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.
.png)
%201.png)
By organization
Additional lists
%201.png)
All fundraising ideas
Guest speaker event
Host a webinar or TED-style talk with an interesting topic and a captivating guest speaker sourced from your network.
Raise funds for your livestream by selling tickets and include upgrades like signed copies of books to bring in even more donations.









Spa crawl









Bring your pet to work day









Reverse raffle
Before you start planning, be sure to check for any state regulations on raffles where you live!









Chili cook-off
Invite participants to prepare their best chili for attendees—and offer prizes for the winner! Create team fundraising pages for 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!









Dance team calendar









Student art auction
Auction off student art projects online, in person, or both! Add photos and descriptions of each masterpiece using auction software for easy bidding and sharing.









Pet therapy
Invite local animal shelters to bring adoptable dogs and cats to campus during midterms or finals to reduce student stress and raise money for a good cause.
Charge an entry fee and sell inexpensive extras like dog and cat treats. Be sure to offer multiple ways to pay, such as scan-to-donate and Venmo!









Tailgate party
Invite a local restaurant to contribute or have volunteers create a menu for a tailgate. Sell entry tickets and offer some fun merch or special treats at an additional price to bring in extra dollars.









Give $5, grab 5 friends
Ask your supporters to donate $5 to your cause. Then, each donor has to tag at least five people via social media. The goal is that each person who gets tagged matches that $5 gift to your campaign—and then tags five others.
This is a great social media fundraising idea that can spread quickly within your community, helping you raise funds fast.









Sports team car wash









Desk plant sale
Host a desk plant sale featuring potted greenery employees can purchase to decorate their workspace while supporting your cause. Accept Venmo donations and other seamless payment options for quick, easy transactions.









Secret supper
Sell tickets to a dining experience where guests purchase tickets to a "secret" location revealed only hours before the event. Use a texting software to send updates to attendees and inform them of the location.









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.









Special series
Create programming for a special series of sermons designed to help raise money for your current fundraising project.
Tie sermons directly to your goal and reach more supporters by livestreaming right from your fundraising page. Anyone can tune into the stream, make a donation, and learn about your campaign all in one place.









Virtual fun run









Sports clinic
Host a sports clinic or skills camp for participants to learn from top coaches, pro players, or other notable experts. Depending on the scale of your clinic, you can sell several tickets to the public or offer just a few spots as a big-ticket silent auction item at a fundraising event.









Pie-eating contest
Use a range of fundraising event features, such as online registration, on-the-spot payments, and seamless check-ins.









Donation matching
Build relationships with local businesses and major donors that can offer matching donations to feature during your next campaign.
Matching gifts create an enormous incentive for supporters who understand that they can automatically double (or even triple or quadruple!) their impact for your cause.









Teacher “jail”
Challenge students to meet a fundraising goal. If they succeed, their teacher gets “locked in jail” (aka gets to relax in the teachers’ lounge) while students take over the classroom for fun and games. Use a custom fundraising page with a live goal bar to build excitement!









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!









Holiday performance









Pop-up clothing shop
Ask community members to purge their wardrobes and donate sell-worthy items to your cause. Host a pop-up clothing shop at a local venue and sell tickets for entry!









Lip sync competition
Invite community members to sign up and submit their songs for an unforgettable lip-sync battle. Recruit a volunteer panel of judges to select the winners—and don’t forget prizes for the winners!
Sell tickets for this fundraising event online, streamline check-in, and accept extra donations with the same easy platform.









Subscribe to
The Butter Brief
Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox

Givebutter helps you turn ideas into impact
.webp)
Subscribe to
The Butter Brief
Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox

The most-loved fundraising platform
.png)
%201.png)



.png)








.png)
.png)
.png)


.png)
.png)

.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
%20(2).png)
%20(1).png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)



%20(2).png)
%20(1).png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)


.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)

.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)