As the festive season approaches, charities and non-profit organizations are presented with loads of different opportunities to raise money for their causes.
Here, we’ll give you 10 great ideas to raise money over the holidays. From something as simple as a raffle to as exciting as a sponsored run, we hope these holiday fundraiser ideas give you the inspiration you need to make this Christmas the best one yet - for your donors, for your sponsors, and for your cause.
Games nights and quizzes are always winners, especially over the festive season when people have more time for fun activities. Poker, team quizzes, kids’ games, and more - you’ll be able to get everyone engaged and having a good time.
All proceeds can go towards raising funds for your cause, and you can approach people to sponsor the event. The past few years have shown us that almost everything can be done online - so try that too!
There’s nothing like a good old Christmas movie night. Snuggling up with popcorn and hot chocolate and watching your favorite festive film is a holiday tradition. So why not bring this tradition to people on a larger scale?
Drive-in movie nights can raise a lot of money and so can food and beverage sales. Try advertising the movie night and holding a vote on what movie people would most like to see and you’ll have people driving in in drones.
Bring all of your sponsors and donors together for a night to remember! You can sell tickets for people to join you for drinks, dinner, and dancing, and proceeds can go towards your cause. This is a holiday fundraiser idea that really brings people together for the greater good.
Auctioning off items at this event is a great idea, too. Gather some bidding items like weekends away, dinners, and hampers, and put them up for grabs at your dinner party to help you raise even more money for your charity of choice.
Calendars always sell like hotcakes. The end of the year is the perfect time to start selling them! They’re something everyone can put to good use, and you can play around with themes and ideas to really make this a fun and exciting venture.
See if you can find a photographer willing to lend their time. The images for the calendar could be something related to your cause or you can get creative and pick a theme that will sell well.
For example, most people love animals, so you could create a calendar that showcases the cute pets of the people within your NPO. Or, you could hold a competition for your supporters and the winners’ pets will be featured.
Here’s another idea to get kids involved! People with families will love this idea. Simply get together some craft materials and hold a workshop run by volunteers to help kids and adults alike to create some unique and personalized gifts this Christmas.
You could also hold a gingerbread house building competition! All of this is a great way to make some money for your cause.
This is a simple and traditional way to get people together to raise funds for different charities over the holidays. Volunteers can come together and go caroling door-to-door or perform carols on stage!
You can make this even more fun by encouraging your participants to dress up in their best festive gear. Take a donation box around with you and sing carols for people this Christmas. It’s fun for everyone involved.
One of our favorite ideas on this list is the holiday dress-up run. People can pay a fee to participate in this event, or you can get people to gather sponsors for each kilometer they are able to run. Either way, it’s a great way to raise money.
Encourage fun and festive dress-up in Santa, elf, and reindeer costumes. This will attract people of all ages!
If your target audience is adults, you could even make it a pub run. And don’t forget to offer prizes for the best dressed of the day!
Who doesn’t love a nice cozy sweater to curl up in during the cold winter months?
Think about partnering up with a local or online retailer who can offer a couple of different styles. Then, come up with a fun, festive design that encapsulates your cause as well to put on the sweaters.
Your supporters will love paying for something they will actually use knowing that the money is going to a great cause.
This is a simple, tried-and-tested way to raise funds and get kids excited, too. Kids are always keen to take a photo with Santa!
Volunteers can help you to put together a great team to fill in for Santa and his elves. People can then make a small donation in order to get a photo.
Last but not least is a good old raffle. You can put together great prizes like hampers or weekends away, and make your money back threefold for your cause. Hampers can include things like food, baked goods, and even some mystery gifts.
You can take this one step further by offering different kinds of hampers for different kinds of people. For example, beauty hampers for women and craft beer hampers for men. The possibilities are endless!
As you can see, there are loads of different ways to raise funds for causes and charities this festive season. Take our holiday fundraiser ideas into account and make this Christmas the best one yet for everyone involved!
And, if you decide to opt for online auctions to raise money this festive season, you can always turn to BiddingOwl for all your NPO fundraising needs. Check out our website and sign up today - it’s free!
Mo-Fri 9 am to 5 pm Eastern Time
24/7 critical emergency support
All currencies supported