There are so many ways you can raise money for good causes. If you have too many choices and you’re struggling to decide on an idea for your next fundraiser, get some inspiration from our list of fundraising ideas in Australia. These fundraising ideas can help with causes like bushfire recovery, or out-of-pocket medical costs. They’ll help you grab donors’ attention, encourage donations, and boost social shares in your community.
Fundraising ideas that spark creativity
Bringing your local community together to get creative is a fun, inclusive way of raising money. It can help potential donors feel connected to the cause you’re supporting. Get inspired by these creative fundraising ideas.
1. Host an arts gala
An arts gala is a unique fundraising idea. Do you know artists or craftspeople, like photographers, painters, or jewellery makers? Ask them to donate pieces for an art sale to support your cause. Here’s how:
- Find a space to host the event, ideally a gallery, cafe, or school space. Serve drinks and appetisers.
- 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 fundraiser page.
- Show people how much their purchases and donations can help.
2. Host an art workshop
An art workshop is one of our favourite 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 life drawing, portraiture, photography, landscape painting, cake decorating or other food art.
- Host half-day or full-day workshops to ask for donations at your event.
3. Organise 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 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 theatre, or other public space.
- Publicise 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 fundraiser page and social media to inspire those who didn’t attend to donate.
4. Sell crafts online
Fundraising ideas for custom clothing, jewellery, 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 customise 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. Knit a patchwork blanket with your community
Making a patchwork blanket with your fundraising team and other volunteers is a great way to raise funds through a traditional craft. Community quilt making is a long-standing Australian tradition. It has been used to great effect in recent years to raise funds for people and areas affected by bushfires. Here are some tips:
- Ask people, organisations, and businesses to sponsor squares on your blanket 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 blanket is finished, you can sell it for a reasonable price and put that towards your fundraiser goal.
Seasonal fundraising ideas
Take advantage of the good cheer and high spirits created by seasonal events and public holidays by raising money for a good cause. Adding a seasonal theme to your fundraiser is an easy way to make it topical and relevant to potential donors.
1. Christmas gift-wrapping station
During the Christmas 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. People will happily contribute to a good cause while finishing their holiday shopping. It’s a quick fundraising idea during the giving season.
2. Easter egg hunt
Autumn, and especially Easter, is the perfect time to launch a new fundraiser or revive one of your best fundraising ideas. People are ready to find new excuses to get together to socialise as the cooler weather sets in, and there’s no better way of doing so than an Easter egg hunt. Bringing together family, friends, or a whole community, it’s a great time to raise money for a good cause and get people to donate while they’re on the hunt for eggs.
3. Summer garden party
Why not combine your favourite summer activities with an outdoor fundraising event? A garden party promotes sharing, community bonding, and opportunities to discuss your cause with others. You could sell tickets to the event in advance, informing community members that all proceeds will go towards your cause.
4. Back-to-school book sale
Back-to-school time means thousands of students of all ages are in need of new (or new-to-them) books. Why not reach out to your community and neighbours and ask if they have any books they no longer need or want? Once you have enough books, you can organise 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.
5. Sell handmade Christmas 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.
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, chilli peppers, corn husks, herbs, or ribbons.
If one type of wreath is selling out, recreate it to meet the demand.
Create a delivery process and schedule your deliveries.
6. Anzac Day bake sale
Commemorate war heroes with a bake sale on Anzac Day and donate the proceeds to a relevant charity. This public holiday is a great time to bring the community together, remember those who served, and raise funds for a good cause. Don’t forget to include Anzac biscuits in the sale!
7. Horse racing sweepstakes
Organising a sweepstake for a horse race is a great way to raise funds for a good cause. No skills required; simply ask for a specific donation from each participant and let them pull the name of a horse out of a hat. The winner gets a prize or a portion of the funds, while everything else raised goes to the chosen charity.
Fundraising ideas by cause
You can start a GoFundMe fundraiser for almost anything, but if you’re stuck for ideas on what to fundraise for, the list below could provide some inspiration.
Medical
Raise funds to cover out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as hospital parking fees, travel and accommodation close to specialised treatment, and even loss of income due to time off from work. Raise funds for family or friends facing illness or medical debt.
- Medical crowdfunding guide
- Mental health fundraising
- In vitro fertilisation (IVF) fundraising
- Out-of-pocket medical expenses
- Medical bankruptcy
- Scientific research
Funeral and memorial
Reduce the financial burden of a loved one’s funeral by fundraising online for a memorial service or raise money to honour their legacy with a scholarship fund.
Pets and animals
Raise funds for your pet’s veterinary care, treatments or operations. Animal lovers can also fundraise for animal shelters or support the preservation of endangered species.
- Fundraising ideas for animal charities
- How assistance dog fundraising can unlock your independence
- How to raise money for your pet’s operation
Emergency and disasters
Help rebuild communities that have been hit with a sudden emergency or disaster. Quickly set up a fundraiser in the wake of a bushfire, cyclone or flood, to support your family, friends, and/or your community.
- Fundraising ideas for disaster relief
- Start a bushfire relief fund
- How to support Australian flood relief
Children and family
Raise funds for children of all ages. Help pay for vacation care, sports clubs, Scouts Australia projects, and more.
Education and schools
There are many fundraising ideas to change someone’s life: raise funds for school supplies, field trips, school improvement projects, programmes, or facilities upgrades. Connect your student group with a special charitable organisation or raise funds for a classroom.
Not-for–profit organisations 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 ideas.
- Charity fundraising ideas
- Fundraising ideas for charity events
- How to raise money for environmental charities
- Best ways to raise money for charity
- Best Australian charities to donate to
- Make tax-deductible donations on GoFundMe
Sports
Support amateur athletes by raising funds for equipment, facilities, team-related expenses, activities, tournaments, travel, and more. Run a fundraising tournament to support your local netball team, AFL club, cricket club, bowlo or NRL team or another good cause.
More fundraising ideas
There’s no shortage of creative fundraising ideas to help you raise meaningful donations. An original and well-executed idea can be the key to fundraising success.
Fundraising essentials
Add your fundraising goal, photos, videos and a detailed fundraiser story.
Increase awareness and build your community
Share your fundraiser via our integrated links to your Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and email accounts.
Keep it current with fundraiser updates
Write several updates, add new photos and send thank you notes to your donors.
First time crowdfunding?
Learn how to be successful with our best practices.
Fundraising strategy ideas
Following a few top tips can help you to create a successful fundraiser. There are five key pillars to include in your fundraising strategy:
Set up your fundraiser
This is your chance to tell a unique story. Make it stand out by choosing a memorable and descriptive name, adding high-quality photos, and offering a heartfelt description of your financial needs.
- Crowdfunding fundraiser story: your comprehensive guide
- Online fundraising tools
- The GoFundMe guide to tackling your next charity challenge
- How fundraising goals lead to winning fundraisers
Connect with images and videos
A visual resource is a powerful thing. Fundraisers with compelling visuals 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 draw people to your fundraiser. Have a look at our tried-and-tested ideas for building support for your cause.
- Viral fundraising: make the most of your fundraiser’s potential
- Maximise your fundraising potential
- Simple ways to raise awareness
- Online fundraising without social media
Contact 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.
Use social media
Social media is one of your most important fundraising tools. Use your social networks to spread awareness among family, friends and even strangers to reach as many potential donors as you can.
