Creating a fundraising event every year, while keeping things new and fresh, can be daunting. Lucky for you, I’ve got a list of fifty amazing fundraising ideas that you can try next time you need a fun, new way to raise money.
100-Point Wine Dinner
Host a multi-course dinner prepared by an amazing local chef and paired with outstanding, locally-sourced wines. Sell seats to this dinner for a set price.
50/50 Raffle
Sell raffle tickets at your next live event for a chance to win 50% of the raffle proceeds. Combine this with a traditional raffle for extra incentive. Check with your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.
Amazon Smile
Shopping through Amazon Smile can earn your nonprofit money. Spread the word to your supporters and encourage them to set your organization as their Amazon Smile recipient.
Baking Competition
Host a friendly baking competition. Challenge participants to bake the best chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. Bring in local bakers to judge the bakes. Charge a sign-up fee for the bakers and an admission fee for the audience.
Battle of the Bands
Have a particularly musical community? Host a battle of the bands at a local venue. Charge a sign-up fee and get the audience involved by having them vote for their favorite group. Ask for donations at the event or charge at the door.
Bingo Night
Host a bingo night for the community. Charge for bingo cards. This is a great all-ages event, or you can theme the night and make it more adult-friendly. You can either give away prizes to the winners or give them a cash prize based on the amount of money brought in by the game. Remember to check your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.
Book Fair
Host a book fair benefiting your organization. Source books from local booksellers and major retailers. Ask people in the community to donate their gently used books. Great for schools and nonprofits focused on literacy and education.
Boon Supply
This fundraiser is completely FREE. Simply sign up with Boon Supply, then spread the word of your fundraiser over social media. People can browse Boon Supply and make purchases for the duration of the fundraiser. 40% of all purchases goes straight to your nonprofit or school.
Bowling Tournament
Work with a local bowling alley to host an amateur tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and request a portion of the evening’s proceeds as a donation.
Box Tops for Education
A true classic and a great way to raise a little extra money for schools in your area. Each box top turned in to the school is worth 10 cents. Ask your students, parents, and community to clip box tops for you.
Car Wash
Hold a car wash in your parking lot. Charge a set amount per car. Use volunteers as your car washers.
Chili Cook Off
A specific take on a cooking competition. Gather participants to compete to see who makes the best chili in town. Charge a sign-up fee and bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Set up a donation table at the event for extra revenue.
Cooking Competition
Host a friendly cooking competition at a local venue. Give each person or team a basket with ingredients and challenge them to prepare a dish from the contents of the basket. Bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Charge a sign-up fee and an admission fee for the audience.
Community Clean Up
Get members of your community together to clean up public parks, waterways, or other spaces. Provide shirts for everyone to wear. Ask members of the community to donate based on area cleaned or amount of trashed picked up. Great for nonprofits focused on conservation and public spaces.
Dance Marathon
A classic with a historical origin. Host a dance marathon with teams of participants competing to see who can stay moving the longest. Have your teams collect pledges from people in the community for every hour they dance. Establish rules for how long they must dance each hour. Charge a small sign-up fee per team and sell concessions at the event.
Dance Off
Dance offs are great for communities with performers. Host a dance off at your nonprofit or a local dance studio. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Get the audience involved by asking them to vote for their favorite performer.
Easter Egg Hunt
Host an easter egg hunt for kids in the community. Ask volunteers to help you fill and hide the eggs. Charge a small sign-up fee per child and set up a donation table at the event. Maybe the Easter Bunny will make an appearance.
Fashion Show
Hold a fashion show at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask local boutiques to provide clothing items or make it a do-it-yourself affair if you have a particularly crafty crowd. Charge an admission fee for the event. You could even auction off the clothing items after the show.
Fund-A-Need
Make a Fund-A-Need part of your next fundraising event. It’s like an auction, but without the items. Hire a charity auctioneer to help run the event. Encourage everyone to make a gift at the giving level comfortable for them. Thank your donors for their generosity and support of your cause.
Game Night
Host a game night at your nonprofit. Ask a local game shop, if you have one, to supply board games for the evening. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event.
Girls’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a girls’ night out for your female supporters. Think fashion, great food, entertainment, whatever is local to you. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.
Golf Tournament
Have a local golf course? Work them them to host an amatuer golf tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event.
Guys’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a guys’ night out for your male supporters. Think sports bars, golf, car shows, whatever is local to you. Arrange for food and drinks to be catered or for the night to take the guys through a bar or local restaurant. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.
