When the economy is weak, many people slow down on their contributions to non-profits and civic organizations that need those donations continue their community service. These days many organizations are seeking new idea for fund raising. To better help you find the best fundraising idea, we have compiled a list that includes several searchable fields so you don't have to look through 300 ideas to find the best one for your group. Our list includes every option we could find for funding your organization. The table below can be sorted to help you find the best options based on your income and time requirement. To help you find the best fundraiser ideas quickly, use the search feature to sort the list of ideas based on your criteria. Some of the factors that you might use in your search for funraising event ideas include:

Donor Participation Type

Freinds, family and door-to-door sales Congregational events Combo Event
In this type of fundraiser, the revenue generation is done over a few weeks at the donors convenience. Selling chocolate bars is an example of a pre-sales fundraiser. The donor does not need to do anything but pledge money to participate. In this fundraiser event, everyone is invited at a specific time and place to attend the fundraising event. Events like a silent auction, car wash and canoe joust require the donors to attend. In a combo event, the donation are usually pledged in advance but the donors do not need to be present at a congregational event (but they might want to be). Events like a jog-a-thon, night-in-jail and a spelling bee are fundraisers with a pledge and congregation portion of the fundraising campaign.
     

 

    Sponsorship Requirement
Corporate Partnership
Corporate Sponsorship
Do-It-Yourself

 

Larger events like funding a high school band or a large PTA budget often require corporate partnership. A partnership is when your organization works with a for-profit corporation that supplies your organization with wrapping paper, coupon books, cookie dough, chocolate bars or other materials to expedite your fundraiser. The corporations usually take 50% of the income but they are sometimes your only option for larger fundraisers.

 Corporate Sponsorship is when for-profit corporations donate money or materials to your fundraiser event but they do not make a profit. Organizations that try to improve lifestyle are ofter interested in sponsoring fundraisers in exchange for some free publicity. This can be as simple as adding thier name to the signs for the event. Organization like "Cliff Bar" make great corporate parterners. DIY fundraiser are popular for smaller organizations that don't want or need corporate help. These options often focus on having fun more than a large-scale fundraiser.
     

Seasonal Fundraisers

Many fundraising activities are seasonal. It is best to sell lemonaid and setup a Car wash in summer and just before Valintines day is a good time to sell candy. A properly timed fundraiser can make the event much easier if you are supplying someone with somthing that they would be buying anyways.

Donation Type

Cash
Materials
Non-financial
Most fundraisers are seacking funds to help support the operations and future projects of the group. Many fundraiser collect materials like food and supplies to help the needy. Some Events are just trying to get peoples time. This can include help in raising a barn or building a house for someone in need. Blood drives are a common example.
     

Typical Revenue Per Donor

The expected revenue per donor can be used to estimate the level of income based on your group size. For example, if a school is doing a school wide cookie dough campaign, they can expect the "average" donor to buy approximately $7 in dough, generating about $3.50 in revenue. For a school of 300 kids, the total income should be approximately $1000. Our estimates are a ball park guess. In close-nit or high income neighborhoods, the result can be much higher. If there is not a lot of dedication behind the event, it will be much lower. We just want organizations to have realistic expectation about how much income their efforts will generate.

