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Church fundraising ideas

Looking for best church fundraisers to rally your congregation and raise money for your next project? Discover fresh approaches to raising the roof (literally) and hitting your financial goals with the best fundraising ideas for churches.

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Talent show

Stage a talent show and invite members to take to the stage to show off their skills. Sell tickets, drinks, and snacks to raise money.

Make the whole experience feel even more interactive with text-to-donate. Invite audience members to vote from their seats and raise money for your cause at the same time.

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Grown-up bake sale

Sell donated or homemade gourmet goodies like croissants and macarons for the ultimate grownups-with-a-sweet-tooth fundraiser.

Collect in-person payments with scan-to-donate, which gives donors a wide range of payment options.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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Crawl for a cause

Build community and explore your city with a themed art, food, or experience crawl. Collect registrations on your fundraising event page, and partner with the featured venues to benefit from a percentage of ticket or food sales at each stop.

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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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.

Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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Drive-in movie night


Turn a parking lot and the side of a building into a makeshift drive-in movie theater. Charge an entrance fee and raise funds by selling drinks and snacks.

Sell tickets for your fundraising event in advance, and use engaging features like scan-to-donate and mobile app check-in to streamline your guests' experience.

Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Auction your time or skills

Ask supporters to volunteer their special skills, then auction their time and expertise to the highest bidder!

Streamline the whole experience with the help of free auction software. Add and categorize items, manage bids, and your bidders can get real-time updates on what’s happening.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Auctions

Rent your space

Rent your field, venue, office, or community space to other groups and organizations to make the most of any time it isn't in use.

Spread the word that your space is available for rent with your email marketing software. Don’t forget to include photos of the space to encourage interest!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Give it up challenge

Invite supporters to “give up” something small like their morning coffee order for a set amount of time and donate those funds towards your campaign instead.

Create a fundraising page for your challenge, including a list of ideas and suggested donation amounts. Share campaign updates and donor shout-outs to keep momentum going toward your goal!

Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Peer-to-peer

Gala night

Plan a sophisticated gala night with music, food, and a silent auction.

Get your supporters excited about your upcoming event with an eye-catching gala invitation template. Include details on how to buy tickets, or add a scan-to-donate QR code.

Cost:
3
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
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Workshop or masterclass

Put your community’s talents to good use.Host an expert workshop or masterclass series and raise funds through ticket sales.

You don’t need to limit your audience to only the people you can fit in the room. Consider livestreaming your event to make it more accessible and raise even more dollars.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Yard sale

Turn old treasures into fresh new funds for your good cause! Ask community members to host individual yard sales and donate their proceeds to your campaign. Or, host one large community yard sale using donated goods.

Create a fundraising page for your yard sale, use campaign updates to keep your community engaged, and update the fundraising total to reflect how much you’ve raised.

Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Penny wars

Grades or classes compete to collect the most pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Grab a few jars and encourage students to find some loose change to get started! To ensure that no one forgets their cents at home, send reminders to parents with free texting software.

Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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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
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Petting zoo

Partner with a local farm or petting zoo to bring in animals for a day of fun. Charge an entry fee and offer optional donations for extra activities, like pony rides, to raise even more funds. Make sure attendees can make quick payments from their phones, using methods like Venmo or Tap to Pay, so they don't need to return to their cars for cash.

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Online garage sale

Collect new and used goods from your community and sell items on a first-come, first-served basis—virtually. To introduce some fun competition and bring in more funds, turn the sale into an auction with buy-now pricing options!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Field day

Invite participants to register for a day of fun outdoor games and competitions, like relay races, a water balloon toss, and a good old-fashioned tug-of-war.

Make your fundraising event a success with sponsorships from local businesses to offset costs and bring in more participants.

Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Lemonade stand

Sell lemonade (and maybe some tasty treats, too!) to raise funds for your cause. Make purchases smooth as butter with scan-to-donate and donation forms that accept every payment method, including Venmo!

Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
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Family dance

Give the “father-daughter” or “mother-son” dance an inclusive update and give families of all shapes and sizes an unforgettable night of cutting a rug together for a good cause.

Choose a theme, sell tickets for your fundraising event online, and raise even more by setting up a photo booth with silly props!

Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Discount cards

Create and sell discount card coupon books full of deals to local restaurants and businesses. Sell the coupon books on a custom donation form and share it far and wide!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Cookie-decorating extravaganza

Volunteers bake batches of cookies to contribute to a decorating contest! Participants pay a small fee to enter and use frosting and other edible flare you provide to compete for the best cookie design.

To make your fundraising event even sweeter, bring in a cookie-decorating expert to show off some sweet tips and tricks.

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Raise some dough with cookie dough

Buy wholesale cookie dough for volunteers to sell during peak cookie-baking season. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising so participants can compete to see who sold the most!

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Family photo day

Partner with a local photographer and charge a fee for photo packages with themed backdrops or props. Create custom tickets with time slots for families to sign up to keep the day moving smoothly.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Tag Day

Invite students to post up outside local businesses and ask patrons for donations. Donors receive “tags” (stickers) when they give. Offer in-person payments using Venmo or scan-to-donate!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Kids’ art calendar

Turn kids’ finger paintings and drawings into custom calendars—or transform them into keepsakes like photo books, mugs, or t-shirts. Sell the merch using a fun, eye-catching auction or fundraising page.

Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Auctions

Corporate matching gift drive

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.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Frequently asked questions

The best fundraising for church ideas build on the deep connections that congregations foster. These include community cook-offs, service days, or peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, where individuals create online donation pages and ask for support from friends and family members to fund specific programs. 

Most places of worship sustain their mission through consistent donations, sometimes called tithes, from members of the congregation. 

Churches may also have multiple fundraising drives and events throughout the year, including rummage sales, silent auctions, and family-friendly activities that charge a small fee, in addition to in-kind donations and investments.

Many verses throughout the Bible promote Christian fundraising ideas and other acts of giving—whether that be through sharing kindness, service, or prosperity. 

One example is in 2 Corinthians 9:6, which states, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

The easiest ways to raise funds for your church are those that your team has the skill, resources, and motivation to host and encourage others to take part in—book or bake sales, postcard drives, you name it. 

Additionally, many churches and other faith-based organizations generate passive income by renting out their space to local groups.

Beyond passing the plate on Sunday morning, church fundraising events that bring in the most money are typically large-scale events, such as a 24-hour social media livestream marathon, or exciting, time-specific campaigns like “Raise the Roof” or “Bail Out the Pastor” challenges.

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