Top 15 Church Fundraising Ideas That Work

You likely have individual groups as part of your house of worship who all need a boost with their budget. Starting church fundraisers doesn’t have to be complex. After determining the amount each group has to raise, create separate Teams GoFundMe fundraisers for each activity—$500 for the choir, $250 for Sunday school, and so on.

This way, people can donate to their preferred team. Introduce some friendly competition to motivate everyone to fundraise the most they can and brainstorm some faith fundraising ideas to share on TikTok, Instagram, and even Nextdoor.

A practical, faith-based fundraising idea involves offering hand-delivered gifts from community members in exchange for donations. It can be centered around any religious occasion and is a great way to incorporate youth group fundraising into your community. The key is to make it an action rather than just a gift. Ask the youth group to promote it in social media, including Instagram.

It could mean singing telegrams, Christmas carols, gifting candles during Hanukkah, or handing out treats during Eid. It’s a unique opportunity to connect with donors and strengthen community ties.

There are many unique fundraising ideas for churches, such as organizing a fun scavenger hunt for a holiday and requesting donations for participation.

Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt! But you can also do a family-friendly scavenger hunt with clues related to the holiday or faith to reach a church fundraiser goal. This is an excellent chance to invite other community members to come together and enjoy some fun activities.

Encourage participants to share their search on social media and use a specific hashtag to allow others to follow along with the competition.

Of all the church fundraiser ideas, this one is a classic. Pick a day for a potluck dinner—it can be on a specific day of the week, like Shabbat, or a holiday, like Easter Sunday. Use your online fundraiser to organize what you want everyone to bring to the potluck.

Ask supporters to donate to your fundraiser instead of buying a ticket for the potluck. A potluck is one of the best ways to raise money while you chat about the food with whoever made it—and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll share their family recipes.

Church fundraisers don’t always need to be high-energy events. You can host a conference to share your faith with others and inspire them to contribute to funding lectures, talks, and panels with a donation for admission. The church youth groups can volunteer and help with set up.

You can record videos of the workshops and best talks and add them to your church, temple, synagogue, or mosque’s website. Only accessible for a small donation to your GoFundMe fundraiser.

Looking to raise funds for your next mission trip or church choir competition? Take advantage of Giving Tuesday—a global day of giving—and watch as your fundraising goals are met and exceeded. Use social media, WhatsApp, and email to spread the word and see how your community rallies behind your cause.

A recipe book is a great way to get the whole of your community to come together to raise funds for your church. Ask members of the congregation to submit their favorite recipes to be compiled into one big mouth-watering cook book. You can then sell the cook book after service and put the money towards your fundraising goal. If you have a small church congregation, why not broaden your target market by selling the recipe book to others in your local community.

A talent show never goes out of style. They are also a great way to get to know your congregation even better. Everyone has a hidden talent and most people don’t need much of a push to show theirs off! Set up a talent show at your church and invite people to sign up and perform. Charge the audience $5 for entry and before you know it, you will have raised a bunch of money and have thrown the event of the century.

The way to most people’s heart is food, so why not lean into this by throwing a BBQ fundraiser? Whether you are a big church or a small church, the best thing about a BBQ is that it can be a big or small event. Choose a sunny day and invite your congregation and members of your local community to swing by to enjoy a burger or sausage in a bun. It doesn’t cost much to buy the supplies and you can charge people a premium to come and enjoy the day. You could even set up a paddling pool for the kids and have a karaoke machine to keep the adults entertained.

Everyone loves a movie marathon. Grab the popcorn and a beloved trilogy and you are all set! You can even make your movie night themed and encourage people to dress up like characters in the film that you are screening. Charge people an entry fee and offer a prize for best dressed, then all that’s left to do is watch the donations roll in.

A yard sale is a great way to raise money for your church, and clear out your home at the same time! You can either host your own yard sale and sell your personal items to raise the funds, or you can get the whole congregation involved and host a giant yard sale in the parking lot of your church.

Don’t have anything to sell in a yard sale? Don’t panic, you can always bake your way to a successful sale. Encourage your congregation to get their aprons on and contribute one baked good each and have yourself a  bake sale.  You can either sell your cakes after church, or you could see if you could team up with other local businesses to sell your cakes at their events.

Most people hate washing their own car. Take away their stress and raise funds at the same time. Host a car wash in your church parking lot and ask members of the congregation to pick up a sponge and get scrubbing. Advertise the car wash in the weeks before in local cafes and in the local press.

Gaming is becoming increasingly popular and is a great way to raise funds. Host a games night and incorporate video and board games. Participants can pay to play and compete against each other for a prize . Prize ideas could be a jar of sweets or a voucher.

A toy drive can be an incredibly effective way to raise funds. It is an event organized to collect new or pre-used toys to give to children in need, typically during the holiday season. Start by setting clear goals and organizing volunteers, partnerships, and a timeline. Promote the drive through social media, flyers, and local media. Incorporate fundraising by setting up online donation platforms like GoFundMe and placing donation boxes at drop-off points. You can even ask local businesses for sponsorship. You can offer incentives and public recognition to significant donors and collaborators, and enlist influencers or well known members of the community to encourage donations.