Soapbox Engage Blog

As a development professional, you probably need some quick fundraising ideas from time to time to get the ball rolling, spark some ideas, or just fill in a gap. Or perhaps you’re looking for some fresh new ideas to engage your supporters.

Whether you’re looking for in-person or virtual event options, we rounded up seven creative fundraising ideas to get you started or fill in those little gaps in your fundraising calendar!

Table of Contents

1. Quarter mile fundraiser
2. 50/50 raffle fundraiser
3. Cute pet contest fundraiser
4. Paper airplane toss fundraiser
5. Buck-a-pound challenge fundraiser
6. Video game fundraiser
7. Craft-along fundraiser

1) Quarter Mile Fundraiser

This fundraiser is an “oldie but a goodie” that seems to have fallen out of rotation recently, so maybe it’s time to bring it back! The goal is to work together to collect enough quarters to line up and stretch a quarter-mile.

Some organizations choose this type of fundraiser when they have a particular location connected to the fundraiser. For example, stretching quarters across a site where you’re raising money to construct or renovate a building or across a school parking lot. But, even if there’s no connection to the location, it’s a great fundraiser, especially when you can get teams to compete against each other! It’s also an event that’s easy for kids and adults to enjoy together.

2) 50/50 Raffle Fundraiser

The great thing about 50/50 raffles is that there are almost no overhead costs. It’s not glamorous, but it can help nonprofits and organizations raise money quickly. The way it works is you recruit your supporters to purchase raffle tickets for a small price (usually just a few dollars per ticket). Then, you draw from the raffle tickets to choose a winner. You keep 50% of the money, and the winner receives the other 50% of the “pot.”

One of the benefits of this fundraiser is that it’s a low-impact fundraiser. It doesn’t take your team much time to execute, and your supporters won’t think much about buying a $3 raffle ticket. You can also repeat a 50/50 raffle as many times as needed and even run this fundraiser at the same time as other campaigns. Many nonprofits use it as an add-on to other fundraising events to bring in just a little more money.

One Soapbox Engage app that makes 50/50 raffles easier is our Events app. You can sell those raffle tickets online to expand your reach and make it easy for your supporters to invite their friends to join the fun.

3) Cute Pet Contest Fundraiser

Let’s be honest, every pet parent thinks their fur-child is the cutest thing that’s ever walked this earth (and they might not be wrong). So why not give people the opportunity to show off their pets and decide once-and-for-all who has the cutest pet in your community by hosting a “cute pet contest.”

Many nonprofits charge a small entry fee for participants. Others structure the contest more like a peer-to-peer fundraiser. If you’re leaning toward the latter, then each dollar a pet receives is counted as one vote in their favor. The pet with the most dollars wins the crown!

One benefit of this fundraiser is that you can do it in person or online! If you decide to go the virtual route, have contestants share a photo of their cute pets, and people can head to your custom donation page to vote with a donation.

4) Paper Airplane Toss Fundraiser

Do you remember making paper airplanes as a kid? Revive that part of your childhood for a great cause with this fundraiser! All you’ll need is a large open space, some chalk or marking tape (to mark out the contest area), and loads of paper!

Divide your contest area into squares and put donated prizes into each area (with the most valuable prizes being the furthest away). Contestants pay a small entry fee for each paper airplane they’d like to enter. You can even have participants use their entry form to make their paper airplanes to keep things simple!

Participants toss their paper airplanes and try to land them in a square with a sweet prize. Of course, every donation buys another airplane entry!

This fundraiser is exciting for the whole family and relatively easy to pull off, especially if you’re connected with local businesses that can donate some sweet prizes. You can also add this fundraiser to other events to increase the income potential or use it as a stand-alone event.

Be sure to use the Forms app to gather people’s contact information so you can follow up after the event and add them to your mailing lists!

5) Buck-A-Pound Challenge Fundraiser

Encourage your community to get healthy for a great cause with this weight loss fundraiser! There are loads of variations to this type of fundraiser. The most common way nonprofits use it is to encourage their supporters to put together teams. Each team must pay a small donation for each pound lost at weekly weigh-ins, and a more significant contribution for each pound gained.

For example, you might have participants donate $5 for each pound they lose and $10 for each pound gained. Another popular way to structure this fundraiser is to find a sponsor willing to donate a specific amount. For example, they might donate $20 per pound lost by every contestant or team or $100 for every combined 100 lbs lost. There are loads of strategies and approaches here!

This fundraiser can be virtual or in-person. Because many people find public weigh-ins rather stressful, many nonprofits have one “official” volunteer record and report weigh-in progress rather than broadcasting contestants’ personal data.

This fundraiser is easy to run and can last for as long as you want. Plus, the increasing popularity of digital wellness apps and wearables makes it even more intriguing for your audience.

6) Video Game Fundraiser

Calling all gamers! Turn video games into an epic fundraiser by hosting a gaming night or tournament. Most charities structure this fundraiser as a crowdfunding or peer-to-peer fundraising event where participants ask their friends and family for donations.

Add in some team and individual contests throughout the event to spice things up and create opportunities for more donations. For example, you might have a “Midnight Madness” feature where the individual or team who can rack up the most combined video game points and donations in a set amount of time wins a sweet prize.

This fundraiser might require a bit more planning and organization on your part--after all, you’ll need a lot of gaming consoles and all the snacks to fuel your contestants and spectators (upsell opportunity, anyone?). On the other hand, if you’d like to keep things simple, some organizations stick to virtual gaming tournaments. Either way, it’s a fun, creative fundraiser that people of all ages and gaming abilities can participate in.

Keep things organized and make registration easy with the Soapbox Engage Events app. You can also use the Forms app to gather contact information from spectators and the Donations app to create as many custom donation pages as you need for the event!

7) Craft-Along Fundraiser

Here’s an exciting twist on the traditional craft fair fundraiser! The way it works is participants create and donate a craft that your nonprofit can then sell or auction off. Some nonprofits accept any and all submissions, while others limit it to one entry per artist.

The goal is to gather beautiful, unique, creative, and quirky crafts from all the talented artists in your community and sell their creations to raise money for your nonprofit. Some craft-along events have a theme, and others are more free-form. The options here are almost endless.

The Desert Bus nonprofit uses this fundraising event each year to help meet its financial goals. They have such great responses that they limit participation to one entry per artist.

Use the Forms app to gather submissions from artists and open an online store with the Shop app to sell the beautiful creations easily!

Now that you’ve got some creative fundraising ideas in hand to help fill those gaps in your fundraising calendar, you’re sure to reach your financial goals! The key is to get creative and be willing to try new things to see what your audience will love.

Here are three more resources to help you take your fundraising to the next level.

• Make A Fundraising Calendar in 5 Simple Steps: The day-to-day process of fundraising can be difficult to manage. Things get even more complicated when you’re working with a fundraising team. A fundraising calendar can be an excellent recipe for year-round fundraising success! This blog offers some tips, tricks, and strategies from industry experts to help you build a great fundraising calendar.
• Ladder of Engagement: Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies: The ladder of engagement is a powerful tool to hook your “casual follower” and move them toward being a loyal donor. Summer is an excellent time of year to either develop or update your ladder of engagement and this blog has some practical insights to help you do just that!
• 3 Tips to Take Peer-to-Peer Fundraising to The Next Level: Peer-to-peer fundraising success can usually be defined by factors like the number of participants or the average amount raised by each person. What if you shift the focus of your peer-to-peer fundraising to building relationships with individual participants rather than just meeting a financial goal? Head over to this blog to learn why this can be such a valuable approach and how to do it.