Fundraising occasions are a good way in your nonprofit, college, enterprise, or different group to interact with its neighborhood and elevate cash for its trigger on the identical time. However choosing a fundraising thought that matches your finances and entails your supporters isn’t at all times the best activity.
That’s why we’ve put collectively this record of our favourite fundraising occasion concepts which can be confirmed to boost the cash your group wants and improve engagement together with your neighborhood:
Every thought options the fundraising potential, price, and recognition to assist information you towards a fundraising occasion that’s proper in your group. Are you prepared to begin elevating cash in your trigger? Let’s dive into our favourite fundraising occasion concepts!
Inquisitive about promoting t-shirts in your trigger?
Create a fundraising marketing campaign on Bonfire right now!
Our Favourite Fundraising Occasion Concepts
T-Shirt Fundraiser
Designing and promoting t-shirts is an efficient fundraising occasion concept that people and organizations can use to boost cash.
A t-shirt fundraiser is a win-win state of affairs for everybody concerned. The marketing campaign creator will get to boost cash and promote their trigger by way of merchandise, and supporters acquire a memorable merchandise in return for his or her donations. If you wish to elevate cash on behalf of a nonprofit, Bonfire will ship the funds on to that group on the finish of your marketing campaign so that you don’t must.
Whenever you use Bonfire in your on-line t-shirt fundraising wants, there are:
- No month-to-month subscriptions
- No stock necessities
- No upfront bills
Our aim is to make every step of the fundraising course of as fast and simple as doable for you so you’ll be able to deal with maximizing your donations.
5K Race
5K fundraisers will attraction to your energetic supporters, bringing them collectively to elevate consciousness and cash in your trigger. Begin planning your occasion a number of months or perhaps a yr prematurely so you have got sufficient time to safe a location, recruit volunteers, and promote the race.
Increase much more cash by promoting customized 5K race shirts with a customized design commemorating the occasion. We suggest utilizing a t-shirt fundraising platform like Bonfire that makes designing and promoting the shirts simple. This manner, your crew can focus its time and vitality on organizing the fundraiser.
Moreover, join with native companies to see if they’ll sponsor your occasion. With the assistance of an official company sponsor, it can save you cash on all of the supplies you’ll want for the occasion, like water for the contributors, tables, banners, and decorations.
Merch Sale
Organizations that wish to give donors a solution to present their assist can promote branded merchandise at any of their occasions. From t-shirts and hats to espresso mugs and water bottles, there are many objects you’ll be able to promote!
Merchandise makes an ideal addition to any public fundraising occasion, like a road honest or live performance. Plus, promoting merchandise earlier than a fundraising marketing campaign or volunteer engagement can assist you elevate extra cash. For instance, you would possibly ask volunteers to buy particular t-shirts in order that they match and stand out within the crowd.
Work with a merchandise firm that allows you to create your individual branded merchandise. Ideally, this platform must also provide the choice to promote branded shirts on-line or simply place bulk orders to promote in individual.
Karaoke Night time
Who doesn’t love an evening full of associates and karaoke? Companion with an area restaurant or venue that already affords karaoke nights to boost funds in your trigger. Let the native restaurant know what you’re elevating funds for, and ask them in the event that they’d be prepared to donate a share of the evening’s proceeds to the trigger.
Encourage all of your family and friends to take care of reap probably the most rewards out of your fundraising occasion.
Pub Crawl
Plan a pub crawl to boost cash in your trigger—reserved for contributors who’re of authorized ingesting age, in fact! First, select venues inside protected strolling distance of one another. Then, contact the bar house owners to ask in the event that they’d wish to take part and donate a portion of their proceeds to your trigger.
Promote tickets prematurely and designate the beginning spot. You may even select a theme or raffle off enjoyable prizes all through the night. Providing customized tees forward of time for contributors to put on on the day of the occasion is a straightforward solution to enhance income, too. Think about partnering with an area rideshare service or taxi firm to supply free or discounted rides house on the finish of the crawl.
Carnival or Road Truthful
Carry out your neighborhood with a carnival or road honest! Although these occasions may be pricey and resource-intensive, they’re thrilling events that may herald income. For a road honest, cost distributors a price to arrange their sales space or stand and an entry price to individuals who wish to browse. Ebook the area prematurely, maybe with an area park or college.
For a carnival, look into renting rides, video games, or skilled artists. Guarantee you have got the correct insurance coverage, permits, and waivers in place to forestall issues of safety. To offset a number of the prices, look into sponsorships and donations from native companies in change for being featured in occasion advertising supplies.
