15+ Best Non-Profit Fundraising Ideas

Are you fundraising for a non-profit cause that’s really close to your heart? Your time is valuable … don’t waste it on fundraisers that don’t work! Our collection of highly effective non-profit fundraising ideas, have proven to bring in the very best results, helping causes from animal rescue efforts to cancer research foundations, and beyond.

Let’s get started! Review and share some of these best-in-class charity fundraising ideas with your fellow volunteers and decide which you feel will give your non-profit organization the best financial return for your time and effort.

Top 3 Fundraisers	Non-Profit Events	Online
Quote Candles	Golf Tournament	Crowdfunding
Cookie Dough	Casino Night	Dip Jar
View All Ideas	View All Ideas	View All Ideas

Top 3 Fundraisers
Non-Profit Events
Online Fundraising

Top 3 FREE Non-Profit Fundraising Ideas

These 3 fundraisers are easy and completely free-to-start!

Quote Candles

Easy ★★★	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★★

Scented candle fundraiser, labeled with inspirational quotes, ideal for non-profit fundraisers.

The Quote Candles fundraiser is an excellent choice for your non-profit fundraiser because each of the wonderfully scented candles are labeled with inspirational quotes. The lavender mist candle is labeled with ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ and the white cotton is labeled with ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’. These scented candles retail for only $14 each, and your charity keeps 50% profit!

Cookie Dough Fundraisers

Easy ★★★	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★★

Delicious cookie dough makes fundraising for your cause so easy!

Gourmet cookie dough is a no-brainer for any non-profit seeking to raise funds. Everyone loves cookies, especially when you get to bake them the size you want, and eat them while they are gooey and warm, right out of the oven! With both low and higher retail prices ($10 to $20), and different formats (tubs and preformed), there’s a cookie dough fundraiser that’s just right for your non-profit organization.

Flower Bulbs

Grow your profit with a flower bulb fundraiser.

Easy ★★☆	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★☆

Flower bulb fundraisers go hand-in-hand with charitable causes.

Flower bulb fundraisers are available in both the Fall and Spring and are highly symbolic of charitable causes. Many flower bulb fundraisers also include hanging gardens, flower mats, bee-friendly flower collections, and more. It’s a great way to raise funds, spread awareness about your cause and make your town even more beautiful. Your non-profit will earn 50% profit with most flower bulb programs.

Non-Profit Event Fundraising Ideas

The right event fundraising ideas can help spread awareness and raise funds for your charity.

Charity Golf Tournament

Easy ★☆☆	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Have you ever considered a charity golf tournament as a local fundraiser for your nonprofit organization? Charge each team a set fee for a predesignated number of players for each group. The money will cover any fees the course requires. If you are an active member of the golf club, you may be able to arrange a discount for the day’s events thereby increasing your profit potential. Contact local merchants to donate prizes or sell 50/50 tickets ahead of time to accumulate sizable awards. The bigger the jackpot, the more interest your tournament will get.

Tips To Raise More

Follow These Tips and Raise More Cash:

Make sure the goals for this charity event are easy to understand and prominently displayed.
Work closely with business owners, community leaders, and local golf pros to make this an exciting event.
Task your volunteers with assignments that capitalize on their skillsets, this maximizes your results and increases profit potential.
Tap your family, friends, and co-workers to assemble their own teams.
Offer specials like prizes for the longest drive or a hole-in-one special.

Getting Started

Increase Your Profits By Starting on the Right Foot:

Make lists of potential advertising markets, donations, and organizers to maximize tournament potential.
Organize and pick up prizes and commemorative memorabilia for the players
Ensure there is plenty of parking and the trails are easy to access for your golf teams
Selling drinks and snacks to the spectators and discuss a potential discount for players, this will increase your take and create interest for non-playing participants.

Casino Night

Easy ★☆☆	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Casino night has become a great way to raise money for your favorite charity while spending an evening with family, friends, and co-workers. If you live near a casino, you can talk with the management about a percentage of the profits for an evening. Choosing one of their slow nights makes this more likely. If you’re organizing the whole thing from start to finish, contact a local equipment rental place. They’ll have access to a wide variety of gaming options making your casino night an exciting opportunity for the local community.

Tips To Raise More

Jackpot Fundraising Tips:

Add to your profit potential by offering snacks and drinks for the participants
Be creative with the prizes, for example: allow the winners to get bigger prizes for each win or trade up their winnings.
Offers sponsored tables to endorsers who offer large donations for the event
Encourage turnover to allow different players to enjoy the game by having the “dealer” take 5- or 10-minute breaks.
Sell tickets ahead of time in order to maximize potential and make the planning easier for great success.

