As a young person, you may think you don’t have the resources, skills or influence to organize a fundraiser for your favourite charity. But don’t let your age or inexperience hold you back from doing your part to support a great cause. All successful fundraisers need an engaging idea as a starting point to help their event gain traction. That’s why we’ve combined our favourite fundraising ideas into helpful categories to help you get started:
Fundraising ideas for culinary-themed events
Set up a table or booth at a busy street corner and sell pizza slices to hungry passersby. Photo: Evelynn/Unsplash
When an event centres around eating great food that benefits an even greater cause, how can people resist supporting it? (Spoiler alert: they can’t.) Try any of these delicious fundraising ideas and you’ll see how food has the power to draw people together.
1.
Bake sale: For most of us, school bake sales gave us our first taste – pun intended – of grassroots fundraising. Whether the goods are homemade or store bought, you can’t go wrong with this classic form of fundraising.
2.
Concession stalls and snacks: Sell bags of snacks like popcorn, cotton candy or chips at a local sporting event, community event, at school or work. If a venue has concession stands, ask if they’d be willing to donate a portion of their hot dog or drink sales toward your fundraiser.
3.
Pizza stand: Ask a pizzeria or business to donate pizzas toward your fundraiser and sell them by the slice. A permit may be required by the city to sell food in public places so do your research before you start planning.
4.
Partner with a local restaurant: Some restaurants or fast food chains like Menchies rent their venues out for charity events where a portion or all of the proceeds can be donated toward your fundraiser.
5.
Pancake breakfast: There’s something so indulgent about the idea of having a full pancake breakfast – a treat we normally reserve for weekend brunch – in the middle of a school or work day. If you cook them, they will come.
6.
Drinks stand: There’s nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold beverage on a hot summer day. Set up a booth on a busy corner or outside a shopping centre (check if you need a permit!) and sell a variety of non-alcoholic drinks like lemonade, iced tea or slushies. If you’re willing to brave the winter chill, you can set up your booth with hot chocolate and coffee.
7.
Ice cream social: Stock up on some ice cream and toppings and charge people to build their own sundaes. You can also rent an ice cream truck to come to your event and donate a portion of the proceeds to your charity or cause.
Fundraising ideas for sports tournaments
Sporting events are a fun way to raise money for charity. Photo: Skeeze/Pixabay
Sports tournaments are a fun way to create community engagement, raise awareness for your cause or charity and settle some friendly rivalries. This type of fundraiser is relatively simple to set up and you can charge players an entry fee to participate. You can also sell snacks or drinks to the audience. Some sports tournaments you can organize are:
7.
Three-on-three basketball
8.
Soccer
9.
Badminton
10.
Volleyball
11.
Bowling
Fundraising ideas for challenges and races
This team raised over $25,000 to help World Vision Canada bring clean water, good sanitation and improved hygiene to a community in need. Photo: World Vision
This type of event is very popular and draws big crowds of participants and onlookers, so there’s a good chance you can meet – or even surpass – your fundraising goal.
13.
Water walk: in some places around the world, people, mostly women and children, need to make long and dangerous treks several times a day to find water to drink. You can organize an event like World Vision Canada’s Global 6K, where participants can walk or run six kilometres – the average distance a child walks to fetch water every day – as individuals or teams. See the link for more details.
14.
Rubber duck race: This unique idea puts the fun in fundraising. Rubber ducks are sold to participants for a small fee that goes toward your charity. They’re placed in a river, pond or, as a last resort, a large pool. The duck that reaches the finish line first earns its owner a small prize and bragging rights.
15.
“-Thon”: Whatever kind of ‘thon” you’re hosting or participating in (e.g. walkathon, dance-a-thon, marathon, etc.), this type of fundraiser is sure to draw many pledges to support your cause.
16.
Head shave: Nothing shows how committed you are to a certain cause more than a freshly shaven head. And when you tell your family, friends and colleagues that you want to shave your head for charity, they’re either going to donate money to make it happen or join the fun and collect pledges of their own. Bonus: if you have long hair, you can donate it to a child who lost theirs because of illness.
17.
Don’t shave: Grow your beard or moustache and ask people to sponsor a cause that’s close to your heart, like raising awareness of men’s health issues and helping to improve access to support.
18.
Social media challenges: One of the most successful fundraising campaigns in history involved dumping ice cold water over yourself to raise money for ALS research and challenging friends via social media to do the same thing. This viral challenge helped raise over $100 million in just one month!
