Fall fundraising ideas
The fall season is the perfect time to introduce spooky themes and cozy, seasonal delights into your fundraising strategy. Try autumn fundraising ideas like pie-eating contests and haunted houses, or bring together several activities into a big fall festival to rally community members and raise more than ever.
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Thanksgiving food drive
Raise funds and ask supporters to contribute food items to provide neighbors in need with all the ingredients for a delicious and dignified Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkey Trot
Give your community a good reason to break out their jogging shoes on Turkey Day! Offer a one-stop shop for runner signups and donations with registration fundraising tools.
Scary movie marathon
Pick a series of spooky films to show every Friday night in October. Sell Halloween-themed concessions and display a QR code to encourage donations before the show begins!
Spooky bake sale
Decorate cookies and other treats with Halloween flair and sell them at a fall festival or community gathering. Or, make the bake sale the main event!
Monster Mash
Throw a rockin’ Halloween party for a good cause! Sell tickets and sponsorships, use Tap to Pay for drinks and snacks, and celebrate the best costumes with special prizes.
Trunk or treat
Ask local businesses to sponsor this non-traditional trick-or-treating experience. Families and volunteers decorate their cars and hand out candy to kids in a designated parking lot for a safe, fun-filled event.
Turkey raffle
Sell raffle tickets right on your event page to give donors the chance to win an epic Thanksgiving feast while supporting your cause at the same time.
Thanksgiving dinner
Host a big Thanksgiving meal to bring your entire community together. Sell tickets on a sliding scale so everyone can join in the fun.
Giving Tuesday campaign
Create a special campaign for Giving Tuesday and get your supporters to join in the action with peer-to-peer fundraising pages, social media, and more.
Candle Making
Costume contest
Throw a themed costume party to match the season or holiday and award prizes for the best costumes! Sell tickets to your fundraising event online and partner with local sponsors to offset costs and spread the word.
Field goal derby
Flag football tournament
Bring fans onto the field for some football fun! Teams register and pay to play and fans buy tickets to cheer them on.
Alumni night
Sell tickets to an all-inclusive alumni dinner before a big game or event. During half-time or intermission, bring out the alumni for special recognition. Alternatively, you can livestream a special alumni message during a virtual event.
Social media challenge
Choose a theme and hashtag, then encourage supporters to post a video or photo, tag others to join in, and donate!
Explore more social media fundraising tips to take your efforts to the next level.
5k walk/run
Map out your fundraising run route and have supporters donate to participate. Then, use peer-to-peer and team fundraising tools that let supporters create their own donation pages, set goals, and ask friends and family to contribute!
Ugly sweater run
Halloween costume run
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!
Mascot showdown
Join forces with your rival team for a good cause. Organize a race or other competition between your mascots during halftime at a big game, and ask supporters to vote for their mascot by donating on a team fundraising page. Use text-to-donate or a QR code to bring in even more funds from the stands during the event.
Concession stand
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!
Pumpkin Games
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.
Flower bulb sale
Sell wholesale flowers or request donations from nurseries and landscaping stores to sell to supporters. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage individual supporters to compete to see who can sell the most!
One-day giving event
Take part in Giving Tuesday or create your own giving day in which you mobilize your community to reach your fundraising goal in one day.
Keep your supporters invested in your progress with a goal bar and campaign updates that highlight milestones, matching gifts, and special shout-outs throughout the day.
Holiday-grams
Put together bundles of holiday cards and small gifts and charge extra for distribution at your club, school, college, or workplace.
Customize your donation form with custom fields to collect all the details you need—such as the recipient’s name, a personalized, heartfelt holiday message, and where the gram should be delivered.
Haunted house
Frequently asked questions
What are the most popular autumn festival games?
Carnival games and family-friendly activities like face painting and pumpkin decorating will draw in the crowds and raise awareness (and funds) for your good cause. A chili cook-off or other food-based competitions are always a big draw, too!
What are the most profitable fall fundraising ideas?
If you’re raising money to hit a lofty fundraising goal, sell tickets to an exclusive, high-priced event like a gala or harvest dinner party with a silent auction. Or, charge an entry fee for a kids vs. grownups football game. Partnering with local businesses is always a great way to offset costs.
You can also start a fun social media challenge and peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to encourage friends and family to join in on the action.
How do I plan and promote my fall fundraiser?
Planning your next fall fundraiser just got easier, thanks to our handy event planning checklist. Follow our guide for step-by-step help, from idea brainstorming and event promotion all the way through to hosting your event debrief.
Which are the easiest fall fundraisers to host?
Fall-themed fundraising ideas like a haunted house or Oktoberfest are tons of fun, but they also take a lot of planning. If you’re looking for easy fall fundraising ideas, our favorite picks include hosting a pumpkin carving contest, a Halloween costumed bake sale, or a nature photography walk.
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