Enjoyable and Cheap Fundraising Occasion Concepts
Sip and Paint Night time
Sip and paint occasions work for organizations that assist causes of all sizes and shapes in addition to people seeking to elevate cash for private or charity tasks.
For this fundraising occasion thought, you’ll have to companion with an area sip and paint retailer that’s prepared to donate a share of the evening’s proceeds to your trigger. Or, you’ll be able to create a paint and sip arrange in your individual amenities or a rented venue.
For those who’re creating your individual occasion, ask an artist to volunteer to show the category, and buy all of the provides you’ll want. Cost admission to your occasion and promote meals and drinks to boost extra funds.
Recreation Match
A recreation event is an superior fundraising occasion thought that may elevate cash for any trigger. You may have a few choices when planning this:
- Have a event involving completely different video games that your contributors deliver to the occasion.
- Have everybody play the identical recreation. On this case, you’d possible provide a lot of the recreation boards.
Assemble a crew of volunteers to maintain observe of the scores, and discover a big area you’ll be able to hire with sufficient tables. Cost a price to participate within the event and award small prizes to the winners!
Trivia Night time
What higher solution to deliver out some pleasant competitors than with a trivia evening? Workforce up with an area restaurant or different venue that hosts trivia occasions and ask in the event that they’ll donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to your trigger. Or, plan and host your individual.
Decide an evening and promote the occasion round city and on social media to maximise attendance. Then, all it’s a must to do is brush up in your trivia data! To fundraise, cost every attendee an entry price.
Share Partnerships
Collaborate with an area enterprise, akin to a clothes retailer or restaurant, for a share partnership. Designate a time frame (a night, full day, or weekend, for instance), the place a share of the enterprise’s gross sales will profit your trigger.
A share partnership is a superb fundraising occasion thought as a result of your supporters can take pleasure in a procuring day or a pleasant meal, all whereas supporting your trigger. Companies of all sizes have acknowledged the worth of CSR, or company social duty, for enhancing their public photographs, so many will possible be excited to work with you.
Penny Wars Contest
Penny conflict occasions are a straightforward solution to fundraise. Church buildings and faculties, specifically, can have nice success holding month-long penny wars. In the course of the “conflict,” two or extra teams gather cash and payments to attain factors primarily based on the quantities and denominations collected.
The worth of pennies collected in every crew’s bucket counts towards the ultimate rating, whereas every other cash and greenback payments (donated by opponents!) are subtracted from the rating. It is a nice solution to encourage competitors and improve donation income.
Meals Fundraising Occasion Concepts
Prepare dinner-Off
A cook-off fundraising occasion works nice for people as a result of you’ll be able to deliver collectively a bunch of associates to boost funds in your trigger. Have your pals contribute their finest dish and a donation for the occasion.
Current all of the meals and have individuals vote on their favourite dishes with {dollars}. The chef whose dish earns probably the most cash wins the occasion!
Buy a prize for the winner or supply them a portion of the funds you elevate. Both manner, this occasion is cheap and simple to plan.
Spaghetti Night time
Internet hosting a spaghetti dinner is a basic (and filling!) fundraising occasion thought. Past placing collectively the meals, publicize the occasion by way of social media, electronic mail, and different communication channels to spice up attendance.
Discover a low-cost venue, akin to a neighborhood middle, college health club, or church corridor. Promote tickets to the occasion to boost cash and embody a donation jug subsequent to the money register. To boost extra funds, incorporate a silent public sale or raffle into the night.
Bake Sale or Ice Cream Social
Whether or not you’re a bigger group or a person, you and a few volunteers can bake scrumptious treats or placed on an ice cream social as scrumptious fundraising occasion concepts. Place your sales space with the baked items in a heavy-traffic space, and coordinate it with one other occasion, like a sporting occasion or theater manufacturing.
For an ice cream social, host it on the weekend at an ice cream store or restaurant with loads of cooler area. Clarify your trigger and the way internet hosting your occasion could be nice publicity for the enterprise. Even when they select to not host it, they may nonetheless be prepared to sponsor your occasion or donate the ice cream, cones, and different provides.
Espresso Stand
To get this fundraising occasion thought began, you’ll have to work with a espresso store or discover a wholesale supplier the place you should buy the espresso at a reduced value.
As soon as you identify your partnership, arrange your espresso stand with just a few espresso carafes or your machines of alternative. Be certain you’re in a well-trafficked space in your neighborhood and be strategic together with your timing. For instance, promote freshly brewed espresso within the mornings to individuals on their solution to work or throughout weekend brunch hours. For an knowledgeable contact, see if any of your volunteers have barista expertise.