19.
Cardboard regatta: Teams race across a pond, lake or large swimming pool on a boat or raft made of cardboard. At stake is a prize (preferably provided by a sponsor) and bragging rights.
20.
Scavenger hunt: Teams pay an entry fee to race around the city, following clues leading to a donated prize at the end. Proceeds go toward the charity of your choice.
Fundraising ideas for social events
Everybody wins when they’re playing board games for charity. Photo: Peggychoucair/Pixabay
Fundraising events where people get to socialize, interact, be entertained and have fun are always a big hit, but planning them can be complex. These are some event ideas for you to try if you’re up to a challenge.
21.
Carnival: This is an opportunity to combine several of our fundraising ideas into one fun event!
22.
Speed dating: The only commitment involved is your own as the event organizer. This is a fun, no-pressure evening of mingling with potential dates in support of a good cause.
23.
Dress down days: For a small donation, participants can wear a casual outfit to work or school for a day. Make sure to clear this with your manager, HR rep or school authorities first.
24.
Art show: Ask local artists to donate some art and hold a show to sell the works for charity. Make sure to arrange any commission the artists want ahead of time.
25.
Talent show: Showcase some local talent at your church, school or even in your backyard! You can also hold a bake sale during the intermission and ask other businesses to donate various items for auction.
26.
Karaoke Idol: Host the party at home or another venue and charge an entry fee. Or, turn it into a game where participants pay $2 to “volunteer” each other to sing songs. Donate the cash collected at the end of the night to a worthwhile cause.
27.
Fashion show: Invite creative people to design fashions around a fun theme and charge a small entrance fee to benefit a local charity.
28.
Movie night: Pick your venue (e.g. your backyard, church basement or empty classroom) and watch your favourite movie with friends and family. Collect donations in a bowl or jar placed conveniently by the snack table.
29.
Supper club or dinner party: Ask guests to bring a dish or make a small donation for your cause.
30.
Christmas caroling: Get into the season by singing Christmas carols at your friends’ homes, businesses or in a public place (make sure to get a permit, if needed). Don’t forget to bring a hat, bowl or jar for collecting donations.
31.
Board game night: Invite your friends and family to a night of fun for everyone. Each person registers to compete to win the night’s proceeds, which they split evenly with the charity of your choice.
32.
Bingo: Pick up the supplies and organize a bingo night, charging people to buy cards and offering prizes for the winners.
33.
Quiz night: Teams pay a small fee to play against each other as a quizmaster tests them on their general knowledge in several categories. The winning team splits the pot with your charity.
Fundraising ideas for community service
A fundraising garage sale can help you declutter your space and find new homes for your once-loved treasures. Photo: Pixabay
Time to roll up your sleeves and break out the elbow grease. These ideas not only help you do good for your charity, they also help you do good for your community.
34.
Car wash: Who doesn’t love driving a clean, shiny car, especially when someone else does all the work? Round some friends up and organize a car wash for a good cause!
35.
Gift wrapping station: This is a popular idea around the holidays, especially if you set your station up at the mall or market.
36.
Gardening/yard work: Help your neighbours do simple yard work (i.e. mowing the lawn, weeding, raking leaves) for a small donation.
37.
Garage sale: One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Purge your basement, attic or garage of the things you no longer need and donate the proceeds to a charity you support.
38.
Craft sale: If you like to craft or know people who do, consider selling your goods to benefit a worthwhile cause.
39.
Meal delivery: Ask local businesses to donate meals, which you and a team of helpers can deliver to a youth sports team, school breakfast program, afterschool program or to seniors on a fixed income. You can also arrange to deliver meals to people who made a donation toward your cause.
Fundraising ideas for contests
Bring local bands together to battle it out for musical supremacy. Photo: akd835/Pixabay
Check out these winning ideas for running a contest to raise money for charity!
40.
Pie-eating contest: Participants get to dive face-first into a delicious pie for a small entry fee, which will go toward the charity of your choice.
41.
Battle of the bands: Charge the public an entry fee to watch local bands showcase their songs in a musical battle for the ages.
42.
Prize raffle: Sell raffle tickets for a chance to win a prize!
43.
Auction: Ask companies to donate an item to be sold at a charity auction. It’s not exactly a contest, but the thrill of victory is just the same.