Fundraising ideas

Brave individuals offer themselves up for your auction to go on a date with the highest bidders. This idea is a little bit dated, but with the right planning, you can have a lot of fun with it.

Ask sponsoring restaurants to donate gift certificates to bring in more bids for these “items”and make for an easy, in-public location for each date.

Turn kids’ finger paintings and drawings into custom calendars—or transform them into keepsakes like photo books, mugs, or t-shirts. Sell the merch using a fun, eye-catching auction or fundraising page.

Invite bakers to submit their best pies for consideration as the dessert offering at your next potluck dinner.

Community members can make small donations as their “votes” for their favorite pies, and you can display the leaderboard to keep the competitive spirit up and momentum moving toward your fundraising goal throughout the event.

Invite a local children’s book author or beloved mascot to an event. Guests will pay a fee to attend, ask questions, and take photos! 

Set up a yard raking service in exchange for donations toward your good cause.

Follow best practices for volunteer recruitment to build a loyal community of supporters ready to pitch in for yardwork and more.

Set up a booth where passersby can get their face painted by volunteers from your group in exchange for a small donation.

Make it easy for people to give with scan-to-donate. All they need to do is scan the QR code and they’ll land on your donation page in seconds.

Find a viral social media dance challenge and invite your supporters to have a go. Ask them to include a message to donate towards your good cause, or use peer-to-peer fundraising to help them raise money from their friends and family members.

Host an all-you-can-eat buffet or potluck dinner, and charge a small fee to enjoy a meal together with your community.

A free event ticketing platform can help you organize and manage your evening and check people in from your mobile device without any stress. 

Transform your office space into a mini-golf course for a day! Employees create teams and pay a small fee to participate—or, to raise even more money, encourage coworkers to set up their own fundraising pages and accept donations from friends and family.

Roll out the red carpet for the furriest event of the year. Rent a memorable venue and treat your guests to a formal evening of cocktails, food, and music—all in support of animal rescue. 

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. 

Set up a coffee cart in the office and invite employees or passersby to donate the cost of their morning beverage to your cause. 

Offer scan to-donate and accept Venmo donations to make giving even easier.

Host a yard sale/craft fair event focused on helping people finish those summer projects they've been meaning to tackle. 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.

Invite your community members to donate gently worn or newly purchased shoes that you can sell at a pop-up shoe drive.

Make transactions easy with scan-to-donate and multiple payment options, including Venmo.

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.

Organize a mindfulness retreat focused on yoga, meditation, and wellness sessions in a serene setting.

Customize tickets for this fundraising event to collect needed information from registrants, such as dietary restrictions.

Some bakeries like Krispy Kreme sell their doughnuts at a discounted price to individuals and groups raising money for a good cause.

Create a fundraising page or donation form to promote your efforts and make it easier to sell your sweet treats with multiple payment options wherever you are.

Sell wholesale candy bars and sweet treats to your supporters. Bring them to events or offer them anywhere people might need a snack! Use peer-to-peer fundraising to spark a bit of friendly competition and easily track who’s sold the most.

Auction off the chance for a student to be school principal for the day! The lucky student will get to greet classmates as they arrive, make morning announcements, visit classrooms, and enjoy a special lunch with the principal. 

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 cansell ticketsand offer food and drink at an additional cost to make this fundraising event a big win for your cause.

Host a basketball tournament between different schools, teams, or departments. Sell event tickets and offer drinks, snacks, and merch using Tap to Pay.

Step things up by challenging each team to see who can raise the most. Encourage them to create team fundraising pages to track their impact and build momentum toward game day.

Organize a friendly competition between grades or classes to collect the most pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Just grab a few jars and encourage students to find some loose change to get started! 

Challenge a coach or teacher to do something wild (like shaving their head!) if your team reaches its fundraising goal. Build anticipation by letting supporters track your progress in real time with a fundraising page that features a live goal bar.