Let individuals know why you’re elevating cash, and get the phrase out by selling your espresso stand and posting flyers across the neighborhood.
Potluck or Picnic
Potluck-style fundraising occasion concepts are a good way to draw consideration and incentivize supporters to donate to your trigger!
Host a potluck or picnic occasion in a neighborhood area, and ask for donations in change for admission. Encourage contributors to deliver their favourite dish, and also you’ll be in your solution to elevating donations very quickly!
For giant-scale neighborhood picnics and festivals, customized occasion t-shirts are at all times a wise addition!
Fundraising Occasion Concepts for Small Teams
Themed Celebration
Themed events are fundraising occasion concepts that work nice for any trigger or mission. When executed correctly, they are often very worthwhile.
Step one is to, in fact, decide a theme. Think about the people who find themselves more likely to attend and decide one thing that aligns with their pursuits. Some examples to get you began embody:
- A long time
- A preferred e book, film, or TV collection
- Sports activities
- Popular culture (e.g., well-known singers or actors)
Cost admission to enter your themed occasion. You may as well omit a donation jar or encourage individuals to donate by way of your web site or marketing campaign web page to offer visitors a number of handy methods to contribute.
Generate curiosity in your occasion properly prematurely by sharing the occasion particulars on social media and sending out customized invites by means of electronic mail and junk mail.
Silent Public sale
Silent auctions are a preferred alternative amongst small teams and nonprofits — and for good cause! For those who can procure attention-grabbing and distinctive objects, you’ll improve your probabilities of elevating extra funds. For that cause, procuring objects in your silent public sale needs to be a prime precedence.
Organize a committee to accumulate in-kind donations from donors and native companies, and deal with discovering uncommon, distinctive objects that may encourage visitors to spice up their bids.
Neighborhood Storage Sale
Internet hosting a neighborhood storage sale is a good way to offer undesirable objects a brand new house and lift cash in your trigger. You gained’t want numerous time to plan this occasion, so it’s good for a last-minute fundraising occasion thought.
Recruit your neighbors and group members to take part, and collect all of the objects round your properties that you just’re prepared to half with. Arrange a central location with lengthy tables the place cut price hunters can peruse the rows.
Put up indicators across the neighborhood to attract in consumers. To herald a fair greater crowd, promote your neighborhood storage sale on social media or by means of word-of-mouth just a few weeks prematurely.
Discipline Day
Host a area day in an area park with video games and different occasions. It is a nice fundraising occasion thought as a result of it’s family-friendly, attracts giant crowds, and promotes pleasant competitors.
Embody video games like a three-legged race, water balloon toss, and tug-of-war, amongst different enjoyable actions. Let the adults really feel nostalgic as they play Pink Rover and duck-duck-goose, and let the youngsters simply have enjoyable!
Promote refreshments to maintain attendees energized and supply memorable occasion merchandise to boost extra funds.
Image Gross sales
Recruit a talented buddy or native photographer and supply your supporters photograph classes for a price. The extra commitments you get, the extra income you’ll herald. Take motion pictures, household vacation images, and extra.
Company Fundraising Occasion Concepts
Matching Present Drive
An effective way to get native employers concerned in your fundraising occasion is to host an identical present drive. There are two ways in which you may do that:
- Deal with particular person donors and their matching present eligibility throughout a wide range of employers.
- Work with a single firm with an energetic CSR technique that agrees to match a fundraising aim should you’re capable of attain it.
Matching present drives are a good way to encourage native corporations to assist your nonprofit. Your group advantages from the added assist, and so they get optimistic PR — and new clients — from the occasion. Ensure that to prominently characteristic the businesses that assist you at your occasion!
50/50 Raffle
Whether or not you pair it with a bigger fundraising occasion thought or host it as a stand-alone fundraiser inside your workplace, a raffle fundraiser is a fast and simple manner for corporations to boost cash for a trigger. The 50/50 raffle works like every other raffle, besides the winner will get half of the funds you elevate and the trigger will get the opposite half (therefore the identify 50/50).
For the reason that prize is half the funds raised, supporters are extra motivated to buy raffle tickets and encourage their family and friends members to do the identical.
Use the shops the place you have got probably the most followers to unfold the phrase about your raffle, and announce the winner throughout an occasion the place you’ll be able to talk about your chosen trigger in additional depth.
