Planning Your Creative Fundraising Ideas

The first step to a creative fundraiser is coming up with a good fundraising plan—and sticking to it. Rather than launching into action straight away, take time to reflect on some key areas to maximize your chance of running a successful fundraising campaign. Once you’ve got the details ironed out, setting up a fundraising page is easy and free to do.

Identify Your Audience

Who are the people who are most likely to donate to your fundraising campaign? Maybe it is your family and friends or maybe it is people who are sympathetic to your cause. Once you identify who your donor demographic is and their preferences, you can tailor your fundraising ideas to their interests.

For example, if you are fundraising for a social justice project, you could create t-shirts with slogans relating to your cause. People can wear the merchandise after they donate to show that they support the cause and to help with further promotion.

Setting Fundraising Goals and Objectives

Defining clear and achievable fundraising goals is crucial when it comes to fundraising and is a great way to keep momentum going. Establish your metrics for success, how much do you want to raise? How many people do you want to reach with your fundraiser? If you are fundraising to buy something, how much do you need to raise?

You can then use these metrics to update people on how your fundraising is going (and encourage more people to donate). Fundraising goals and objectives provide many opportunities for you to speak to your audience. Reached the halfway mark? Let everyone know. Had a significant donation? Let the donor know how their contribution has helped your cause.

Budgeting and Resource Allocation

Estimating costs and necessary resources will set your fundraiser up for success. Set yourself a reasonable budget that you will be able to cover with your fundraising efforts.

Partnering with local businesses and volunteers for support is a good idea as many places will offer help for free or low cost if it means that you bring in some extra business for them. For example, if you host an event in a bar, you can ask if you can use their space for free in return for people buying drinks at their venue.

Marketing and Promotion

Marketing can be an integral part of your fundraisers’ success and the best part is that it is relatively easy and cheap to do. Here are some key channels to consider when sharing your fundraising campaign:

  • Social media: Spread the word about your fundraiser and encourage your networks to do the same. Use eye-catching photos and memorable copy to get people’s attention. Prioritize using platforms that are the most relevant to your audience. For example, TikTok would be most relevant for a Gen Z audience, while Facebook attracts an older audience.
  • Email marketing: If your organization or club already has a mailing list, use it to promote your fundraising campaign to drive donations. You could also partner with local businesses to promote your good cause and any fundraising events you’re hosting. Make sure you don’t overdo the emails though as people don’t like to be bombarded. Here are some email fundraising templates that might help your efforts.
  • Local media: This is a great way to let people know about your fundraiser. You can take out an ad in the paper, or better still, ask a journalist if they would be interested in featuring your fundraiser or interviewing you about the cause. Read this guide for tips on how to write an effective press release.
  • Promotional materials: In a digital world, you can’t underestimate the power of an eye-catching flyer. If you or someone you know has graphic design skills, create promotional materials for your fundraiser. There are plenty of online tools, such as Canva, that can help you.

Creative Fundraising Event Ideas

Now that you’ve got the foundations planned, it’s time for the fun stuff: planning your creative fundraising ideas. There are plenty of types of unique fundraising ideas from bake sales, car washes, and game nights that will help drive donations. The trick is to give yours a playful and memorable twist so that it stays in people’s minds and drives donations to your cause.

Art and Craft Events

Art Gala

If you’re an artist or have friends or students who are artists or craftspeople (perhaps photographers, painters, or jewelry makers), ask them to donate pieces to an art sale supporting your cause.

Find a space to host the event—ideally a gallery, café, or school space. Charge a small entry fee and serve drinks and appetizers. 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.

You could host a silent auction for certain artworks to draw a crowd and add a little excitement to the event.

Host an Art Workshop

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 kinds of art workshops can you and your fundraising team teach? Can you ask an accomplished teacher to donate his or her time?

Think about figure drawing, portrait or still life photography, landscape painting, even cake decorating, or other food art. Host half-day or full-day workshops in exchange for donations to your crowdfunding fundraiser.

Talent Show

A talent show is a fun way to get your local community together. Choose a decent-sized venue and ask a well-known member of the community to act as your emcee.

Ask guests to make a donation to your fundraiser as an entry fee. Another way to make money is to ask local businesses for sponsorships and matching donations.

For those who can’t attend, share pictures and videos from the show on your fundraiser page and social media to inspire them to donate to your cause.

Craft Fair

A craft fair is an excellent way to support local crafters and artisans while raising funds for your cause. By organizing a market where these talented individuals can showcase and sell their handmade goods, you create a fun community event for locals to enjoy.

Charging attendees a small entry fee and vendors a fee for booth space helps cover event costs but also contributes to your fundraising goals. Be sure to promote the craft fair widely through social media, local media outlets, and community bulletin boards to ensure a high turnout.

Consider selling refreshments or hosting a bake sale alongside to raise extra cash.

Seasonal and Holiday Events

Plant or Flower Sales

Teaming up with nurseries for seasonal plant or flower sales, particularly during spring or the holiday season, is a fun and festive way to encourage donations.

