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!

Invite a local celebrity or sports expert to join you for the day. Sell tickets for guests to compete against the expert—whether it’s beating their score, time, or performance. You raise funds, they get a fun challenge, and you can offer a prize if anyone manages to win.

Send a festive holiday card—by mail or email—to share season’s greetings, thank your supporters, and invite them to contribute toward your year-end fundraising goals. 

Use Givebutter’s built-in Canva integration to add extra cheer to your letters or emails in just a few clicks.

Skip the traditional in-person event and go virtual to attract even more participants. Plan your digital tournament around any sport or skill, and livestream the action to boost engagement, support, and donations from anywhere.

Swap the stadium for your local streets and host a neighborhood tailgate party. Clear a block or two and set up food stalls, carnival games, and plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy.

You can make the event free and charge for activities or create a ticketed event—whichever you choose, our fundraising event features can help.

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.

Buy some crowd-favorite candies and charge supporters to send these sweet treats to a chosen recipient along with a heartfelt note. To streamline the process, have donors fill out custom fields on your donation form with their personal notes and recipient addresses.

Organize a night of beautiful singing performed by your talented church choir. Sell tickets for a small fee and invite audience members to make donations at the end of the celebration from their phones with an easy text-to-donate code. 

Lock your pastor or church leader away behind closed doors and ask congregation members to donate towards their freedom. This is a fun and fast-paced way to raise funds quickly! 

Create excitement by displaying a live goal bar on your fundraising page so supporters can watch the total rise in real time. 

Ask supporters to wear their silliest or spookiest Halloween costumes during this fun run. Use team or peer-to-peer fundraising to help participants set a donation goal and spread the word. At the end, award special prizes to the race winners, the teams or individuals who raised the most, and the best costumes!

Sell tournament tickets, and spread the word on social media to get your team and wider community involved. Sell concessions, and consider finding a corporate sponsor. 

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.

Reserve a space and ask your community to donate their gently used books for a cause. Set a price for each book and use scan-to-donate or Venmo to easily accept payments on the spot.

Bring in donations with the sizzling smells and sweet treats from a street food stand.  

Partner with a local restaurant or food truck, or set up your own stall for the day. Want to strike up a relationship with a local restaurant? Use our sponsorship proposal guide to get started! 

Invite community members to bring their furry friends along to walk in a charity 5K. Encourage participants to create individual fundraising pages that feature their pets, set a donation goal, and help spread the word about the cause.

Ask supporters to “give up” a small indulgence—like their morning coffee—for a set amount of time and donate those funds to your campaign instead. 

Create a fundraising page to share challenge ideas, set suggested donation amounts, and post updates or donor shout-outs to keep momentum going. 

Sell tickets to an all-but-traditional talent show where people make a fool of themselves for a good cause. Offer seamless event ticketing, sell food and drinks, and let the laughs begin!

Auction off game-worn jerseys from your team or donated professional jerseys either online or in person. Take advantage of free silent auction software for simple and easy bidding, custom item descriptions, and more.

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.

Participants commit to completing a certain number of workouts and collect pledges for each milestone achieved using personal peer-to-peer fundraising pages.

Watch as donations come in and friends and family share words of encouragement on the supporter feed.

Showcase dishes and traditions from around the globe and celebrate the diversity of your community with a multicultural fair fundraiser. Sell tickets and set up food, drinks, and gift booths for attendees to enjoy.

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.

Charge a registration fee for a series of educational workshops or panel discussions on topics such as gender identity, allyship, and queer history.

Spread the word and follow up with attendees using free email marketing software.

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!