Here is our list of potential fundraiser ideas

Fundraising Event Type Seasonal Corporate Income Fun Factor Work Factor Summary
A Kiss Goodbye Sell Hershey Kisses with paper attached at the end of the school year.
Adult Spelling Bee Have the parent and teacher compete to win a sponsored prize. Everyone will love seeing the adults under pressure.
Angel Tree
Animal
Animal Photos
Arrest A Fan
Art Raffle 3 3 Perfect for schools. Kids art can be better than the professional stuff and it sells.
Auction 3 4 Just get donations  and sell then at auction. Income is proportional to the cost of the auction items.
Babysitting 3 3 If your group has members in the 13 to 17 year old range, a baby sitting campaign can be produce high revenue for a small group.
Bagging for Bucks
Bake Sale 3 3 The standard in fundraising. Have everyone bake one set of treats and then sell them at a big event.
Bakeless Bake Sale
Balloon Bust
Balloon-O-Gram
Band
Baseball
Baseball Marathon  
Basket Raffle
Benefit Sing
Best Seat in the House 4 2 Perfect for supporting sports teams, Have a raffle and the winner to sit in a special seat (like a couch) for the game.
Bike Scavenger Hunt
Bingo 5 4 This requires a lot of setup but can produce a lot of income. Perfect for schools, churches, and non-profits)
Blind Auction
Blow It Up
Bowling
Bracelets
Breakfast With ....
Custom Bricks If you are raising fund to build a building, let donors pay for a brick with their name on it.
Bring Your Dog To Work 
Burger/Pizza Bucks
Caged For Critters
Cake Walk
Campbell's Soup Co.   Yes
Can Drive
Canadian School Fundraisers
Candles
Candy
Candy Bar Candy bar fundraisers are perfect for sport teams. They sell for 1 to 2 dollars and net 50%.
Candy Cane-a-Gram
Canoe Joust Yes
Capital Campaign
Car Donation If you are a non-profit, there are organizations that will do all work for you to accept cars.
Car Raffle
Car Smash Yes
Car Wash Yes
Car Wash
Cardboard Boat Race Yes
Cards
Care Packages
Carnival 
Cash Calendar
Casino Night
Celebrity Autographs
Cell Phone
Center Court Toss
Chair-ity Event Auction off chairs customized by the student. Great addition to a larger fundraiser event.
Charity Yard Sale
Cheap Little Tarts
Cheaters Spelling Bee
Cheerleader Clinic Give everyone a change to be a cheerleader for a day. Can raise up to $50 per participant.
Cheesecake Calendar
Chicken Soup Swim
Children's Cookbook
Chinese Auction
Chinese Auction
Christmas Carols
Christmas Tree Walk
Christmas Trees
Christmas Wreaths
Church Festival
Church Fund Raisers
Clean-up
Cobweb Chase
College
College Groups
Community Service
Cookbook
Cookie Dough
Cookie Sale
Corporate Grants
Cow Chip
Cow Pie Bingo
Craft Fair/Bake Sale
Crazy Hat Day
Chili Cook Off Do a chili cookoff fundraiser. For very little effort, you will have a blast.
Dance
Dance Team
Dinner Auction
Dinner For A Week
Dinners
Discount Cards
Dog Treats
Dog Walk
Donation Containers
Donation Request
Donor Recognition
Don't Come Event
Door To Door For Pennies
Doughnut Eating Contest 
Drive For Dollars
Earth Friendly
Easter Egg Surprise Yes
Easy
eBay Gather quality donations and sell them on ebay. It takes a little practice but can net some good income.
Egg and Beg
Equipment Swap
Face Painting This can be done in combination with other kids events. You can get the supplies at most art store and do it for donations.
Fake Election
Favorite Photos Contest
Fill The Bank
Flag Subscription Service
Flamingo Flocking
Flower Bulbs
Flowers
Food Sales
For The Cure
Fruit
Fun
Fund-Raiser Insurance
Gas Station Attendant
General Mills
Giant Foods
Gift Wrap
Gift Wrapping Yes
Give A Buck
Goal Can
Goat Insurance
Goating
Goblin Insurance
Golf Ball Drop Raffle
Golf Fundraiser
Golf Tournament
Golf Tournament
Grant Requests
Grub Day
Guessing Game
Halloween
Head & Face
Healthy
Hearts Marathon
Holiday Carnival
Home & Garden
Homemade Lollipops
Honey-Do
Horse Show
House Numbers
Humane Society
Individual
In-House Poker Run
Inkjet Recycling
Internet