The first step is to identify a reputable local nursery and negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement with them. This could be splitting the money you make so they get 50% and 50% goes to your fundraiser. You can plan successful sales events featuring a diverse range of popular and unique plants.

Make sure to have special offers and exclusive early-bird specials for pre-purchase customers, as this can increase interest in your sale. You can also offer online pre-purchase with pick-up or delivery options which can be a convenient choice for people who are busy during the holiday season.

Holiday Wreath Sales

This is perfect for the holiday fundraising. Plug into the holiday trend and offer your wreaths in exchange for donations to your crowdfunding fundraiser.

Either make them yourself or find a wholesale supplier who’s willing to donate fresh wreaths or raw materials to your cause.

If you assemble the wreaths yourself, add flourishes like dried berries, succulents, flowers, chili peppers, corn husks, herbs, or ribbons—especially if they visually or symbolically relate to your cause. You could also host a wreath-making workshop for a donation fee.

Holiday Market

Staying on the festive theme, consider hosting a market with various holiday-themed items. These could include crafts, baked goods, and decorations. Ask your school or local church if you can use their space and invite artists and other community members to host a stall. Let people know the market is happening by posting on social media and posting leaflets in the local area.

Community and Family Events

Organizing community and family events can significantly enhance local engagement and provide enjoyable experiences for children and teens of all ages.

Makers Market

Organize a Makers Market for local crafters and artisans to showcase and sell their handmade products.

Charge guests an admission fee and vendors a reasonable fee for booth space to cover event costs. Promote the market widely through social media, local advertising, and community newsletters. This event not only supports local businesses, but also offers a fun shopping experience for attendees.

Parent’s Night Out

Offer a Parent’s Night Out service, providing babysitting for children while parents enjoy an evening out. Ensure a safe and fun environment with engaging activities and delicious food for the kids.

By promoting this event through local schools, community centers, and online platforms, parents can have a worry-free night out, knowing their children are in good hands and having a great time.

As an extra fundraising opportunity, why not provide the evening’s entertainment for all family members? Now that the kids are sorted, you can host a game night or trivia night for parents to enjoy. Charge a small admission fee and make sure you’ve got food and drinks for sale, too.

Community Picnic

Host a community picnic in your local park with various family-friendly games and activities. Charge a small entry fee and sell a selection of food and drinks for purchase. Selling ice-cold drinks and ice creams from a cool box is bound to raise a lot of money on a hot summer’s day.

Organize fun activities such as sack races, face painting, and scavenger hunts to entertain all ages. You can also include board games and coloring books if you’re short on space. Promote the event through flyers, social media, and local organizations to ensure a well-attended.

To raise extra funds, you could also partner with local businesses to donate prizes for giveaways. Sell raffle tickets in the lead-up to the event and announce the winners on the day. Every cent helps you reach your fundraising goal.

Family Walk-a-Thon

Get the family involved in a sponsored walk-a-thon to raise money for your cause. To make the walk more memorable, you could theme it relating to your cause and encourage fancy dress for participants.

Encourage donors to pledge a certain amount of money for every mile covered, with bonus points for little ones—or parents having to carry them on their shoulders! Charge admission to enter, too.

Movie Night (or Day)

Movie nights are a great fundraising idea for the whole family to get involved with. All you need to do is find a suitable venue, choose a family-friendly movie (and find a projector or similar movie-watching piece of kit), and sit back and relax.

You can charge an entry fee for families to attend, and sell popcorn and drinks to raise extra funds. You could also host a movie-related quiz after the show has finished to encourage people to stick around (and add to your donation pot).

Field Day

A family-friendly field day is a great opportunity to raise money with friendly competition. Get family members to join different teams to boost your fundraising efforts. You’ll need a lot of space for this event, so consider partnering with your local high school.

You can have a food truck and concession stand to make extra money on refreshments.

Creative Product and Merchandise Ideas

Who doesn’t love a bit of merchandise? Creating and selling creative products can engage your community and generate revenue. Here are some ideas to get the ball rolling.

Limited Edition Spirit Wear

Create themed merchandise for holidays or special events, such as school spirit weeks or community festivals. You can design unique items like hoodies, hats, or mugs that capture the spirit of the occasion and relate to your cause. The key thing to remember is to promote the exclusivity and urgency of these limited-edition items through social media, newsletters, and local advertising to encourage quick purchases.

Recipe Books

Creating a recipe book can be a really special way to get to know your community. Collect favorite recipes from people you know and others in your community, and ask for people to provide local specialty dishes and family recipes.

Design a professionally printed recipe book, featuring photos and stories behind the recipes. Ask if you can host a book sale at community events, schools, online, and through local businesses.

Custom T-Shirts

Creating a customized t-shirt for your fundraiser is a great way to increase donations and also raise awareness for your cause. You can also offer personalization options like adding names, slogans, or custom graphics.

