Fundraising ideas

Charge participants a registration fee for a full day of outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and nature walks. Use marketing tools to tease different activities and remind supporters what to bring along on the big day!

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.

It’s kids vs. grownups in this ultimate showdown. Ask for a small donation per participant or family or charge a small fee for supporters to come watch it all go down.

Invite students to bring t-shirts, tote bags, socks, and other light-colored items of clothing for a tie-dye party. Charge a small fee for entry and supplies, and have some extra clothing items on hand to sell, too.

If you produce a large volume lot of tie-dyed items, create a donation form or buy-now auction to sell them to your community!

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.

Nominate some of the animals in your care to be “election candidates.” Create fundraising pages for the nominees and have supporters cast their vote by donating. Be sure to spotlight each animal’s story and how your organization has helped them thrive. 
 
The winning animal receives some extra treats—and social media recognition! 

Channel your negative feelings about cancer into positive impact with a major fundraiser for your nonprofit. Whether you host a live event or launch a year-long campaign, this bold approach is a powerful way to rally support for your cause.

Invite your community to enjoy a summer movie series in the park. Screen a classic or trending film somewhere scenic, and sell popcorn, drinks, and other refreshments.

Sell tickets online, check guests in with your mobile app, and offer easy payment options like scan-to-donate for on-the-spot donations.

Sell tickets to a prohibition-era-themed night that features poker, themed cocktails, live music, and more. Sell tickets to this fundraising event ahead of time, and accept donations from latecomers on the spot, too.

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.

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!

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a shamrock-themed live event or auction in support of a good cause. Go all out with a green color scheme, traditional live music, and Irish-inspired activities.

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! 

Plan an outing for your golf team somewhere special and donate a percentage of ticket sales towards your nonprofit cause. This works great for school, college, and work golf groups.

Get everyone set up for the new school year with a back-to-school sale. Sell items like stationery, backpacks, water bottles, and other accessories for kids of all ages.

Customize online tickets with the name and image of each product, so your supporters can easily choose between the items on sale.

Reserve lanes at a bowling alley, ask participants to gather pledges for an all-you-can-bowl night, and watch the donations roll in on team fundraising pages.

Offer special prizes for the team with the highest score, most creative name, or even the best uniforms.

Add some extra competition to your golf tournament by awarding a prize to the longest drive. You could even ask a company to sponsor the award to bring in even more funds for your cause.

Assemble teams, charge entry fees, and cheer everyone on as they compete for the best score. Encourage participants to make personal team fundraising pages and ask friends and family to support them and the cause.

Host a coffee morning and invite your community members to join you for tea or coffee, cake, and a warm conversation. Ask a local coffee shop to sponsor the event or donate a percentage of the morning’s profits to your cause. 

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.

Request a minimum donation for event attendees to participate. Each team shoots shoots from behind the three-point. The winning team is the one with the most points when the time goes off. 

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!

Invite community members to perform music, poetry, or comedy for a good cause. Ask audience members to make a small donation and offer snacks to raise more funds using easy in-person mobile payments like Tap to Pay and scan-to-donate. 

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.