If you have a non-profit organisation or charity work, you probably have an idea about fundraising. Fundraising is an important activity for nonprofits because it’s their means of raising money for their cause. It allows them to network with potential donors, engage with supporters and raise brand awareness. If done correctly, fundraising events develop an organisation into a sustainable and impactful entity in the community.
Whether you have done many fundraising activities in the past or it’s your first time doing it, you might need help with more options at one point or another. Here are top fundraising ideas for non-profit organizations that you can consider for your next event.
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Auctions
An auction can be in-person or online, and it can also be live or silent. Unlike the traditional live auction, a silent auction has no auctioneer yelling “going once, going twice, sold.” Instead, the guests bid using a bid sheet or an auction software, not with hand signals.
The auction works by selling goods or properties through competitive bidding, with the highest bidder winning the right to the item. Typically, the non-profit looks for donors who can give them items to auction off.
Custom T-shirts
Designing custom t-shirts and using them in charity works are easy ways to raise fund for a non-profit. Aside from being an add-on item to your existing fundraising efforts or as a thank-you gift to volunteers, these shirts can also be sold, with the profit going to your cause.
Custom fundraising t-shirts can also raise awareness about a cause or an event. It’s an affordable option that many fundraisers can do.
Yard Sale
A person’s trash can be someone else’s treasure. That’s why a yard sale is an easy way of raising money that can be a hit in your community. In this activity, the non-profit can take all or only a portion of the sales, charge an entry fee from supporters who will come and purchase items, or charge those who will participate for a table to sell their items.
A yard sale allows your supporters, donors and the community to participate, raise money for your organisation’s cause and enjoy the opportunity to find great items they can treasure.
Movie Night
A good movie becomes more enjoyable when there’s a philanthropic cause involved. Hosting a film screening or movie marathon can help you raise fund by selling tickets and snacks. You can invite donors, potential supporters and your volunteers to a movie night in the park. To reduce your expenses on equipment rentals, you can also ask a local business to support your fundraiser and pay for the rental costs.
Gala
If you want to secure large donations, a gala is the perfect fundraising activity you can use. Hosting a gala annually allows the organisation to connect with donors in a more personal manner and learn why they are committed to the cause.
In a gala, you can sell tables to donors for a set price or provide discounts if more than one set will be purchased. Other fundraisers like an auction can also be done during such an activity.
Trivia Night
Trivia games are fun to watch. Not only can it bring a family together, but it can also unite a community to raise funds for a good cause. A trivia night can be hosted in a local bar or restaurant. If it’s not possible to be in-person, an online or live stream trivia night is also a good option. In these trivia games, you can include questions related to your nonprofit to raise awareness about it.
How does a trivia night work? You can take pledges from people who will participate and charge admissions from those who will watch.
Marathons
Marathons are ideal for large non-profit organisations with an available budget and a team of volunteers because they can take months to prepare for them. When you plan on having these fundraisers, you can also ask local businesses for sponsorships (in exchange for ads or promotion of their business) to reduce your expenses. Additionally, t-shirts for both participants and non-participants, souvenirs, refreshments and others can be sold for the additional fund.
Golf Tournament
With good warm weather, a golf tournament can be a good source of fun for participants. Such a tournament creates many opportunities to solicit additional donations per golfer. You can raise money from this activity by purchasing mulligans, donation appeal, hole sponsorship, hole-in-one contest, pink ball contest, selling golf-themed items and branded merchandise, drink tickets and renting caddie services.
Cook-off
In a cook-off fundraiser, teams join to prepare and cook large quantities of their best recipe. These will then be evaluated by judges and can be given or sold to participants for them to try. You get profit from these because cooking teams and those who will simply watch need to pay an entry fee. The visitors can also vote for their favourite dish by donating money to their best-loved chef.
If people in your organisation or your volunteers have exceptional skills in cooking, let them join to raise money for your charity also.
Fundraiser Dinner Party
Food is a good way of gathering people, which can be used to raise money. A fundraiser dinner party can be either formal or casual. You can have it in a local restaurant that can also sponsor a part of the event or in your yard for an outdoor BBQ dinner. Moreover, this idea can become a theme party for any occasion.
With a fundraiser dinner party, you can sell tickets and invite your guests to a rented or sponsored venue. The good thing about a dinner party is you can network with your donors and potential supporters. As you enjoy a delicious meal, you pitch to them your cause.
Raising money for a good cause needs new and creative ways to excite supporters. These top 10 fundraising ideas for nonprofits and charities are proven to engage people and get the funding your organisation needs. They can even be modified to adapt to the current status or situations of your non-profit or in your area. Many of them can also be done virtually to ensure that no health and safety protocols will be violated.
