112 Fundraiser ideas to reach goals in style.

• Student art auction.

Students can make art of any medium and submit them to a school-hosted auction event.

• All kinds of food fundraisers.

Packaged goods that can be sold under your school’s name are always an option, too, from gourmet popcorn buckets to cookie dough.

• Balloon pop prize giveaway.

Set up walls of balloons with slips of paper listing prizes stuffed into a few. People pay to step up and try to pop balloons with darts, always with the incentive of potential prizes revealed.

• Donor recognition walls.

Designate an area in the school for plaques or murals with donor names displayed in recognition.

• Student photography calendar fundraiser.

Kids take photos and submit them, and the administration chooses the top 12 to feature in a student photography calendar. The calendars are sold to the community.

• Petting zoo fundraiser.

Call in a petting zoo and sell admission tickets.

• Teacher dunk tank.

Set up a carnival-style dunk tank and people will line up to see teachers dunked for a buck or two.

• Penny drives.

Penny drives get people thinking about their spare change and how much it adds up.

• Used book sales.

Students bring used books that their household no longer wants, and they’re put on sale at a massive school-sponsored event.

• International food fair.

Schools (especially those with a diverse student body) can host an international food fair for the community to enjoy.

• Spelling bee with a pledge campaign.

At a widely-promoted spelling bee, donors pledge certain donations based on student achievement in the tournament.

• Prom dress drive.

High schools can benefit from students donating old prom dresses and tuxes they’ve grown out of. The school resells them at a big event.

• Pet show.

Host a pet runway and sell entrance tickets. Promoted on some strategically placed posters, you’ll get a big turnout of local dog lovers.

• Pumpkin painting contest.

Save the mess (and hazards) of pumpkin carving and have a pumpkin painting contest instead.

• Host a dodgeball tournament.

Would it be teachers against students, or a big student tournament? Take your pick and have fun promoting this competitive event.

• Toy drive.

Students come with the toys their households no longer want, and they’re resold at a big Holiday Market.

• Shoe drive.

Sports teams using specific footwear can pool their old pairs — too worn for competition, but still solid shoes — and sell them at a shoe drive event.

• Autographed memorabilia auction.

If members of the team have local fame, memorabilia like balls or mitts or equipment from great games can be signed and sold.

• Walk-a-thon.

Keep the team moving between matches with a walk-a-thon that gets the rest of the community in form, too.

• Concession stand.

Set up a concession stand at team games or matches and earn the 50-70% average markup on products.

• Dog walking service.

Tell your team: dog walking counts as cross-training.

• Lawn care fundraiser.

Any team members with extra time over the summer can participate in a lawn care fundraiser to sell mowing service to the neighbors.

• Team jersey sale.

Make extra jerseys for each team member with their names and player numbers and hold a big team jersey sale.

• Organize your own 5K.

Organize and collect a registration fee for a team-themed 5K race open to the public.

• Organize a tournament.

Whether it’s between members of the team or with another team open to friendly competition, you can organize an off-season tournament and sell tickets.

• Sports equipment drive.

Pool old sports equipment from the club to resell at a drive.

• Auction tech help for seniors.

Most sports teams have members on the young side, and those digital natives can sell tech help (for example, how to use apps on a phone, how to use email more confidently) to seniors.

• Holiday lights removal service.

Between the fall and spring seasons, sell holiday lights removal services provided by the team members.

• Sports skill workshop.

Sell tickets to a devoted workshop where the team teaches specific skills related to the sport.

• Sports photography contest.

Invite anyone attending the team’s events to take action photos and to submit them (with a fee) to a photography contest. More people attend games, you get great shots, and someone wins big.

• Fitness boot camp.

The team can also host a boot camp-style workout session that people can pay to attend.

• Adopt-a-highway cleanup.

Partner with the Adopt-a-Highway program and agree to tidy a specific section of a road. Local businesses and families pledge a donation in thanks.

• Dog bath fundraiser.

Set up dog baths and invite families to come with their pets for a small fee.

• Pancake breakfast.

Make a social event of your fundraiser with a delectable pancake bar. People pay an entry fee for bottomless breakfast.

• Host a live concert.

Get a local music group in on your fundraiser by donating their time and talent to a live event.

• Organize a massive yard sale.

Ask members of your church or organization to bring in household items they’re ready to downsize, then host a sale.

• Hold a trivia night.

Host a trivia tournament to tap into that sense of playful competition. This is an event people will be happy to pay for.

• Cookbook fundraiser.

Members of your church or organization submit favorite family recipes, then you make a book (printed on-demand) to the community.

• Have a babysitting service auction.

Get members from your organization or church to volunteer babysitting hours, then have a public auction for each person’s time.

• Host a movie night.

Point a projector at an outdoor screen or onto the biggest blank wall inside the building to host a massive movie night.

• Bake sale.