Profit Live performance
Profit concert events are glorious company fundraising occasion concepts, however you should begin by asking your self what sort of present you wish to placed on. Take into consideration what sort of music your neighborhood is all for. When you’ve decided that, look into venues and neighborhood areas and start planning! This concept is versatile and may be tailored for communities of all sizes, ages, and pursuits.
Does your band want to boost cash?
Take a look at our prime 5 band merch concepts & promoting methods
Take a look at native bands who’d be prepared to donate their skills and ask them to assist together with your fundraising main as much as the present, too. Be sure you have water and snacks readily available, and promote the profit live performance by way of social media and native shops. That is similar to how peer-to-peer fundraising works; even when individuals aren’t accustomed to your organization or trigger, they’ll wish to assist their buddy’s band!
Official Sponsorships
Firms seeking to assist charitable causes ought to discover their choices for forming extra structured partnerships with native organizations. The rise of company social duty (CSR) means many nonprofits have already got sponsorship plans in place and may supply particular ranges of sponsorships and advantages. In relation to occasion sponsorships, companies would possibly print your emblem on t-shirts, present signage on the occasion, provide you with venue area, supply pro-bono providers and free merchandise, and extra.
Firms may promote their matching present packages, and even prepare a particular matching interval throughout a nonprofit’s occasion.
On line casino Night time
On line casino nights sometimes contain stay leisure, a catered dinner, auctions, sponsorships, ticket gross sales, and numerous different transferring elements that require cautious planning. With cautious group and the correct amount of manpower, on line casino nights may be profitable fundraising occasions that give your companion firm’s CSR picture a lift.
Set your ticket value excessive sufficient to cowl bills and publicize the evening by way of newsletters, emails, word-of-mouth, and even media protection. Larger ticket costs will even make the occasion extra unique and entice wealthier donors.
Wine Wall
Wine partitions are distinctive company fundraising occasion concepts the place donors buy the prospect to decide on a random bottle of wine from a wall. Every bottle is roofed so nobody can see which wine they’re pulling.
The bottles sometimes vary in value, so relying on their luck, donors might stroll away with a bottle that prices greater than what they paid to play!
Fundraising Occasion Concepts for Faculties Okay-12
Due to more and more tight budgets, fundraising for faculties is important to their capability to placed on packages and fund their courses. Nonetheless, tight communities may make a distinction for efficient college fundraising.
Fundraising for teenagers doesn’t must be a problem. Make it enjoyable and fascinating, and you may pull the entire neighborhood in behind you!
Tie-Dye Occasion
A tie-dye occasion is a good way to deliver your college’s neighborhood collectively and have a enjoyable time creating a singular t-shirt. As a substitute of simply promoting white t-shirts at your occasion, create a t-shirt fundraising marketing campaign on-line. Design white shirts together with your college’s emblem or use a slogan that represents your college.
Promoting the shirts on a t-shirt fundraising web site saves your college worthwhile time since you gained’t must course of and ship the orders. The t-shirts will likely be shipped on to your college students and households to allow them to deliver them to the occasion.
Increase much more cash with this fundraising occasion thought by promoting concessions. Don’t overlook to have enjoyable and assist everybody create a beautiful-looking shirt!
Occasion-a-Thon Occasion
Occasion-a-thons are nice fundraising occasion concepts that herald donations from supporters of your college. With shrinking budgets and rising wants, event-a-thons can assist elevate much-needed funds.
Concepts embody read-a-thons, walk-a-thons, and spell-a-thons, the place college students can elevate funds and be incentivized to learn, be energetic, and participate in spelling bees. Small prizes may be awarded to the scholars who efficiently full every exercise.
Shoe Drive Fundraiser
Internet hosting a shoe drive is an affordable and distinctive college fundraising occasion thought. College students can deliver of their gently worn, used and new sneakers to assist assist the college. You may even get the entire neighborhood concerned by organising shoe donation drop-off facilities across the neighborhood.
Work with a shoe drive group that may gather your donated sneakers, and provide you with a test in change for the sneakers that you just present.
Mother and father’ Night time Off
A dad and mom’ evening off fundraiser can take many varieties, which makes it a wonderful fundraising occasion thought in your college. The most important aspect to maintain on the forefront of this plan is little one care, which is the principle income.
Manage an occasion like a pub crawl or bowling evening for the dad and mom. Cost an entry price in your occasion that covers the actions and babysitting providers on the college. You’ll additionally deliver your neighborhood collectively and let dad and mom get to know one another within the course of!
Product Fundraisers
Product fundraisers are enjoyable and easy college fundraising occasion concepts. These can embody cookie dough gross sales, t-shirt and attire gross sales, pizza fundraisers, and extra.