Getting Started

Beat the Odds and Get Off to a Great Start:

Ensure everyone understands the goal of the event and offer to share the results at designated times.
Consider making the evening a themed event to increase interest.
Offer memorabilia and bulk purchases for the tables to increase profits.
Designate volunteers to keep the events on time and running smoothly./li>
Promote your casino night by advertising on the local radio stations, newspapers, and social media.

Garage Sale

Easy ★★☆	Profitable ★★☆	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Create your community’s biggest and best garage sale! Here are two possible revenue-generating models:

Make money for your charity by creating a garage sale venue in a high traffic area and charging vendors for the booth. You can raise more by selling goods as well, such as refreshments and baked goods.
Have members and friends donate quality goods they don’t want any more. Volunteers at the garage sale will then keep 100% of the profits from goods sold.

Tips To Raise More

Create awareness for your non-profit by having a booth set-up with volunteers available to discuss your cause. Why not have a fun Q & A, or ‘Did You Know’ question displayed at each of the booths?
Good opportunity to solicit more volunteers for your charity.

Getting Started

Decide on the best date and location, and get approval from your city
Make sure you put together a team of volunteers including some who are experienced in event organization.
Decide which revenue model you want to use

5k Walk / Run / Swim

Easy ★☆☆	Profitable ★★☆	Popular ★★★

How It Works

These active events bring together the best humans… people who have personally suffered or who know someone who has suffered from a certain illness, and other family, friends and awesome supporters who want to come out, meet people, and make a significant impact! Some of these events are participated in as individuals, where as others require a team of 3-4 people.

Tips To Raise More

Charging an entry fee to all participants. If it’s a team event, you would charge a team free, which can be substantial.

Participants can raise funds to cover their entry fee by:

Collecting in-person pledges from supporters – ask people to donate $5, $10, $20 or more.
Setting-up a crowdfunding campaign to request donations
Selling products such as candles or cookie dough

Your charity can raise additional funds during your event by:

Selling photos of the participants in the event
Selling merchandise such as caps, t-shirts, wrist bands, etc.

Consider tying this event into another main event, to can help bring more awareness, support and participation to both events, over time. For example, if your city’s summer fair starts at noon on June 22, why not have your 5k, 10k or 20k event start at 9 am, and have the finish line at the summer fair.

Getting Started

This is not a fundraiser for the light-hearted. You need an experienced team of volunteers and perhaps some professional consultants to help you get your event organized. Use the right fundraising event software to manage the promotion, engagement and financial transactions for your 5k event.

Coordinate your event with the city to ensure a reliable First Aid crew, security and traffic control.

Pub And/Or Restaurant Crawl

Easy ★★☆	Profitable ★★☆	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

A Pub or Restaurant Crawl is a great way to have friends and the local community support your non-profit organization. Your charity will raise funds by charging a fee to participate in the Crawl. In return, your supporters will receive tickets which they’ll redeem for 1 serving each, at a list of carefully chosen quality local pubs and restaurants. Get the pubs and bars to provide the servings of drinks and appetizers for free or at a highly discounted price, in return for getting new customers into their establishment, to try out their goods.

Your non-profit keeps all money raised from the tickets sold, minus whatever the pubs and restaurants charge you per serving (ticket).

Tips To Raise More

For those who don’t want to drink alcohol, organize with the pubs or bars to have non-alcoholic drinks available.
Make sure the pubs and restaurants are close enough to walk to within a good 3-5 minute walk.
Space 20 minutes between each stop, so people have time to socialize and digest their food and beverage.
Do fun quizzes at each station to promote the establishment and create awareness for your cause,

Getting Started

Make a list of well respected establishments that you feel your supporters would like to try out. A mix of 3 drinks and 4 appetizers, overall, should be good.
Get prizes sponsored that can be drawn at the last stop, for all those who participated.
Have a volunteer at each stop, to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Promote your Pub and Restaurant Crawl through all mediums available including the local press.

Online Fundraising Ideas For Your Non-Profit

Spread awareness and reach your fundraising goals with absolute speed and efficiency!

Crowdfunding

Easy ★★★	Profitable ★★☆	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Crowdfunding is one of the most profitable ways to raise money for your non-profit. There are many crowdfunding platforms available, which means they are all competing for your business, which drives the costs down.

