What is a Charity Fundraising Event?
You might think only fancy galas or fine art auctions qualify as charity events. But a charity event is any gathering (in person or online) where the proceeds go to support a nonprofit organization.
From car washes to charity walks, silent auctions to charity fundraisers, all are great opportunities to reach your target audience and boost donations.
Planning a Charity Fundraising Event in 4 Steps
Hosting a successful fundraising event is months in the making, and getting the planning process right is as important as the event itself. Here are some important steps to take to make your event shine.
1. Decide on Type of Event
The type of event you host will depend on several factors, including the nature of your cause, target audience, and fundraising goals.
There are many charity event ideas for fundraisers that are perfect to help you raise money for your cause. Research different charity event ideas to raise funds, so you know your options.
We’ve pulled together a list of fundraising event ideas below to help inspire you.
2. Create a Budget
When it comes to fundraising events, you want to keep spending as low as possible and ensure that your fundraising total will exceed your event spend.
A budget helps you determine how simple or elaborate your event can be. It also prompts you to consider what funding sources are available, whether generous supporters or local businesses can help with costs.
Planning a charity event to raise money for a good cause sometimes requires a bit of money upfront. If you’re short on funds but determined to host a stellar event, starting an online fundraiser before the event can help with those initial costs is an easy way to raise money fast.
3. Event Planning Logistics
Once you’ve got your initial event idea and your budget set, you can start planning the event itself. Here is a general checklist to follow when planning your next fundraising event:
- Make a list of supplies you’ll need, and take note of what supplies you already have to save money. This will help keep costs down.
- Research possible venues for your event. Ask local businesses if they can support you by lending you their space.
- Create a guest list for potential attendees.
- Research top charity fundraising event idea sites for inspiration. Social media can also be a great place to source ideas.
- Enlist the help of a few friends, family, and community members. The more help, the better.
- Find fundraising event software that makes the process simple for guests.
- Set up a crowdfunding event page for easy donations, such as GoFundMe.
4. Event Promotion
Now that you’ve taken care of the nitty-gritty details, it’s time for the big reveal. To guarantee good event attendance, you’ll need to start promoting your fundraising event.
Not sure how to promote a nonprofit event? Here are some top tips for an effective marketing strategy:
- Identify the best social media platform for your event, cause, and target audience. Remember: this could be more than one platform. For example, LinkedIn is effective if you’re trying to reach professionals in a particular industry, whereas TikTok is most effective for reaching a Gen Z audience.
- Share the event and cause on social media to get the word out. This also helps you reach people who aren’t local and can’t attend in person but would like to donate to your fundraiser.
- Use email marketing to engage an existing mailing list to attend your event and donate. You can also use email to contact acquaintances, coworkers, and anyone else you can’t reach through social media posts. Provide background information on your nonprofit and explain why this event means so much to you—this will help encourage charitable giving.
- For a more personal approach, you could text or call close friends and family members about the event to gauge interest. Remember to share your online link to your fundraising event.
- Print out flyers and post them on bulletin boards in coffee shops, libraries, music venues, local businesses, and anywhere else in your community that gets a lot of foot traffic. Don’t forget about posting on NextDoor, too!
5. Follow-Up
Keep in touch with your supporters throughout the planning process and post-event. Every communication (whether through email, social media, or in person) is an opportunity to raise more money.
Here are some tips on how to write a fundraising update letter and thank your supporters.
9 Charity Fundraising Event Ideas
If you know you want to put together an event but aren’t sure which direction to take, we have nine examples of charity fundraising event ideas to get the creative juices flowing.
1. Pet Beauty Pageant
Imagine a beauty pageant but with a twist. A furry twist. Yep, we’re talking about a pet-tastic beauty pageant full of furry friends.
You can raise money in a number of ways: charge a small entry fee for guests and participants, host a raffle with pet-themed prizes, or have a professional photographer take pet portraits for a small donation fee.
It’s a fun, unique fundraising event idea with endless opportunities for creativity. You can make it more entertaining by giving awards such as “Most Luscious Locks” or “Best Hidden Talent”.