A bake gets the community involved in multiple ways. Include photos of baked goods on your flyers and posters, and appetites will be piqued.

• Silent auction.

A silent auction allows you to plan an event with other fun activities while people mingle.

• Family game night.

Invite members of your church or organization to bring games, and set up tables and snacks in a big space for an epic game night.

• Hold an ice cream social.

With enough ice cream, paper cups, and ice cream cones, you can have an open door ice cream social as your fundraiser.

• Set up a dinner theater.

If your building has the space, set up tables and chairs facing a stage and cast members of your community in a play.

• Source a farm-to-table dinner.

Connect with local farms to source a farm-to-table dinner, both as a fundraiser for you and to raise awareness about local agriculture.

• Hold a pet supply drive.

Members of your community donate old pet supplies they no longer need or purchase new ones, and you resell them at a big event.

• Handcrafted goods auction.

Ask members of your church or organization to make their favorite handcrafts and donate them to a colorful craft fair where you sell it all.

• Text message campaign.

Send hyper-sharable text messages to the people who opt into communications. Text messages are clicked on far more often than social media or email.

• Comedy night.

Invite a comedian to come in and focus on topics related to your club, then sell tickets. Be sure to promote this in social media posts and on flyers posted to community boards.

• Car wash.

Host a car wash where members of your club donate their time to clean every car that pulls in.

• Online dance tournament.

You could host an in-person dance tournament, too, but people tend to let loose even easier from the comfort of their homes.

• Make coupon books.

Ask local businesses to give you coupons or offers they’re OK with you reprinting. Put them all into one coupon booklet to print and sell.

• Use online crowdfunding.

Online crowdfunding campaigns are easy to share on social media along with picture collages, Instagram carousel posts, and other content that shows your club in action.

• Partner with a local restaurant.

Set up a private buffet-style meal at a restaurant. People pay to join the reserved space. Make posters and banners to educate diners and share highlights from your club, too.

• Discount card memberships.

Ask local businesses to provide a certain discount to “club cardholders” in exchange for cardholders to frequent their businesses. Sell the club cards as your fundraiser.

• Corporate sponsorship.

Connect with business leadership at firms whose products or services are related to your club. Ask those businesses formally for sponsorship.

• Miniature golf tournament.

Partner with a local miniature golf course to host a tournament and split the entry fees.

• Glow stick dance party.

If your club has a lot of young members, tickets to a glow stick dance party could sell out in a flash.

• Electronics drive.

Ask club members and their families to donate used electronics, then host a big sale.

• Pasta dinner night.

Pasta is easy to make in bulk, and everyone has a favorite pasta sauce. Set up a pasta bar and sell tickets, and everyone goes home happy.

• Fashion show.

Sell tickets to your very own fashion show. Pick a theme for the show that relates to your club and what it does.

• Paint-and-sip event.

Classes where people learn to paint something while tasting wine are popular for a reason. Set up your own paint-and-sip, invite an art teacher, and your tickets could sell out fast.

• Errand running service.

Errand running service hosted by club members is an easy way for club members to donate their time and for the club to raise funds with a small errand-running fee.

• Date night basket.

Any fundraiser whose audience includes lots of couples could put together a date night raffle basket.

• Mystery box auction.

The fun of a mystery box auction is the promotion of it. How will you stir people’s curiosity?

• Spa basket.

In a stress-filled world, some people relate best to a spa basket filled with products and coupons for spa-grade relaxation.

• Master griller's basket.

A raffle held at the start of summer can celebrate the season with grilling tools and products.

• Fitness fanatic basket.

A fitness basket could include home gym equipment, high-quality sports nutrition products, and gift cards to local sports stores.

• Coffee lover's basket.

The pleasure of a quality roast is hard to beat for a true coffee lover. Fill a basket with multiple bags of quality coffee beans.

• Movie night basket.

Not a lot of people use DVDs anymore, but a movie night basket could be filled with snacks and gift cards to local theaters.

• Garden fresh basket.

If your organization has anything to do with the outdoors or food, source a basket filled with fresh produce from gardens.

• Beer enthusiast basket.

Get a variety of local or interesting brews and put together a beer lover’s basket.

• Cocktail mixer basket.

The list of things people can mix into cocktails is endless. Put together a basket with ingredients like artisanal bitters, truffle shavings, saffron, and rare liqueurs.

• Travel essentials basket.

Travel essentials include travel-size toiletries, neck pillows, foot supports, and anything else that comes in handy on long flights or drives.

• Local finds basket.

Fill a raffle basket with products from stores that often go missed. These local finds will surprise people and make your fundraiser raffle all the more intriguing.

• Baker’s basket.

If you’re part of a community filled with avid bakers, put together a baker’s gift basket for your raffle fundraiser.

• Camping adventure basket.

Encourage people to enjoy and explore the outdoors with a camping adventure basket, filled with outdoor athletic accessories and camping equipment.

• Charcuterie board basket.

