pricing options! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Auctions

One-day giving event

Take part in Giving Tuesday or create your own giving day in which you mobilize your community to reach your fundraising goal in one day.

Keep your supporters invested in your progress with a goal bar and campaign updates that highlight milestones, matching gifts, and special shout-outs throughout the day.
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Fundraising page

Drive-in movie night

Turn a parking lot and the side of a building into a makeshift drive-in movie theater. Charge an entrance fee and raise funds by selling drinks and snacks.

Sell tickets for your fundraising event in advance, and use engaging features like scan-to-donate and mobile app check-in to streamline your guests' experience.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

Spring break t-shirt sale

Design your own spring break t-shirts and sell them in person and online to raise funds for your group or cause. 

Use custom fields on your donation form to collect the details you need from buyers, such as their t-shirt size and color choice. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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

VIP cushioned seats sale

Create and sell custom VIP event tickets that offer access to front-row, cushioned seats (and maybe some special team swag) at your next home game for your biggest fans and supporters. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Auctions

Color run

Spray participants with brightly colored powder along the course of your charity fun run. By the end, runners will be rainbow-ed! Create a photo booth at the end with your scan-to-donate code where runners can take selfies and encourage more donations on social media. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer

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. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
Fundraising page

Scavenger hunt

Set up a themed scavenger hunt in your venue, neighborhood, or across the entire town. Charge participants a small entrance fee and offer fun, donated prizes for the winners.

Streamline the process of selling tickets and create a hub for your hunt with a fundraising event page. Any energy saved can be spent on making your event even more exciting!
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

Office mini-golf tournament

Transform your office space into a mini-golf course for a day! Employees create teams and pay a small fee to participate—or, to raise even more money, encourage coworkers to set up their own fundraising pages and accept donations from friends and family.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Peer-to-peer
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
All
Fundraising page
Donation forms
Looks like we don’t have any fundraising ideas matching that criteria 🔎
We're always cooking up new ideas, so check back soon for fresh picks!
Dive into our list of best fundraising ideas in the meantime 

Frequently asked questions

Motivating teenagers to participate in fundraising efforts requires tapping into their interests, needs, and desire to make a difference. Peer-to-peer campaigns can add a fun social element to any teen fundraising ideas, plus some friendly competition to keep things exciting.

Good fundraising ideas for teenagers often include activities that are hands-on. Viral social media challenges and in-person competitions like sports events and talent shows are popular choices, providing opportunities to be creative and interact with others.

Easy fundraiser ideas for teens include movie nights, craft sales, and karaoke parties, which require minimal effort and resources, making it simple for high school students—and parents—to be successful at fundraising.

Subscribe to
The Butter Brief

Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox

Subscribed! Your fundraising journey just got a whole lot butter. 🧈
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Givebutter helps you turn ideas into impact

Subscribe to
The Butter Brief

Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox

Subscribed! Your fundraising journey just got a whole lot butter. 🧈
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The most-loved fundraising platform