Proven Fundraising Ideas

No matter a nonprofit’s annual fundraising budget, organizations recently shared that events account for nearly half of their yearly revenue.  With grant funding under threat and under siege, many organizations acknowledge that increasing revenue through fundraising events will be necessary to maintain programs and support missions.   

Successful nonprofit fundraising should be engaging and fun. You must also consider fundraising potential, cost, and staff workload when adding a fundraiser. Many of these ideas could be run by a committee or added to your existing fundraising calendar, and most can be supported by online fundraising software to streamline registration, payments, and donor tracking.  Even smaller initiatives can help build your donor base, giving you a larger group to market your cornerstone fundraisers and donation campaigns to.    

Our partner nonprofits, schools, and associations have tried and found success in hosting these exact fundraisers. Whether you’re a small or large organization, we know there will be something here that’ll power your mission!  

• Signature Events and Galas 
• Community and Family Fundraisers 
• Fitness and Challenge Fundraisers 
• Digital and Virtual Fundraising 
• Corporate and Workplace Giving 
• Sales and Product Fundraisers 
• Games, Raffles, and Voting Competitions 
• Year-Round and Recurring Fundraising 

Signature Events and Galas

Kelly Rio, Founder and CEO at Ace the Event 

“Give attendees a unique experience that will outlast the evening itself by having interactive fundraising activities on site.   

For example, an organization’s Instant Buy Items also served as the evening’s central decorative display, with participating attendees invited to decorate paper hearts with kind messages and hang them up. The paper hearts were then collected at the end of the evening and will be included in individual care packages for the organization’s beneficiaries.   

Another iteration of a raffle would be a Key to the Treasure Chest activity! Attendees are invited to purchase keys as Instant Buy Items upon arrival and throughout the evening. The evening then concludes with key holders trying their luck with a mystery treasure chest!”  

Auctions  

Fundraising auctions can take various forms, such as live or silent auctions, and be hosted online or displayed in person. They can also be part of a larger-scale event, such as a gala with multiple fundraising touchpoints or as a standalone fundraiser.    

One thing is certain: they can all deliver significant results, no matter what type you choose.   

Deciding on the type of auction that best suits your organization is a great place to start. Next, pick your location and auction event date.  

Contact sponsors, supporters, corporations, local businesses, and the community for auction items. Packaging multiple items together can help increase the return on fair market value.   

Allison Geisinger, Vice President of Development and Events at Powered by Professionals 

“Something the team has seen that has had success and a “wow factor” is having a live-action artist during the program. This person paints a custom piece or a pre-selected piece, such as a sports logo, with a lot of energy and choreography, resulting in an equal mix of entertainment and a high-end finished product. It is often sold as a live auction item before it is completed.   

We’ve also seen organizations achieve great success with the Last Paddle Standing, where the last person to put up their bid card wins a prize. It becomes a back-and-forth bidding war! A way to keep the engagement going during your paddle raise is to have the auctioneer go around and take all the bid cards at the lowest level offered. We’ve seen organizations have a huge increase in responses this way!”  

Galas  

A staple fundraising event, galas usually feature elegant, themed evenings with dinner, dancing, entertainment, silent auctions, raffles, and more, all for a good cause.       

Galas are not one-person tasks. Enlist a committee of passionate, hardworking volunteers to handle every aspect of planning, decorating, cleanup, follow-up, and everything in between.   

Don’t be shy about asking for in-kind donations, favors, and additional help from your community. If you’re looking to add some extra flair to your gala, consider fundraising games and other wrap-around events such as:   

• Heads or Tails: Guests buy in and stand before an announcer who tosses the coin. They indicate “heads” by placing their hands on their heads or “tails” by placing their hands on their butts. Those who guess correctly remain standing, while the others sit down. The game continues with new predictions and coin tosses until only one person remains—the winner!  

• Wine Pull: Guests purchase a ticket to randomly select a pre-wrapped $15-$25 bottle, with a few pricier options, hoping to score a bottle worth more than their ticket. Ask committee members, local wine shops, wineries, or vineyards to donate bottles. You could add some gift cards or another prize to a few bottles to encourage participation!  

