All fundraising ideas

Fundraising ideas for work

Whether you’re looking to rally your employees or coworkers around a cause close to your heart or your nonprofit is eager to engage more supporters with workplace fundraising, you’ll find inspiration in this list of exciting ideas for fundraisers at work. 

Get everyone in the office involved in the action, from coffee cart donations to CEO challenges, and help bring in donations and bring your staff together at the same time.

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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. 
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Auctions

24-hour marathon

Host a 24-hour livestream fundraiser for a high-energy day of fun and fundraising. 

Great livestream activity ideas include a poetry slam, gaming tournament, or virtual concert. 
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Thrifty fashion show

Host a fashion show featuring only second-hand clothes, which will then be on sale after the show! Charge an entrance fee, sell food and drinks, and remember to send a big thank you to everyone when your fundraising event is all over. 
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Improv night

Invite community members to try their hand at comedy while earning money—and a few good laughs—for a cause. Sell tickets and raise even more at your event with snacks and drinks. 
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Baby picture guessing

Invite employees to bring in baby photos. Hang them all up and ask everyone to make a donation in order to guess which colleague is depicted in each picture!  
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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. 
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Pet costume contest

Invite owners to enter their pets in costume categories such as "cutest" or "most creative." Charge an entry fee and ask attendees to vote on their stylish furry favorite by donating to the pet’s individual fundraising page
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Fundraising page

Desk plant sale

Hold a desk plant sale featuring potted plants that employees can purchase to decorate their workspace while supporting the cause. Accept Venmo donations and other seamless payment methods for quick and easy transactions. 
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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.
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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

Oktoberfest

Take inspiration from the popular German event and host your own Oktoberfest with carnival games, a haunted house, and plenty of beer and non-alcoholic drinks.

This fall festival idea is a great way to raise funds for your cause and give your supporters an exciting day out.
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Fundraising page

The guessing game

At your next event, fill a jar with candy and, for a small fee, invite people to guess how many pieces are in the jar. The closest guess wins all the candy!

Use scan-to-donate to send guessers directly to your donation page for easy on-the-spot giving. Print the QR code onto a poster, or display it on a tablet or screen on your stand. 
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Storybook Character Dress-Up Day

Invite students to come to school dressed as their favorite storybook characters. Charge a small participation fee and organize storytimes throughout the day.
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Halloween costume run

Ask supporters to wear their spookiest Halloween costume during this fun run, walk, or roll. Be sure to use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word. 

At the end, award the winners of the race, the teams or individuals who raised the most, and, of course, the best dressed with special prizes. 
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Peer-to-peer

Literary pub crawl

Each stop on this bar-hopping adventure features readings or performances inspired by famous works of literature related to a given theme—poems, books, plays, you name it! 

To take this fundraising event further, arrange to have each watering hole feature a special cocktail or brew (with some non-alcoholic beverages in the mix!) to match your theme. 
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Membership drive

Incentivize supporters to invite friends and family to sign up for a membership during a specific period of time. Offer discounted rates or additional perks, and accept recurring donations with ease on a user-friendly platform.
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One for one pledge

Whether you’re offering branded merch, boxed lunches, or other appealing products, incentivize even more donations for your cause by pledging to give away one “reward” item for each one purchased. (For example, for every pair of cozy socks sold, you’ll donate a pair to a local shelter.)

Showcase this cycle of generosity on your donation forms using custom labels and donation amounts to make it clear you’ll be making an in-kind donation for every monetary donation received.
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Garage sale

Host a garage sale to transform your old belongings into funds for your mission. Your buyers will get some new treasures, and you will reach your fundraising goal.

Use our free email marketing software to send a big launch email with all the details, then send reminders closer to the day of the sale.
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Donation forms

Sponsor a stud

Encourage donors to "sponsor" a piece of lumber your team will use in your construction projects. Create custom labels for different donation amounts on your donation form that align with the cost of materials (e.g., $50 donation equals 3 pieces of lumber). Don’t forget to invite all sponsors to the ribbon-cutting ceremony when construction is complete!
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Fantasy football draft festival

Turn a fantasy football draft into an exciting fundraising event! Sell tickets and offer tailgate games, food, and entertainment. 
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Farmer’s market

Approach a local farmer’s market with a sponsorship proposal and see if they can host a special fundraising event for your cause or dedicate a certain percentage of their Saturday morning profits to your campaign. Be sure to outline all of the perks that vendors can expect from the collaboration, like free publicity. 
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Swim-a-thon

Swap your sneakers for a swimsuit or trunks and host a swim-a-thon to raise money for your cause. Set a route that feels achievable, and invite participants to create their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages to help you reach your goal.
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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. 
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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.
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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! 
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Frequently asked questions

Your workplace is one of the best places to raise money for charity, especially if your fundraising efforts are work-related or promote employee involvement. Hosting bake sales in your building lobby, planning desk decorating contests, and organizing trivia nights are just a few fun office fundraising ideas your team will be eager to participate in. Plus, they offer a great opportunity for networking and building camaraderie, all while helping you reach your goal.

Don't forget to include donation jars around the office and online fundraising pages that employees can use to spread the word and raise more from friends and family. 

Launching these easy workplace fundraising ideas is pretty simple. Buy-in is key. Gather a small group of coworkers to pick a charitable cause that will resonate with your colleagues. Together, choose the best kind of activity or event for raising money. Be sure to check in with the nonprofit you’re supporting about your plans or even to collaborate on ideas!

You can also check out the different types of workplace giving programs that can further incentivize your coworkers to participate in raising funds.

Corporate fundraising, also known as corporate philanthropy, is the practice of a company or business raising money to support a cause or charity. 

Corporate fundraising ideas can range from larger-scale happenings like wine tastings and golf tournaments to smaller-scale activities like a car wash. At more formal events, organizers often charge an entry fee and invite the local community and other small businesses to attend and participate. 

Some companies also donate a portion of their profits to a specific charity or encourage staff to volunteer. Others match donations, meaning employees can give to their organization of choice, and their employer will contribute the same amount or more!

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