All fundraising ideas
Virtual fundraising ideas
Raising money through a virtual fundraiser is a powerful way to get more supporters involved in your causeβanyone around the globe can join and donate! The possibilities are endless when it comes to online fundraising ideas, but weβve assembled a list of favorites, including virtual happy hours, livestream telethons, and book clubs, to help get your own digital party started.
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Grants
Research grants that you can apply for to fund your nonprofit organization or project. Be sure to create a stand-out grant proposal in order to impress grantmakers!
Cost:
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Impact:
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Donation forms
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
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Family fun run
Encourage families to run, walk, or jog for a cause by featuring kid-friendly activities, prizes, and course options.
Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause.
Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Autographed jersey auction
Connected to the right people? Procure and auction off autographed jerseys (or other memorabilia) to your supporters. Youβd 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 moreβno matter if your auction is in-person or completely virtual.
Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
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Auctions
Silent auction
Swap your traditional auction for a silent one, where supporters or live audience members can bid any time before the auction ends. With a silent auction, your supporters are able to bid on items online or with their phones via QR code, making it easy and accessible for all.
Cost:
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Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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Auctions
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 sameβand 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:
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Effort:
1
Impact:
3
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Donation forms
Fundraising page
Virtual fun run
Take your fundraising run online or create a hybrid event by encouraging participants to complete a designated distance anytime, anywhere! Be sure to use peer-to-peer fundraising to spread the word and bring in some major funds.
Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Walkathon
Ask supporters to lace up their shoes and gather pledges or donations for every mile they walk.
Sell official charity gear, encourage supporters to share updates on their own personal donation pages, and award top fundraisers with exciting prizes.
Sell official charity gear, encourage supporters to share updates on their own personal donation pages, and award top fundraisers with exciting prizes.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Events
Peer-to-peer
5k walk/run
Map out your fundraising run route and have supporters donate to participate. Then, use peer-to-peer fundraising tools that allow supporters to make their own donation pages, set their own goals, and ask friends and family to contribute!
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Team apparel sale
Sell custom team apparel like T-shirts and hats featuring your team's logo and colorsβonline, in person, or both! Be sure to collect key infoβlike size and colorβusing custom fields on your donation forms.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
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Events
Donation forms
T-shirt design contest
Encourage supporters to submit their best t-shirt designs to enter them into a competition. Set up team fundraising pages for each design and have supporters donate in order to cast their vote for for their favorite design. Each donation will appear on a leaderboard so everyone can watch the votes (and donations!) come in.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Fundraising page
Peer-to-peer
Jersey auction
Auction off game-worn jerseys from your team or donated professional jerseys either online or in person. Take advantage of free silent auction software for simple and easy bidding, custom item descriptions, and more.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Auctions
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:
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Effort:
1
Impact:
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Events
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:
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Events
Fundraising page
Donation forms
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!
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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Fundraising page
Events
Donation forms
Auctions
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.
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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Fundraising page
Donation forms
Auctions
Community cookbook
Create and sell a custom cookbook featuring favorite recipes from your community members and families. To drum up excitement and spread the word, share sneak peek photos on your custom fundraising page.
Cost:
2
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Impact:
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Fundraising page
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 formatβmake sure to share your fundraising goal far and wide to keep the momentum going!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Fundraising page
Donation forms
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, youβll 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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Donation forms
Fundraising page
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:
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Events
March Madness
Raise money while cheering on your favorite NCAA players with a bracket competition culminating in a ticketed March Madness watch party.
To take this fundraising idea online, take advantage of livestreaming tools, too!
To take this fundraising idea online, take advantage of livestreaming tools, too!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Events
Peer-to-peer
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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Events
Peer-to-peer
Donation forms
Fundraising page
Concert for a cause
Work with popular local musicians and performers to host a benefit concert with a percentage of the proceeds going towards your cause.
Want to make sure everyone can listen in and donate, no matter where they are? Livestream your concert to the masses and enable people to contribute to your campaign without leaving the stream.
Want to make sure everyone can listen in and donate, no matter where they are? Livestream your concert to the masses and enable people to contribute to your campaign without leaving the stream.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Events
Trivia night
At this crowd-favorite activity, you can come up with fun questions, charge entry fees for teams, and raise extra money by providing sweet and salty snacks.
Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.
Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Events
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual fundraiser?
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