So you want to host a fundraising event to donate to charity. You’ve planned it all out in your head — you’ll gather close friends and family, organize something amazing and make a donation to a local charity. Sometimes the tough part is figuring out exactly what you want your fundraising event to be.
There are so many options that can be adjusted depending on the number of people you want to be involved and other requirements like space, time and budget. Check out our list of fundraising event ideas to get a better sense of how you can start on your fundraiser today! These event ideas are perfect for youth groups, faith groups, corporate teams and anyone else looking to donate to a local charity.
Bake sale
When you think of hosting a fundraiser, your mind might immediately jump to a bake sale. There’s a reason for this; most people are willing to spend a dollar or two on a delicious, home-baked treat, especially when the profits are going to a good cause.
Invite a group of friends, plan out your ingredients, put on your favourite playlist and bake the night away. This is a perfect fundraiser for a school, office or another spot where you have a fixed location to sell your baked goods. For added visibility, you can also make a banner to hang on your table, or decorate your spot so people notice your fundraiser as they walk by!
Car wash
Car washes are another tried and true fundraising event. This one might require a bit more advertising than a bake sale, but the premise of providing a valuable good or service to people who donate remains the same. You can also choose to sell other items at your car wash, like snacks, drinks or even additional services like washing with a special soap. Try selling some spots ahead to family and friends, and spread the word on social media so that people know about your fundraiser!
Film festival
There are several ways you can go about with this. Gather participants to submit their own homemade films for a small fee and invite individuals and families in your local community to watch them on screen. You can charge them $5 for every vote they cast for the best film and the winner can receive a small gift. You can also screen popular films and attendees can be charged for entrance plus food and drinks.
Tight for space? Try hosting the festival in a local park or even in a backyard and all that is needed is a projector and a canvas to project the films on. Make sure to promote the festival beforehand through social media or with flyers!
Quiz Game Night
Host a quiz game night where contestants can be put into teams and the topics can range from history to pop culture. They can be charged with a participation fee and food and drinks can be bought at this event as well. The winning team who earns the most points after all the rounds can then choose where they want the money that was collected to go towards the charity of their choosing.
Craft sale
Assemble all the local creatives in your community to create masterpieces that they can either be sold to others in the community or have them displayed for everyone to see. The crafts can range from housewares to accessories. Not only will they receive recognition for their work but it will also be contributing to a worthy cause. Here at Habitat, we’ve even had two elementary school students raise money through selling homemade slime to their classmates!
Local concert
Ask local performers to put on a show for the community where all the money that is raised will go towards charity. The venue can be at an outdoor park where all sorts of beverages and snacks can be bought, in addition to the concert tickets. Promote the event through social media or flyers to help enlist performers for the event.
Dance-A-Thon
Get your groove on! Set up an area where dancers of all ages can show off their moves and compete for the title of who can dance for the longest. Dancers can also request their favourite songs for a price of $5. Refreshments can be sold off to the side.
Garage sale
Looking to get rid of items from your house, and make a difference at the same time? Consider hosting a garage sale to sell gently used items. This is a great event to advertise online through social media, and one that you can promote through posters in your community. If you don’t end up selling certain items, you can always choose to donate them to a local nonprofit.
Host an art show
If you know a few people in your community who are artists, you can gather their paintings and art installations and host an art show! You can charge a small fee for attendance so that members of your community can come and check out the art.
You could even make a special installation where people can take photos, or create a photo booth area so people can take the perfect Instagram at your mini-art festival. You could even connect the theme of the art installations you feature with the cause for which you’re fundraising to tie it all together.
Host a fundraising event for charity today
With any fundraiser, you’ll want to raise awareness through advertisements in your school, church, community or online. This will ensure that everyone knows about your fundraiser. It’s also important to promote the cause you’re supporting, so that people know where their donations are going. You can do some research beforehand to confirm that the charity which you’re donating puts the money to a good cause.
To learn more about how to donate to Habitat for Humanity, follow this link to our website and click here to make a donation today! Check out our blog post about fundraising tips to get even more insights on making a donation.