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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Annual holiday party
Throw a big annual holiday party to finish the year in style. Make this a VIP event and raise funds through ticket sales or partner up with sponsors to help offset costs and reach more supporters.
With Givebutter you can create unlimited custom event ticket types—allowing you to create fun VIP packages to offer to your partygoers.









Town hall event
Host a town hall event to give community members an opportunity to learn about your organization, program, or new project. Display your text-to-give code prominently around the space to raise funds from inspired audience members.









Legacy giving
Encourage supporters to make a planned gift to your organization (e.g., bequests, charitable trusts, or beneficiary designations) to leave a lasting legacy. Wealth screening software can help you identify the best donors to reach out to right in your CRM.









Dog walking
Set up a service in which volunteers will walk or play with community members' dogs in exchange for a donation.
Simplify the experience for your supporters by using custom labels to create specific options on your donation forms, like $50 for a 2-hour walk.









Neighborhood tailgate party
Swap the stadium for your local streets and host a neighborhood tailgate party. Clear a block or two and set up food stalls, carnival games, and plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy.
You can make the event free and charge for activities or create a ticketed event—whichever you choose, our fundraising event features can help.









Tree planting day









Spring cleaning
Rally volunteers together for a spring cleaning of your community space or a street in your neighborhood. Reach out to local businesses to sponsor the event and offer supplies. Then, invite donations from your local community with scan-to-donate signage as you work!









Easter gift basket auction
Source delicious treats and seasonal goodies to create a selection of Easter gift baskets for aneggcellentsilent auction.
Combine classic Easter baskets (chocolate eggs, bunnies, etc.) with other awesome silent auction basket ideas to offer biddable items for the whole family.









Movies in the park
Ask your community members to join you for a series of movies in the park this summer. Screen a classic or trending movie somewhere scenic, and sell popcorn, drinks, and other refreshments.
Sell tickets online, check guests in with your mobile app, and offer easy payment methods like scan-to-donate for on-the-spot donations.









Beach day
Arrange a day of sand and sun for your team members, volunteers, and the wider community with beach games, a picnic, and lots of family fun.
Set an affordable ticket price or ask for donations to cover the cost of the event and raise funds—whichever you choose, our fundraising event tools can help!









Building tour
If you're opening a new building, offer a VIP tour to your community members. Set a ticket price or auction them off. To raise the most from your VIP building tour, use auction software to host a fun and stress-free experience for your supporters.









Street clean up
Work with local businesses to sponsor the day and encourage donations towards your charity or group.









Summer day out
Raise funds and give your supporters a memorable experience at the same time with an excursion to an exciting attraction, museum, or other destination.
Use a fundraising event page to make registration and payment easy, and add custom fields to capture important information from each participant, such as t-shirt size or dietary restrictions.









Water balloon fight
Celebrate the arrival or end of summer with a water balloon fight, all in the aid of a great cause. Invite individuals or teams to pay to enter and encourage them to set up peer-to-peer fundraising pages to raise donations from friends and family members before the big day.
With team fundraising pages, their individual efforts can be tallied up with their teammates’!









Summer project sale
Host a yard sale themed around helping people finish those summer projects they've been meaning to tackle. Have stalls that cater to a range of DIY projects with materials like paint, furniture, craft supplies, scrapbooking materials, and more.
Use email marketing software to spread the word about the upcoming sale and share a printable map, so attendees know what kinds of booths will be there.









Sponsor a stud
Encourage donors to "sponsor" a piece of lumber your team will use in your construction projects. Create custom labels for different donation amounts on your donation form that align with the cost of materials (e.g., $50 donation equals 3 pieces of lumber). Don’t forget to invite all sponsors to the ribbon-cutting ceremony when construction is complete!









Membership drive
Incentivize supporters to invite friends and family to sign up for a membership during a specific period of time. Offer discounted rates or additional perks, and accept recurring donations with ease on a user-friendly platform.









Hot chocolate stall
Set up a hot chocolate or coffee stand and sell hot drinks to warm up your community! Have coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and plenty of syrups and toppings that they can add for an extra fee. Don’t forget marshmallows! Make it easy for supporters to pay for their drinks as you make them with scan-to-donate, Venmo, and other seamless payment options.









Give $5, grab 5 friends
Ask your supporters to donate $5 to your cause. Then, each donor has to tag at least five people via social media. The goal is that each person who gets tagged matches that $5 gift to your campaign—and then tags five others.
This is a great social media fundraising idea that can spread quickly within your community, helping you raise funds fast.









Build-a-thon
Invite supporters to have a tangible impact on their communities by raising funds and committing to volunteer their time to help build homes for those in need.
Participants create personal peer-to-peer fundraising pages where they can share their commitment to this cause with their friends and family, encouraging them to donate and support the initiative.









Scratch card fundraiser
Collect cash or accept virtual payments on the spot with Tap-to-Pay, Venmo, and more convenient options.









Popcorn fundraiser
Partner with a popcorn supplier and sell gourmet popcorn to family, friends, and community members. Add mouthwatering images to tickets to showcase all the different flavors available.









Pet picture day
Ask a photographer in your area to volunteer to take pictures of pets and their owners at a local park. Customize your fundraising event page with time-slotted tickets to make the day go smoothly.









Thrifty fashion show
Host a fashion show featuring only second-hand clothes, which will then be on sale after the show! Charge an entrance fee, sell food and drinks, and remember to send a big thank you to everyone when your fundraising event is all over.









Pumpkin patch
Partner with a local farm to create a family-friendly pumpkin patch event. Invite your community to come take fall photos and pick out a pumpkin or two in exchange for a donation.
Make transactions quick and easy with Tap to Pay and a scan-to-donate QR code posted to let donors choose their payment method—PayPal, Google Pay, Venmo, and more.









Frequently asked questions
What are some examples of great church fundraisers?
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.
What are some of the ways churches make money?
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.
What does the Bible say about fundraising in the church?
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.”
Which church fundraiser ideas are the easiest?
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.
Which fundraiser ideas for church groups raise the most money?
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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