Nonprofit organizations solve tough problems, but they can’t do their work without resources. That’s where fundraising comes in. Fundraising provides resources for organizations to continue their mission.
Over the past few years, virtual fundraisers have become more and more popular. Now more than ever, people are turning towards digital/online events. That said, certain physical events are still relevant and will continue to be.
We’ve put together this list of different fundraising ideas for your nonprofit. If you find it to be useful, please share with a friend and let us know your favorite idea!
Dollar Club
Start a dollar club to encourage supporters to give on a weekly or monthly basis. Donors can give 1 dollar every week or month to support a specific project. Imagine having 100 donors give 1 dollar every week. Those funds will have a snowball effect and could have a big impact on your mission. The best part is that each contribution costs less than a cup of coffee.
Virtual birthday party fundraiser
Use the birthday of your organization’s chair, executive director, or other staff person as a fundraising event. Incorporate the age of the special person with the fundraising event. For example, if they are turning 36, ask your donors to donate $36. On the person’s birthday, host a virtual party and invite everyone who donated.
Amazon Smile
When you donor’s shop through Amazon’s Smile portal, Amazon will donate to your nonprofit. You can register your your 501(c)(3) here then instruct your supporters to select your nonprofit when shopping through Amazon Smile.
Virtual class
Know someone who is great at cooking? Or painting? Or web design? Something else? Recruit them to host a virtual class teaching their skill. Charge a set price for admission with the intent of using the money to meet your fundraising goal. You could even make this a month-long learning experience, and host a different class each week.
Drive-through dinner
Many restaurants offer programs where they share a percentage of profits with nonprofits. Ask around and see if any of your local restaurants participate in a program like this. If they have a drive-through window, even better! Customize the experience by including merchandise with your organization’s logo.
Christmas tree sale
Partner with a farm and take orders for Christmas trees from your donors. Make sure you charge enough to make a good profit on the sale of each tree. You can even include delivery at an additional charge and recruit volunteers to handle delivery.
Ornament auction
Have students, volunteers, or staff members to make Christmas tree ornaments. Then give the ornaments away as gifts when donors donate a certain amount. For example, you could tell donors that with donations of $50 or more they will be sent a homemade Christmas tree ornament.
Community grants
There are thousands of grants available for nonprofit organizations. Use the list we made to see which ones are applicable to your organization. Many grants are only available for projects, rather than normal business expenses, so these could be perfect to augment fundraising events/projects.
Charity concert
Are any of your staff members or volunteers musically talented? Use their skills and talent to fundraise! Play a selection of songs and include a cover charge for admission. This could also be done via livestream.
80 Community Service Ideas for Nonprofits