There are so many online platforms for easy customization and ordering, make sure you do your research to find the one with the most competitive prices. You can promote the t-shirts through fundraiser-related communications such as social media and emails to boost engagement and support. Ask people to tag your organization in images of them wearing their new t-shirts, so you can repost.

Eco-Friendly Products

While you are fundraising, why not help the environment at the same time? You can sell eco-friendly goodies such as reusable bags, water bottles, bamboo utensils, and organic cotton tote bags and use the profits to boost your fundraising event.

Highlight the environmental benefits of these products, such as reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainability. Use environmentally-conscious packaging and marketing materials to appeal to eco-aware customers.

Online Craft Sales

If you and your fundraising team have ideas for clothing, jewelry, or other artwork you can reproduce in large quantities, you can use sites like eBay and Etsy to help you raise money.

Choose a craft you can produce in quantity and customize easily with buyers’ names or other information. When uploading, be sure to include lots of pictures and specify in the item description that profits from the sales go to fundraising for a cause, with a link to your fundraiser.

Donate all the funds made from selling your crafts (i.e. the margin between the costs of making and shipping the products and the amount you make after selling them) to your fundraiser.

Sell digital downloads of artwork, offering personalized or customizable options to cater to individual tastes and preferences. Create monthly subscription boxes with themed items, offering them as a way for supporters to regularly contribute to and engage with the cause.

Leveraging Technology and Online Platforms

Technology is your friend when it comes to fundraising so don’t be afraid to use it! Leveraging technology and online platforms can significantly enhance fundraising efforts and community engagement. Let’s break it down:

Crowdfunding Campaigns

A crowdfunding page can help you collect funds easily and quickly. You can use crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe to create a moving donation page. When putting together your page the most important thing is to connect with your audience, remember to include key parts of your story and make it personal. You can also include pictures and videos to bring your story to life.

Social Media Fundraising

Social media is a great way to further amplify your fundraiser. Initiate viral challenges or video contests to generate excitement and encourage supporters to share and promote the campaign on their social media networks, amplifying reach and impact. The most important thing is to ask your donors to share your fundraiser on their social media channels. Don’t forget to get them to tag you and use your fundraiser hashtag.

Virtual Events

Online Auctions: Host live-streamed auctions for donated items, promoting the items through various online channels and facilitating bids in real-time.

Virtual Workshops: Offer online classes or tutorials in exchange for donations, providing valuable content while supporting the cause.

Virtual Concerts: Partner with local musicians to host a virtual concert, selling virtual tickets and promoting the event through social media and local online communities.

Maximizing Participation and Donations

Once you have set up your fundraiser, it is important to maximize the number of people donating to your fundraiser. There are so many ways to do this that go beyond your initial friends and family.

Partnering with Companies

Collaborate with local businesses to set up matching donation programs. This is a great way for companies to give back and also doubles the impact of individual donations and encourages people to give larger sums of money.

Securing Sponsorships

Ask a local business to sponsor your fundraiser. They could help by providing merch for you to offer as a prize in a raffle or they could sponsor a particular fundraising event you are organizing.

If you do manage to secure a sponsor be sure to shout them out and promote them in exchange for their support.

Engaging Storytelling

Everyone has a story to tell and people want to hear it. When writing your fundraiser story, ask yourself, what makes this fundraiser special? Be sure to include personal details and reasons why your cause is so special to you. Consider recording a video to reach more people and let people get to know you.

Build Relationships

Share compelling success stories and testimonials to highlight the positive impact of donations, creating an emotional connection with donors.

Regular Updates

Keep donors informed with regular updates on progress and the tangible effects of their contributions through newsletters, social media, and personalized communications to maintain engagement and trust. Read this article on effective psychological techniques that can help boost your fundraising campaign.

Post-Event Follow-Up

Effective post-event follow-up is crucial for maintaining donor relationships and improving future fundraisers. Here are some important points to keep in mind:

Thanking Donors and Participants

Personalized thank-you notes are a great way to express gratitude and let people know how much their contribution meant to you. You can also post updates, showing appreciation for your donors’ support and participation.

If you receive a particularly big donation, you can publicly acknowledge the major contributors through social media, newsletters, or at future events, to give them the recognition they deserve.

Sharing Results and Impact

Make sure you report back to donors the success you are having by providing detailed updates on the progress of your fundraiser, including total funds raised and key highlights such as events you host or milestones you meet.

An important thing to remember is to clearly communicate how the raised funds will be used, showcasing the impact on the community or cause to reinforce the value of their contributions. When people understand the impact donations can make, they are more likely to donate and engage with your cause.

Planning for Future Fundraisers

So, now that one fundraiser has been a roaring success, it is important to think about the future in case you ever want to fundraise again.

Collect feedback from participants and donors to understand their experiences and gather suggestions for improvement. Analyze the feedback to identify areas for improvement and brainstorm new ideas to enhance future fundraising efforts ensuring continuous growth and better engagement.

Ready to start fundraising?

Feeling inspired by all these fundraising ideas? You can start your fundraiser today on GoFundMe. It only takes a few minutes to get set up and you can start collecting donations today.