Fundraiser Toolkit

Learn tips and tricks for a successful fundraiser

Creative Fundraising Ideas

GoFundMe’s crowdfunding platform is a great, effective way to raise money, raise awareness, and publicize your particular fundraising cause to your social networks and beyond. We put together some simple but smart strategies that can go far in spreading the word about your GoFundMe campaign, inspiring your community to donate and share it, and even getting your kids involved in fundraising.

Ten Unique Fundraising Ideas

Hand Delivered Gifts

It’s simple, really: asking for donations in exchange for hand-delivering gifts around the neighborhood. Whether it’s hand-crafted cards or special bouquets or handmade lanyards, this is a great way for you to reach out to friends and family and show them how dedicated and hardworking you are—and will be—when it comes to the cause. This would be perfect for any special occasion, but you should pick a day with importance to you and your cause. You can ask your donors to post about your gift, about you, and about your campaign on all their social media. You can even make up a particular hashtag to help them spread the word!

Chore Raffle

Everyone has some kind of special skills, whether it’s the super speed of all those school track meets, your law degree, or your own small business. Why not ask a friend to pair up with you on a campaign and raffle off some chores? Whether it’s mowing lawns, assembling furniture, or even helping someone figure out the new iPhone update, you’ve likely got skills that people would gladly donate money for.

Make a Birthday Wish

You know how great it feels to have all those birthday wishes come in on Facebook every year? Make it more meaningful by asking your friends to donate to your GoFundMe campaign. You can ask your friends to make donations in the same amount of your new age: $30 if you’re turning 30, for instance. Take advantage of all the birthday goodwill and cheer by encouraging donations and shares—it’s sure to be a birthday wish you’ll remember.

Email Newsletter

There are plenty of free email marketing services these days. Why not take advantage and set up a weekly newsletter just for your cause? You can include upbeat stories of how your cause is making a different, quotes from people you’ve helped out, and profiles of your best volunteers or donors. Just make sure to put your GoFundMe campaign front and center in each newsletter! The more fun and engaging your newsletter is, the more likely your donors will be to forward it to their friends.

Host a Brunch

Invite people over for a really nice, fancy brunch. The price of admission? A donation to your GoFundMe campaign. Make it worth your donors’ while by making it as glamorous as possible while keeping it under budget. Dress up in fancy clothes, put up some homemade decorations, and bond with your friends and family over eggs and maybe a little bubbly, if that’s your thing. Don’t forget to post pictures online with your own special campaign hashtag to keep the campaign momentum going even after the event. You could even share a video of the brunch and give special shout-outs to your donors.

Holiday Potluck

Pick a special day for a potluck dinner. Use your GoFundMe fundraising campaign to organize what dishes people will bring to the potluck. Sell tickets for the potluck through your campaign, so that people who don’t or can’t make food can still join. A potluck is a great opportunity to chat about the food with whoever made it—and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll share their family recipes.[/t]

Flea Market

Organize a flea market where your friends and family donate clothing, kitchen gear, and other gently worn items. Sell tickets through the campaign for a specific day, and put out lemonade and cookies for people to munch on while buying up your old ski jackets and boxing gloves. Make sure you get the word out to your larger community—there are always folks looking for a great bargain and a great cause.[/t]

After Hours Art Day

Rent out a community building for an evening. Sell tickets for a still life painting class through your GoFundMe campaign. Grab some paper, paints, and brushes, and let people’s creativity go wild. Encourage people to post their artwork on social media while linking to your GoFundMe campaign. This will encourage their friends and family to try it out as well. Bonus: ask people to bring interesting objects specifically for the still life portraits.

Holiday Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt, so why not expand on that? Create a themed scavenger hunt for a holiday and have people donate to participate. Maybe that means doing good deeds around the neighborhood, or making up custom clues for your donors to solve. Up the ante by posting about your search on social media and sharing your adventures under a hashtag so other donors can follow you on your journey (even as they compete!). This is also a great chance to make teams and meet people in your communities that you might not know well.

Walk-A-Thon

Walk-a-thons are tried and true fundraisers, so why not take the idea and make it your own? You can do a custom walk-a-thon just for your GoFundMe campaign by encouraging people to donate based on their FitBit or iPhone steps for a week. This means they can post about their steps daily on social media—nothing like some friendly competition to boost donations! Even giving at a ratio of $15 for 15,000 steps will make a huge difference if it’s every day for a week. Think of something special to do for your top stepper to recognize their contributions.

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