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Simple Fundraising Ideas to Raise Money Fast

Even when you’re raising funds for complicated reasons, fundraising itself doesn’t have to be complicated. Crowdfunding is a simple and direct way to raise funds quickly and easily. Your fundraiser page can tell your story simply and honestly, and it gives people one central place to support you both financially and emotionally. Pair your GoFundMe with one of these easy-to-do event ideas, and you can help raise awareness, bring people together—and boost your donations.

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Combine crowdfunding with a fundraising event

While crowdfunding makes the fundraising process faster and easier, events can help multiply its effectiveness. Consider hosting a simple fundraising event to kick your fundraiser into gear. Look over the following simple fundraising ideas. If you’re still on the fence about hosting an event, keep in mind:

  • While your online crowdfunding fundraiser can reach a wide audience, nothing beats the real world.
  • Events provide “social proof” that your fundraiser is legitimate and worth supporting.

Five easy fundraising ideas

1. Bake sale

This is one of the most popular fundraising events for a reason—it works. People love sweet treats, and if you serve cupcakes while asking for money, they’re more likely to open their wallets. Bake sales may sound like a lot of work, but if you plan carefully, they can be surprisingly simple.

  • Don’t try to bake all of the cakes, muffins, cookies, and bread yourself. Delegate! If you spread the responsibilities among a group of supporters, no single person gets stuck with a huge commitment.
  • Ask customers to pay through your crowdfunding page using a phone or tablet to simplify the donation process.

2. Backyard game tournament

Field games are wonderful fundraising events because they don’t require a huge investment. They also provide self-organizing entertainment for guests (which can take some of the pressure off of the host).

  • Cornhole is one of the simplest and most fun games, with teams competing to throw a bag through a hole cut into a piece of wood on a platform. It can be easily adapted for a tournament, giving spectators the chance to place bets on winning teams.
  • Croquet is another fun game that can be easily set up as a tournament.
  • Keep it simple by asking for a donation to your fundraiser in exchange for admission, and ask some of your supporters to bring snacks to serve to guests.

3. Bingo night

Here are simple ways to host a bingo tournament.

  • See if a local café, restaurant, school, or community center will let you use its facilities.
  • Ask businesses to donate prizes for the winners.
  • Post flyers in prominent places in your neighborhood, and share event details on your crowdfunding page and via social media.
  • Ask guests to make a donation to your fundraiser to participate. Recruit a friend to call numbers if you think you’ll be too busy taking donations and managing the event to do so yourself.

4. Garage sale

Many people have experience with garage sales, and even those who don’t will find these events quite straightforward.

  • Find gently used items you no longer need and sort them into groups by type or price.
  • Ask neighbours, friends, and family members to donate items they want to get rid of, too and consider holding multiple sales if supporters have enough donated items to make up multiple events.
  • Garage sale fundraisers can be a great opportunity to raise money while simplifying your life and your home.

5. Hike-a-thon

Hiking events are a great opportunity to get active for a cause. They require very little planning or investment, so you typically get a great return for your efforts.

  • Simply pick a trail and route you want to take, pack some snacks and water, and let people bid for the opportunity to join in the fun.
  • You can even recruit a prominent member of your local community—anyone who qualifies as a “local celebrity” or commands a great deal of respect—and have them lead a private hike for the highest bidders.

Simple tools set you up for fundraiser success

GoFundMe is a simple yet powerful platform. Pairing it with one of these easy fundraising ideas can multiply your efforts and help you reach people you couldn’t reach through crowdfunding alone. Use both online sharing and offline sharing to amplify your reach. For more inspiration, check out our fundraising ideas page. Start your fundraiser today.