All you need to do is draft a compelling online campaign using powerful imagery and text. Make sure you have a simple-to-use, but powerful online donation system to process the donations. Cardboard boat races bring in a lot of attention for being unique.
Best Virtual Fundraising Software for Nonprofits
Decorate your venue with pink and purple and play games like pin the tail on the donkey. You’ll need to secure event basics, such as a venue, a caterer, and entertainment. Start planning well in advance to give yourself plenty of time to find the right resources.
Creative Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits and Charities
Tap on students’ and local artists’ creative talents to advance your cause and strengthen your nonprofit’s sense of community. Ask each artist to pay a nominal entrance fee to showcase their work, then set a flat ticket price for attendees to browse the collection. Invite donors to recreate the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise more money for your mission using social media. If the ice bucket challenge doesn’t align with or reflect your organization’s work, feel free to get creative with another social media challenge. Encourage donors, supporters, and artists alike to create art they feel proud of and would like to share with your community. Invite attendees to support each artist while advancing your cause by bidding on their favorite items, either in a live or virtual fundraising environment.
EntryPilot App
Help take a task off someone’s to-do list while simultaneously converting them into a supporter of your cause by hosting a car wash at the local high school. Ensure you have plenty of space to wash and dry cars and collect money from customers. Invite your community to play your version of football squares. Instead of awarding cash prizes for those who buy in to play, ask for donations per square and award donated prizes gathered from local sponsors. Round up supporters and foodies around a friendly culinary competition, such as a Christmas cookie dough bakeoff. Contestants create their best holiday dishes with a specific ingredient or other criteria, and people pay to taste each dish and cast their votes.
- Creating engaging content—such as sneak peeks of auction items or testimonials from previous winners—can help build anticipation and excitement among potential bidders.
- This dynamic community-driven initiative amplifies individual efforts into a collective force for good, making every contribution count.
- Fundraising is necessary for non-profits, but traditional methods can feel stagnant.
- Since this auction has a more informal atmosphere, try adding a theme to it.
- You could also charge a little extra for a few minutes in a massage chair or nutritious smoothies.
Send participants on a classic scavenger hunt where they have to 215+ amazing fundraising ideas for your organization find and collect designated items. Or go digital and have individuals or teams take a picture of the items or locations on the list and submit them for approval. Charge a registration fee and offer a head start or hints in exchange for donations on the day of the hunt. Gather talented friends, family members, volunteers, and staff to create and sell custom crafts, like bracelets, paintings, keychains, or hand-stitched blankets. As the holiday season approaches, supporters will look for gifts like this for their loved ones.
This popular elementary school fundraising idea is a favorite among teachers and parents alike because it encourages children to read for pleasure. With every new year comes new opportunities to scale your fundraising efforts! However, we know how daunting choosing the right fundraising idea for your nonprofit can be. Do you want your fundraising event to stand out from the crowd but don’t want to spend hours or countless dollars organizing it?
- Dreaming big is great, but setting realistic targets is crucial.
- And these local fundraising ideas will bring the heart of your community into your home.
- Rather than asking for traditional gifts on their special day, donors invite their friends and family to donate to a cause close to their heart.
- Charge teams an entrance fee to compete and charge admission at the door for spectators.
- Charge an entry fee and offer additional resources or consultations for donations.
Organize a potluck dinner and ask participants to bring a dish to share. Collect donations or charge an entry fee, with the proceeds going to your chosen charity. To take the fundraising event to the next level, live stream it on Facebook stories and include a donation link so at-home attendees can place bets on their favorite ‘big eater’.
Dorm Decorating Contest
Make a lasting impact with fundraising events that unite communities and drive meaningful support for your cause. These high-impact ideas are designed to create memorable experiences while delivering exceptional results. Looking for a fresh idea to raise money for your favorite nonprofit group, school, sports team or church mission?
Track RSVPs with our automated management tools and communicate with your guest list with ease. Once you’ve finished designing, import email contacts into your address book and send your custom email invitation to guests. The color powder is washable but we didn’t want to be responsible for any staining that could potentially happen. Our evite design tool makes it simple to upload your favorite photo, edit your text, and change fonts and color palettes. The bright colors really created a festive environment On the invitation, we told guests to wear old clothes.
For this fundraiser, sell tickets for five-minute portrait painting/sketching/art-ing sessions. The donor logs on at their noted time, the artist arts, and when their five minutes is up, the next session is on. Mail everyone their signed art after the event—with a thank-you note and a reminder of how awesome your nonprofit is, of course.
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Since then, it’s become a popular (and viral!) way to raise money. Instead of just donating to a nonprofit, supporters can spread awareness about an organization’s cause by dumping ice-cold water on themselves and filming the act. Much like the kiss-a-pig fundraiser, you’ll need to recruit brave volunteers for a skydiving fundraiser. Ask your supporters to give a certain amount of money to your organization to vote for which volunteer should go skydiving. For your kiss-a-pig fundraiser to work, you’ll need some brave volunteers that your supporters want to cheer on.