The Best Fundraising Ideas to Reach Your Financial Goal

Getting creative with your fundraiser can inspire donors to give more. These easy fundraising ideas can add unique and fresh elements to the long list of established fundraising ideas. Here’s your guide to leading the fundraising charge with proven ideas that will grab the attention of donors, inspire donations, and boost social media shares in your community.

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Fundraising ideas that spark creativity

1. Host an art gala

An art gala is one of the more unique fundraising ideas. If you’re an artist or have friends or students who are artists or craftspeople (perhaps photographers, painters, or jewelry makers), ask them to donate pieces to an art sale supporting your cause. You can also auction items off for a fun twist. Here’s how:

Find a space to host the event—ideally a gallery, café, or school space. Serve drinks and appetizers.
Allow people time to walk around, chat, learn about your cause, and enjoy the art.
Provide information about your cause by setting up a donation station with a mobile device displaying your fundraising page.
Show people how much their purchases and donations can help.

2. Host an art workshop

An art workshop is one of our favorite quick fundraising ideas. You can host an art workshop if you have artistically talented friends and family. There’s likely to be a great deal of overlap between people who support your cause and those who want to learn a related craft.

Ask yourself: what fun art workshops can you and your fundraising team teach? Can you book an accomplished teacher to donate their time?
Think about figure drawing, portrait or still life photography, landscape painting, cake decorating, or other food art.
Host half-day or full-day workshops and have an admission fee at your event.

3. Organize a talent show

If you’re looking for easy fundraising ideas, you just need to allow your community to show what makes them special. Host a talent show or karaoke night and invite supporters and members of your local community to perform. Some easy steps to do this are:

Name the talent show after your fundraiser and share the fundraiser with guests.
Choose a venue like a gymnasium, local theater, or other public space.
Publicize your talent show in your community and share your crowdfunding page.
Ask a well-known member of the community to act as your emcee and have them share it on Instagram or TikTok.
Ask businesses for sponsorships and matching donations.
Share pictures and videos from the show on your donation page and social media to inspire those who didn’t attend to donate.
Charge a small entry fee and have a food truck to sell refreshments.

4. Sell crafts online

Fundraising ideas for custom clothing, jewelry, or other artwork that you can reproduce in large quantities can help you raise money on eBay or Etsy. This is just one of many virtual fundraising ideas.

Choose crafts you can produce in quantity, don’t require too many resources, and customize easily with buyers’ names or other information.
Upload photos of your crafts onto an e-commerce site.
Note in the item description that profits from the sales go to fundraising for a cause and link to your fundraiser so people can donate as an alternate way to support you.
Make and deliver the items to order. If your first set of items succeeds, consider adding more inventory.

5. Sell handmade wreaths

The perfect gift for the holidays! The best fundraisers plug into existing trends and excitement. You can either sell your wreaths for a set amount or ask people for a donation of their choosing. Another option is to hold a silent auction for the different wreaths.

Make them yourself, or find a wholesale supplier willing to donate fresh wreaths or raw materials to your cause.
If you assemble the wreaths yourself, add flourishes like dried berries, succulents, flowers, chili peppers, corn husks, herbs, or ribbons.
If one wreath is selling out, recreate it to meet the demand.
Create a delivery process and schedule your deliveries.

6. Knit a quilt with your community

Making a quilt with your fundraising team and other volunteers is a great way to bring a traditional craft to raise funds. Here are some tips:

Ask people, organizations, and businesses to sponsor squares on your quilt with a donation to your fundraiser.
You can include a message or image of their choice for them to read on the square of each sponsor. Share your progress on Instagram!
Once the quilt is finished, you can sell it for a reasonable price and put that towards your fundraiser goal.

Seasonal fundraising ideas

1. Winter gift-wrapping station

During the winter holiday season, you can raise funds by setting up a gift-wrapping station. Many people prefer to pay someone else who is better at wrapping gifts. You can collaborate with a local business to set up your station nearby or inside. Make it clear that all funds will support your cause through a sign or poster. Ask the business to provide discount gift cards for added benefit. People will happily contribute to a good cause while finishing their holiday shopping. It’s a quick fundraising idea during the giving season.

2. Spring March Madness bracket

Spring is the perfect time to launch a new crowdfunding page or revive one of your best fundraising ideas. People are ready to shed their winter layers and socialize. Join a basketball bracket and use the excitement of NCAA playoffs to spread the word about your cause. You could even host a dunk contest. Share your fundraiser with the other bracket members and their network.

3. Summer potluck and yard sale

Why not combine your favorite summer activities with an outdoor fundraising event? A potluck or cook-off is a great idea as it promotes sharing, community bonding, and opportunities to discuss your cause with others. Pick up some baked goods or have a family member supply items that can be sold at a “bake later” station, like cookie dough or pancake batter. You could sell event tickets in advance, informing community members that all proceeds will go towards your cause. Or you could organize a yard sale, invite the community to buy and sell, and share that all sales will go to your fundraiser.