This activity is perfect for fundraising events, particularly those aiming to raise animal welfare funds. Attendees will enjoy the company of adorable animals while also participating in the voting for their favorites. It’s pawfect.
2. Charity Happy Hour
Who doesn’t love an excuse to go to the pub? Make your fundraising efforts a happy hour (or two) and get others to raise a glass for a worthy cause.
You can work with a local restaurant or bar to lend their venue for your fundraising happy hour in exchange for the business you’ll bring in. You could have an optional admission fee for participants or serve a charity-themed menu with a percentage of proceeds going to charity.
Some venues may even donate a percentage of drink or food sales to a charity. Plan some extra activities such as a trivia quiz, silent auction, or karaoke to make people stick around.
3. Potluck with Friends
Hosting a potluck at your home is an intimate way to gather family and friends together to hit fundraising goals. One main advantage here is the low overhead cost and low-pressure environment.
Even if people choose not to donate, they can still share a good meal with friends and learn about your organization and its goals. You can even have a family-friendly competition and host a game, such as an obstacle course for kids.
4. Online Fundraising Bonanza
Sometimes, the best way to drum up support for a cause is to let everyone know you only have a limited time to raise money. A sense of urgency makes people take action fast.
Before starting your fundraiser, tell everyone you know you’re planning a charity event contest to see how much you can raise in a given time. A little outreach goes a long way.
To encourage donations of all sizes, why not make a game out of it? Explain to your contacts and social media followers that even giving up their daily latte in exchange for a $5 donation will make a difference. Give new charity fundraising event incentives each day to raise more money.
5. Fashion Show
Charity fashion shows are a great way to bring the community together for a bit of fundraising fun. You could get people to lend their most fancy (or outrageous) outfits to be walked down the catwalk or incentivize a local clothing store to donate by selling its products at the event.
The proceeds from ticket sales and entry fees will go to your charity, and the boutique may even donate a certain percentage of items they sell that day. A fashion show is one of the best charity event ideas if you want to get local businesses involved with raising money.
6. Personal Challenge
This charity fundraising event idea is all about committing to a task that’s intentionally challenging, brave, or embarrassing, all in the name of charity. What is a charity event, really, if not a chance, to commit to the fullest?
You could go for your typical walk-a-thon or sponsored run, or you could think outside the box and do something more exciting, such as jumping out of a plane or completing a survivalist challenge. Encourage your community of supporters to get involved with their own personal challenges for peer-to-peer fundraising.
7. Community Yard Sale
A yard sale not only helps others get rid of unwanted items, but it can also bring awareness to your nonprofit. Start by rounding up a group of neighbors and friends ready for some serious spring cleaning.
Ask them to donate a certain percentage of sales to your charity in exchange for your work collecting and selling their unwanted items. While the sale is happening, let customers the purpose of the sale and leave out a QR code to collect donations to your GoFundMe fundraiser.
This is also a great opportunity to get local businesses involved. They could donate their unwanted items or allow you to use their space for the sale itself.
8. Employer Donation Match
Loop more individuals into your fundraising efforts by informing them of employer donation matching programs. Many people may not know about their company’s existing program or the possibility of their employer matching employee donations to a given charity. You can mention this charity idea to supporters in your organization’s monthly newsletter and link to your GoFundMe fundraiser.
9. Cleaning Services
Recruit your most fastidious friends to put in some old-fashioned elbow grease for a good cause. Whether home cleaning, car washing, or pet grooming, offering services is a great way to raise money.
It’s up to you whether you’d like to set a flat rate per cleaning or accept donations for a job well done. This is one of the best charity event ideas for those who want to work hard to raise money.
Raise Awareness and Money for Your Cause with an Event
Charity fundraising event ideas require hard work, but it can also be a gratifying experience, not to mention a truly effective way to raise money. Now that you have the know-how, start planning a charity event today.
If you lack the finances to make your fundraising ideas a reality, GoFundMe can help you encourage your supporters to start peer-to-peer fundraisers that support your event.
Sign up today to take advantage of our fundraising tools.