It's a Girl Thing!
Jail-and-Bail
Jamba Juice
Jingle Bell Run
Jingle Bell Walk
Job Cards
Karaoke Someone in your neighborhood must own a Karaoke machine so charge a fee for a group session.
Kathryn Beich
Kidnap The Pastor
Kiss The Cow
Kiss The Pig
Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme has special program for fundraisers.
Lake Ice Melts Yes
Lazy Boy Day
Lingerie Show
Lip Sync
Little League
Lobster Race
Lollipop Buy them by case and your can sell them for retail to make easy money.
Lottery Raffle 
Luxury Lockup
Magazine Sell magazines through a corporate partner.
Make Believe Tea Party
Mall Coat Check
Mardi Gras Party 5 5 Big fun for big work. Everyone will have a blast.
Merchant Plan
Goofy Golf Tournament Partner with a local mini golf course to have a fun fundraiser.
Miniature Bible Town
Miniature Golf Tourney
Mom-O-Grams
Money Jar
Money Tree
MONOPOLY® Tournament
Movie Night
Mr. Potato Head
Night Golf Tournament  
Night In Jail
Outlaw Hunt
Pajama Day
Pancake Breakfast
Pass The Can
Pathfinders
Paw Painting Art Show
Penny Drive Small donation can really add up and most people don't even notice a few pennies.
Pet Parade
Pet Remembrance Tree
Photography
Pink Flamingos Move the flamingos around the neighborhood to request donations.
Pizza
Plane Pull
Plasma Donation Drive Yes
Play Dough
Poker Tournament for Charity If you have some dad's that like to gamble in your area, this is a really easy fundraiser.
Poinsettia Sale
Polar Bear Plunge Yes
Political
Poop Pool Yes
Popcorn
Potty Protection Insurance
Pregnant Belly Billboard
Prom Boutique
Pucker Up!
Pumpkin Festival Partner with a pumpkin patch to get part of the income from a fundraising event.
Punkin Chunkin Yes The perfect fall activity. Sell the pumpkins and who ever throw a pumpkin the furthest wins.
Radio Days
Raffle Raffle are used by the pros to generate huge income. Large raffles can include cars and other big items. Just make sure your sell all the tickets.
Rapping' Teacher 
Rent-A-Puppy Work with the Humane Society to create income and find dog permanent homes.
Restaurant Take Over
Reverse Raffle
Road Rally Poker Hand
Rubber Duck Race 4 3 In areas with a creek, Sell duck and the winner get a prize. Use the duck over again every years. The city of Boulder, CO does this every spring.
Sample Thank You
Santa Letter
Santa Ski Yes
School
Scrabble Tournament
Scratch Card
Scrip
Seasonal Products
Sell Your Wares
Shower With Flowers
Silent Auction A silent auction can be combined with other event so that donors can bid on items in a low stress environment.
Singing Christmas Cards
Sitting Pretty
Skip-a-Meal
Smores Yes
Snowman Poop Yes
Soccer
Softball
Spaghetti Dinner If you a large gathering place, a spaghetti dinner  is a good social event that help build community.
Speed Dating
Spell-A-Thon 
Spirit Chain
Squeegee Day
Stair Climb
Stay Home/Read Book
Sticky Fly
Stock In Youth Group
Student/Faculty Basketball
Super Bowl Sub Sale Yes
Tacky Yard
Target Stores
Teacher Torture 5 2 Make your male PE teacher dress up like a girl if you get a minimum level of donations. Fun for everyone except the teacher.
Test Drive
The Pastor Pays
Thons
Time & Talents
Topless Car Wash Yes
Town Calendar
Treasure Hunt
Tree of Lights Yes
Tried & True
Trike-a-thon
Truck & Equipment Show
Tupperware
Ugly Tie Contest
UK Collection
Vacation Donation
Valentine Bows Yes
Valentines Day
Where Has Dolly Been?
Whiskey Tasting Depending on your area, whiskey might be more popular than wine. Make sure to
Wine Tasting A wine tasting fundraiser is an fun upscale event. Partner with a local wine merchant to get better pricing. Let your donors try 6-10 nice wines.
Womanless Beauty Pageant
Worlds Finest
Youth Sports
Yard Cleanup Yes 2 3 Perfect in the spring and fall. Just cover the neighborhood and collect donations. It is win/win.

 

Click on the name of one of the fundraiser ideas to get suggestions and advice about how to minimize your effort and mazimize your income.