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Winter fundraising ideas

Beginning with the holiday season, winter is one of the most profitable times of the year when it comes to donations for good causes. These joy-filled fundraising ideas for winter will help you capture the attention and generosity of your community and raise more during the chilly months ahead.

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Candy bar sale

Sell wholesale candy bars and sweet treats to your supporters, bring them to events, or have them out anywhere people might need a snack! Use peer-to-peer fundraising to foster a bit of friendly competition and easily keep track of supporters who have sold the most.

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Ugly sweater 5k

Get festive by encouraging supporters to wear their ugliest sweater for a fun run (and award the best dressed)! Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause, along with photos of them in their ugly regalia.

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Candy grams

Buy some crowd-favorite candies and charge supporters to send these sweet treats to a chosen recipient along with a heartfelt note. To streamline the process, have donors fill out custom fields on your donation form with their personal notes and recipient addresses.

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Bake sale

Everyone loves sweet treats. Whip up some cookies, cakes, and donuts, and set up a bake sale with proceeds going directly to your good cause.

Supporters donā€™t have cash on them? No problem! With Givebutter you can accept a wide range of modern payment methods, including Venmo.

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Caroling

Embrace the holiday spirit and spread joy by going caroling around town or at an event. Pass the hat for cash donations AND hold a big QR code or text-to-donate number for easy mobile giving!

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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.
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Holiday-grams

Put together bundles of holiday cards and small gifts and charge extra for distribution at your club, school, college, or workplace.

Customize your donation form with custom fields to collect all the details you needā€”such as the recipientā€™s name, a personalized, heartfelt holiday message, and where the gram should be delivered.

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Cold water plunge

Challenge your supporters to take a dip in an icy cold body of water to raise funds and awareness for your cause! Participants can set up their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages connected to your campaign, where they can share their stories, set a personal target, and bring in donations from friends and family. 
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Weeknight meal cooking class

Reach out to local chefs to volunteer to host a class or series for cooking easy weeknight dinners. To make this event virtual, livestream the class(es) so that donors can watch and cook along from home!

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Family dance

Give the ā€œfather-daughterā€ or ā€œmother-sonā€ dance an inclusive update and give families of all shapes and sizes an unforgettable night of cutting a rug together for a good cause.

Choose a theme, sell tickets for your fundraising event online, and raise even more by setting up a photo booth with silly props!

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Cookie-decorating extravaganza

Volunteers bake batches of cookies to contribute to a decorating contest! Participants pay a small fee to enter and use frosting and other edible flare you provide to compete for the best cookie design.

To make your fundraising event even sweeter, bring in a cookie-decorating expert to show off some sweet tips and tricks.

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Raise some dough with cookie dough

Buy wholesale cookie dough for volunteers to sell during peak cookie-baking season. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising so participants can compete to see who sold the most!

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Family photo day

Partner with a local photographer and charge a fee for photo packages with themed backdrops or props. Create custom tickets with time slots for families to sign up to keep the day moving smoothly. 
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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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Gift wrapping

Source donated paper, set up a gift wrapping station in a popular location, and charge for holiday gift-wrapping! Use scan-to-donate or Venmo to accept payments on the spot.
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Chili cook-off

Invite participants to prepare their best chili for attendeesā€”and offer prizes for the winner! Createteam fundraising pagesfor each chili recipe/culinary team. There, supporters can cast their vote with a donation and watch the live leaderboard to see which chef is in the lead!

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Wine pull

Collect donated bottles of wine, disguise the labels, and invite attendees to buy them blindly to discover what theyā€™ve won. For some extra fundraising, host a livestream wine-tasting class afterward for everyone to learn more about their picks.

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Virtual book club

Charge a registration fee or ask for donations to join your book club, and host regular discussions via Zoom or another video conferencing platform.

Be sure to set up recurring donations as a simple way to collect membership fees for ongoing gatherings.

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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. 
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Speed dating

Find a venue, write up some icebreaker cards, and set a time limit for each date. Charge an entrance fee to this fundraising event and watch the sparks fly.

Encourage extra donations if participants find a special someone! 
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Toy drive

Set up a toy drive to allow your community members to turn their generosity into thoughtful gifts for kids over the holiday season. Ask for toy and cash donations, then distribute toys to those most in need and use funds to buy extra gifts.

Let everyone know when, where, and what to donate with the help of email marketing software.
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Virtual bake sale

Sell homemade or donated treats through a donation form or event page and organize volunteers to make deliveries after purchase! For some additional funds, allow recipients toĀ make a donation alongside their purchase.Ā 

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Desk decorating contest

Choose a theme and invite all of your coworkers to pay a small entry fee to participate in beautifying their workspace. To determine the best “dressed” desk, ask colleagues to submit a $5 donation per vote on each decorator’s peer-to-peer fundraising page. Watch the leaderboard to see who’s in the lead in real time!
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Holiday card campaign

Craft a festive holiday card to mail directly or send digitally to your supporters. Extend season’s greetings, express gratitude for their support, and invite them to contribute toward your year-end fundraising goals

Use Givebutter’s built-in Canva integration to add a little extra cheer to your letters or emails in just a few clicks.
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Holiday wreath sale

Partner with a local nursery to sell holiday wreaths made of fresh greenery. Create a fundraising page where supporters can purchase them with ease.

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Frequently asked questions

December is by far the most popular month for donations, with the last week of the year bringing in a staggering 46% of online year-end revenueā€”nearly eight times more than on Giving Tuesday. With so much generosity at this time of year, itā€™s worth investing heavily in your winter fundraising event ideas.

With so many holidays in the winter season, itā€™s no surprise that holiday-themed fundraisers continue to be among the most popular. To make the most of the seasonal joy, plan a cookie decorating contest, bake sale, festive market, or holiday card campaign.

If you have a year-end fundraising target to hit, a winter gala or silent auction is a great opportunity to attract corporate sponsors, generous donations, and high ticket sales. Themed walk-a-thons or ski-a-thons are also effective ways for community members to raise money from their friends and family using peer-to-peer fundraising.

Sometimes you just want to organize a simple yet fun way to enjoy the holiday season and raise funds for your cause. Sell DIY gingerbread house kits at a holiday fair, sing carols under the city Christmas tree, or host a pop-up snowman contest for a fun and easy winter fundraiser event idea.

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