Karaoke Contest
Ask a local karaoke bar to host an event for your nonprofit, or rent equipment and have the contest at another venue. Charge a small fee for each song and allow the audience to request specific songs for an extra donation. Sell concessions at the event, or ask for a portion of the food and drink sales to go to your nonprofit.
Kids Camp
Host a kids camp for a day or a week in the summer. Provide educational and outdoor activities. Charge parents a registration fee appropriate for the length of the event. Parents will be delighted their children have somewhere to go for a few days. Perfect for schools and nonprofits focused on children.
Live Auction
Make a live auction part of your next fundraising event. Hire a charity auctioneer to run the auction. Source amazing auction items, trips, and experiences. Invite all the right people to attend.
Movie Night
Host a movie night at your nonprofit or other local venue. Charge a small admission fee and serve concessions at the event. This event works well for kids and for the cinephile crowd, just make sure to choose your movie appropriately.
Murder Mystery Dinner
Great for donors looking for a more adult experience. Work with a murder mystery theater group to put on an event benefiting your nonprofit. Encourage everyone to participate and really get into the story. Serve a great meal made by a local chef.
Museum Night
Have a local museum who hosts events outside of regular operating hours? Talk to them about hosting an event for your nonprofit. Attendees get to view the artwork/interact with the exhibits in a more intimate setting and your nonprofit gets a cut of the admissions price. Set up a donations table for extra revenue.
Online Auction
Like a silent auction, but online! Use mobile bidding technology to setup your next auction entirely online. This allows people who can’t attend your event to participate in your auction. Combine this with a traditional silent auction to allow more people to participate.
Paint and Sip Party
Paint and sip parties are all the rage. If you have a local paint and sip business, see if they will host an event benefiting your nonprofit. Ask for a cut of the profits as a donation to your nonprofit. Great for nonprofits with millennial and creative donors.
Penny War
Two or more groups compete to raise money, collecting coins and dollar bills to score points. Each team collects their coins in containers placed in a common area. Encourage people to stop by and donate their spare change to the team of their choice. Increase competition by awarding positive points for all silver coins and negative points for pennies, or the other way around. Very popular with schools.
Pet Party
Throw a party and invite everyone to bring their pet. Hold pet storytime, play games, and serve food for your guests and their pets. Charge a small admission fee per person and pet. Ask for additional donations at the event.
Pet Wash
It’s a car wash for your pets! Set up a pet wash in your parking lot and charge a small fee for each animal washed. Perfect for nonprofits focused on animals.
Photo Contest
Have some artsy people in your community? Host a photo contest and invite everyone to participate. You can ask for photos that fit a specific theme or no theme at all. Charge a fee for submissions and show the photos in a gallery at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask visitors to the gallery to vote on the best photo. You can even ask permission to sell the photos to benefit your nonprofit.
Pool Party
Perfect for summertime when everyone is itching to get outside. Coordinate with your local public pool to host a pool party benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a small admission fee, sell concessions, and set up a donation table at the event. Great for kids.
Progressive Dinner Party
Progressive dinner parties are wonderful for donors looking for a more refined experience. Participants agree to serve one course of a meal at their home and the group travels from home to home enjoying a fabulous meal and accompanying drinks.
Pub/Restaurant Crawl
Invite your supporters to take part in a pub or restaurant crawl. Talk to the venues about receiving a portion of the sales as a donation and charge a small fee to participate. Use the opportunity to visit a selection of locally-owned businesses. Ask if they will put out a donation jar on the night of the crawl for your nonprofit as an extra revenue stream.
Raffle
Host a raffle. Sell raffle tickets for a five dollars a piece and raffle off some amazing prizes at your next event. This works great in conjunction with any live event. Arrange the prizes on a table so people can see what they are buying tickets for.
Read-a-thon
We all wish we could read more books. Why not hold a read-a-thon over the summer months and encourage all ages and reading levels to participate. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants gather pledges from their family, friends, and neighbors for every book they read. Perfect for libraries, schools, and nonprofits focused on education and literacy.
Scavenger Hunt
Put together a scavenger hunt in your community and invite people to attend over social media. This is a great way to get people out into the community, you can even align your clues and items with the mission of your nonprofit to further increase awareness. Charge a registration fee for each group and set up a donations table at the end point of the event.
