Fundraising ideas

Organize an afternoon of hilarious games and exciting dual-team events, like tug-of-war, that are sure to get the competitive spirit going.

Charge entrance fees for this fundraising event, sell snacks and drinks, and don’t forget prizes for the champs!

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.

Give your supporters a way to opt out of all your upcoming donation requests during a big fundraising effort. If they contribute via your donation form before a certain date, you’ll take them off your email and call list for the whole campaign! Then, you can easily segment your email list with your built-in CRM and marketing tools. 

Host a BBQ cookout featuring grilled meats, sides, and desserts. Charge entrance fees and ask for donations at this fundraising event, too. Make this fundraising event even tastier by sharing sponsorship proposals and inviting local restaurants to sponsor your event (or even compete!). 

Invite each person to contribute a dish and invite at least two people to join your dinner. To keep everything organized, customize your fundraising page or donation form so participants can note what dish they’re bringing when they RSVP—and make a contribution to your campaign.

Get creative with ticket selling and sell golf balls instead, then drop these numbered balls from a height. The one closest to the hole is the winner. Pair this with other golf-themed fundraisers for an impressive event.

Bust a move for a good cause! 
Host a dance-a-thon where players collect sponsorships to keep their feet moving for hours on end. Sounds easy? Think again—these marathons can go 12+ hours! 
Get ready to groove, rally support, and dance your way to your donation goal. 

Create the ultimate relay race to raise funds for your cause. Participants create individual or team fundraising pages where friends and family can show their support with donations and progress toward their goal in real time.

Charge a participation fee and challenge teams to solve puzzles and clues to "escape” from various spaces in this exciting, community-building fundraising event.

Organize volunteers to participate in a day of community care—tackling local projects and tasks in exchange for donations from your community members. 

Showcase every project or fundraiser you’re working on using a central giving hub, so supporters can see all your amazing work in one place.

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.

Introduce the wider community to your club or group by hosting a themed culture day. Offer workshops, food, and activities in exchange for small donations using easy fundraising event tools like ticketing and mobile payment options.  

Handwritten messages can make a huge impact on your fundraising by helping donors feel seen and appreciated. During your next campaign, have volunteers write and mail postcards to your contacts asking for support. 

Add a modern twist by including a short URL that links directly to your fundraising page. 

Turn your community’s talents into funds for your cause by hosting a craft sale. Ask volunteer crafters to donate some of their goods or ask for a percentage of their profits in return for promoting and hosting the event.

Want to make an even bigger impact? Auction off some larger or more in-demand items.

Let donors "purchase" 2-5 hours of extra help from students or volunteers (think raking leaves or mowing the lawn). 

In order to streamline the process and keep track of contributions, create custom labels for different donation amounts on a special fundraising page or donation form (e.g. $50 = 2 volunteer hours).

Host a more relaxed golf tournament by switching to a game of golf scramble instead. This team effort also makes it easier to use peer-to-peer fundraising to raise even more money for your good cause.

Ask local bakeries and volunteers to contribute pies, then host a pie-eating contest with a ticket price for entry. Sell refreshments (including slices of pie!) to raise extra funds.

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

Invite food trucks to a big game or event and ask them in return to donate a portion of all food sales to your team. To really sweeten thesponsorshipopportunity, offer benefits for these small businesses, like free marketing and publicity.

Using individual peer-to-peer fundraising pages connected to your main event page, participants gather donations and pledges based on how long they aim to dance—without taking a break!

Supporters can donate, leave encouraging messages for the dancers, and purchase tickets to join in the fun—all in one place.

Invite local artists, students, and other enthusiastic community members to contribute small paintings or other works for an anonymous community art sale.

Charge an entrance fee and invite supporters to purchase pieces all at the same price—without knowing who their artist is until the end of the event!

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.

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!

Auction off tickets to the best seats at an upcoming performance, sports game, gala, live concert, or other experience your group is hosting.

Use Givebutter to create unlimited types of event tickets—perfect for customizing your VIP packages.