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Online fundraising ideas
Virtual fundraisers are a powerful way to involve more supporters with your cause—anyone around the world can join and donate!
The possibilities are endless, but we’ve assembled a list of our favorite online fundraising ideas—including virtual happy hours, livestream telethons, and book clubs—to help get your digital party started.
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Team apparel sale
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T-shirt design contest
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Jersey auction
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.
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Coding bootcamp
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Virtual movie night
Host a virtual family movie night using Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) on your favorite streaming platform. Collect donations before or during your fundraising event, and make it more interactive and fun with movie trivia questions throughout the evening.
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Swag sale
Raise some extra funds for your organization or club and spread the word about your cause by selling branded swag like totes, stickers, and t-shirts.
With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!
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Grab bags
To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.
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Donation drive
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!
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Pay you not to ask me again
Give your supporters a way to opt out of all your upcoming donation requests during a big fundraising effort. If they contribute via your donation form before a certain date, you’ll take them off your email and call list for the whole campaign! Then, you can easily segment your email list with your built-in CRM and marketing tools.
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Fitness class
Ask local instructors to donate a virtual or in-person class for your cause. Sell tickets and boost revenue on the day of by offering snacks, drinks, or branded merch.
March Madness
Raise money while cheering on your favorite NCAA players with a bracket competition culminating in a ticketed March Madness watch party.
To take this fundraising idea online, take advantage of livestreaming tools, too!
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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!
Trivia night
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.
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Video Game Tournament
Host a tournament featuring the most popular video games. Charge entry fees for participants and offer donated prizes for winners. To make it digital, livestream the event so participants can play—and cheer each other on—from home.
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Talent show
Host a talent show and invite supporters to take to the stage and show off their skills. Sell tickets, drinks, and snacks to raise funds for your cause.
Make the experience even more interactive with text-to-donate. Let audience members vote from their seats and help you raise money in real time.
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Birthday fundraiser
Instead of birthday gifts, ask friends and family to make a donation to your nonprofit cause!
Givebutter’s fundraising pages make it easy to share your story, upload photos and videos, and let supporters leave comments as they give.
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Battle of the bands
Host a battle of the bands with local musicians. Change the audience a small ticket fee, or raise funds by selling drinks and snacks.
Raise even more money by livestreaming the show. Encourage your supporters to tune in, support the event, and donate what they can towards your goal.
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Give it up challenge
Ask supporters to “give up” a small indulgence—like their morning coffee—for a set amount of time and donate those funds to your campaign instead.
Create a fundraising page to share challenge ideas, set suggested donation amounts, and post updates or donor shout-outs to keep momentum going.
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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.
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10,000 steps challenge
Encourage members to set up a fundraising page and accept pledges based on how long they’ll commit to their 10k-steps-a-day habit.
Invite participants to set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page where they can share their personal stories and interact with supporters.
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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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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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Discount cards
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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No-talent show
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Get top features for your virtual fundraiser
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual fundraiser?
A virtual (or online) fundraiser is a campaign or event created to raise money for a good cause through a website or online platform. While nonprofit organizations have been using this fundraising strategy for quite some time, it became even more popular during the pandemic, when in-person events weren’t possible.
Unlike in-person fundraising opportunities, virtual fundraisers allow people to participate from anywhere using a computer, phone, or other mobile device. It's like bringing the fundraising party to your living room! You can host a virtual event to connect with others and encourage supporters to invest in your mission—all without leaving home.
How can I raise money virtually?
You can raise funds online through donation pages, peer-to-peer fundraising, or crowdfunding campaigns, as well as virtual events like livestream concerts, talent shows, or auctions.
Some of the best digital fundraising ideas leverage social media platforms (e.g., Facebook Live, social media takeovers), email campaigns, and text-to-donate tools to collect donations. Online merchandise sales can also help boost your fundraising efforts.
What is the best online fundraising site?
The top fundraising sites include trusted platforms like Givebutter, GoFundMe, Fundly, Kickstarter, and Donorbox. Each offers different features, fees, and support, so it's important to choose the one that aligns best with your fundraising goals and needs.
What are the best virtual fundraising ideas for a small team or solo organizer?
Birthday fundraisers and peer-to-peer campaigns work great for small teams or solo organizers. Just set up a simple fundraising page and share it with friends and family—they already want to support you! These fundraisers are easy to launch, require minimal coordination, and maximize your personal network's power to spread the word.
Do virtual fundraisers raise as much as in-person events?
Yes! With the right internet fundraising ideas, you can raise as much as—or even more than—in-person events. Virtual fundraisers often provide benefits like broader reach, lower costs, and more convenience. Success depends on choosing fundraisers that translate well to an online setting (e.g., virtual galas, auctions, telethons) rather than those that lose appeal virtually—a virtual car wash might not be a big draw.
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