200+ Amazing Fundraising Ideas to Help You Reach Your Goals (2024)

Whether you’re soliciting donations from elementary school parents or senior citizens, food and treats are a surefire way to appeal to any crowd. Sell cookie dough or launch a gourmet popcorn fundraiser to raise funds for your next campaign.

Food can easily be sold in-person or online through a fundraising web store. And, with home delivery, you can sell to supporters who may live out of state but still want to see your mission succeed.

With flavors like nutty caramel, white cheddar, chocolate delight, strawberry shortcake, Texas cheddar habanero, and dill pickle, your supporters can find a flavor they love or try something entirely new!

To get started, mobilize your staff or volunteers to start taking orders either online or in person. Make sure you have a plan for distributing the treat once it’s delivered! To make this fundraiser extra fun, you could even host a tasting party at a local school or church, during which you can hand out orders and chat with your supporters.

A shoe drive fundraiser is a super easy way to pull in money for your cause. Plus, all your supporters need to do is give you gently worn, used and new shoes that they want taken off their hands.

We recommend you partner with Funds2Orgs to make your shoe drive fundraiser happen. They will help you plan your fundraiser and pick up the shoes that you’ve collected. Then, they’ll send you a check based on the pounds of shoes you sent in.

Why not fundraise for your cause while giving back to Mother Earth? Set up a tree planting day and invite your supporters to donate to your organization and have a tree planted in their yard in return. The tree will not only add to your supporter’s landscaping—it will also serve as a consistent reminder of your organization!

Make sure you have plenty of volunteers to help plant trees on the big day, and bring materials to plant and secure the saplings once they’re in the ground. Don’t forget to provide plenty of water, sunscreen, and energizing snacks, too.

True fans love to collect memorabilia from their favorite singers, athletes, TV shows, movies, and brands, especially if it’s autographed by a famous celebrity. Work with your team to secure donated autographed memorabilia that you can auction off to your supporters—whether it’s a signed guitar or an autographed movie script.

Tease the auction items on social media and in your organization’s newsletter. Then you can host an in-person or virtual auction and watch the bids roll in. A mobile bidding and auction software providercan help you set your bidding up effectively. Your organization will pull in important funding and your auction items will go home with the highest bidders!

Online shopping fundraisers leverage the ease and popularity of online shopping to garner support for your cause, directing a percentage of the revenue from each purchased item to your nonprofit. Through a trusted online shopping fundraising platform like ShopRaise, all your supporters have to do is shop at their favorite stores and make their regular purchases. In turn, your cause earns up to 10% of the purchase price.

ShopRaise costs nothing for your organization or your supporters to use. This low-effort, high-reward fundraising opportunity is a win-win!

Does a significant portion of your supporter base share a love of furry friends? Try hosting a dog wash fundraiser. All you’ll need is water, dog shampoo, towels, and volunteers who aren’t afraid to get a little messy.

Charge a small fee for each dog wash. You can pull in additional revenue by selling dog walks, dog toys, and dog treats.

Most of your donors likely have their smartphones on them at all times, making text-to-give fundraising one of the easiest and most convenient ways to raise money with mobile technology.

Partner with a mobile giving service provider like Snowball. Then, encourage donors to text a predetermined keyword, such as DONATE, to a specified mobile giving number. Finally, an automatic response is sent to the donor, directing them to a quick and easy online donation form.

Even with the rise of virtual fundraising and online donation platforms, direct mail is still the greatest source of individual donations in the U.S. After all, when all we’re used to getting is bills, it’s refreshing to receive mail you actually care about!

You can mail out letters, postcards, brochures, and flyers to get your donors’ attention and invite them to give. To make the process even easier, try partnering with a direct mail campaign provider.

Bring your supporters together by hosting a dinner in your home or backyard. The intimate setting of dinner allows supporters, volunteers, and staff to mingle and re-commit their efforts to your organization’s goals.

Have each person bring a dish potluck style or partner with local restaurants or caterers for food for the dinner. Elevate the experience with a professional tablescape to make the evening event more special. Depending on what time of year you are hosting the dinner, think about decorating the table and room based on a holiday. For example, you could host a Friendsgiving dinner if your event is in the Fall or a Floral Picnic if the dinner will occur during the Spring!

Selling t-shirts to raise funds for your cause is successful on two levels. First, you have the potential to sell a product that everyone loves! Secondly, donors support your cause both monetarily and through brand ambassadorship when they wear your t-shirts in public!

Create stylish t-shirts with your nonprofit’s branding and work with a custom fundraising apparel provider to order mass quantities of them. Then, use social media posts, email reminders, and other marketing tactics to encourage supporters to buy!