Fundraising ideas

Brave individuals offer themselves up for your auction to go on a date with the highest bidders. This idea is a little bit dated, but with the right planning, you can have a lot of fun with it.

Ask sponsoring restaurants to donate gift certificates to bring in more bids for these “items”and make for an easy, in-public location for each date.

Ask local nurseries to donate herbs, seeds, and soil you can use to assemble gardening kits. Bring volunteers together to assemble everything and sell them on a custom fundraising page or donation form.

Encourage your community to try clay sculpting or pottery painting—or host a clay shooting experience to raise funds for your cause. Perfect for those who enjoy hands-on activities or the great outdoors.

Set up a mini racecourse and encourage family and friends to sponsor your little big-wheel racers by making a donation on their behalf through your fundraising page. Don’t forget to award prizes!

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.

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.

Volunteers bake batches of cookies to contribute to a decorating contest! Participants pay a small fee to enter and use frosting and other edible flare you provide to compete for the best cookie design.

To make your fundraising event even sweeter, bring in a cookie-decorating expert to show off some sweet tips and tricks.

Plan an outing for your golf team somewhere special and donate a percentage of ticket sales towards your nonprofit cause. This works great for school, college, and work golf groups.

Find a suitable space, charge an entry fee, and check in attendees as they arrive at your networking event! Get creative by inviting food trucks and hosting hands-on activities. 

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.

Invite parents to a fun twist on the pancake breakfast by selling tickets to an adult-only meal at your next fundraising event. Offer extra goodies—like espresso martinis!—at an additional cost.

Reserve lanes at a bowling alley, ask participants to gather pledges for an all-you-can-bowl night, and watch the donations roll in on team fundraising pages.

Offer special prizes for the team with the highest score, most creative name, or even the best uniforms.

Find a large outdoor space where you can build a corn maze from hay bales and turn it into a fundraiser!

Charge an entrance fee to walk the maze and make transactions simple with scan-to-donate and Tap to Pay options. 

Recruit volunteers to perform various pet grooming services like bathing and nail trimming. Charge a fee for each “treatment” at this fundraising event by offering tiered ticket types for different services and combinations.

Invite community members to sign up and submit their songs for an unforgettable lip-sync battle. Recruit a volunteer panel of judges to select the winners—and don’t forget prizes for the winners!

Sell tickets for this fundraising event online, streamline check-in, and accept extra donations with the same easy platform.

Host a mega movie marathon packed with hits from a popular franchise or films that match a specific theme or season. Raise extra funds by selling drinks and snacks, having a costume competition, or conducting a movie trivia quiz throughout.

Enjoy a better experience with engaging event ticketing options, such as online and in-person ticket sales and app-powered check-ins.

Ask participants to don their favorite PJs while tackling a walk, jog, roll, or run for the cause. Encourage everyone to set a donation goal and spread the word about the fundraiser through peer-to-peer fundraising. Don’t forget to award prizes to the coziest runners!

Host a family friendly jog-a-thon at your local running track. Participants can collect pledges for the number of laps they jog, walk, or run. Recruit volunteers to tally the number of laps each participant completes. 

Create a pet photo calendar featuring adorable photos of shelter animals. Sell the calendars online using a donation form or fundraising page, and at local events too!

Host a magical fundraising event with traditional carnival games, rides, and booths. Charge an all-inclusive admission or use QR codes for each activity to create a smoother pay-as-you-go experience.

Encourage families to run, walk, or jog for your cause! Offer kid-friendly activities, prizes, and course options. Use team and peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the event.

Rally volunteers to act as festive little helpers to put up holiday decorations for others in your community in exchange for donations.

Set up a donation form and use custom labels to create fun options, like a $50 donation = putting up your roof lights. 

Partner with a celebrated local eatery to donate a percentage of their profits from a certain night or weekend to your fundraising campaign. Check out tips for securing corporate sponsorships to make the most of this opportunity.