You raise funds by setting up a custom page for your cause, and then sending a link to your friends and potential supporters. You will share your page using email and social media sharing tools like Facebook and Instagram, and your supporters can donate an amount of their choice. Your charity receives all of the funds donated, minus 5% -10% transactional fees, depending on the platform you are using.

Tips To Raise More

Have your volunteers pledge to send a personalized email to at least 15 of their closest friends. This method tends to raise the majority of funds.

Getting Started

Do your research on the various platforms available. Some charge a set-up fee, but then a lower fee per transaction. Others charge nothing for the platform, but charge a higher fee per donation. You decide what’s best for your charity.

When you create your custom page, make sure to outline the details of what you plan to buy with the donations, who it will help and what it will mean to them. Don’t be shy to pull at their heart-strings – after all, you are raising funds for a great cause!

Dip Jar

Easy ★★★	Profitable ★★☆	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Did you know that DipJars and Giving Kiosks are becoming a popular way to raise funds for charities? They are non-invasive, easy, and completely voluntary. A donor simply “dips” their card into the electronic slot in the jar and a donation is made. Many businesses are using them to support local organizations without directly soliciting the donation. The dipjar and kiosk can be electronically set from a dashboard on their website. This allows you to increase or decrease the amount you’re expecting from the donations depending on the setting.

Tips To Raise More

Tips to Dip:

Setup the dipjar or giving kiosk for easy access and include signage that explains the reasons and goals the charity is seeking donations
Include a logo to increase professionalism and encourage confidence in donations.
Include “dipping” directions and a web address that will give them more information.
Many donors worry about how their information is used, direct them to the website.

Getting Started

Start the Giving Process:

Purchase a dipjar or giving kiosk with your charities logo.
Talk with business owners about putting these jars in their businesses to support your charity.
Ensure the donation amount reflects the setting and raise or lower the amount as necessary.
Since these units are completely autonomous donations, the money goes directly to a predesignated account and receipts can go to the donor’s email.

Online Auction

Easy ★★☆	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★★

How It Works

Online auctions have taken the charity industry by storm because of the low overhead and high return potential. You can predetermine the amount of the items to sell or you can sell to the highest bidder. It’s also possible to offer the same item to several buyers to increase the profit level. As an online event, the audience can share your opportunity and advertise it through their social media accounts. Advertising on free radio, TV, and community news spots also increases the likelihood of reaching funding goals.

Tips To Raise More

Ideas to Increase Auction Success:

Consider pairing the online auction with a live auction to increase bidder potential.
Maximize the allotted time for your online auctions to get the most exposure for your charity.
Your donors’ location is unlimited when holding an online auction, so be sure to include the information in an easy to understand format.
Make sure the items for auction are in demand because popular products sell quicker and have a higher retention rate.
Celebrate big tickets sales by announcing the winner and the results of your donation goals.

Getting Started

Set Up Using These Ideas for a Higher Profit:

Emphasize your cause and set up the goals for your bidders to view as the auction proceeds.
Advertise the products for sale prior to opening the bidding process. This creates interest and spreads the word.
Thank sponsors for their donations and list them on the auction site.
Accept donations and offer direct purchases for smaller ticket items to increase the profit margins for your charity.

Online T-shirt Fundraiser

Easy ★★☆	Profitable ★★★	Popular ★★☆

How It Works

Everyone loves t-shirts but have you considered leveraging a t-shirt fundraiser for your charity? Fun, stylish, and well-designed t-shirts are personable and create a great advertising tool for your organization. You can offer them on your website as a give-a-way for certain level donations, sell them for a charity drive, or include them in an online auction. Used correctly, t-shirt sales can increase awareness while raising the funds you need to reach the goals of your organization.

Tips To Raise More

Tips for T’s:

Involve your audience by encouraging them to share your t-shirt design.
Make it fun, eye-catching, and colorful.
Pre-launch advertising increases sales and ups the ante on the time allotted for the sales process.
Create a launching event to share on social media and offer the shirt at a small discount for the first hour or the first 50 shirts.
Update your fundraising website often to keep your audience informed of your success.

Getting Started

Increase Your Audience and Maximize Profit Potential Using These Steps:

Work with an online t-shirt company to provide your t-shirts. This increases availability without having to hold onto a large stock of merchandise.
Make your website easy to use and, most importantly, state your goals, define the benefits, and declare the recipients of the funds clearly.
Ensure the donation amount reflects the setting and raise or lower the amount as necessary.
Tag friends and family or post your t-shirts on their media accounts.
Post the URL on similar pages, it may be necessary to obtain permission.