Fundraising ideas
We’ve got the best fundraising ideas for good causes of all shapes and sizes! Check out our curated lists or browse all fundraising ideas below by cost, effort, and impact.
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By organization
Additional lists
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All fundraising ideas
Pool or beach volleyball tournament









Cold water plunge









Storybook Character Dress-Up Day









Bake to give raffle
To add some extra excitement, sell raffle tickets and offer baked goods as delicious prizes.









Postcard drive
Handwritten messages can make a huge impact on your fundraising by helping donors feel seen and appreciated. During your next campaign, have volunteers write and mail postcards to your contacts asking for support.
Add a modern twist by including a short URL that links directly to your fundraising page.









Zookeeper
Create individual pages for the animals you care for and invite your supporters to donate to become a “Zookeeper” for a group or specific animal. Zookeepers receive regular updates on their animals and special access to events and volunteer opportunities.









TikTok dance-off
Challenge participants to create a dance and post their video to social media. Each person must tag someone and donate once they’ve completed the challenge.
For easy and simple sharing, create a custom fundraising page that’s optimized for mobile!









Color run
Spray participants with brightly colored powder along the course of your charity fun run. By the end, runners will be rainbow-ed! Set up a photo booth at the finish line for selfies, and encourage donations on social media via a scan-to-donate code.









Water balloons & sponge toss
For this fundraising event, charge a small fee per water balloon or sponge, and let students throw them at each other during a pep rally or outdoor event. For easy participation, offer scan-to-donate and accept multiple payment methods like Apple Pay, Venmo, and more.









Chords for Cancer gala
Invite your community to an evening of music, dance, and entertainment in support of cancer research. Host one large gala event or a series of smaller shows throughout the year.









Caroling
Embrace the holiday spirit and spread joy by going caroling around town or at a seasonal event. Pass the hat for cash donations and display a large QR code or text-to-donate number for easy mobile giving.









Livestream donation challenge
Livestream an event like a concert, film, or informational session related to your mission. Set a clear donation goal to reach by the end of the event.









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









Best seat in the house
Auction off tickets to the best seats at an upcoming performance, sports game, gala, live concert, or other experience your group is hosting.
Use Givebutter to create unlimited types of event tickets—perfect for customizing your VIP packages.









Fix the felines
Launch a trap-neuter-return fundraising campaign to help reduce the number of stray cats and kittens in your community.
Make your fundraising goal visible with a fundraising thermometer, so supporters can see how their contributions are moving you one step closer to your goal.









Alumni night
Sell tickets to an all-inclusive alumni dinner before a big game or event. During half-time or intermission, bring out the alumni for special recognition. Alternatively, you can livestream a special alumni message during a virtual event.









Donation matching
Build relationships with local businesses and major donors that can offer matching donations to feature during your next campaign.
Matching gifts create an enormous incentive for supporters who understand that they can automatically double (or even triple or quadruple!) their impact for your cause.









Literary pub crawl
To take this fundraising event further, arrange to have each watering hole feature a special cocktail or brew (with some non-alcoholic beverages in the mix!) to match your theme.









Benefit dance recital









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!









Turkey Trot
Give your community a good reason to break out their jogging shoes on Turkey Day! Offer a one-stop shop for runner signups and donations with registration fundraising tools.









Virtual food/wine tasting
Partner with local eateries and provide tasting kits for participants to enjoy at home for a small fee. Then, host a livestream tasting experience.









Take a stroll
Host an inclusive fun run event that’s a little more leisurely. Set a time window for participants to complete their stroll and encourage them to collect donations through peer-to-peer fundraising pages. Be sure to showcase their achievements on social media!









Shave for the cause
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!









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