Creative Ideas for Charity Challenges in Canada

Are you looking to challenge yourself and raise money for your favourite charity? From activities like walking, running or cycling to knitting, everesting, or shaving your head – there are endless and creative ways that you can make a difference in your community.

Charity challenges in Canada are growing in popularity. Join your fellow Canadians, and pair your favourite activity with a cause close to your heart.

Start a fundraiser

How GoFundMe’s Charity Fundraising Works

Get started in minutes

It only takes a few minutes to set up a fundraiser for your favourite charity. GoFundMe provides Canadians the ability to create or donate to a certified charity fundraiser on GoFundMe. It’s to set up a charity fundraiser and the automatic donation delivery feature means you don’t have to worry about handling any funds—donations are automatically sent to the certified charity selected on the GoFundMe.

Reach more supporters

With GoFundMe’s built-in social media tools, you can reach more and raise more money. Start by sharing with your closest friends and family, and then share your fundraiser and details about your challenge with your social media network. Along the way of your charity challenge, be sure to post frequent updates for your supporters, including pictures and how close you are to your goal. 

Donations made by your supporters are eligible to receive tax credits, as PayPal Giving Fund is a registered charitable body.

Raise money safely

GoFundMe and PayPal have made raising money for charity fast and secure. Through our charity feature, powered by PayPal Giving Fund, all money raised automatically goes directly to the certified charity. More on charity withdrawals.

Five Creative Charity Challenge Ideas

Kilometers for Dollars

No athletic challenge is too big or too small. Set a distance goal, whether you’ll be walking, biking, running, or unicycling and encourage your supporters to follow along your athletic endeavor and help you reach your fundraising goal. Be sure to share lots of updates with videos and photos!

Let you and your imagination run wild! Outside of the traditional physical challenges, we have seen Canadians break the Guinness World Record for burpees and tai-chi, plunge into ice water, and take on the everest challenge. All for charity.

Team Challenges

With team fundraising, you can rally your friends to join you on your challenge and make it a team event. Our team functionality adds a little competition to your fundraising efforts. Motivate yourself and your team to take on any challenge and keep an eye on those fundraising leaderboards to drive more donations.

This team in Vancouver Island took shifts to run a total of 500km in under two weeks to raise money for Single Parents Resource Centre.

Grow Mo’ Raise Mo’

Shave or grow, which way will you go? Canadians everywhere join in the annual Movember challenge to grow their facial hair to raise money for men’s health. You can tie your fanciest facial hair or your bravest shave to any favourite cause, any day of the year.

For example, a Kamloops dad let his 6 year old cut his hair to raise money and awareness for mental health and domestic violence resources.

Get Crafty

Have a knack for knitting, wood working, or simply love to DIY-anything? You can offer your talents and creations in exchange for donations, or use your talent to help those in need.

Bob in Saskatoon at the young age of 96 is knitting socks and toques for the homeless. Every year Bob and his crew of retirees are able to make 2,000 pairs of socks.

A Novel Idea

Want to cozy up with your favourite novel? Whether it’s by the novel or the minute, encourage your friends to donate to your charity of choice while you start your own reading challenge.

Five-year-old Rachael is reading horse stories on Rachael’s YouTube channel, in exchange for donations to horse programs across Ontario.

Meet the inspiring Canadians taking on charity challenges

Start your charity fundraising challenge today

Whether you are hoping to help feed vulnerable communities, fight for justice and equality, or save our planet – there are countless charities at both the local and national level that you can support during your challenge. Start your charity challenge today and connect your friends to your cause near to your heart.

Start a charity fundraiser