• Balloon Pop: The balloon pop game has guests pay to pop numbered balloons and claim the prize matching their number, with prizes collected immediately or at checkout.   

• Golden Ticket: Sold before the event, it allows the holder to win a live auction item of their choice. Since live auction items tend to draw higher bids, fewer high-priced tickets—say, $100 each—create exclusivity and encourage quick sales. Be sure to clearly outline the rules and announce the winner before the auction closes to avoid confusion!  

Ryan Scanlan, Co-Founder at GOAT Events, says 

“We’ve witnessed a variety of fun and innovative approaches that have significantly boosted fundraising success. One very unique one that comes to mind is the “Balloon Pop” alternative to the traditional paddle raiser. Here, each donation level is represented by a balloon with corresponding colors. When a guest pledges, say, $5,000, they receive a large balloon. Once all balloons at a level are “sold,” guests pop them together, showering the room in confetti. The twist? One balloon contains a unique confetti color, and its popper wins a special prize. It’s not just fun; it’s visually spectacular and engages everyone in a shared moment of anticipation and excitement.  

Another concept we’ve seen quite commonly is the “Last Paddle Battle,” where the final donor with their paddle up wins a prize. Each paddle raise counts as a donation, creating a dynamic, competitive atmosphere that often leads to a thrilling bidding war, pushing fundraising to new heights.  

Understanding your donor base is crucial to the success of these ideas. What excites them? What engages them? While classics like “Heads and Tails” remain popular for their universal appeal, don’t shy away from experimenting with new, fun, and unique elements for your next event. It’s about striking the right balance between entertainment and impact, ensuring your fundraising efforts leave a lasting impression and, most importantly, achieve their goals.”  

Golf Outing  

Whether it’s a round of Stableford, a big ole’ game of Money Ball, or a little Scramble, pulling off a successful, stress-free golf event that suits your nonprofit’s needs requires months of planning, a committee to manage the plan, and plenty of volunteers to carry it out.   

You’ll have to invest time in securing the perfect venue and negotiating nonprofit-friendly rates. Each detail, from the invitations to on-course activities, plays a crucial role in ensuring a golf outing runs smoothly and attracts both seasoned golfers and newcomers alike.  

Beyond the game itself, themes, on-course games, and other creative fundraising ideas—like skills workshops, raffles, and even selling mulligans—help maximize the funds raised, ensuring that every swing and putt contributes to your fundraising goals.   

With careful planning, creative ideas, and the right technology, a charity golf tournament can truly be a hole-in-one!  

Fashion Show  

There’s no trendier way to raise funds for your cause than with a charity fashion show. Local boutiques often lend clothes for charity fashion shows, or you can ask the models at your event to bring their creative outfits. Typically, models have two or three changes during a show, so keep that in mind when planning the number of participants and the length of the show you want to produce.

Community and Family Fundraisers

BINGO  

Everybody LOVES Bingo! Create admission packages that include entry to your BINGO night, a book of bingo game sheets, and a bonus, like a dauber or a ticket for a complimentary refreshment.    

Packages can be pre-sold or sold at the door. Remember to sell extra bingo game cards. They give serious players additional chances to win and can be a great source of additional donation revenue.    

Be sure to check local laws and licensing requirements to determine bingo requirements in your area.  

Caroling for a Cause  

Caroling spreads comfort and joy and remains one of the most cherished traditions of the holiday season. It’s also a fundraising event idea that requires little to no investment and can help your organization raise money and awareness for your cause.    

If your group of spirited singers can go door-to-door in your community, you can also let your audience know how easy it is to text to donate. Caroling can also be as easy as opening the doors to your offices and stepping outside if you’re in an area that gets good foot traffic. Contact your Chamber of Commerce to see if your group can visit local businesses with live music in exchange for their support to promote your fundraising campaign.    

Caroling opens doors to new potential donors. After your songs are sung, have a spokesperson share your organization’s story and mission and then ask for donations to keep your good work going.  

Easter Egg Drop  

Offer families pre-filled Easter eggs they can pick up to hide, or your committee can offer to be the Bunny’s helpers to hide eggs in the yard. For $10-$20 per family, parents can save time and sleep in! A creative volunteer option is to offer local high school students service hours to help fill and organize the egg drop.    