4. Autumn book sale

Now that the fall season has arrived, many students are back to their studies and tackling their required reading. Why not reach out to your community and neighbors and ask if they have any books they no longer need or want? Once you have enough books, you can organize a book sale in your garage or even team up with a local school to use their gymnasium. Let everyone know that the proceeds from the sale will go towards supporting your cause.

Fundraising ideas by cause

Medical

Raise funds to cover out-of-pocket costs for medical expenses like surgeries, medications, and even lost wages due to time off from work. Here are fundraising ideas for family or friends facing illness or medical debt.

Funeral and Memorial

Reduce the financial burden of a loved one’s funeral by fundraising online for a memorial service or raise money to honor their legacy with a scholarship fund.

Pets and Animals

Raise funds for your pet’s veterinary care, treatments, or surgery. Animal lovers can also employ their fundraising opportunities for animal shelters or support the preservation of endangered species. Talk to your local animal shelter about having a dog-walking event. Set a donation amount and have community members take shelter dogs out for a stroll. It’s a win-win for the pups and your fundraiser.

Emergencies and disasters

Help rebuild communities that have been hit by a sudden emergency or disaster. Quickly set up a fundraiser in the wake of a hurricane, fire, flood, or earthquake to support your family, friends, or community.

Kids and family

Fundraising online for children of all ages. Help pay for summer camps, sports camps, Eagle Scout projects, science fairs, toys or board games, and more. Or, host a virtual fundraising event for a family looking to add to their family through adoption.

Education and schools

If you’re looking for the best fundraising ideas to change someone’s life, raise funds for school supplies, field trips, high school prom, school improvement projects, programs, or facility upgrades. Connect your student group with a special charitable organization or raise funds for a classroom. A great school fundraising idea is a read-a-thon.

Nonprofit organizations and charities

Create a charity fundraiser to support the causes and nonprofits you’re passionate about. Raise funds to help the sick or disadvantaged or provide scholarships and training to those in need. Invite your community to donate and help create positive change locally and globally with these easy fundraising efforts.

Churches and faith

Raise funds for building enhancements, education, training, mission trips, and other church programs and community activities. Leave a donation jar with a sign out near the coffee station, or ask your church if you can organize a community garage sale in their parking lot—the unique fundraising ideas to promote donations for a mission trip are endless.

Neighbors and community

Provide financial assistance to friends and neighbors struggling in the aftermath of a natural disaster or other hardship. Help fund projects that benefit your community and neighbors. How about a scavenger hunt or clean-up day? These community events are always a big hit.

Sports

Support amateur athletes by raising funds for equipment, facilities, league expenses, prizes, team activities, tournaments, travel, and more. Put together a sporting event and let people play a game for a good cause. Combine it with fun extras like a photo contest, obstacle course, or ice cream stand. You could also host a golf tournament or walk-a-ton and use branded t-shirts and water bottles as giveaways. Sell tickets and food to spectators, and funds can be put toward your fundraiser with a cause in mind.

More fundraising ideas

There’s no shortage of unique fundraising ideas to help you raise meaningful donations. A well-executed idea can be the key to fundraising success. Create your fundraiser and share the link so that supporters know exactly where to get involved.

Fundraising essentials

Use an online fundraising platform for extra support

Add your fundraising goal, high-quality photos, videos, and write your story.

Boost awareness and build your community

Share your fundraiser with our built-in links to Facebook, Twitter, and email.

Keep it fresh with fundraiser updates

Write fundraiser updates, add new photos, and send thank you’s to your donors.

Fundraising strategy ideas

Set up your fundraiser

This is your chance to tell a unique story. Make it stand out by choosing a memorable and descriptive name. Add high-quality photos and offer a heartfelt description of your financial needs. This is especially important when organizing things like a bake sale, car wash, or charity auction. Remember, a strong story drives donations.

Connect with images and video

Visuals are powerful. The best fundraisers have compelling visuals and raise more money than those without. Add high-quality photos and videos to your fundraiser page to help potential donors connect with—and share—your cause with the world.

Raise awareness and build community

Build a strong fundraising community to drive traffic to your fundraiser in person and via social media. Tie in events like a movie night, talent show, or game night for even more engagement. Check out our proven ideas for building support for your cause.

Reach out to media

Getting your fundraiser featured in the news is a surefire way to get your story out into the world. And it isn’t as hard as you might think. Check out these great ideas for shining a spotlight on your fundraiser.

How to Get Local Media to Cover Your Fundraiser

Use social media

Social media is one of your most important fundraising tools. Use your social networks to spread awareness among family, friends, board members, and even strangers. And don’t forget your #hashtags! A social media challenge is always a popular fundraising idea. Whether you choose TikTok, Instagram, or even NextDoor, it will help reach as many potential donors as you can.