Fundraising is not easy. It takes efforts to convince people about the cause. Fundraising event ideas should be fun and unique. Only then will it excite people to participate and give to charities and nonprofits.
The online fundraising platform for charities has made the task of raising funds easy. The organization has to set up a fundraising campaign on the platform and share the link or QR code to people through social media platforms, emails, flyers, or letters. This coupled with some great fundraising event ideas will boost the cause and help you achieve the goal.
Here, we list 12 of the best fundraising event ideas for nonprofits and charities to help you in your cause.
Dinner fundraiser
Many of the charities or volunteers of it hold annual fundraising dinners to promote a worthy cause. These dinners are fun and good for networking but the main purpose of it is to raise money. An adequate amount of planning and budget is required to host the dinner. You can expect a good amount of money to be raised depending on your donor list.
Social media fundraising
Social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are popular across the globe. These can be used as powerful fundraising platforms for charities. A simple Donate Now button on Facebook will help donors instantly donate for a cause. Be active on social media by posting visual content and regular updates. The possibilities of engaging donors on social media are endless.
Donation matching
If an employee sets aside a particular amount for donation, the employer or the employee’s corporation donates money to the same NGO according to a predetermined ratio (usually, a 1:1 match). This concept of donation matching or gift matching helps charities in raising funds quickly. The donors and the corporations follow strict rules when it comes to donation matching. Usually, the funds are released only when the NGO or charity has raised adequate funds for the cause.
Concerts
One of the good fundraising event ideas is the concert. Aimed at Gen Z, it attracts maximum attention and helps you raise good money. Invite a popular band or singer to perform at a fundraising event. Charities raise money through ticket sales. The big-amount donors are given the front-row seats. Banner spots on the venue and screens are sold to companies helping NGOs raise adequate money. Again, hosting concerts require a good amount of planning and networking.
Giving club
Start a giving club where you enroll donors and keep them updated on the cause and how you have effectively utilized their donations. The next task is to prod them to become regular monthly or yearly donors through subscription. This way you are assured of recurring funds and the donors are satisfied with the regular updates.
Peer-to-peer campaigns
In a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, the volunteers of a charity set up a fundraising page and personally call on their friends and family to donate to the organization. They use their personal networks to give donations by sharing the page link on emails and social media accounts. The peer-to-peer campaigns work best when the charity has passionate and engaged supporters.
Auction
In auctions, charities accept submissions for collectibles and sell them to the highest bidder. Many of the collectors part with rare items and submit them to the charity to be auctioned. Charities charge an admission fee for the auctions. Refreshments and snacks are arranged. Big organizations or wealthy individuals bid high for the best works. The items sold in the auction can be art by local artists, antiques, or even rare items. It gives an opportunity for local artists to show off their skills and get recognition in the community.
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the process of asking a large number of people to donate to a specific cause. Many of the online fundraising platforms for charities have effective software and features to support crowdfunding. The donation amount of individuals are usually small. But since it involves a large crowd, the fundraising objective is achieved within a few days. The crowdfunding concept can be made interesting by offering small gifts as a token of appreciation to donors. The funding link is shared on social media platforms to reach a wider audience and receive maximum funds.
Text-to-donate campaigns
Charities and nonprofits of all sizes and missions can participate in text-to-donate campaigns. Here, the charity sets up a shortcode, a mobile donation form or page, and a campaign keyword. When an individual feels inspired and wants to donate to the cause, they have to text the campaign keyword to the shortcode. They receive a link to the donation form. They have to fill their information in it and donate the amount.
Selling t-shirts and other merchandise
People wear t-shirts all day everywhere. What better way to promote your cause and even get people to donate for it than selling t-shirts, caps, sweatshirts, and other cool stuff. You can get creative and print quotes on the t-shirt to support the cause. A simple way is to sell them on social media platforms. If you have a website, convert it into an e-commerce store or collaborate with any apparel brand and sell the t-shirts on their website.
Direct Mail campaign
Even though online fundraising is in trend, direct mail still is the greatest source of donations in the U.S. You can mail postcards, brochures, letters, or flyers. Write personalized hand-written letters explaining the cause and invite them to donate to it. You can even partner with mail providers to help you reach the maximum number of people.
Marathon
Among the popular fundraising event ideas is the marathon. This is good for larger NGOs since the planning and execution take effort, time, and money. Set up an online registration page and sell products such as t-shirts, caps, sports shorts, shoes dedicated to the cause to make the event successful.
Conclusion
Fundraising event ideas are crucial to help people channel the funds to a genuine cause. When the ideas are great, people will be more than happy to donate their money to the cause.
Before you go ahead with any fundraising idea or event, ensure that you create a page on a reputed fundraising platform for charities. Describe the cause effectively through visual content and provide users with varied options for payment. A good platform will have all the features to make your page more engaging and attract maximum funds. Share the link to potential donors and see the difference.
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