Have you ever been involved with fundraising exercises? Or do you feel you’ve learned and mastered some of the most effective or fun ways to raise money for charity?

Indeed, many individuals and charitable organizations have identified a good cause that matches up with the inspiration to give back. Be it helping children or other individuals combat a particular health condition. Or helping refugees, Ex-convicts, or drug addicts readjust for a better functional life, amongst other charitable causes.

But to achieve these laudable goals, nonprofit organizations or groups need money. Yes, adequate funding to realize their charitable projects’ goals and missions. And thus, they end up asking questions like this: what are the best ways to raise money for charity?

And that’s why you’re advised to thumb through this article with rapt attention because you’ll learn things to do to raise money for charity. 

Thus, we shall discuss some of the good ways to raise money for charity under the following headings:

• Easy fundraising ideas for small groups
• Virtual fundraising ideas for schools 
• Fundraising ideas for students and Schools
• Fascinating Community fundraising ideas
• Best ways to raise money for charity
• Unique fundraising ideas for charity 

Easy fundraising ideas for small groups

1. Film Festival

A film festival is one of the good ways to raise money for your charitable projects. And it involves hosting a film festival that allows you to raise funds through donations from participants. 

You’ll agree with the prevalence of camera ownership; most people walk about with a camera in their pockets. Thus, you can capitalize on this and organize a film festival for beginners, allowing them to post original entries for their production.

But beyond that, you can turn it into a contest, whereby prospective attendees would have to donate for as low as $5 (depending on what you consider appropriate) to vote their favorite film into the first position. 

2. Breakfast in Bed

You most likely have heard that term from your lover or a loved one. But, as one of the fun ways to raise money for charity, breakfast in bed involves reaching potential donors to donate food staples such as fruit, muffin, coffee, or the like toward charitable causes. 

You can use this innovative fundraising idea to provide food for students in school. In your locality, for example, you can approach businesses to get edible food items. After which, you can stimulate supporters of your good cause to place while you get volunteers to deliver them to students, depending on your focus group. 

But you sure want your donors to know the impact of every dollar they put into your charitable projects. So, you can tell them something like this: “Your $15 would be able to get an egg-based dish or otherwise, but essentially will take care of a student lunch for a week.

3. Dinner Party

This fundraising strategy involves you hosting a cocktail hour or potluck harvest dinner and inviting guests to attend after buying a ticket that gives them access to this specific location for a beautiful time, which includes them enjoying sumptuous meals. This venue could be a volunteer’s home, a rented venue, or your office. 

But first, you must have prepared a powerful elevator pitch that makes your potential guests realize the need to be part of your dinner, even by contributing to its cause without reservation. 

4. Food Contest

Have you ever participated in a food contest before? If yes, you already know it is always fun. 

Yet only a few know that charitable groups can employ it as one of the fun ways to raise money for charity.   

But how? You would ask. 

Regardless of what you serve to the contestants of the timed eating contest, they’ll be happy to fund your project. It’s a win-win for everybody. 

You can approach local bakeries or shops to donate foods or snacks like doughnuts, hot dogs, or pies, while they, in return, get enormous publicity for their brand through the contest. 

However, there’s a caveat: you want to keep your overheads in organizing these contests as low as possible so you can achieve your fundraising goals as soon as possible without setbacks.

Virtual fundraising ideas for schools 

5. Virtual 5k

As virtual racing keeps gaining popularity, it more and more becomes a better and easier way to raise money for charity. Through a virtual 5k, you can get participants to sign up for a race, which they can do at their convenience and on any route.  

Participating athletes run a specific time and then submit proof that they’ve completed the race using screenshots apps, such as Garmin and Fitbit, or display park run stats. After which I get a mailed custom medal in a few days.  

While virtual 5k allows you to help people do what they love and strengthen their health, it’s a lovely way to raise money for your mission while the awareness about it goes up. 

6. Virtual Book Club

While starting a virtual book club may not be easy, joining one doesn’t involve much hassle. One can do that for free or for just a few bucks. 

Indeed, virtual book clubs exist in schools to encourage students to read books and discuss specific themes virtually at intervals. It could be 2 weeks, a month, or as the case may be. 

But beyond that, there are fundraising ideas leveraged with the membership of a virtual book club. You can approach a local bookseller to get an excellent deal on a book which members would enjoy reading and discussing. 

Say the retail price of a book is $10, you can negotiate 20% of that price for every purchase the club members, considering the relatively large 50 members. In such a case, you can let members know booksellers and book club members know that 20% off goes to charity.

7. Student Design Contest

Though virtual, it’s another fun way of raising money for charity in school. How does it work? You’ll get students to participate in a design contest for free or with a small token as a registration fee. 

You’ll get these art and graphic design students to submit their creative ideas for a fashionable t-shirt design, depending on the task you decide on. And then, you allow family and friends to decide the winner through their votes, which may cost a dollar or twice per vote. 