Offering the eggs as a take-home fundraiser rather than a morning hunt makes your planning and volunteer logistics easier to manage.  

Games Night  

Games Night is a family-friendly version of the popular Vegas-style casino fundraising event that kids of all ages will enjoy! Here’s what you may need:    

• Board games, decks of cards, and/or trivia questions (donated or borrowed from volunteers)    
• Admission or ticketing registration    
• Competition entry form    
• Volunteer scorekeepers    

Game Nights are great recurring fundraisers for nonprofits that can easily turn into regularly scheduled competitive gaming rounds. Another way to make your game night fundraising event 100% digital is to host a video game tournament.  

Lauren Batterby, Founder and CEO at LIFE Event Staffing, says: 

“Making your event fun and interactive will always help to keep your donor engaged and put you at the forefront of their minds. I’ve noticed a huge upswing in the number of casino events recently. The players can trade their winnings in for raffle tickets, which helps the organization raise more money than it would on smaller silent auction or raffle items. You can also raffle off items or play games to compete for items that you may not have previously considered. Hint hint: People love centerpieces.” 

Movie Night   

Offer a family ticket for a movie night at a local school! Families can bring blankets, snacks, and stuffies and wear their pajamas, and your school, student group, department, or other organization can raise some money to fuel your programming.    

Parents’ Night Out  

Sometimes, getting a babysitter costs parents more than a night out. If you have a high school committee or contacts with a club, Scouts, or sports team, offer a Parents’ Night Out! Students can earn service hours, and your organization or school can raise money.   

Offer babysitting at school, in the gym or as a movie, game, or sports night. For $25-$40 per family, parents can get an affordable babysitter in a safe place they trust, and the kids will have fun!  

Scavenger Hunt  

Pack your map, grab your camera, and rally your supporters! Provide hunters with a map (if there is a single location for each clue), clues, and submission instructions, and send them on their way!  

A scavenger hunt can be hosted virtually if your finds are generic enough, such as a statue, a library, or a color. If it is specific, then you would be best served by having a kickoff point and a finish line. You could even have an after-party or celebration with food and drink to celebrate your scavenger hunt winners!  

Stuck for a Buck   

For students, faculty, players, and parents, duct-taping their principal or coach to a wall is a fun way to raise funds. Charge $1 to $2 per strip of duct tape. You’ll need:   

• A principal or coach who is willing to have fun  
• Sturdy step stool or milk crate   
• Volunteers to get the tape prepped  
• Five to 10 rolls of duct tape in different colors/patterns  
• Open wall space that the duct tape won’t damage    

Start by having the tape-ee wear old clothes. Have your tape-ee stand on the stool or crate in front of your open wall space and start taping. Let the kids tape!    

Once there’s enough tape to hold up your person, carefully remove the step stool, and voila! Don’t forget to record and photograph your event!    

Stuffie Sleepover  

A Stuffie Sleepover is a FUN fundraiser for a library, school, theater, or park district. Families buy a sleepover ticket for their kids’ stuffies, and your staff and/or older students show them a good time!   

The fun begins after the youngest students leave for the day, and their stuffies stay behind! Take photos of stuffies playing, getting ready for bed, and all tucked in! In the morning, you can offer donuts and coffee for the reunion!    

Fitness and Challenge Fundraisers

Tournament Fundraising   

Your nonprofit organization can quickly raise money and awareness for your cause with a bracket-style fundraiser.   

Post flyers two to three weeks before your fundraising event, including your keyword, short code text directions, and/or a QR code linked to your mobile-friendly registration form. Hang them in local stores, gyms, sports centers, and restaurants.   

There are lots of tournament-style games you can do, too!   

• Basketball  
• Card games   
• Cornhole 
• Dodgeball   
• Hockey   
• Softball/Baseball (Chicago style, too!)    
• Twister    

Obstacle Course   

Instead of a typical race, offer an obstacle course that challenges participants in exciting and rewarding ways. Psychological studies have shown that more physically demanding events attract greater participation and support because people are drawn to a challenge.   

Some companies can set up obstacle courses at your location of choice, or you can rent out an obstacle course facility for your nonprofit to use. Your location will likely determine what type of obstacle course event you hold – mud pits, ropes, obstacle crawls, climbing walls – the more challenging, the better!   

