Fundraiser events are a great way to generate money for your organization while also allowing you to interact with supporters and promote your cause.
They’re a lot of fun for everyone involved – especially if you go to the extra effort of making these events unique and memorable!
The right theme for your fundraiser event is a vital factor in determining whether or not you raise enough funds at the end of the night.
Feeling a little lost about what to plan for your event? Don’t worry, because this guide will provide some excellent suggestions for a successful fundraiser.
We’ll explore:
- Seventeen creative and memorable fundraiser event ideas
- What makes these ideas an excellent choice
- Examples and other suggestions to inspire your own event planning.
Let’s get started!
Virtual Silent Auction
A silent auction is a great way to engage your supporters and give them a chance to buy something exciting for themselves.
Silent auctions work by allowing bidders to bid on items via written word or electronic messages, rather than have them call out or raise their hands.
In this event, everyone is assigned a bidding number so that the process remains anonymous.
A virtual auction is much the same – just entirely online! Ideally, the items at the auction will have been donated to your organization so you won’t have to lose any money on them.
By holding a virtual silent auction, your supporters get to have a fun experience all while donating to your cause.
Walk-A-Thon or Fun Run
This fundraising idea is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and get some exercise, all while raising funds for your cause.
A walk-a-thon or fun run will bring out your donors’ competitive sides and provide them with an event to remember.
The way a nonprofit walk-a-thon works is by recruiting volunteers, participants, and sponsors for the event.
Sponsors can be acquired through peer-to-peer fundraising, which means participants will ask their family members, coworkers, and friends to donate to the cause.
Fashion Show Fundraiser
If your supporters are the fashionable type, a fashion show fundraiser is a smart way to get them involved.
These events are a super fun way to raise funds and don’t have to cost much. In fact, they can be very profitable!
When done right, your supporters are sure to love this creative and fun event. If you want a twist of originality, hold a themed fashion show that’s based on an era or style.
You could even go all-out and decorate the venue consistent with the show’s theme!
Wine Tasting Event
This event will give your supporters a classy and special night out, and has a lot of potential to draw in multiple donors.
As it’s also a great excuse for a romantic date night, expect to have many attendees bringing along a plus one.
This event will take a fair bit of planning, so make sure to start acquiring volunteers and wine early. You’ll also need to market the event and get people raring to attend.
Just like fashion shows, you can also make wine-tasting events themed and decorate your venue accordingly for some extra fun.
DIY Photo Booth with Props and Backgrounds
What better way to make sure that your supporters have a wonderful time than to rent a photo booth?
With a DIY photo booth, your donors get to capture themselves having the best time at your event!
Receiving pictures of themselves enjoying the occasion is also an easy way to remind your guests of the function and your organization’s cause.
The best thing about a photo booth is that it can be incorporated into any of the events on this list. Whether you’re going for a trivia night, an auction, or a movie night, a photo booth will fit right in and become part of the attraction!
Green Screen Photo Booth with Digital Backgrounds
For a step up from a simple photo booth, hire one with a green screen backdrop along with digital backgrounds for your photos!
Because of how much it snazzes up the fundraiser event, it’ll become a source of hilarious fun for attendees who’ll absolutely love posing in front of different backdrops.
An excellent choice for this is Pixilated’s green screen photo booth rental, which is one of our four different packages. The booth design is open for customization, allowing you to add your organization’s logo to the photos.
Community Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are great fun for all ages. This family-friendly fundraiser means that your sponsors can bring along their kids and won’t have to worry about finding childcare just to attend.
Note that because this event will require a fair bit of space, you may want to host it in a local park.
The easiest way to run a scavenger hunt is by hiding a collection of items around the area. Once your attendees arrive, they’ll pay an attendance fee and you’ll give them lists of everything they need to find!
You could even plant clues with the items in the form of rhymes and riddles for some extra fun. The team/individual who finds the most items within a certain time frame will be declared the winners!
Art Exhibition and Sale
If there are plenty of local artists in town, an art exhibition and sale could be a great way to raise funds.
This event is a win-win for everyone involved — local artists receive exposure for their work and a portion of sales, your supporters buy original and unique art, and funding goes toward your cause.
Art connects and brings people together. Plus, holding an exhibition will show your appreciation and passion for art, allowing you to connect with your supporters while also bringing in a lot of funding.
Art exhibitions are one of those events that especially benefit from having a photo booth. Your guests can then take pictures of themselves all dressed up in front of a gorgeous background!
Online Talent Show
Give your supporters a chance to show off their skills with an online talent show fundraiser!
