10 Easy Fundraising Ideas for Your Cause
Do you want to raise money for a worthy cause but need to organise something that’s quick and easy? Not all fundraisers require months of planning and sleepless nights, so you can do a good deed without taking on too much stress.
At GoFundMe, we’ve got you covered with this list of easy fundraising ideas that are simple to organise while also allowing you to maximise the donations you receive.
Not only are these fundraising ideas designed to be straightforward, but they’re also accessible to everyone. Your fundraising journey starts here!
1. Fun run
Inclusive and accessible to all ages and fitness levels, a fun run is a non-competitive way of bringing a community together in an active, social environment. Requiring minimal equipment or preparation, fun runs are simple to organise and cheap for those on a tight budget.
You can also tailor a fun run with creative themes to enhance the experience and make it more engaging, such as fancy dress or colour run.
The combination of ease and enjoyment means a fun run is an excellent fundraiser option for groups of friends, schools, social clubs, work colleagues, and more.
2. Bake sale
Who doesn’t love homemade treats? As far as easy fundraising ideas go, a bake sale is a surefire winner. Not only can you share the workload by inviting other people to donate baked goodies, but you’ll already have a large group of people in one place ready to sell to.
Bake sales can be quickly set up in schools, community centres, or workplaces, and require only basic baking skills and ingredients. Accessible and appealing to a broad audience, a bake sale is an enjoyable fundraising idea that brings communities together.
3. Car wash
To get a car wash up and running, all you’ll need is soap, water, sponges, and some willing volunteers. Next, you just need to pick a location that sees a lot of passing traffic, such as a car park at a school or supermarket, or on your street. Once this quick planning process is complete, simply open up your social media apps and start spreading the word to promote it.
This hands-on activity creates a fun, social atmosphere that’s enjoyable for volunteers and customers alike. Plus, the high visibility nature of a car wash means you could receive a lot of donations for your charitable cause.
4. Read-a-thon
A read-a-thon is always an instant hit with schools, encouraging children to read while raising money for a good cause. This school fundraising idea can be set up with minimal fuss, as all you’ll need is some books and a way of tracking reading progress.
Students collect pledges based on the number of books or pages they read, which can help to promote a love of reading while contributing to the lives of others. Plus, it doesn’t have to be held at a school, it can also be done at home or in libraries, making it flexible and accessible for all.
5. Crowdfunding
What makes crowdfunding a quick fundraising idea is that it leverages an online platform to reach a wide audience with minimal effort. By using a reputable platform, such as GoFundMe, you can start crowdfunding in just a few clicks before sharing your fundraiser via social media and email.
This interactive method of fundraising is an excellent way of engaging with a diverse range of people on a larger scale, with the potential to go viral and maximise the amount of money you raise. Accessible and cheap, crowdfunding is a no-brainer.
6. Raffle ticket sales
Organising a raffle is a straightforward, easy fundraising idea that offers participants the thrill of winning a prize with little effort. All you need to do is collect some prizes, print tickets, and sell them to people. A raffle ticket sale encourages widespread participation and is a quick way of generating funds for your worthy cause.
It can also be held alongside other fundraising events, such as at a bake sale or fun run, helping you to enhance the amount of donations you receive.
Please note: You cannot offer prizes or rewards in return for donating on GoFundMe.
7. Virtual quiz night
Everybody loves a quiz night, so why not host a virtual event and use it to fundraise? Leveraging video conferencing platforms and quiz apps, this fundraising idea is easy to scale to different-sized groups, inexpensive, and simple to organise and set up.
Participants can join from the comfort of their own homes and the event can easily be shared online, making it accessible to a wide audience. As well as encouraging donations throughout the night, you could also charge a small fee for tickets to boost your fundraising total.
8. Partner with local businesses
Partnering with local businesses is a simple and fun fundraising idea because it builds community connections while raising funds. All you need to do is reach out to local businesses and see if they’re interested in supporting you in some way. They could do so by:
- Having collection pots on their premises.
- Distributing flyers about your fundraiser
- Promoting it on their social media accounts and other marketing platforms
- Donating a portion of their sales
- Sponsoring your fundraiser
- Offering products and services as prizes
This collaboration is also mutually beneficial, as businesses gain positive exposure within the local community by contributing to a charitable cause.
9. Use social media effectively
When fundraising, if you want to reach a large audience instantly, then there is no better tool than social media. You can create and share your campaign on Facebook, Instagram, X, or TikTok seamlessly, using compelling messages, photos, and videos to make it more engaging. This low-cost, quick fundraising idea is a great way of spreading the word to a variety of networks.
You don’t even need to tie yourself down to a specific event or challenge – simply tell your story honestly and encourage people to donate. Check out our top social media fundraising tips.
10. Take on a challenge
An easy fundraiser for teams or those riding solo, physical challenges and raising money go hand-in-hand. While the challenge itself may be anything but easy, they’re usually pretty straightforward to organise. Here are some popular challenges to get you started:
- Half or full marathon.
- Swimming lengths in a pool.
- Long-distance cycling.
- Obstacle course.
- Dance competition.
- Walk or hike.
- Completing an activity daily for a month.
To further boost potential donations, make sure you keep people updated on your challenge progress and make them feel a part of it. Sharing photos and videos of your challenge is a great way of keeping donors engaged.
It’s easy to start crowdfunding
So, there you have it, raising money doesn’t have to be difficult. With our easy fundraising ideas, you can remove the complexity of organising fundraisers and start making a difference in the lives of fellow Aussies in a few simple steps.
Whether you choose to host a bake sale or take on a demanding challenge, GoFundMe is here to guide you every step of the way of your fundraising journey.
As Australia’s leading crowdfunding platform, we’ll help you get started in just a couple of clicks.