Polar Plunge  

Supporters in this endurance challenge take a dunk in an icy cold body of water during winter, forging a sense of community while participating in a wild challenge. You’ll obviously need a body of water, space for participants to gather and warm up, and an emcee to keep things moving!  

Participants pay a registration fee, create teams, and fundraise for your cause while gearing up for this challenge. You will want to ensure you have a safety team, a warming tent, top fundraiser incentives, and some marketing and public relations effort behind this exciting event.    

Sports Skills Clinic  

Gather amateur and professional athletes, guest pros, coaches, and trainers to host techniques or skills clinics to help participants improve their game.  

This fundraising event works great for all sports. Decide on the type of clinic and age group (youth, teen, adult, all ages, etc.) you’ll focus on. Then, find a community venue, such as a gym, school physical education room, field, or park, that will happily host your event.   

Walk, Run, and Ride  

Choose the size and location for your event that you can reasonably manage. Set a date and some realistic registration and fundraising goals. Themes add an extra element of fun! Consider some spins on this classic event, such as:    

• Color runs  
• Costumed    
• Family-friendly, fun run  
• Fitness challenges  
• Food and beverage themed (donut, beer, pretzel)   
• Pets on parade   
• Turkey Trot   
• Santa Run   
• Scavenger hunt  
• Survival races  

Finding sponsors will help you stick to your budget, reach your goals, and promote your race. Runs, walks, and rides offer many sponsorship activation opportunities, such as t-shirts, mile markers, post-race food, and more.  

Digital and Virtual Fundraising

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaigns 

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising empowers supporters to raise money on your behalf by creating personal fundraising pages and sharing them with their networks. 

People give because of people. When a donor sees a friend advocating for your cause, trust is built in. P2P campaigns often outperform direct appeals because they tap into social proof and personal storytelling. 

Examples include “In honor of” or “in memory of” campaigns, birthday or milestone fundraisers, and challenge-based campaigns (miles walked, books read, hours volunteered). 

Text-to-Give Campaigns 

Text-to-give or text-to-donate allows donors to give instantly from their phones, making it ideal for urgent appeals or moments of peak engagement, such as during a live event. 

Some of the best uses we’ve seen include hybrid alongside livestreams or online events, or for rapid-response fundraising needs (natural disasters, community member emergency needs, etc.). With online fundraising software, text-to-give can be set up in minutes and integrated directly into your broader campaign.

Livestream Fundraisers 

Livestream fundraising combines storytelling with real-time engagement through platforms like YouTube, Instagram Live, or Twitch.  

Livestreaming is great for donation/goal updates (fundraising thermometer), hosted/sponsor speeches or meet & greets, or competition/challenge updates to boost immediate giving. 

Virtual Auctions 

Virtual auctions remove the logistical constraints of in-person bidding and allow supporters to participate from anywhere. A prime example is a school: by leveraging the power of virtual auctions, it can reach beyond its students and community to students’ extended families, grandparents, etc. 

Another benefit is that your auction items can come from anywhere! Gift cards, memberships, experiences, and services are accessible to donors worldwide!    

Online Giving Days 

Giving days are time-bound digital campaigns that create urgency and visibility. By setting clear goals, coordinating email/text/social media outreach campaigns, and tracking progress visually with a fundraising tracker/thermometer online fundraising software helps you make the most of limited-time fundraising with low setup costs.  

Corporate and Workplace Giving

Matching Gifts and Partnerships 

And speaking of matching donations, corporate giving programs often represent untapped revenue because donors don’t realize their employers will support their gifts. 

Actively promoting employer matching can double—or even triple—donations with minimal additional effort. Just be sure to promote corporate matching when someone donates and inform donors about eligibility and gift matching deadlines. 

Another option is one-off matching partnerships, in which organizations secure temporary matches with local businesses or corporate sponsors, such as “All donations on February 3rd will be matched” or “All gifts up to $100,000 will be matched.” 

Employee Giving Challenges 

Employee-giving challenges encourage friendly competition within or between teams, whether in various departments or company-wide competitions. Winning is based on the team, department, or volunteer with the furthest reach of participation or the highest amount raised! 

