Cart is empty
- Shipping Free shipping
- Total cost $0.00
- ENJOY UP TO 65% OFF CANVAS PRINTS + SAVE ON PHOTO GIFTS
- CAPPED $14.95 DELIVERY. Free postage on orders over $100.00*
- *At checkout: Surcharge for ALL custom + oversized parcels measuring 101cm+
Cart is empty
- Shipping Free shipping
- Total cost $0.00
Fundraising Ideas For Charity Success: Easy, Awesome, Fun.
In the charity world, we all know that fundraising is a non-stop event. You reach your goals for a particular project, quarter or year - and guess what? It's time to start planning the next thing.
As a result, it can be easy to fall into a rut and do the same things over and over - with dimishing returns.
Rather than becoming discouraged and frazzled, be sure to take a look at these fundraising ideas; ideas that may make things easier (and more fun!) for you, your volunteers and your supporters.
So how do we avoid burnout and boredom in charity fundraising? We get creative!
That’s why you’re here, right – looking for some inspiration? And that’s why we’re here, to offer you the benefit of our experience and research.
Easy Does It: Simple Fundraising Ideas
We're not saying to start tin rattling on your local street corner, but we are saying to reflect on tried and tested methods and see what flies.
While it's important to stand out from the crowd, no one likes complicated rules and fuss.
Great fundraising ideas weave technology, opportunity and a good sales pitch into a focused, easily communicated idea.
Keeping it simple means keeping the effort your donors need to make low. The harder you make it to give money or participate in your program or event, the less inclined people will be to get involved.
Additionally, keep your overheads low and making your pitch easy to understand for volunteers, supporters and the public.
If your pitch can't fit into one quick sentence, it's most likely too complex.
Add Technology To Your Fundraising Idea
Some of the best ideas for fundraising in the 21st Century require you to embrace new technologies. Don't get left behind!
The key is to consider the technologies your donors and supporters are using on a daily basis:
- Web sites where people can donate money via credit card or other methods, like PayPal, make it super convenient.
- Email, social media platforms (like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn) and online community groups are ideal ways to get the word out, search for volunteers and keep everyone updated.
- Smartphones mean the entire nature of fundraising has changed. You can go from idea to boots on the ground in one day with the ability to mobilise volunteers via text message or other mobile communication.
Build these tools into your planning stages.
Targeted Fundraising Ideas For Individuals
While local businesses and large corporations are essential targets for an overall fundraising effort, your best success will always come by targeting individuals.
It may surprise you (or not!), but the bulk of all charity comes from individuals.
Much of that giving is casual donations without a paper trail – money stuffed into a box at a checkout or a quick PayPal transfer done. But how do you get to the front of the queue?
- Aim your mailings and communications at households. Decisions about donations usually involve the whole family, with one person driving the giving.
- Craft your fundraising appeal with a personal touch. It may seem faceless, but it's people reading it. Write for them.
Easy Fundraising Ideas For Hard Workers
Ideas are easy, but ensuring they transform into a fundraising success can require a lot of hard work.
You know you can make a real difference by raising money for your favourite charity. You know you can sit in a room and come up with dozens of fundraising ideas. But can you implement?
Tell a great fundraising idea from a mediocre one by asking:
1. Is it simple?
2. Does it target individuals and offer them value?
3. Does it use technology to augment impact, reach and effectiveness?
Three ‘Yes’ answers and you’re good to go. One or more ‘Nos’ and it's worth moving on to the next idea.
Include Digital In Your Campaign Mix
Social media is the greatest leveller of our times, enabling anyone to reach a huge audience even if their personal following is small.
Remember the ice bucket challenge? So simple, so strange, so successful.
In fact, post ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, things will never be the same.
If you want to raise buckets (excuse the pun!) of money for your charity, you have to leverage the power of the individual and the power of the Internet.
All it takes is one person to create a fundraiser online - on a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter or fundraising site like GoFundMe - then spread the word.
With a creative idea up your sleeve, channelling that individual, their friends and networks can potentially reach hundreds of people. If it's a brilliant concept, possibly thousands.
Launch A Creative Goal
Some of the best fundraising ideas are those that are goal-oriented, so it's worth choosing something colourful and interesting for participants to work towards.