This classic raffle gift basket idea includes sliced meats, quality cheeses, fresh fruits, and delicious bread or crackers.

• Teatime basket.

Fill a basket with the finest teas along with a decorative teapot. Spice things up with chai makings, too, and every tea lover’s taste will be met.

• Pet costume party.

Sell tickets to a pet costume party, offer snacks for partygoers (human and canine alike), and this will be the perfect fundraiser for photo-ops to fill social media with for weeks after.

• Letters for letters fundraiser.

Send your supporters letters with several envelopes and blank cards, asking them to send the cards to loved ones to spread the word about your fundraiser. It’s like the snail-mail version of a chain email.

• Karaoke night.

Partner with a local karaoke bar or set up karaoke at your building, then host a karaoke night for an entrance fee.

• Cook-off (with tickets to eat all the results).

Host a cook-off for applicants to prepare their best. Sell tickets to an event where people come to sample all the cook-off results.

• Throw a talent show.

Sell tickets to a talent show where the community shows off their surprise talents.

• Scavenger hunt.

A scavenger hunt sparks competition while educating people about your cause. Each treasure to find could say something about your mission, leading to one big, final reveal.

• Cashier checkout partnership.

Partner with local grocery stores to leave donation buckets at the checkout, or to “sell” $1 donation cards that the cashier can scan and add to the total.

• Pet-equipped photobooth.

A pet-equipped photobooth might have an adjustable platform or an extra-wide entry space. Pet props and a wide-angle lens will further capture the fun.

• Dance-a-thon.

A dance-a-thon is where people dance until they drop. Host an all-day event where participants dance as many minutes as they can, with pledges from their supporters to donate an amount for each minute that ticks by.

• Set up a haunted house.

Halloween fundraiser ideas are an option, too, if you’re looking for support during the spooky season. Organizing your own haunted house could be fun for the volunteer actors and rake in a lot through ticket sales.

• Host a gala dinner.

A gala dinner catered by a local business could quickly launch you to your fundraising goal, while also acting as a press-worth event to promote before and after.

• Holiday light tour.

Set up a 30-minute route through local holiday lights and sell tickets to jump into a big van you rent for the occasion. Allow people to sign up for given timeslots so they know when to come.

• Local “staycations” vacation auction.

Who doesn’t love a night in a hotel with room service and movies to stream? Partner with local hotels to offer local “staycations,” then auction them off.

• Paper airplane flying contest.

If your community has lots of families with kids, set up a paper airplane flying contest. You can raise funds with a small entry fee and by selling concessions.

• Set up an escape room.

Fashion your own escape room and host several time slots on different days.

• Waffle drive-through breakfast fundraiser.

Invite supporters to drive by your building to buy some hot waffles at a breakfast fundraiser.

• Fundraiser flyer ideas.

Make flyers with interactive tear-off tabs, or with QR codes for quick donations or information about your fundraiser.

• Fundraiser poster ideas.

Add 3D elements to your fundraiser posters or include spaces for people to write messages or sign names in support.

• Fundraiser letter ideas.

Send handwritten letters that tell a compelling story supporting the “why” behind your fundraiser.

• Fundraiser announcement ideas.

Make announcements where the event you’re announcing has to be “revealed,” like with pull tabs or papers that unfold.

• Fundraiser invitation ideas.

Come up with a fun RSVP for your fundraiser invitations, like asking people to send a selfie with the fundraiser theme in mind.

• Fundraiser photo collage ideas.

Use photo collages to tell a story, like the progression of how your fundraiser will make an impact.

• Fundraiser banner ideas.

Who says you have to print a banner? If you make digital banners instead, they can flash across a screen over the course of your event.

• Fundraiser certificate ideas.

For all the people who contribute to your fundraiser, make certificates to show your thanks.

• Fundraiser social media post ideas.

Make your own swipe file (a collection of ready-made posts that others can load to their profiles) for supporters to spread the word about your fundraiser.

• Fundraiser Instagram story ideas.

Remember, Instagram stories are interactive, so you can include links to donate or add surveys to get users engaged.

• Fundraiser Instagram carousel post ideas.

Show supporters how their contributions make an impact with Instagram carousel posts that show the before and after of your fundraiser.

• Social media banners.

Make animated social media banners or a rotating series of banners to grab attention of anyone who clicks by.

• Fundraiser hashtag ideas.

Make up a hashtag for your fundraiser and encourage everyone to use it when promoting your fundraiser or celebrating milestones along the way.

• Fundraiser calendar count-down ideas.

Make a calendar with the countdown to your fundraiser and share images regularly of the date growing near (with more days crossed off).

• Fundraiser card ideas.

Send custom cards with the essential information for your fundraiser and include a surprise keepsake like a ribbon with the name and date.

• Fundraiser presentation slide ideas.

You can make a slick slide deck presentation for your fundraiser, too, if you plan to pitch support to corporate sponsors.