Sales and Product Fundraisers  

Bake Sales  

Bake sales are one of the most cost-effective (and delicious!) fundraisers your organization can hold because they require little to no money, since most, if not all, of the baked goods are donated by volunteer bakers.   

Survey your supporters early on to find out who can bake and what items they want to bring to the sale. You can customize your survey form to ask for a first and second-baked good choice to ensure variety, such as chocolate cakes, oatmeal cookies, fudge brownies, and apple pies, rather than ending up with 20 similar desserts. 

Calendar  

Calendars are one of the most straightforward annual fundraising event ideas your organization can implement, even with a small budget. They can be enjoyed every day of the year and will help keep your mission top of mind.    

You should start planning your calendar by mid-summer; you’ll need this time to promote and pre-sell them before the new year.    

Ask local merchants if they would let you display the calendars for sale in their stores in exchange for free advertising on the calendar. You can also sponsor your calendar.  

Egg or Flock-a-Yard  

This is a great fundraising event for a committee to host, and it works well for a community like a theater, school, or other close-knit group.   

Your organization will need weatherproof egg signs or stand-up flamingos. Supporters donate a fixed amount, such as $30, to egg or flock-a-yard for a day or two. Recipients can pay to have them removed or moved to a new place. You will need volunteers to make this work!   

Your nonprofit can also offer sponsorship signs and market your organization or an upcoming event as part of the egging or flocking.   

Funny Photos  

Your organization can create a funny family photo fundraiser to give supporters a hilarious memento that keeps your mission top of mind for years.   

Make sure the location you choose for your photo shoot has enough room to hang a backdrop or pull in set pieces and props to set the stage for your chosen theme. It should also have enough backstage space to hold costumes and props and accommodate families when they change in and out of their photo-worthy disguises.   

And it isn’t just family photos! Consider these alternatives:   

• Photos with Santa    
• Pet holiday photos    
• Princess meet and greet 
• Photobooth at a corporate event   
• Mini sessions at a pumpkin farm   
• Family sessions at a Christmas tree farm   

Naming Rights   

Offer people the opportunity to buy naming rights, and it doesn’t have to be just for giant projects like a new building or room!   

You can offer engraved bricks or even an annual option, such as giving people the chance to “adopt” a bulb or flower.   

Some organizations choose to get cheeky and offer the opportunity to name a urinal or cockroach to feed to animals at your zoo, parking spot, or other off-color naming opportunities.    

You can also offer naming rights as a voting competition, where people donate money to vote to name a brewery’s new beer, school bus, gator snow plow, or other fun things!    

If your staff and committee brainstorm together, there is really no limit to what you could offer up for naming rights.    

T-Shirt Sales  

People love to get recognition for supporting the causes they care about, so why not let them show off with merchandise that shares your message with the world? A cool T-shirt featuring your logo, mascot, or catchphrase can be a lucrative way to fund your organization’s programs.   

Promote your custom tees via e-mail, website, and social media pages by linking to a digital order form. In addition to selling your custom tees, you can use them to incentivize donors by offering a free shirt at a certain donation level.   

T-shirt sales are also a great way to boost fundraising for run-walk-rides.   

Swap   

Hobbies can take over people’s space. Supporters may love their hobby but want to refresh their stock.    

Offer a donate-what-you-wish opportunity for people to come together to swap their items! You can use your office or another donated space. Some swap ideas include puzzles, games, Lego, books, clothes, purses, knitting patterns, sports equipment, or cookbooks.   

A swap meetup offers a great, no-pressure way to get face time with your supporters, too!    

Yard Sale  

Gather some friends and start collecting all those unwanted items in search of a new owner. It’s a great way to clear the clutter and create change!   

Remember to check items for stains, broken or missing pieces, and any personal items that may have been accidentally left behind (money, receipts, etc.).   

Promote the sale throughout your community using your social media channels, Craigslist, community event posting sites, newspaper ads, Penny Savers, and printed flyers in local businesses. Don’t forget to hang signs that effectively direct traffic to your sale.   

On the day of the sale, volunteer salespeople should be ready to display items on racks and tables. Organized items make it easier for shoppers to see all the items and make purchasing decisions.    

