Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Fundraising events for nonprofit organizations

Events turn supporters into a room, and a room into donations, sponsors and new donors. They take the most work, so choose one that fits your size:

• Gala dinner

  A seated evening with a program, a mission story and an ask. Revenue comes from tickets, tables, sponsors and a paddle raise or auction.

  Gala dinner software

• Silent or live auction

  Donated items and experiences, bid on in the room or online. It needs a person who sources items and a plan for collecting payment.

• Run, walk or ride

  Participants collect pledges from their friends and family. It reaches beyond your own list, but needs route permits, marshals and safety planning.

• Community dinner or breakfast

  A simpler, lower-cost format with donated food and a short ask. A good first event for a small organization.

• Trivia night

  Teams pay to enter and compete for a prize. Easy to run in a hall or online, and good for reaching younger supporters and local businesses.

  Trivia and leaderboards

• Virtual or hybrid fundraiser

  A livestreamed program with online donations and an online auction, so supporters anywhere can give. Plan the stream as carefully as a room.

  Hybrid event platform

Online and ongoing fundraising ideas

These need less staging than an event and can run alongside one:

• Online donation page

  One clear page with a short story, a few suggested amounts and a way to give again. Keep the form short.

• Recurring giving

  Invite donors to give a small amount each month. It makes income predictable and rewards a simple ask.

• Peer-to-peer campaign

  Supporters set up their own pages and ask their networks. Give them a short kit with a story, a photo and a message to send.

• Giving day or matching gift campaign

  A fixed window, often 24 hours, with a lead donor who matches gifts. A deadline gives people a reason to act now.

• Corporate sponsorship

  Local and national businesses sponsor an event or a program in return for visibility. Offer clear levels and benefits.

  Event sponsorship

• Community partnerships

  A restaurant night, a retailer round-up or a school drive run by a partner who does most of the work. Low effort, modest return.

How to pick the right fundraising idea

Score each idea you are considering on the same questions. The table below is a way to compare formats; fill in the last column with your own estimates, not figures from other organizations.

How to launch a fundraising idea, step by step

These steps apply to any idea in this guide. For an event, use the full planning template linked at the end of this section.

1. 1

   Set a net goal

   Decide how much you need after costs. Work back from past results and your list size, and be honest about what a first attempt can raise.

2. 2

   Name the audience

   Past donors, members, local businesses or a new community. The audience decides the format, the message and the channel.

3. 3

   Tie the ask to a specific outcome

   People give to a result they can picture. Say what the money does in plain terms, without inventing figures you cannot support.

4. 4

   Choose the format and the date

   Pick the idea that fits your capacity and your calendar. Avoid clashes with other local fundraisers and major holidays.

5. 5

   Build the revenue plan and budget

   List every income line and every cost, including payment fees and the staff time you are spending.

6. 6

   Recruit a small committee

   Give each person one job: sponsors, guest list, auction, volunteers, communications.

7. 7

   Promote and thank

   Tell your list more than once, ask partners to share, and thank every donor within days, before you report the total.

8. 8

   Review the result

   Record gross raised, costs, net raised and new donors, so the next idea starts from real numbers.

FUNDRAISING IDEA COMPARISON
Goal (net, after costs): [ ]
Deadline for funds: [ ]

IDEA 1: [name]
Who it reaches: [ ]
Estimated income: [ ]
Estimated costs (include fees and staff time): [ ]
People needed and their jobs: [ ]
Lead time: [ ]
Biggest risk: [ ]

IDEA 2: [name]
(same questions)

IDEA 3: [name]
(same questions)

DECISION
We will run: [ ]
Because: [ ]
Owner: [ ]
First three tasks and dates: [ ]

For an event, continue with the fundraising event planning template at /guides/fundraising-event-planning-template/.

What Eventdex does and does not do for fundraising

Eventdex is event management software, not a general donor database or a replacement for a nonprofit's fundraising CRM. Where a fundraiser is an event, in person, online or hybrid, its pages describe tools for the event side of the job. To plan one in full, start with the fundraising event planning template guide.

• Tickets, tables and donation tickets

  Paid, free and donation-based tickets, where the registrant chooses how much to give, with payments through PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Square and others.

  Zero-commission ticketing

• Fundraising event software

  Registration, online donations, auction management, donor engagement, a live donation display and campaign analytics.

  Fundraising event software

• Gala invitations, guest lists and seating

  Branded digital invitations with RSVPs, guest lists, and table and seating plans for gala dinners.

  Gala dinner software

• Planning template

  A full copy-ready plan for a fundraising event: goals, revenue lines, budget, roles, program and results.

  Fundraising event planning template

• Associations and nonprofits

  How Eventdex is used by associations and nonprofit organizations for events, memberships and conferences.

  Associations and nonprofits