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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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Yard sale


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

Create a fundraising page for your event, post campaign updates to keep people engaged, and update the fundraising total as donations come in.
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Penny wars


Organize a friendly competition between grades or classes to collect the most pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Just grab a few jars and encourage students to find some loose change to get started! 
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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!
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Petting zoo


Partner with a local farm or petting zoo to bring animals on-site for a day of fun. Charge an entry fee and optional donations for extra activities like pony rides. 

Make sure attendees can make quick payments from their phones, using methods like Venmo or Tap to Pay, so they don't have to return to their cars for cash.
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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! 
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Field day


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

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


Set up a classic lemonade stand—and maybe add some tasty treats—to raise funds for your cause. Make purchases seamless with scan-to-donate and mobile-friendly donation forms that accept Venmo and other popular payment methods. 
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Family dance


Give the classic “father-daughter” or “mother-son” dance an inclusive update. Invite families of all shapes and sizes to enjoy a fun 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!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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. 
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Tag Day


Invite students to set up outside local businesses and collect donations from patrons. Donors receive “tags” (stickers) to show they gave. Accept payments via Venmo or scan-to-donate!
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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.
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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:
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Impact:
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Community potluck dinner


Invite each person to contribute a dish and invite at least two people to join your dinner. To keep everything organized, customize your fundraising page or donation form so participants can note what dish they’re bringing when they RSVP—and make a contribution to your campaign.
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No-talent show

Sell tickets to an all-but-traditional talent show where people make a fool of themselves for a good cause. Offer seamless event ticketing, sell food and drinks, and let the laughs begin!
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Flower bouquets

Partner with a local florist to set up a stall where volunteers make, wrap, and sell flower bouquets for Mother's Day, Easter, or any other spring celebration.

Create a fundraising page with custom donation amounts featuring a photo of each kind of bouquet and the number available so donors can reserve bouquets online or purchase in person.
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Fashion show


Host a fashion show that showcases talented local designers, fashion students, or both! Make it inclusive and invite people of all sizes and abilities to be your models.

At this fundraising event, you can bring in donations by charging entrance fees, selling food and drinks, and adding a silent auction.
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Teen film festival

Invite teens to showcase their own short films and charge admission to audience members. In order to cast a vote for their favorite films, supporters must give a donation to the film’s/filmmaker’s team fundraising page. Watch the results roll in on the live leaderboard and offer awards for the best film winners in various categories.
Cost:
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Peer-to-peer

Gift wrapping

Source donated paper, set up a gift wrapping station in a popular location, and charge for holiday gift-wrapping! Use scan-to-donate or Venmo to accept payments on the spot.
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Community service day

Organize volunteers to participate in a day of community care—tackling local projects and tasks in exchange for donations from your community members. 

Showcase every project or fundraiser you’re working on using a central giving hub, so supporters can see all your amazing work in one place.
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Chili cook-off


Invite participants to prepare their best chili for attendees—and offer prizes for the winner! Create team fundraising pages for each chili recipe/culinary team. There, supporters can cast their vote with a donation and watch the live leaderboard to see which chef is in the lead!
Cost:
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Impact:
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Peer-to-peer

Easter egg hunt


Host an epic Easter egg hunt and set up a fundraising event page so families can register with a sliding-scale donation. 

Add an Easter Bunny photo booth or bake sale and accept donations with scan-to-donate or Venmo on the day of the hunt. 

Cost:
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Gift basket showdown

Using peer-to-peer fundraising, participants compete to raise the most money for your campaign. The winner gets the first pick from a selection of gift baskets.  
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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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