Games, Raffles, and Voting Competitions

50/50 Raffle  

Your first step in planning a 50/50 raffle is to check your local and state laws to verify that this type of fundraiser is permitted in your area. Either hold it yourself or approach community businesses—such as theaters, music venues, and sporting events that draw lively crowds—to hold it for you.    

Here’s how it works:   

• Supporters purchase raffle tickets (usually $1, $5, or $10 each, or in bundled packs like 5 tickets for $20).   
• They write their name and mobile number on the back of the ticket and then toss it into the drawing.  
• After ticket sales close, the winning ticket number is drawn, and the winner splits the net proceeds 50/50 with the organization.    
• Encourage supporters to opt into mobile messaging to be notified of the lucky winner, too!   

Increase the number of raffle tickets sold by letting supporters know they don’t have to be present to collect their prize.  

A-thons   

While a race or Polar Plunge appeals to a niche group, a read-a-thon or bake-a-thon may encourage a broader group to get involved with your cause.    

Like any other peer-to-peer fundraiser, people can sign up as individuals or teams to raise money and encourage participation. Fundraisers can commit to doing a certain number of hours of activity for various fundraising amounts.  

Some ideas for a-thons include:   

• Baking  
• Breadmaking  
• Cooking  
• Drawing  
• Knitting   
• Reading  
• Singing  
• Spelling  

Alumni Mixer  

Alumni networking mixers are fun, pressure-free ways for students and alumni to connect, get to know each other, and begin cultivating relationships that can last a lifetime. They’re also an excellent opportunity to ask for support from your school’s biggest fans to carry on a legacy of helping other soon-to-be grads from their beloved alma mater.    

Consider holding an alumni fundraising event at an on-campus location—you’ll save on event costs and make your alumni’s connection to their school feel even more poignant.    

Long before the day of your event, start texting alumni updates about current initiatives, inspirational reminders of their school’s impact on students’ lives, and invitations to the fundraising mixer.  

Chores for Charity  

Nobody likes doing chores. Do you have a group of families, business partnerships, or community members willing to donate their time and handy skills in exchange for donations to your nonprofit? Then you have a great handyman/chores services fundraiser!   Start by gathering the types of services and scope of work your volunteers are willing to perform. Next, your organization should assign a minimum donation value to each task.    

Ask community members, especially seniors, whether they have decorating, cleaning, minor repairs, yard work, or other odd jobs that need to be completed. Local businesses might even be interested in sponsoring a clean-up of a public space that would benefit your community!    

Gift Wrapping  

Every holiday, malls across America are jam-packed with shoppers loaded with presents of all shapes and sizes that need wrapping. Your organization can help harried holiday shoppers save time while funding your mission by setting up gift-wrapping stations at strategic locations in shopping centers or at a central location, such as your office or school.   

Add a little holiday cheer – candy canes, cookies, and some holiday music from your phone or music player to create a happy atmosphere that will encourage shoppers to stop and let you wrap. Make sure you assign your best wrappers to do the wrapping. Other volunteers can help to wait for shoppers to pick wrapping paper, add finishing touches like ribbons or bows, and restock supplies.   

Matching Gifts  

A straightforward way to maximize the impact of your donors’ gifts is to incorporate a gift-matching strategy into your nonprofit’s fundraising, boosting your supporters’ donations with minimal effort. 

One of the most significant fundraising resources for nonprofits is corporate gift-matching programs. In these programs, employers agree to match their employees’ donations to nonprofit organizations, typically up to a certain dollar amount per year.    

While many companies have these programs, not every employee knows about them or how to use them. In a matching gift fundraiser, your nonprofit will go the extra mile to help supporters:    

1. Determine their matching gift eligibility    
2. Donate to your organization    
3. Complete the gift-matching process    

Sometimes, all donors need is a push to help see their gift matched by their employer. With the help of gift-matching software, it’s never been easier to guide your constituents through the gift-matching process!      

Grace Green, Senior Partnership Specialist at Double the Donation, says: 

“A partner-driven approach that is working right now: custom matching programs. These initiatives are similar to your traditional matching gift programs, with the primary difference being that the company offering the program matches gifts only to a single organization.  