Seasonal Carnival
Host a summer or fall carnival benefiting your organization. Set up games, bring in performers, and hire local restaurants to provide concessions. Charge a small admission fee and keep a portion of the proceeds from game tickets and concessions. Set up a donations table at the event.
Silent Auction
A fundraising classic. Silent auctions go great with any number of other fundraising activities. Source auction items from local businesses. Arrange the items and their bid sheets on tables and encourage the public to stop by or make the silent auction part of a larger fundraising event. Use mobile bidding technology to allow people to bid on items without being present at the auction.
Sing-a-thon
A staple in many church communities. Host a Sing-a-thon and charge a small admission fee. Consider selling concessions at the event for a second revenue stream. Encourage attendance by combining this event with a silent auction.
Talent Show
Have a lot of performers in your community? Host a talent show at your nonprofit or other local venue. Invite everyone in the community to participate by having the audience vote for the winner. Charge a small admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Perfect for school and nonprofits focused on the arts.
Themed Run/Walk
Host a themed walk/run and encourage everyone to dress up in costumes or matching shirts. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event. Perfect for nonprofits focused on public health.
Tie-Dye Party
Does your nonprofit sell shirts to benefit your cause? Why not host a tie-dye party where attendees can jazz up their shirts with some tie-dye. Provide scarves, wraps, and hats for additional donations.
Trivia Night
Host a trivia night at your nonprofit or local bar or restaurant. Topics can include anything from current events and politics to sports and pop culture. Align your questions with the mission of your nonprofit for extra thematic relevance. Charge a registration fee for teams and pass around a donation sheet at the event itself.
Walk-a-thon
A staple of elementary schools everywhere, walk-a-thons are a great way to get people of all ages up and moving. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants collect pledges from family, friends, and neighbors for every half mile they walk.
Zoo Night
If you have a local zoo that hosts events, talk to them about sponsoring an event for your nonprofit. You can charge a percentage of the admission fees and set up a donation table inside the zoo. Consider combining this event with a zoo-themed silent or live auction for additional revenue streams. Perfect for nonprofits benefiting animals, children, or wildlife conservation.
100-Point Wine Dinner
Host a multi-course dinner prepared by an amazing local chef and paired with outstanding, locally-sourced wines. Sell seats to this dinner for a set price.
50/50 Raffle
Sell raffle tickets at your next live event for a chance to win 50% of the raffle proceeds. Combine this with a traditional raffle for extra incentive. Check with your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.
Amazon Smile
Shopping through Amazon Smile can earn your nonprofit money. Spread the word to your supporters and encourage them to set your organization as their Amazon Smile recipient.
Baking Competition
Host a friendly baking competition. Challenge participants to bake the best chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc. Bring in local bakers to judge the bakes. Charge a sign-up fee for the bakers and an admission fee for the audience.
Battle of the Bands
Have a particularly musical community? Host a battle of the bands at a local venue. Charge a sign-up fee and get the audience involved by having them vote for their favorite group. Ask for donations at the event or charge at the door.
Bingo Night
Host a bingo night for the community. Charge for bingo cards. This is a great all-ages event, or you can theme the night and make it more adult-friendly. You can either give away prizes to the winners or give them a cash prize based on the amount of money brought in by the game. Remember to check your local and state laws regarding raffle rules and regulations.
Book Fair
Host a book fair benefiting your organization. Source books from local booksellers and major retailers. Ask people in the community to donate their gently used books. Great for schools and nonprofits focused on literacy and education.
Boon Supply
This fundraiser is completely FREE. Simply sign up with Boon Supply, then spread the word of your fundraiser over social media. People can browse Boon Supply and make purchases for the duration of the fundraiser. 40% of all purchases goes straight to your nonprofit or school.
Bowling Tournament
Work with a local bowling alley to host an amateur tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and request a portion of the evening’s proceeds as a donation.
Box Tops for Education
A true classic and a great way to raise a little extra money for schools in your area. Each box top turned in to the school is worth 10 cents. Ask your students, parents, and community to clip box tops for you.
Car Wash
Hold a car wash in your parking lot. Charge a set amount per car. Use volunteers as your car washers.
Chili Cook Off
A specific take on a cooking competition. Gather participants to compete to see who makes the best chili in town. Charge a sign-up fee and bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Set up a donation table at the event for extra revenue.
Cooking Competition
Host a friendly cooking competition at a local venue. Give each person or team a basket with ingredients and challenge them to prepare a dish from the contents of the basket. Bring in local chefs to judge the dishes. Charge a sign-up fee and an admission fee for the audience.