8. Keep Them Guessing

This is another fun fundraising idea whereby you stimulate people and supporters to guess right something you have posted or shared on social media or the case may be. It could be photos of toys, boxes, garbage cans, etc., that are somewhat mysterious and spurred them into guessing the answers. 

You provide gift cards for the winners, but every guess Supporters make you want them to pay a donation.

9. Facebook Challenges

These are time-bound virtual fundraising events, which usually require participants to execute even as they use a Facebook fundraiser to raise funds for your mission. 

For instance, the task could be that participants walk each day a distance of 10k for one month, while raising $200 on Facebook for your nonprofit. 

But to keep tabs of development and foster a sense of community, you add participants to a befitting Facebook group. With that, they would be able to connect with another, even as they share some fundraising tips to make the fundraising campaign for your mission a success. 

Fundraising ideas for students and Schools

10. Spelling Bee

Spelling bees are always exciting to experience because they allow youngsters to display that giftedness and brilliance with so much fun. But beyond that, you achieve your fundraising for your charitable cause or project through it. 

You can get the best outcome when you need to extend your marketing efforts online and offline. Some of the best places to physically publicize your spelling bee event are schools in your locale, churches, restaurants, etc. While you seize social media by getting your word out about the event through the post. 

With your publicity campaign done right, you can charge a flat rate for tickets for both participants and potential viewing audience. You may add a P2P fundraising component to your fundraising process to get a donation from a wider audience. 

11. Art Show

Through this fundraising strategy, you give students the opportunity to showcase their creative and unique talents while you promote the cause of your charity or nonprofit with community involvement.

You can ask interested artists to showcase their work by paying a nominal fee while you get attendees to scan, peruse or check over the collection for a flat ticket price. Also, you may want to get local artists involved. 

12. Dance Marathon

Have you ever witnessed a dance marathon? If you have, you will agree that it is usually fun and thrilling for both contenders and participating audiences. 

To raise money for your mission, you can invite participants to be part of a 24-hour dance, or as the case may be. But beyond making them join this challenge, you want to encourage participation by stimulating dancers to launch peer-to-peer campaigns.  

This fundraising strategy fosters connection and networking amongst participants. And just a little tip to raise additional income for this fundraising event, you set as low as $5 as a “request fee” for supporters to get their songs played.

A dancing marathon is undoubtedly a viable, fun fundraising strategy for the school. You can check the testimonial of Northwestern University Dance Marathon (NUDM) and how they’ve used it to fundraise millions of dollars for tens of charitable organizations. 

13. Dodgeball Tournament

Dodgeball is a fun and lovely game, even though it’s not as popular as games like soccer, basketball, or the like. Yet dodgeball tournaments allow you to launch a fundraising campaign at a local school or university. 

To raise money for your cause, you can ask the prospective team to secure participatory rights by fundraising a specific amount. Or you create an option for potential donors to get in for a predetermined amount as registration. In any case, you must blow your horn by effectively publicizing the game, either through word of the word or any other suitable and efficient means. 

Fascinating Community fundraising ideas

14. Bake Sale

A bake sale is an innovative fundraising idea that allows the sale of home-based items to raise funds for a special event or charity. 

Since everyone doesn’t joke with their stomachs, a bake sale can be a very effective way to launch your fundraising campaign. You just need to prepare some sumptuous and tasty meals for your bake sale in a local community center or shopping area. 

But you must be sure that whatever you want to make is what people would love. So you may want to consider stuff like cupcakes, brownies, and cookies, which seem to be people’s favorites. 

15. Recycling Competition

Recycling competitions are one of the ways to raise money for your community. And it involves organizing and monitoring a contest or challenge in your locality to see people who can commit themselves to the collection and recyclable items such as paper, cardboard, plastics, or/and cans for a suggested donation. 

In other words, you may also need to find places or areas in your locality that give financial compensation for recycling. 

16. Yard Sale

A yard sale is one of the ways to raise money for charity and involves disposing of items you and others in your locality or community no longer use with a fraction or all of the revenue set aside for your mission. These may include books, clothes, and other home goods. 

You may want to leverage social media to create attention around the event by taking photos of these items and posting them. You never know whose attention you’ll earn while raving about it. Your next big sponsor(s) may lurk around, waiting to see you and your good cause. 

17. Dancing Classes

Another beautiful and fun way of raising money for charity is getting a great dance teacher to teach interested participants for a fee, which part or all may be committed to your mission. 

The lovely thing about this fundraising strategy is that it allows people to get involved in a fun activity they love, yet with the knowledge that their money is going into a notable cause. 

18. Battle of the Bands 

This type of fundraising involves several bands competing for the “best band” title in a music contest. Whoever emerges as the winner must have earned the audience’s support– in terms of the amount of money they have fundraised. 

