Quick and Easy Nonprofit Fundraising Event Ideas
Planning a big nonprofit fundraising event for your organization can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of quick and easy fundraising events your nonprofit can host that don’t require you to do a bunch of groundwork. Many of them don’t even need a venue, making it easy for you to create a fundraiser that’s perfect for your cause without all the stress. Here are 11 quick and easy nonprofit fundraising events that your donors will love!
1. Potluck
Potlucks are just one type of nonprofit fundraising event that uses a meal to bring donors together. Potlucks are easy to host because everyone brings their own dish to share for the night, so there’s no stress about catering. All your organization needs is a place to gather together and enjoy the food. To add a competitive aspect to the evening, you can easily turn your potluck into a contest where attendees pay to vote for who brought the best dish!
2. Read-a-thon
Peer-to-peer events are a great way to quickly raise money for your organization. For example, during a , participants ask for pledges based on the number of books they read in a given time period. All you need to do is set up a campaign on a peer-to-peer platform, enable participants to create individual fundraising pages, and give them tools to advertise their fundraising efforts to their friends and family. There are many “athon” fundraisers your organization can host virtually, including virtual walkathons or bikeathons where participants can track their distances and routes through an app.
3. Yard Sale
Another nonprofit fundraising event that’s easy to host is a yard sale. Everyone has some items sitting unused in their homes that other people could repurpose. Yard sales encourage people to declutter their homes while helping a cause they love. Ask your supporters to donate household items you can sell at a large community yard sale. Make sure to set a deadline for the donation collection so that you can go through and price every item before the day of the sale. You can even host the yard sale virtually by setting up items in an online store and giving buyers a pickup date. When you advertise your yard sale, let people know that all the proceeds will go towards your organization’s cause to incentivize people to show up and shop!
4. Network Fundraisers
Network fundraisers are a type of DIY fundraiser that helps your organization raise money and expand their reach with the power of a few passionate and well-connected participants! Similar to peer-to-peer fundraisers, your organization will reach out and ask people to fundraise on your behalf. However, you only need a few participants for network fundraising, and it’s best if your fundraisers have large networks and influence, like your organization’s board members, social media influencers, or local celebrities and politicians. Network fundraisers are often competitive campaigns where your participants will go head-to-head in a fun and engaging challenge and donors show their support through donations! Create a fundraising page where participants and donors can see the leaderboard and root for their favorite participants. Give your top fundraisers an award for their efforts and publicly recognize their contributions to your organization.
5. Trivia Night
Hosting community competitions allows your nonprofit to strengthen your bonds with your community while also raising money for your cause. Trivia nights are a simple event to plan and give your donors the opportunity to learn more about your organization and the work you do. Design a PowerPoint with questions and answers about your nonprofit’s cause and invite your supporters to pay an entry fee to compete against each other for a small prize. You can host the night either in an existing space your organization has access to, or you can host it virtually!
6. Livestream
If you’re looking for a quick and easy fundraiser, look no further than livestreams. In general, virtual events are more affordable than in-person events because there’s no need to rent a venue or order catering. Many of your favorite in-person events can be turned virtual with a little bit of planning, but livestreaming your fundraiser gives you an opportunity to interact with your supporters in real time through chat functions. Livestreams can be as simple as a Q&A about your organization, or you can stream entertainment like your staff members having fun playing video games.
7. Raffle
Raffles are an easy nonprofit fundraising event that can drive a lot of excitement on social media. Donors purchase raffle tickets and win prizes based on whether or not their ticket number is chosen. Raffles usually have a low barrier to entry with cheap ticket prices, and the quality of your prizes are a big incentive to enter the drawing. Sponsors can donate large ticket items that you can advertise on your social media to entice more people to buy tickets, and you can also use your organization's merchandise as smaller prizes. If you host the raffle virtually, send the winners a pickup time and location when announcing the chosen ticket numbers.
8. Viral Video Challenge
Social media is a big part of everyday life for younger donors. Gen Z spends an average of three hours a day scrolling through social media! Using viral trends to create fundraising challenges helps your organization reach those younger viewers to raise money and awareness for your cause at the same time. Most people probably remember the popular ice bucket challenge for raising awareness for ALS, so it’s a great example to explain your own challenge to your donors. Create a fun hashtag to go along with your video challenge and kickstart your nonprofit fundraising event by filming your staff members completing the activity and posting it on your social media channels. Repost donors’ videos to your organization’s social media to thank them for their participation.
9. T-Shirt Sale
Merchandise fundraising can be as simple as creating and advertising an online store with branded clothing to support your cause. Receiving clothes in return for a donation is a great way to incentivize your supporters to help hit your fundraising goals. Merchandise sales can also be combined with any other fundraising event you host throughout the year. You can sell shirts with your nonprofit’s name or a fun design connected to your cause at merchandise booths during your events. Once your donors have their branded items, they can give your organization some free advertising just by wearing them out and about.
10. Food Drive
Another easy nonprofit fundraising event for your organization to host is a food drive. In-kind donations are a great way to get the supplies you need. Ask donors to bring in cans of food and other nonperishable items that could help your cause to an established drop-off location. The type of in-kind donations you request will depend on your cause. Many schools host canned food drives for food banks in their community, but if you work with animals, you could ask for pet food donations instead. For organizations that don’t use food, you can request donors to bring in clothes, books, or office and school supplies.
11. DIY Fundraiser
Another simple fundraiser to host is a DIY fundraiser. DIYs let your donors choose how they want to raise money for your nonprofit without you having to organize some big event. Your participants simply create their own fundraising pages to share and choose their own methods to raise money. Most DIY fundraisers revolve around significant events in your donors’ lives like a birthday or graduation and fundraising participants ask their friends and family to donate to your cause instead of giving them gifts. However, DIY fundraising is very versatile and your fundraisers can sell goods they’ve made or offer a skill or service in exchange for a donation to your organization. Giving your supporters control over how they raise money encourages people to join in and support your cause. Advertise your participants’ fundraisers on your organization’s social media and other communication channels.
Final Thoughts
Your donors don’t need a huge nonprofit fundraising event to support you and your cause. It’s easier than you think for supporters to help you raise money from the comfort of their homes. Take the stress out of fundraising and host a quick and easy event for your donors to enjoy
About the Author: Megan Allison - Content Marketing Specialist
Megan is a writer at Qgiv who takes pride in helping nonprofits. In her free time, she enjoys reading, music, and playing with her two cats.
About Qgiv:
Qgiv is an online fundraising platform empowering over 20,000 nonprofit fundraisers to raise money for their causes. Through online giving and event registration forms, text fundraising, peer-to-peer fundraisers, and auction events, fundraisers can provide a more personalized giving experience for donors while keeping costs low. To learn more, visit www.qgiv.com.
