It’s a well-known fact that managing a nonprofit takes a lot of effort and time. Continuous search for funding contributes to the stress of operating a 501c3 organization. Sending standard donation requests, launching social media campaigns, and applying for grants are great efforts; however, running basic fundraisers a few times a year has proved to be a very effective and fun way to raise funds.

Fundraisers can be as simple or as complex as your creativity allows you. Many charities have implemented hundreds of ways to raise funds in a short period of time. We hand-selected 15 fun and fresh fundraiser ideas which are generally successful for local charities as they usually attract attention of the community.

– Buy a Meal.
Have volunteers cook or bake something to sell;

– Smoothie/coffee Stand.
A fresh alternative to a lemonade stand;

– Bingo Night.
Charge a participation fee and have prizes donated;

– Used Treasures.
Collect items from donors to be sold at a community yard sale;

– Parents Night Out.
Babysitting services for a donation;

– Say “No” to Prom Dress.
Have school students donate the money they would’ve spent on a prom;

– Special Shirts.
Design and sell t-shirts that represent your cause;

– Golf event.
Charge a participation fee and have donated prizes to give away to the winners;

– Bagger at a Store.
Partner with grocery stores during their busiest times to offer bagging services for a tip;

– Bakeoff Bake Sale.
Not only you get to sell sweet delicious goods, you add the competition to the plate;

– Car Detailing.
Partner with car washes and do car detailing for a donation;

– Doggie wash.
There are plenty of owners of four-legged friends that would love such a fundraiser;

– Arts and Crafts Festival.
Have your community contribute their hobby items for sale;

– Family competitions.
Have families pay an entry fee for them to compete against each other in athletic and intellectual contests;

– Roller-thon.
Have your participants roller-skate a 5k-run for an entry fee.

All above mentioned fundraisers are low cost and can easily be done with the help of volunteers. Running a few fundraisers will be a worthy contribution to your annual funds.

It’s time to roll your sleeves and get busy!