Community Clean Up
Get members of your community together to clean up public parks, waterways, or other spaces. Provide shirts for everyone to wear. Ask members of the community to donate based on area cleaned or amount of trashed picked up. Great for nonprofits focused on conservation and public spaces.
Dance Marathon
A classic with a historical origin. Host a dance marathon with teams of participants competing to see who can stay moving the longest. Have your teams collect pledges from people in the community for every hour they dance. Establish rules for how long they must dance each hour. Charge a small sign-up fee per team and sell concessions at the event.
Dance Off
Dance offs are great for communities with performers. Host a dance off at your nonprofit or a local dance studio. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Get the audience involved by asking them to vote for their favorite performer.
Easter Egg Hunt
Host an easter egg hunt for kids in the community. Ask volunteers to help you fill and hide the eggs. Charge a small sign-up fee per child and set up a donation table at the event. Maybe the Easter Bunny will make an appearance.
Fashion Show
Hold a fashion show at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask local boutiques to provide clothing items or make it a do-it-yourself affair if you have a particularly crafty crowd. Charge an admission fee for the event. You could even auction off the clothing items after the show.
Fund-A-Need
Make a Fund-A-Need part of your next fundraising event. It’s like an auction, but without the items. Hire a charity auctioneer to help run the event. Encourage everyone to make a gift at the giving level comfortable for them. Thank your donors for their generosity and support of your cause.
Game Night
Host a game night at your nonprofit. Ask a local game shop, if you have one, to supply board games for the evening. Charge an admission fee and sell concessions at the event.
Girls’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a girls’ night out for your female supporters. Think fashion, great food, entertainment, whatever is local to you. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.
Golf Tournament
Have a local golf course? Work them them to host an amatuer golf tournament benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event.
Guys’ Night Out
Work with a local venue to arrange a guys’ night out for your male supporters. Think sports bars, golf, car shows, whatever is local to you. Arrange for food and drinks to be catered or for the night to take the guys through a bar or local restaurant. Charge a sign-up fee and work with any venues to receive a portion of the proceeds as a donation. When bundled with other items, tickets to these events make a great addition to your silent auction.
Karaoke Contest
Ask a local karaoke bar to host an event for your nonprofit, or rent equipment and have the contest at another venue. Charge a small fee for each song and allow the audience to request specific songs for an extra donation. Sell concessions at the event, or ask for a portion of the food and drink sales to go to your nonprofit.
Kids Camp
Host a kids camp for a day or a week in the summer. Provide educational and outdoor activities. Charge parents a registration fee appropriate for the length of the event. Parents will be delighted their children have somewhere to go for a few days. Perfect for schools and nonprofits focused on children.
Live Auction
Make a live auction part of your next fundraising event. Hire a charity auctioneer to run the auction. Source amazing auction items, trips, and experiences. Invite all the right people to attend.
Movie Night
Host a movie night at your nonprofit or other local venue. Charge a small admission fee and serve concessions at the event. This event works well for kids and for the cinephile crowd, just make sure to choose your movie appropriately.
Murder Mystery Dinner
Great for donors looking for a more adult experience. Work with a murder mystery theater group to put on an event benefiting your nonprofit. Encourage everyone to participate and really get into the story. Serve a great meal made by a local chef.
Museum Night
Have a local museum who hosts events outside of regular operating hours? Talk to them about hosting an event for your nonprofit. Attendees get to view the artwork/interact with the exhibits in a more intimate setting and your nonprofit gets a cut of the admissions price. Set up a donations table for extra revenue.
Online Auction
Like a silent auction, but online! Use mobile bidding technology to setup your next auction entirely online. This allows people who can’t attend your event to participate in your auction. Combine this with a traditional silent auction to allow more people to participate.
Paint and Sip Party
Paint and sip parties are all the rage. If you have a local paint and sip business, see if they will host an event benefiting your nonprofit. Ask for a cut of the profits as a donation to your nonprofit. Great for nonprofits with millennial and creative donors.
Penny War
Two or more groups compete to raise money, collecting coins and dollar bills to score points. Each team collects their coins in containers placed in a common area. Encourage people to stop by and donate their spare change to the team of their choice. Increase competition by awarding positive points for all silver coins and negative points for pennies, or the other way around. Very popular with schools.
