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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.

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Jeans day / Out of uniform day

Sell passes for a day out of uniform or a day in jeans. Allow parents to pre-pay ahead or donate on the day-of the event. For easy payments, use scan-to-donate or accept Venmo and other convenient options. 
Cost:
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Shoe-decorating

Source an array of paints and art supplies and invite community members to make a donation and bring a pair of sneakers to paint together for your good cause. 

To create a seamless event experience, set up custom ticket types, like an upsell ticket that provides a pair of shoes. Make sure to add a custom question to get the right shoe size!
Cost:
2
Effort:
1
Impact:
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Crafts night

Charge an entrance fee and check-in attendees as they arrive for an evening of creativity and fun. Ask volunteers to bring various supplies, or ask for donations from local art stores. 
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Principal challenge

Challenge your principal to do something wild (like dye their hair) if your team reaches their fundraising goal. Use a custom fundraising page with a live goal bar to drum up excitement and share updates (and photos!) as donations roll in.
Cost:
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Impact:
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Open mic night

Invite community members to perform music, poetry, or comedy for a good cause. Ask audience members to make a small donation and offer snacks to raise more funds using easy in-person mobile payments like Tap to Pay and scan-to-donate
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Pumpkin Games

Perfect for the Halloween season, challenge participants to a pay-to-play series of games like pumpkin races and decorating contests. Sell tickets in advance or on the day of using scan-to-donate or Venmo. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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School auction

Source quality school-related items, such as backpacks and shoes, and auction them off during a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Coding bootcamp

Partner with coding organizations and offer students discounted class fees and programs. Be sure to include some appealing benefits for participating companies in your corporate sponsorship proposal, like free marketing and publicity.
Cost:
2
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2
Impact:
2
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Virtual movie night

Use Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) to host a virtual family movie night fundraising event on the streaming service of your choice. Ask movie trivia questions throughout to make the evening more interactive! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Grow-your-own garden kit

Ask local nurseries to donate herbs, seeds, and soil you can use to assemble gardening kits. Bring volunteers together to assemble everything and sell them on a custom fundraising page or donation form. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Earth Day

Reserve an indoor or outdoor space and invite your community to come arrange flower bouquets and pot their own plants to celebrate Earth Day (April 22). 

Charge an entrance fee and make your fundraising event move smoothly with mobile app check-in and easy scan-to-donate payment options. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Mini-golf tournament

Assemble teams, charge entry fees, and cheer everyone on as they compete for the best score. Encourage participants to make personal team fundraising pages and ask friends and family to support them and the cause. 
 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Sell swag or merch

Raise some extra funds for your organization or club and spread the word about your cause by selling branded swag like totes, stickers, and t-shirts.

With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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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
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Peer-to-peer

Grab bags

Reach out to local businesses and ask them to donate a small number of products that you can bundle together and offer donors online. 

To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.  
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Staff vs. students

Organize an afternoon of relay races, obstacle courses, and brain teasers at your school and challenge teachers to partake. Be sure to create a fun and engaging event page where attendees can easily purchase tickets!
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Comedy roast

Invite participants to roast their teachers or coaches—in a light-hearted way. Sell tickets online and check-in attendees as they arrive, in addition to offering in-person donations for entry (and snacks!) with Venmo and scan-to-donate. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Donation drive

Set up a donation drive to collect valuable in-kind donations or financial gifts for your cause. This can be done by setting up a drop-off zone in person or collecting donations online through a fundraising page. No matter the format—make sure to share your fundraising goal far and wide to keep the momentum going!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Pay you not to ask me again

Give your supporters a way to opt out of all your upcoming donation requests during a big fundraising effort. If they contribute via your donation form before a certain date, you’ll take them off your email and call list for the whole campaign! Then, you can easily segment your email list with your built-in CRM and marketing tools. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
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Community resource fair

Reserve a large space like a parking lot or school gym and sell booths to local vendors. Invite the community and charge a small entrance fee with easy mobile giving tools like Tap to Pay or scan-to-donate
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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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.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Sponge toss

For this fundraising event, charge a small fee per soggy sponge and let students throw them at each other outside during a pep rally or other event. For easy participation, offer scan-to-donate and accept multiple payment methods like Apple Pay, Venmo, and more.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Pool party

Charge an entry fee for access to a fun day in the sun—think pool floats, squirt guns, and water balloons!

To make this fundraising event even more of a hit, sell summery snacks and drinks, too. Don’t forget the sunscreen! 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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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
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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
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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.

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