Fundraising ideas

Invite parents to a fun twist on the pancake breakfast by selling tickets to an adult-only meal at your next fundraising event. Offer extra goodies—like espresso martinis!—at an additional cost.

Invite family, friends, and fans to this ultimate sports fundraising event. Participants join in a series of challenges, such as football tosses, 50-yard dashes, and obstacle courses.

Use an existing stand or create your own and sell items like popcorn, candy, and sunflower seeds. To boost sales, create customticketswith mouth-watering pictures of available treats!

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. 

If you know your stuff, set up a golf advice clinic where new and would-be golfers can come along and ask questions. Host this at your club, or invite an expert or celebrity to come in for the day. 

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.

Gather your community’s best bakers and turn their sweet creations into a fundraising feast! Ask volunteers to whip up their favorite cakes or cookies to sell at your event. 

To add some extra excitement, sell raffle tickets and offer baked goods as delicious prizes.

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.

Fill a jar with jellybeans (or another candy) and have guessers write down their number estimation alongside their name. 

Use scan-to-donate or other mobile payment options to accept donations for each guess and award a prize to the person whose comes closest! 

Charge an entrance fee for a special family breakfast with a beloved children’s character like Elmo! Check-in attendees and accept in-person donations with Tap to Pay as guests arrive, ask volunteers to whip up scrambled eggs and pancakes, and arrange a corner of the room for family photos and selfies. 

Perfect for the Halloween season, challenge participants to a pay-to-play series of games like pumpkin races and decorating contests. Sell tickets in advance or on the day of using scan-to-donate or Venmo. 

Turn your next dance recital into a benefit in aid of your chosen charity or nonprofit. Sell tickets and donate a percentage of sales, and raise even more funds by selling refreshments, branded merch, and dance supplies.

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!

Get festive by encouraging supporters to wear their ugliest holiday sweater for a fun run! Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word—along with photos of them in their ugly regalia. Offer a special award for the “best” dressed.

Charge a registration fee and provide materials for attendees to create their own home decor. Selecting seasonal DIY projects—such as holiday wreaths or pumpkin painting—is a great way to draw a larger crowd. Take this event to the next level by turning it into a competition! Once all projects are completed, attendees can donate to vote for who should be crowned winner.

Raffle or auction off donated spirit-related items or experiences like a spot at a cheer clinic and private cheer lessons. 

To attract the right audience, host a silent auction at your next spirited event with these experiences included!

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.

Host a paid workshop that teaches hands-on skills like painting, design thinking, or advanced crafting. Ask instructors to volunteer their time, and keep supply costs low by partnering with local business sponsors to maximize profit margins.

Reach out to local businesses and ask them to donate a small number of products that you can bundle together and offer donors online. 

To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.  

Auction off the chance for a student to be school principal for the day! The lucky student will get to greet classmates as they arrive, make morning announcements, visit classrooms, and enjoy a special lunch with the principal. 

Find a suitable space, charge an entry fee, and check in attendees as they arrive at your networking event! Get creative by inviting food trucks and hosting hands-on activities. 

Set up a yard raking service in exchange for donations toward your good cause.

Follow best practices for volunteer recruitment to build a loyal community of supporters ready to pitch in for yardwork and more.

Create a special awareness campaign and fundraiser that highlights the matching donation programs that many companies offer. 

Feature matching gifts on your fundraising page and encourage corporate staffers to explore employer matching via Double the Donation.