Your go-to source for fundraising inspiration
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.
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Youth lock-in
Plan a good old-fashioned lock-in for your younger community members. Charge a registration fee and have chaperones on hand to supervise activities like trivia, movie screenings, and video game tournaments.
Set up an online fundraising event page where participants can register and supporters can make donations.
Cost:



1
Effort:



3
Impact:



3
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/youth-lock-in
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Events
Virtual book club
Host a virtual book club and charge a small registration fee or ask for donations to join. Hold regular discussions via Zoom or another video conferencing platform to keep the community engaged.
Set up recurring donations as a simple way to collect membership fees for ongoing gatherings.
Cost:



1
Effort:



1
Impact:



1
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/virtual-book-club
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All
Events
Pages & forms
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!
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/weeknight-meal-cooking-class
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Jeans day
Sell passes for a day out of uniform or a day in jeans. You can even turn it into a friendly competition to see which grade has the highest participation. For easy payments, use scan-to-donate, Venmo, or other convenient methods.
Cost:



1
Effort:



1
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/jeans-day-out-of-uniform-day
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Events
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Peer-to-peer
High five booth
Brighten up someone’s day and raise money for a good cause. Set up a booth where passersby can make a donation and receive a high-five in return.
Make the giving process as quick and easy as the high-five itself with scan-to-donate.
Cost:



1
Effort:



1
Impact:



1
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/high-five-booth
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Events
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Movement challenge
Go solo or form a team to complete a chosen movement challenge in support of your cause. Great for health-related organizations or any group that wants to raise funds through physical activity.
Cost:



2
Effort:



3
Impact:



3
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/movement-challenge
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Peer-to-peer
Events
Pages & forms
Comedy night
Sell tickets to join your organization for an evening of laughter, drinks, and fundraising! Partner with a local venue and ask other businesses for corporate sponsorships to offset costs and bring in even more dollars for your cause.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



3
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/comedy-night
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Events
Oozeball tourney
Turn the sand volleyball court into a temporary mud pit. Ask participants to pay an entrance fee and create team fundraising pages where friends and family can show their support with donations.
Cost:



2
Effort:



3
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/oozeball-tourney
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Shoe-decorating
Source an array of paints and art supplies and invite community members to make a donation and bring a pair of sneakers to paint together for your good cause.
To create a seamless event experience, set up custom ticket types, like an upsell ticket that provides a pair of shoes. Make sure to add a custom question to get the right shoe size!
To create a seamless event experience, set up custom ticket types, like an upsell ticket that provides a pair of shoes. Make sure to add a custom question to get the right shoe size!
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



1
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/shoe-decorating
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Events
Auctions
Community cookbook
Create and sell a custom cookbook featuring favorite recipes from your community members and families. To drum up excitement and spread the word, share sneak peek photos on your custom fundraising page.
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/community-cookbook
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Pages & forms
Employee appreciation day
Hosting an employee appreciation day is a great opportunity for workplace giving. Let your employees know how valued they are with a special day in their honor, during which you ask for their preferred charity and make a donation on their behalf.
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/employee-appreciation-day
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Pages & forms
Tie-dye fundraiser
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!
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/tie-dye-fundraiser
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Events
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Basketball tournament
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.
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.
Cost:



2
Effort:



3
Impact:



3
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/basketball-tournament
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Events
Peer-to-peer
Cutest pet contest
Who has the cutest pet in your community? Host a photo contest to find out! Invite participants to submit a photo of their four-legged (or feathered or scaly!) friend for a set donation amount. Then, open up voting to the public—each vote can be a small donation. Crown a winner, raise funds, and flood everyone’s feed with cuteness.
Cost:



1
Effort:



1
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/cutest-pet-contest
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Events
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Community resource fair
Reserve a large space like a parking lot or school gym and sell booths to local vendors. Invite the community and charge a small entrance fee with easy mobile giving tools like Tap to Pay or scan-to-donate.
Cost:



2
Effort:



3
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/community-resource-fair
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Events
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Virtual bike-a-thon
Set a distance and have your bikers pay a registration fee to join in. Then, foster some friendly competition by encouraging supporters to start or join a team, raise funds, and set off wherever they are.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



3
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/virtual-bike-a-thon
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Peer-to-peer
Events
Longest drive
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.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



1
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/longest-drive
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Events
Peer-to-peer
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.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/student-art-auction
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Auctions
Events
Pages & forms
Sponsor my uniform fundraiser
Bring your A-game to a uniform sponsorship drive!
Create a fun, easy sponsorship form so players can rally support from friends and family to help cover uniform costs——because looking sharp on the field starts with a little team spirit (and a lot of love from your biggest fans).
Create a fun, easy sponsorship form so players can rally support from friends and family to help cover uniform costs——because looking sharp on the field starts with a little team spirit (and a lot of love from your biggest fans).
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/sponsor-my-uniform-fundraiser
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Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms
Team apparel sale
Sell custom team apparel like T-shirts and hats featuring your team's logo and colors—online, in person, or both! Be sure to collect key info—like size and color—using custom fields on your donation forms.
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/team-apparel-sale
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Events
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Share “tails” of impact
Bring your supporters together for an event to showcase the stories of animals you’ve helped—or tell your “tails” of impact directly on your fundraising page. Share stories that tug at your donors’ heartstrings and show the impact of their generosity.
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/share-tails-of-impact
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Events
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CEO challenge
Challenge company leaders to undertake fun or silly activities if you reach your fundraising goal. For example, the CEO could agree to wear a superhero costume for a day if your office reaches its fundraising target by a certain date. Use a custom donation page with a goal bar so everyone can watch donations roll in—and make sure you hit your goal.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/ceo-challenge
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Pages & forms
Refer a friend
For successful referrals to your program, offer your current members discounted membership fees, merchandise, or entry into a raffle. Create custom fields (like “Who referred you?”) on your donation forms to keep track of eligible members.
Cost:



1
Effort:



2
Impact:



2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/refer-a-friend
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Ice cream social
Set up an ice cream stall with different flavors, cones, toppings, and sauces. Raise funds by asking for donations to unlock the most popular or extravagant toppings.
Create a vibrant, themed fundraising page, then send your supporters straight to it with scan-to-donate. From there they can pay for their ice-cream and unlock flavors!
Create a vibrant, themed fundraising page, then send your supporters straight to it with scan-to-donate. From there they can pay for their ice-cream and unlock flavors!
Cost:



2
Effort:



2
Impact:



1
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/ice-cream-social
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Events
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