YMCA fundraising ideas

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.

Encourage friends and family members to make a donation to your nonprofit cause instead of giving you a birthday gift.

Givebutter’s fundraising pages make it easy to get creative and express your personality. Add photos and videos, share your story, and leave comments and drawings for your supporters as they give.

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!

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.

Introduce the wider community to your club or group by hosting a themed culture day. Offer workshops, food, and activities in exchange for small donations using easy fundraising event tools like ticketing and mobile payment options.

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.

Set up a booth where passersby can get their face painted by volunteers from your group in exchange for a small donation.

Make it easy for people to give with scan-to-donate. All they need to do is scan the QR code and they’ll land on your donation page in seconds.

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!

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.

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.

Create a spooky experience and raise funds by encouraging brave participants to enter—if they dare. Accept payments on the spot with scan-to-donate, Venmo, and more convenient options.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Organize volunteers to take part in a day of community care in which you work together to tackle projects and tasks in exchange for donations from your community members.

Showcase every project or fundraiser you’re working on with a central giving hub. Your supporters can then see all your amazing work in one place.

Set up an epic Easter egg hunt and create a fundraising event page for families in your community to register and make a sliding-scale donation to participate.

Create an Easter Bunny photo booth and host a bake sale to bring in even more donations with scan-to-donate and Venmo donations on the day of the hunt!

Organize an afternoon of hilarious games and exciting dual-team events, such as tug-of-war, that are sure to get the competitive spirit going.

Charge entrance fees for this fundraising event, offer for-sale hydration and snacks, and don’t forget prizes for the winners!

Highlight the power, strength, and talent of women in your community today and throughout history with a special fundraising event.

Whether it’s in-person, virtual, or hybrid, raise more and stress less with easy online registration, mobile app check-ins, and live display

Auction off students' art projects online, in-person, or both! Add photos and descriptions for each masterpiece using easy auction software.

Host your very own fall-themed festival with live music, food and drink, local vendors, and carnival games.

Ask local businesses for supplies and prize donations and raise funds through refreshments, games, and stallholder fees.

Sell bingo cards and offer exciting prizes to keep everyone engaged all night long, either virtually or in person!

In the lead-up to your fundraising event, entice attendees with campaign updates featuring teasers of some of the prizes at stake.