To utilize this technique, you stimulated certain bands to participate in community music concerts. But to earn a slot as one of the performers on stage, they’ll individually have to fundraise before the event. 

While the attendees, on the other hand, need to buy tickets to enjoy the thrill and fascination of the performance of these selected bands. And to support the publicity of your show or event, you can even reach out to influencers or well-known local personalities to serve as judges. 

19. Silent Disco

While silent disco seems to be individualistic, it can downright fun for people who would want to listen to their favorite jam. That’s because it offers people the chance to listen to their music channel of choice with individual wireless headphones on, even though they’re in the same hall. 

But the beautiful thing is that you can raise money by selling tickets in these exclusive clubs that cruise silent discos. 

Best ways to raise money for charity

20. Speed Dating

While speed dating is a lovely avenue for singles to meet other singles with the hope of finding a partner, it can become a big fundraising idea. You can host one for singles keen on philanthropy, as you provide a conducive and social-friendly atmosphere for them to connect and build relationships, which may grow into something solid and lasting. 

Registration fees for every intending participant in this event can be an excellent way to raise funds for your charitable cause. You can try a few other opportunities around this strategy: you, however, want to be sure that there are volunteers on the ground to handle entertainment and refreshment, such as serving foods and drinks right until the last matched-make couple exit. 

21. Art Auction

While the name art auction sounds like this fundraising idea is all about and just for artists, it is not. No doubt, you let expert artists showcase their work with pride to the public or their community. 

But in doing that, you need the assistance of donors and other supporters. Their involvement and commitment to your mission through the art auction event are essential. Meanwhile, invited attendees can support their respective favorite artists by bidding for their work, either live in person or virtually.

22. Fashion Show

Organizing an exclusive fashion show is one of the easy ways to raise funds for small groups. But to launch one that is fascinating and fulfilling, you may need to collaborate with a local venue. You can also reach out to boutiques or clothing shops in your locale for donated outfits. 

Also, you can make artists donate their services along with community volunteers to ensure everything works well. With all these collaborations, you want to stimulate attendees to buy entry tickets to this fashion show. 

22. Comedy Night

You might have heard that laughter is medicine. Yet it is also a way people show some sort of connection with one another. Thus, organizing or hosting a comedy night is a good fundraising idea. 

But to achieve this, you may need to partner with local artists, upcoming comedians, and community members. Because you need them  commit themselves to a good cause.  

You let them showcase their skills and talents to the public, while you achieving your fundraising goal. However, after selling entry tickets to attendees, you can secure additional assistance by encouraging donors. They can support in cash or kind, which may come as purchasing items like food and beverages. 

But to save cost, you can approach a local comedy club or restaurant and discuss your plan with them. Ask them if they offer a space in their facility to host your show. You offer them the opportunity to make money through your event while they reserve a percentage for your charitable cause.

23. Karaoke Night

Karaoke songs can be great songs, especially for those who consider them their favorites. Karaoke Night is a good time to allow people to have fun, and be refreshed, while you make some money for your charity.

You can get volunteers to man the event while donors make donations in cash or kind. They can decide to supply food and drinks or provide a hall for the event.

Unique Fundraising Ideas for Charity 

24. Recipe Books

This fundraising idea involves compiling a charity cookbook. But how do you go with this fundraising strategy? It’s easy but requires reaching out to people.  

You ask local chefs, colleagues, friends, and families to submit their best recipes. And from their submission, you can collate and make a beautiful recipe book that you can sell. But to save money and avoid printing costs, you can sell it as an eBook.

However, ensure the cover of this charity cookbook looks exquisite enough to make someone want to read them. So you can get a student volunteer with graphic design skills to design one for you. 

25. Cooking Class

Another Fundraiser idea for small groups is organizing cooking classes, whether in person or online. But how do you achieve this? You can reach out to donors and volunteers willing and interested in handling these classes. Or preferably hire a chef to take charge of the classes. 

But you want to charge a flat registration fee for enrollment into these classes. Now, it doesn’t matter whether it’s done onsite or online. But in the case of a livestream, you can charge for admission.

However, there could be better incentives, depending on the resources at your disposal and what you want. 

26. Fitness Challenge

With the internet and the explosion of its users you can organize a virtual fitness challenge. You help people achieve daily goals and milestones like staying healthy through a running challenge. 

But while doing this, you also achieve the fundraising goal for your mission. Either by earnings from participation fee or through some creative ways. However, participants can keep tabs with their exercise using apps or tools like an Apple Watch or the Strava app. 

Final thoughts on fun ways to raise money for charity

There are hundreds of fundraising ideas for NGOs. But you must apply the strategies that best suit your need and mission’s goal. However, ensure that your fundraising activities don’t break legal frameworks in your community, city, or country.

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