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Fundraising ideas

We’ve got the best fundraising ideas for good causes of all shapes and sizes! Check out our curated lists or browse all fundraising ideas below by cost, effort, and impact.

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Comedy night

Sell tickets to join your organization for an evening of laughter, drinks, and fundraising! Partner with a local venue and ask other businesses for corporate sponsorships to offset costs and bring in even more dollars for your cause. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events

Fourth of July party

Celebrate our nation’s independence with a red, white, and blue fundraiser! Work with businesses to secure sponsorships and an amazing venue, then sell tickets to your fundraising event, filled with food, music, and activities.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Auctions
Donation forms
Events
Fundraising page

Trike-a-thon

Create a race course and encourage family and friends to sponsor your little big-wheel racers by making a donation on their behalf on your fundraising page
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Fundraising page

Office Games

Organize a series of lighthearted office games like chair races or paper airplane contests. Charge a small fee (donation) for participation and award prizes to winners. Offer scan to-donate to make the process smooth and simple.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
Peer-to-peer

Celebrity guest appearance

Invite minor or major league players or other celebrity guests to your fundraising event to make a general appearance, offer a meet-and-greet session for VIPs, or participate in the event themselves! You can sell tickets and offer food and drink at an additional cost to make this fundraising event a big win for your cause.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events

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

Engraved bricks

Give your supporters the opportunity to “buy” a brick for your new construction project that will have their name or dedication engraved on it for all to see. 

Use custom fields on your donation form to capture essential details for donors’ bricks—make sure to provide a word count so they don’t go over! 
Cost:
2
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
Fundraising page

Summer project sale

Host a yard sale themed around helping people finish those summer projects they've been meaning to tackle. Have stalls that cater to a range of DIY projects with materials like paint, furniture, craft supplies, scrapbooking materials, and more. 

Use email marketing software to spread the word about the upcoming sale and share a printable map, so attendees know what kinds of booths will be there.
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

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:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Auctions

Harvest dinner party

Host a grand harvest or Thanksgiving dinner party for special guests. Raise money through exclusive ticket sales, and use corporate sponsorship best practices to secure a partnership with a local restaurant or catering company.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

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
Inspiration
All
Fundraising page
Donation forms

Refer a friend

For successful referrals to your program, offer your current members discounted membership fees, merchandise, or entry into a raffle. Create custom fields (like “Who referred you?”) on your donation forms to keep track of eligible members.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Fundraising page
Donation forms

Shave for the cause

Create a peer to peer fundraising campaign and invite participants to create their own pages and compete to raise the most funds. Watch the leaderboard for live updates on who’s in the lead. The person with the highest amount raised or the most individual donations will shave their head—or nominate someone else to shave their own! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

Home exercise classes

Invite local fitness instructors and coaches to donate their skills and invite community members to join you for at-home exercise classes in exchange for a donation.

Manage everything in one place by broadcasting your classes with a livestream right on your event registration page.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

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. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer

Fashion show

Host a fashion show that showcases talented local designers, fashion students, or both! Make it inclusive and invite people of all sizes and abilities to be your models.

At this fundraising event, you can bring in donations by charging entrance fees, selling food and drinks, and adding a silent auction. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

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. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

Pride-themed merch sale

Design and sell pride-themed merchandise such as t-shirts, buttons, stickers, and flags. To drum up excitement, create a custom donation form, event, or fundraising page that includes images of the available items. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Donation forms
Events
Fundraising page

Cup of coffee

Set up a coffee cart in the office and ask employees and/or passersby to donate the cost of their morning coffee towards the cause. 

Offer scan to-donate and accept Venmo donations to make giving even easier.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Donation forms

Take a pie to the face

Set up a booth and invite people to pay to throw a pie at willing participants like teachers, bosses, or coaches—the more authority, the more satisfying!

With scan-to-donate, pie throwers use your QR code to land on your donation page instantly—no waiting around.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms

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! 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events

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. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Peer-to-peer

Tree planting day

Plan a day of tree or flower planting to beautify your community. Invite local businesses to sponsor the whole event or an individual plant or tree, and invite donations from the wider community.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
All
Events
Donation forms
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