Halloween Fundraising Ideas
Halloween isn’t just the time of year for trick-or-treating, fancy dress and horror films.
The spooky holiday is also a fantastic chance for you to fundraise for causes important to you.
Whether you’re hosting a fundraising Halloween bash, taking part in a fun fitness challenge or dressing up in scary costumes to raise cash, it’s the perfect opportunity to get creative and think of new ways to fundraise.
Here we outline some of the best ways you can raise money while enjoying Halloween.
1. Home-made haunted house
We’ve all seen them. The elaborately decorated home on the street set up to scare neighbours and raise eyebrows.
But there’s no reason why it couldn’t be your home this year!
Homes decorated in Halloween scary props are a great way to get the community engaged and offer a real opportunity for fundraising.
You could adorn your home in over-the-top decorations that are fun for the local community and trick-or-treaters. In doing so, you could attract attention and politely ask for donations for a cause important to you.
This could be for a charity that serves the community and one that people are already familiar with or a cause that’s personal to you.
You can do it on your own or invite neighbours to participate too.
And if this feels like a bit of a challenge, why not ask the elaborately decorated home that people love every year if they’ve ever thought about fundraising?
2. Pumpkin carving contests
Another fundraising idea that’s fun for all the family is a pumpkin carving contest.
Once you’ve paid for pumpkins and a few tools to carve, this can be a cost-effective way of engaging people to get involved without having to pay a large bill.
This can be ideal in group settings that get people involved, like in schools or in community halls. Or even a small party at your home.
You could ask people to sponsor a pumpkin, like this fundraiser did, or donate a small fee.
Once the contest has taken place, you could also spread the word about your fundraiser online and on social media to drive engagement.
3. Costume parties
Everyone loves a Halloween party and this could be the ideal opportunity to fundraise.
You can take the classic tradition of dressing up but use it as a chance to raise money and ask people to donate to a worthy cause.
This could be by asking attendees to make a donation upon entry or before.
Lots of people could potentially donate by doing this and you could get a large group of people involved.
4. Trick-or-treat fundraisers
As children get excited for their costumes this year and planning begins, you could also think about raising money while trick-or-treating.
This could be done by organising a neighbourhood or community event where everyone gets together to trick-or-treat and raise money for good causes.
Or, you could organise this through your local school where a large group will be getting together in their costumes.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is a great example of how this can work. Started on Halloween 1950 as a local event in the United States, the program historically involves the distribution of small orange boxes by schools to trick-or-treaters, in which they can solicit small change donations from the houses they visit.
The charitable tradition is still going today!
5. Halloween bake sale
A spooky, Halloween-themed bake sale is a fun way to get creative and raise money.
From pumpkin spice muffins to monster-themed cakes, the possibilities are endless when it comes to sweet treats you could make.
It’s a simple and easy way of raising money and you can donate the proceeds to your fundraiser.
It’s also a great way of involving other people in a positive, fun way.
6. Zombie fun run
Taking inspiration from the classic horror films, you could also plan a zombie fun run.
You could organise your own Halloween-themed fun run and dress up with friends, family or colleagues while raising money.
This could be something you organise in your workplace, with friends or the local community.
If you don’t want to organise it though, there’s plenty of organised events taking place across the country each year.
Simply set up a fundraiser, get involved and spread the word.
Start a Halloween-themed fundraiser
Although there’s pressure every year to come up with a good costume, maybe this year could be the time you fundraise as well as have fun.
From bake sales to small parties, there’s no limit about how you can raise money.