One-off programs like these have proven effective for organizations to initiate mutually beneficial relationships with businesses that have yet to offer matching gifts for their employees. For example, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) collaborated with Danaher Corporation to implement a one-off match, which increased the business’s total giving by more than 150%. As part of the partnership, Danaher encouraged its staff to give and collect funds for an LLS fundraising event. Then, the company matched employee donations, doubling the team members’ generosity for the organization. ” 

Moving for a Cause  

Most people can always use an extra hand when moving. Gather a team of strong folks to do some heavy lifting to help the community (and your cause).     

In exchange for a donation fee to your nonprofit, community members can fill out a moving request form to designate the type of help they need. They might need boxes packed or unpacked, or extra help reorganizing their attic, basement, or garage. The local seniors’ support group may want to hire your volunteers to carry groceries for their clients.     

Night at the Races   

A Night at the Races is a fun way to engage your community without a ton of lift for your staff (or a ton of cost!)   

A Night at the Races is an audience-participation event featuring actual, recorded horse races to recreate the fun and excitement of being at the racetrack.   

Each of the 11 races is announced live and features on-site betting booths. Your nonprofit can supply the space, and guests can bring food, beverages, and merriment! Aside from admissions, your organization can offer horses for purchase (like raffle tickets; the purchaser gets to name them!) and sponsorships.     

The program involves showing the races, taking bets using a prescribed program, and other fun revenue enhancers!  

Paper Icons   

A donate-back night is a regular fundraising opportunity for nonprofits. Consider asking restaurants that have supported your mission to offer a paper icon in a check presenter for $1 or $5, to be displayed at the bar or another area of the restaurant.    

All those dollars add up, and the paper icons share your organization’s and brand’s identity throughout the area! While you cannot track these donors as individuals, a paper icon campaign is a great way to elevate your brand awareness.  

Pick-a-Team  

Some groups host brackets or squares for various major sporting events. Those are fun and well-known fundraising options!    

A simple way to engage in sporting event fundraising is to have people donate and pick a team to make it to the championship. You can offer different levels of winners for second and third place, too! It might be a smaller raffle, but the more you engage people throughout the year, the more likely they are to continue supporting your mission!  

Pub Crawl  

You may know the basic premise: a group gathers at a starting point, then travels from bar to bar, spending a set time in each establishment and partaking in beverages. These fun events offer easy ways for your organization to fundraise.  

Your organization may want to consider renting a party bus to transport your crawlers safely from spot to spot, but if there are enough local drinking holes available, walking will do just fine.   

There are several options for raising money with a pub crawl, including selling tickets to join the crawl, holding a 50/50 raffle, selling t-shirts and other merchandise to commemorate the event, and even corporate sponsorship.    

Your crawl can be even more fun when you turn it into a themed fundraising event your crawler donors will never forget. Here are some ideas:     

• 12 Bars of Christmas   
• 70s/80s/90s   
• Beach Bash   
• Bob Ross   
• Kentucky Derby   
• Lumberjack   
• Pajama    
• Pirate    
• Superhero   
• Zombie   

Even non-drinkers can support your cause and enjoy a good pub crawl by ordering non-alcoholic beverages or mocktails.  

Send-a-Gram   

Grams are an excellent corporate or school fundraiser. They can be especially engaging if delivered by executives, managers, or others who are fun to see serve your donors.  

Some “Gram” ideas include:   

• Candy   
• Candy Canes  
• Coffee  
• Donuts/Pastries 
• Flowers  
• Temporary Tattoos  

Wacky Wager  

Wacky Wager fundraising can become one of your nonprofit’s most fun and creative fundraising ideas. Encourage individuals or teams to set mini-fundraising goals and offer donors unconventional, wacky incentives to entice them to give. For example, it will be easy to get five people to donate $50 each to see a video of their friend ice skating in a tutu or wearing bunny ears during the workday!   

Wacky Wager fundraisers will have a ball competing to be the biggest contributor and to pick their favorite volunteer’s temporary new hair color.    

Leave it to your fundraising team to come up with goal incentives, or let your social network decide the wager. Wacky wagers are lots of good, clean fun and a great way to share engaging pictures, videos, and stories about your nonprofit and fundraising efforts over social media.    

