Photo provided by www.squadlocker.com
By: Scott Kinser
Oftentimes, individuals and organizations alike need some quick fundraising ideas to get the ball rolling on a longer-term campaign, get through a mid-campaign hump, or for an emergency situation.
The ideas also need to be engaging enough to get people involved, and quickly.
Once you’ve put together a quick fundraiser from the ideas your about to read below. You can then utilize Fusionmarx’s Conne><ted™ software by using its interactive aspects (News, Forums or Blog section) to share the word of the fundraiser and motivate people to help donate to your fundraising goals.
Here are “24” quick fundraising ideas that are sure to rally people to raise money for your nonprofit.
1. Channel Your Inner Master Chef
A nod to cooking reality TV, try rounding up supporters and foodies around a friendly culinary competition. Contestants create their best dishes with a specific ingredient, or other criteria, and people pay to taste and cast their votes.
2. Nearly New Sale
Collect your team’s gently worn, barely used clothes or artifacts and host a weekend sale or auction. Take pictures of the items beforehand, post them on social networks and generate buzz around your event.
3. Breakfast in Bed
Solicit local businesses to donate breakfast foods, have supporters and their networks place orders, and deliver the goods!
4. Scavenger Hunt
Organize a scavenger hunt and send participants all around town. Charge a registration fee and offer extra tips and hints for different donation amounts.
5. Donate for Talent
Crowdsource talent with this quick fundraising idea and put on a talent show. In addition to an entry fee, supporters can donate to cast votes for winning numbers of different categories.
6. Tie-Dye Party
Tie-dye and sell T-shirts that promote your cause, host a get-together with materials for people to make their own tie-dye shirts and charge an entrance fee, or offer to tie-dye personal items for a donation.
7. Bike Relay
Turn a tried and true fundraising idea – the traditional bike race – into a team-oriented activity. Set up a relay style race with prizes for the teams that place.
8. Film Fundraising
Host a film festival and have participants enter their own unique productions. You can even turn it into a contest, where attendees can give $5 in order to cast votes for their favorite films.
9. Hairless Fundraisers
Participants pledge to shave their heads (or long-lasting beards) to raise money.
10. Trash Art Auction
This quick fundraising idea isn’t just for the eco-friendly, but for all creative types. Enlist local artists to create some avant-garde masterpieces out of recyclables or other waste products, and auction off the pieces.
11. Quizbowl
Host a “quiz game” night and charge an entrance fee for attendees. Group people into different teams to see who can gain bragging rights and raise the most money!
12. Run the Race
Host a costumed race where people dress up in alignment with a pop culture phenomenon, whether it’s zombies, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, or another theme. With all the different options to choose from, this quick fundraising idea never gets old.
13. Roller Race
Or, how about switching up the usual 5K run/walk with a roller-skating marathon? In addition to fundraising for entry, participants can raise money for proper gear like helmets and kneepads.
14. A Dance Marathon
Host a dance-a-thon and challenge participants to dance for as long as they can! Supporters can also request songs for $5. Last one standing receives a prize.
15. Dodgeball Tournament
Ask each team to fundraise a certain amount to participate and to come geared up for some serious dodging.
16. House Party
Invite supporters and their friends and family to your charitable house party, which you can fix around a certain holiday or pop culture event. Incentivize donations by offering prizes for different levels of sponsorship, like discounted tickets to your next event or other unique party favors.
17. Gaming for Good
Gamers can raise money by participating in a video gaming marathon. Livestream the event to reach a larger audience, and viewers can donate in order to submit challenges or request other forms of entertainment. [Check out Desert Bus for Hope for a real-life example!]
18. Battle of the Bands
Gather local bands to put on a charity concert! Both performers and attendees pay a registration fee. Having influencers on the judging panel, like popular radio hosts or a local celebrity, can also be a great way to get people interested in your show.
19. Athletic Tournament
This quick fundraising idea rallies locals around a sports tournament to raise money, whether it’s baseball, flag football, or bowling. You can even establish a theme or costume rule, requiring each team to come up with its own unique getup.
20. Craft Sales
Gather talented friends and family members to help create and sell your crafts, whether they are bracelets, buttons, keychains, or other wares.
21. Good Ol’ Pub Crawl
The fundraising idea that started StayClassy, a pub (or any kind of) crawl can be a great way to put a philanthropic twist on a Saturday night. Charge a fee for people to participate in the crawl, get people to dress up, and have participants earn sponsorships for each bar they make it to.
22. Localympics
Put together an Olympics-style sporting event for locals, and ask each participant to fundraise a minimum amount to help you reach a collective goal.
23. Recipe Books
As a tribute to pre-Pinterest days (before people could share DIY projects and recipes on social media) you can crowdsource recipes from different supporters, and even across your organization, to compile a solid, hard-copy charity cookbook.
24. Art Show
Local artists and supporters can pay a nominal registration fee to have their pieces showcased, and attendees can pay a registration fee to browse the collection. Afterwards, artists can choose to auction off their pieces for charity.
Any of these ideas are a sure fire way to get the ball rolling on a longer term campaign and if you need further help.
Fusionmarx’s other services can be utilized to you in helping you succeed further with your fundraising goals.
For more information, please contact George Sackandy at gsackandy@fusionmarx.com or call us at 814-941-9218.