Cheap fundraising ideas

Auction off game-worn jerseys from your team or donated professional jerseys either online or in person. Take advantage of free silent auction software for simple and easy bidding, custom item descriptions, and more.

Create and sell custom VIP event ticketsthat offer access to front-row, cushioned seats (and maybe some special team swag) at your next home game for your biggest fans and supporters.

Create and sell custom VIP event tickets that offer parking perks to donors who'd appreciate the convenience of getting dropped off right at the game entrance.

Ask local businesses to sponsor your team for the entire season! Create a sponsorship proposal that outlines exactly what donors will get in return—like featuring their signage or logo each time you score!

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.

Sell passes for a day out of uniform or a day in jeans. Allow parents to pre-pay ahead or donate on the day-of the event. For easy payments, use scan-to-donate or accept Venmo and other convenient options.

Charge an entrance fee and check-in attendees as they arrive for an evening of creativity and fun. Ask volunteers to bring various supplies, or ask for donations from local art stores.

Students pledge to read a certain number of minutes each day and collect donations for each minute read or a flat rate. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage readers to compete to see who reads—and raises—the most.

Invite community members to perform music, poetry, or comedy for a good cause. Ask audience members to make a small donation and offer snacks to raise more funds using easy in-person mobile payments like Tap to Pay and scan-to-donate.

Use Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) to host a virtual family movie night fundraising event on the streaming service of your choice. Ask movie trivia questions throughout to make the evening more interactive!

Assemble teams, charge entry fees, and cheer everyone on as they compete for the best score. Encourage participants to make personal team fundraising pages and ask friends and family to support them and the cause.

Each class or grade creates a team fundraising page for easy donations and campaign sharing. The team that raises the most or brings in the most donations is rewarded with a bottomless pizza day, either made by volunteers or donated from a local pizzeria.

Reach out to local businesses and ask them to donate a small number of products that you can bundle together and offer donors online.

To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.

Set up a donation drive to collect valuable in-kind donations or financial gifts for your cause. This can be done by setting up a drop-off zone in person or collecting donations online through a fundraising page. No matter the format—make sure to share your fundraising goal far and wide to keep the momentum going!

Invite food trucks to a big game or event and ask them in return to donate a portion of all food sales to your team. To really sweeten the sponsorship opportunity, offer benefits for these small businesses, like free marketing and publicity.

Create a peer to peer fundraising campaign and invite participants to create their own pages and compete to raise the most funds. Watch the leaderboard for live updates on who’s in the lead. The person with the highest amount raised or the most individual donations will shave their head—or nominate someone else to shave their own!

Ask local businesses to sponsor your team in exchange for logo placement on jerseys, in programs, or on stadium banners. Be sure to follow sponsorship proposal best practices to make the most of this partnership!

Ask local instructors to donate a virtual or in-person class for your cause. Sell tickets and bring in some extra funds on the day of by selling snacks and branded merch.

Sell custom event ticket types and group tickets that offer unlimited access to games—or charge a certain number of tickets per game.

Team up with your local animal shelter to host an event to raise awareness and funds for both the shelter and your organization or campaign. Attendees get bonus puppy snuggles!

At the event, highlight the different mobile giving options your supporters can choose from with live display.

Brighten up someone’s day and raise money for a good cause. Set up a booth where passers-by or event attendees can make a donation of their choice and receive a high-five from you or your volunteers.

Make the donation process as quick and easy as the high-five itself—send people straight to your donation form with scan-to-donate.

At this crowd-favorite activity, you can come up with fun questions, charge entry fees for teams, and raise extra money by providing sweet and salty snacks.

Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.

At your next event, fill a jar with candy and, for a small fee, invite people to guess how many pieces are in the jar. The closest guess wins all the candy!

Use scan-to-donate to send guessers directly to your donation page for easy on-the-spot giving. Print the QR code onto a poster, or display it on a tablet or screen on your stand.

Pledge to do something wild, exciting, or newsworthy if your fundraising campaign hits or exceeds its target.

Share regular campaign updates and add a goal bar to your fundraising page to keep the momentum going and encourage more donations.