Get as creative as possible with goal setting. Choose one goal all participants should aspire to achieve (like a 10km swim!) or something simpler like helping an elderly person with work around their house once a week for a year.
Make it clear where the money is going and ensure participants ask for sponsorships.
Bizarrely, the splashier and better-organised your big events, the less faith people have that the money is being put to good use.
Getting more personal removes this problem. The ice bucket challenge removed the fundraising from the actual organisation and made it into a micro-local and micro-personal event.
Party Down: Hip Ideas For Fundraising
Your first instinct may be to organise a charity ball, but what about a charity dance party?
Organisations host parties and events all the time to raise money – why not you?
The key is considering who your donors are or who you want them to be.
If your current donors are of an older demographic, a charity ball or swing dance may be the answer.
But if you want to attract a younger demographic of donor or supporter, consider something more sassy.
Hire a professional DJ (shop around for the coolest in town) and throw a massive dance party!
You can rent a space, solicit food and drink donations then ask guests for donations or a flat entry fee at the door.
Be sure to convince the venue to give you a charity discount or even a free space (if you’re willing to schedule the event on a week night).
Let's get this party started right. Let's get this party started right now!
Unique Fundraising Ideas For Big Hearts
Keen to raise funds for your charity using a unique, easy and proven method? Sell personalised photo canvas prints.
Everyone loves personalised photo canvas prints. We know because we already sell them. In fact, they pretty much sell themselves!
Canvas prints bring memories to life. Our Big Hearted Canvas fundraising program brings community goals to life.
Move over bake sale! This is fundraising 21st Century style.
With every canvas print you sell through your networks, your cause receives a massive 20% of the proceeds.
Charities need real cash and this program means you can raise funds and lift spirits all at once.
Gentle Fundraising Ideas For Kids
If you want to give little ones a taste of what it's like to raise money for charity, here’s a time-honoured idea: A Lemonade Stall.
Very young kids aren’t suitable for many fundraising activities, but the wonderful thing about a lemonade stand is they can make and sell the product themselves.
It's the easiest and simplest way to make kids feel like they’re part of their community while teaching them a bit about business, money and charity.
All that’s needed is a table, a sign and a jug of lemonade.
With the power of social media, all you have to do is publicise the stall on your local Facebook group and the community will love it.
Who can possibly walk past a cuteness bomb like a lemonade stand staffed by tiny tots and not buy a cup?
Good Fundraising Ideas In Reverse
Everyone enjoys watching someone else squirm a little, making the Reverse Raffle a low-cost, low-overhead activity that provides a break from super-serious charity fundraising.
If you are holding a well attended public event, this fundraising activity will make it come alive.
This is how it works...
Everyone who enters the event is given a free raffle ticket. Periodically, a number is drawn at random and the holder of that raffle ticket is given an embarrassing ‘prize’.
Perhaps the prize is dancing by themselves on the dance floor or to be dunked in a dunk tank.
They can then bid to ‘buy back’ the ticket – and others in the crowd can outbid them!
Regardless of whether they have to perform their embarrassing activity or not, a lot of money gets raised - and everyone has a fun night out.
Friends in Low Places Fundraiser Ideas
Why bother with a high-end gala ball when you can host a low-end event full of non-luxurious decor and fare?
We all love to dress up, but we also love to dress down.
This event gives everyone the opportunity to dress in jeans and tshirts while chomping on a hot dog.
There's a catch though. Donors pay a high price to attend.
You might even ask they bring their own food, drinks and music. Pot luck dinner? Volunteer band who's never rehearsed?
Low end events like this require almost zero preparation, will appeal to almost everyone and cut through the 'charity ball' noise.
Uneventful Fundraising: Pay To Not Play
This daring, but awesome fundraising approach is to raise money for an event, with the caveat that you don’t want to actually hold the event because that would cost you time and money.
The way it works is if you don’t hit your fundraising goal, you’ll have to hold the event to make up the shortfall.
People are therefore encouraged to donate more so you’re not forced to hold the event – essentially paying to not attend something.
This non-event is sure to make people pay attention. The good news is that busy people will be happy to avoid 'just another charity event'.
Fundraising events are everywhere and can bring enjoyment, but if your fundraising has been a bit lackluster lately, step outside the square with something like this - something that will surprise your supporters.
At the very least, it will wake everyone up!