Resolve on the product you wish to promote and select a provider or venue to get you going. Encourage households to stroll round their neighborhoods with their youngsters to promote the merchandise and lift cash for the college!
Fundraising Occasion Concepts for Faculty
Lip Sync Battle
As a preferred faculty fundraising occasion thought, faculty college students can kind groups to “sing” their favourite hits. Whilst you gained’t really be singing or taking part in devices, you’ll nonetheless wish to impress the viewers!
Cost an admission price for the occasion. Then, let the viewers select the winner primarily based on their applause, or ask school members on campus to be the judges!
Jail Your Buddies
To kick off this fundraising occasion, have college students pay to have their associates “jailed” on the middle of campus in a chosen spot. To get out of jail, the scholars should then match the preliminary quantity their associates paid.
It is a nice fundraising occasion concept that will get the complete campus concerned in your fundraiser, and you’ll even embody school and employees members within the enjoyable!
Beard-Rising Problem
This is a wonderful fundraising occasion thought that permits fraternities or social golf equipment to boost cash for his or her group. Every participant can acquire sponsors to donate as they develop their beards. The longer your beard grows, the extra money you get. Run this occasion throughout No-Shave November for much more income!
Dorm-Adorning Competitors
As a enjoyable and aggressive fundraising occasion thought, have dorm residents pay a small price to enter their room in a dorm adorning competitors! Give them a restricted period of time to get that sense of urgency going, and see who makes probably the most of their cramped area!
The winner takes house a prize, and also you acquire publicity in your group!
Fundraising Occasion Concepts for Nonprofits
Gala and Reside Public sale
Galas are good for internet hosting stay auctions as a result of they’re already giant events full of leisure and occasions. An public sale can simply be integrated into this fundraising occasion thought and can usually be catered to barely older and wealthier crowds.
Although extra pricey, securing a venue in your gala and stay public sale may be value it should you procure distinctive and enticing objects that may safe larger bids.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Occasions
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a way that allows you to incorporate every kind of efficient fundraising occasion concepts that won’t solely aid you elevate cash but additionally construct your donor base. Present supporters will elevate cash in your nonprofit’s behalf, asking their family and friends members to contribute.
Right here’s how peer-to-peer fundraising works on Bonfire:
All of the work doesn’t simply relaxation in your fundraisers’ shoulders. You’ll want to supply instruments to your fundraisers to assist them ask for donations. Plus, you’ll have to welcome all of your new donors to your nonprofit household.
Finish your peer-to-peer fundraiser with an occasion, like a walkathon or marathon, to deliver all of your fundraisers collectively to have a good time their success.
Golf Match
Whereas extra time-consuming and dear than a number of the different fundraising occasion concepts talked about, internet hosting a golf occasion has a excessive fundraising potential for organizations. It additionally affords nonprofits the right alternative to work together with main donors.
One of the best ways to plan for a charity golf event is to create a committee that may safe a location, ship out invites, and determine different important points of the occasion.
Increase cash in your trigger by having contributors gather pledges from their family and friends to enter the competitors.
Museum Dinner Celebration
Carry all of your supporters collectively in a single place for meals and leisure with a museum feast. Much like a gala, this nonprofit fundraising occasion will take numerous planning, however you’ll be able to elevate cash by means of admission tickets and different fundraising alternatives, like internet hosting a raffle or charity public sale.
An important side of planning a museum dinner is, clearly, the meals and venue. Join with a museum in your space, and prepare for visitor audio system to return talk about your trigger.
Usually, these occasions do properly on the finish of the yr as a solution to enhance your year-end fundraising and present main donors that you just’ve appreciated their assist.
“Gardening for Inexperienced” Sponsored Trash Pickup
What higher solution to beautify your neighborhood and lift cash on the identical time than with a sponsored trash pickup? By “gardening for inexperienced,” you’ll be able to have people pledge a certain quantity primarily based on how a lot trash your volunteers decide up, in addition to the quantity of gardening and planting that they do.
It is a nice fundraising occasion thought that may deliver the neighborhood collectively and make your neighborhood much more stunning within the course of.
There are a lot of methods to boost cash for a wide range of causes, so doing all your analysis and figuring out which of them finest suit your wants is essential. Check out these strategies for your self and witness how rather more income you’ll be able to herald!
For extra fundraising concepts and steerage, discover these sources:
Wish to add t-shirt gross sales to your occasion?
Launch your fundraising marketing campaign on Bonfire right now!