Pet Party
Throw a party and invite everyone to bring their pet. Hold pet storytime, play games, and serve food for your guests and their pets. Charge a small admission fee per person and pet. Ask for additional donations at the event.
Pet Wash
It’s a car wash for your pets! Set up a pet wash in your parking lot and charge a small fee for each animal washed. Perfect for nonprofits focused on animals.
Photo Contest
Have some artsy people in your community? Host a photo contest and invite everyone to participate. You can ask for photos that fit a specific theme or no theme at all. Charge a fee for submissions and show the photos in a gallery at your nonprofit or another venue. Ask visitors to the gallery to vote on the best photo. You can even ask permission to sell the photos to benefit your nonprofit.
Pool Party
Perfect for summertime when everyone is itching to get outside. Coordinate with your local public pool to host a pool party benefiting your nonprofit. Charge a small admission fee, sell concessions, and set up a donation table at the event. Great for kids.
Progressive Dinner Party
Progressive dinner parties are wonderful for donors looking for a more refined experience. Participants agree to serve one course of a meal at their home and the group travels from home to home enjoying a fabulous meal and accompanying drinks.
Pub/Restaurant Crawl
Invite your supporters to take part in a pub or restaurant crawl. Talk to the venues about receiving a portion of the sales as a donation and charge a small fee to participate. Use the opportunity to visit a selection of locally-owned businesses. Ask if they will put out a donation jar on the night of the crawl for your nonprofit as an extra revenue stream.
Raffle
Host a raffle. Sell raffle tickets for a five dollars a piece and raffle off some amazing prizes at your next event. This works great in conjunction with any live event. Arrange the prizes on a table so people can see what they are buying tickets for.
Read-a-thon
We all wish we could read more books. Why not hold a read-a-thon over the summer months and encourage all ages and reading levels to participate. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants gather pledges from their family, friends, and neighbors for every book they read. Perfect for libraries, schools, and nonprofits focused on education and literacy.
Scavenger Hunt
Put together a scavenger hunt in your community and invite people to attend over social media. This is a great way to get people out into the community, you can even align your clues and items with the mission of your nonprofit to further increase awareness. Charge a registration fee for each group and set up a donations table at the end point of the event.
Seasonal Carnival
Host a summer or fall carnival benefiting your organization. Set up games, bring in performers, and hire local restaurants to provide concessions. Charge a small admission fee and keep a portion of the proceeds from game tickets and concessions. Set up a donations table at the event.
Silent Auction
A fundraising classic. Silent auctions go great with any number of other fundraising activities. Source auction items from local businesses. Arrange the items and their bid sheets on tables and encourage the public to stop by or make the silent auction part of a larger fundraising event. Use mobile bidding technology to allow people to bid on items without being present at the auction.
Sing-a-thon
A staple in many church communities. Host a Sing-a-thon and charge a small admission fee. Consider selling concessions at the event for a second revenue stream. Encourage attendance by combining this event with a silent auction.
Talent Show
Have a lot of performers in your community? Host a talent show at your nonprofit or other local venue. Invite everyone in the community to participate by having the audience vote for the winner. Charge a small admission fee and sell concessions at the event. Perfect for school and nonprofits focused on the arts.
Themed Run/Walk
Host a themed walk/run and encourage everyone to dress up in costumes or matching shirts. Charge a sign-up fee and set up a donation table at the event. Perfect for nonprofits focused on public health.
Tie-Dye Party
Does your nonprofit sell shirts to benefit your cause? Why not host a tie-dye party where attendees can jazz up their shirts with some tie-dye. Provide scarves, wraps, and hats for additional donations.
Trivia Night
Host a trivia night at your nonprofit or local bar or restaurant. Topics can include anything from current events and politics to sports and pop culture. Align your questions with the mission of your nonprofit for extra thematic relevance. Charge a registration fee for teams and pass around a donation sheet at the event itself.
Walk-a-thon
A staple of elementary schools everywhere, walk-a-thons are a great way to get people of all ages up and moving. Charge a small sign-up fee and have participants collect pledges from family, friends, and neighbors for every half mile they walk.
Zoo Night
If you have a local zoo that hosts events, talk to them about sponsoring an event for your nonprofit. You can charge a percentage of the admission fees and set up a donation table inside the zoo. Consider combining this event with a zoo-themed silent or live auction for additional revenue streams. Perfect for nonprofits benefiting animals, children, or wildlife conservation.
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