Talent shows are excellent entertainment and will give your supporters good value for their donations. Simply charge your guests an attendance fee and let them sit back and enjoy the show.
For this event to work, you’ll need to recruit participants and organize judges. For a successful and stress-free time, it's best to get onto the planning early.
What makes this event even better is that there are always plenty of people around who have a secret party trick or talent, so you’ll be sure to have lots of keen volunteers.
Virtual Trivia Night
This fundraising idea is super simple and doesn’t require too much planning, especially as it’s all virtual. A trivia night is always fun and exciting and will allow your guests to compete while having a good time.
You’ll have plenty of options to generate funds from this event, such as having attendees buy tickets.
Virtual trivia nights work by having participants team up and submit their answers to the questions via an online forum or chat. A multiple-person video call app would be an ideal platform for this kind of event to make attendees feel as if they’re sharing a space!
Pet Show or Pet-Themed Fundraiser
You’d have a hard time finding somebody who doesn’t love animals – which means that this kind of event will always attract a large range of supporters.
There are sure to be plenty of people in your community that would love to show off just how adorable and talented their pets are!
This is another event that easily raises funds from peers. And if you organize your participants early, they can help market the event via word of mouth and social media sharing too.
Because the event is fun for all ages, doors can be open even for the youngest of attendees – making it a popular destination for families as well.
Dance-A-Thon or Dance Party Fundraiser
Looking for a fundraiser idea that also serves as great entertainment for everyone involved? Go for a dance-a-thon!
This is a peer-to-peer fundraiser event that involves the participants dancing for a certain amount of time in exchange for donations from sponsors.
The event also allows your supporters to have a good time while generating funds for your organization. Because it’s inherently fun, dance-a-thons will spur your donors to happily support your cause while enjoying themselves.
Charity Auction
Much like a virtual silent auction, a charity auction allows your supporters to help your organization raise funds while buying themselves something nice in the process.
Ideally, the items in this event will be donated by generous supporters so your organization won’t lose a lot of money when holding the auction.
Charity auctions are fun and competitive and will be memorable for attendees involved. You’ll need to begin the promotion process for this event early so you have enough time to collect donations for items to bid.
These items can be anything you want – and could even be themed to relate to your cause or organization!
Online Bake Sale or Cooking Competition
A good bake sale never fails to raise money, and you can even hold one online! The best thing about an online bake sale is that your supporters can order tasty treats from the comfort of their homes.
Simply set up an online payment method for your supporters (something like GiveALittle might work for this) and start selling your yummy goods.
Alternatively, you could also host a cooking competition!
This is a fun way for your supporters to show off their culinary skills while also giving to your cause, and participants can use peer-to-peer fundraising to gain funds and exposure for this event.
Outdoor Movie Night
This is a classic way to bring your supporters together and provide them with a fun and exciting night!
Outdoor movie screenings are a great idea on a warm night, and you can raise significant funds in no time simply by charging an entry fee.
Movie nights also benefit from having a theme and plenty of exposure on the days leading up to the event. To generate anticipation, you can even make a poll on the event page for people to choose which movie they’d prefer to watch!
Charity Car Wash
You’ll be surprised by how many of your supporters will take any opportunity to get their car cleaned. That’s why charity car washes work so well!
All you need for this event are volunteers, cleaning products, and good car-cleaning skills. It’s also very easy to advertise and entice lots of supporters.
Further, this event doesn’t have to take up the whole day as you could spread it over a weekend. You could even take the chance to give your own car a good going-over!
Gaming Tournament Fundraiser
For a super fun event that appeals to your younger supporters, hold a gaming tournament fundraiser!
An advantage of this activity is that it’s flexible in terms of location — you can choose to host it at a venue or do the whole thing online!
Gaming has become very popular especially in recent years, so this event is sure to attract a large demographic. Because it’s fun and entertaining, you can potentially raise a good amount of funds from the event.
To generate profit, you’ll need to sell door fees or tickets. Participants typically invite family and friends to cheer them on, making it a lot easier to raise money.
The Bottom Line
Fundraising events are a fantastic way to gain support for your cause. They connect communities, generate money for your organization’s activities, and are simply a lot of fun for everyone.
Because these events are customizable, you can add whatever little quirks and features you need to leave an impression.
For a simple and easy way to sprinkle in some extra fun at your fundraiser, check out our wide range of Pixilated booths that are perfect for any theme and occasion! Give your supporters a fun souvenir to look back on for years to come!