Battle of the Bands  

A battle-of-the-bands fundraising event idea will not disappoint. You’ll have the opportunity to raise money from band entry registration fees, ticket sales, and crowdfunding donations raised by the acts and their fans to cast votes in their favor.     

Your venue availability and selection will determine the size of your event or vice versa. Try school gyms, community halls, malls (think outdoor summer concert series-style), or local coffee shops, which may offer discounted or donated space in exchange for extra foot traffic/business.    

Reach out to restaurants and businesses (especially music-related ones) in the community for prizes for contestant performers and crowd raffles.    

Set it up as a voting competition! Each act can have its own mobile-friendly fundraising page, which it can customize and promote to its network of friends, family, loyal fans, and supporters.    

The audience will determine the winner by casting their votes through donations to your cause. The band with the most donors or the highest donation total wins!    

Cupcake Wars  

This friendly, deliciously sweet competition will surely add a sweet touch to your fundraising goals.    

In addition to judging and elimination rounds to determine the winner of the ultimate cupcake war, baking teams can crowdfund before and during the event through donations and votes.  If you don’t want the winner decided solely by judges, you can give a reward to the team with the most donors or the highest donation total.    

Looking for more tasty ideas? Consider voting competitions like:    

• Chili    
• Pie    
• Cookies    
• Cocktails    
• Mocktails    

Since the sweet smells of the baking goodies will leave the crowds hungry, be sure to offer concession items, coffee, beverages, and cupcakes for sale.    

Decorating   

College students are not particularly known for keeping their rooms nice and neat. When you challenge them to decorate those rooms so that other students, friends, and family can vote on the coolest, most unique, or creative, you might be surprised by how quickly things can change, and it’s all being done for a good cause.    

Students should be as creative as possible as long as they follow all fire, safety, and dorm rules and regulations.    

Set up a Dorm Room Tour fundraising page and promote it to potential contestants via text-to-keyword campaigns shared on social media, in newsletters, and on bulletin boards.    

• Students who text the keyword will immediately receive a link to sign up for the contest and create their own personalized dorm voting (fundraising team) page.    
• Dorm room entrants can post photos and videos of their decorating in progress on social media to encourage friends and family to vote for their room by donating money for the cause via their personalized keyword.    
• Each dollar donated counts as a vote for the dorm room of choice.    

Once you are ready to announce the winning dorm room(s), live-stream the presentation to the winners, whom you can prompt to make one last real-time plea on your behalf to keep donations coming in to support your program.    

As you look for other options, consider these alternatives to voting competitions.  

• Halloween decorating     
• Holiday decorating     
• Locker decorating     
• Office/cube decorating     
• Parking space painting    

A well-planned, multi-revenue-stream fundraising event strategy is necessary for nonprofits looking to boost annual revenue.    

Year-Round and Recurring Fundraising

Monthly Giving Programs 

Fundraising shines when it shifts organizations toward sustainable, ongoing support. Monthly giving programs create predictable revenue and deepen donor loyalty. And donors love it too, because the amounts are manageable, while still creating a sense of ongoing impact toward the mission or cause that drew them to you in the first place. 

Donor Stewardship Campaigns 

Campaigns focused on impact updates, gratitude, and donor recognition often lead to increased giving over time. Offering Donor Appreciation Days, personalized thank-yous, and campaign impact reports (showing them how their donations are helping your mission) are all ways to showcase stewardship and motivate more donations. 

Membership or Subscription-Based Fundraising  

Membership models offer donors a sense of belonging rather than a transactional relationship. Common offerings include tiered levels of giving with various naming rights, benefits, and early or exclusive access to information, resources, or high-value membership (e.g., meet-and-greets, front-row seats to a panel discussion, etc.). 

Whether you choose a high-profile gala, a community-friendly scavenger hunt, or even a small initiative like a bake sale, each fundraising event provides a unique opportunity to engage supporters, generate funds, build lasting relationships, and expand your donor base.     

The key is to match the event with your organization’s capacity and mission—ensuring it’s not only fun and engaging but also strategically aligned with your goals. With these 70+ creative ideas, nonprofits of all sizes can find the perfect fundraiser to grow revenue, enhance community involvement, and ultimately advance their missions.

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