Every nonprofit learns how to do more with less when it comes to fundraising. Whether your organization is a school, church, or other charitable cause, a little creativity and effort can go a long way in reaching your goals. Here are some effective cheap fundraising ideas to help take your donations to the next level.
Need cheap fundraising ideas – and fast? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Whether you have the world’s tiniest budget or fundraising efforts have fallen flat, every organization can benefit from low-cost fundraisers that bring maximum results.
Many nonprofits rely on major gifts or big events like a gala or auction to bring in donations. But a collection of smaller fundraising efforts can be just as effective. They can also be quickly brought in to resuscitate a flailing campaign or used to make the most of every giving opportunity.
We’ve carefully curated creative and low-to-no-cost fundraising ideas designed to save you time, money, and effort.
A well-defined nonprofit operating budget is the backbone of any fundraising effort. When done right, an operating budget can help an organization focus on long- and short-term strategic goals, provide accountability to board members, and offer transparency to curious donors.
If you need a little more room in your budget, business partnerships and corporate sponsorships are excellent ways to gain brand support while covering costs.
In addition to donations, business partnerships can provide in-kind donations. These contributions may include donated venues, services, or supplies. Corporate sponsorships allow businesses to fund much of an event or program in exchange for some positive brand recognition. And event sponsorship levels give businesses options and flexibility to participate at a level that works for them.
Finally, don’t forget your most important resource: your volunteers and staff members. United toward a common good, these people often have incredibly diverse backgrounds and skill sets. Find out what they’re good at and put their talents to work.
Now for the fun stuff: cheap fundraising ideas for nonprofits.
Following a “win-win” principle, the best kind of fundraising effort gives everyone a rewarding experience. Charities, schools, and churches have shown time and time again that even fundraising ideas that cost nothing (or next to nothing) to organize can provide the best and most memorable moments.
Whether your organization is a school, church, or other nonprofit, these ideas can be easily tailored to meet your needs.
These cheap fundraising ideas can be taken on by pretty much any organization, no matter your mission or goals.
A raffle can be added to almost any event as a way to encourage a little extra giving. Circulate and sell raffle tickets throughout the crowd and announce winners at the end of the evening. Prizes can be donated by supporters to cut down on costs.
A wine pull is another popular fundraising activity that can be held on its own or added to just about any adult-friendly event. Invite supporters or local stores or vineyards to contribute wines of varying values and conceal the labels. Guests donate a set amount and then pull a bottle of wine, not knowing if they will receive a bottle at, above, or below the amount they donated.
While they may take a bit of planning, trivia nights can be low-cost fundraising events that bring in a good amount of donations. Book your space (even better if you have your own), rent some tables and chairs, reserve a sound system, and come up with your questions! Rely on free or low-cost marketing efforts like email and social media to get the word out.
Charge for admission and let your guests bring their own snacks and drinks to save money. You can also boost ticket sales by including food or beverages in a VIP ticket, like Up with Trees did for their trivia night fundraiser. They used Donorbox Events to sell their tiered tickets!
Get started with Donorbox Events
A movie night fundraiser is a great way to bring in the whole family (depending on the movie)! Sell tickets and refreshments and give a short speech reminding people about your cause before the movie begins.
Just be sure to have a cashless POS system set up for those who want to pay for their movie snacks with a card or digital wallet!
Scavenger hunts are pay-to-play events that can be held in-person, online, or as a hybrid combination of the two. Give teams of participants a list of items to find within a set amount of time and let the spirit of competition go to work for you.
Pro tip: Use event promo codes to boost ticket sales with discounts to ensure everyone can participate in your scavenger hunt and other events.
Encourage people to do something healthy for themselves in a fitness challenge to support a worthy cause. Paying individuals or teams complete fitness goals within a set period of time to earn points to win a fun prize or epic bragging rights.
Because this event can be held virtually, there aren’t many costs involved beyond advertising and setting up a fundraising page. Remember – you can ask supporters and businesses to sponsor your challenge by providing funds or in-kind donations for prizes.
With this cheap fundraising idea, competitors pay to participate in a baking or BBQ challenge to win prizes or awards. You can have a panel of judges to determine the winner. Or, boost fundraising revenue by inviting the public to pay to sample and judge each entry for a people’s choice award!
While a craft fair is definitely not a no-cost event, it is still a pretty cheap fundraising idea! This is especially ideal for churches, schools, and other organizations that have a big space of their own – inside or outside – to avoid a hall rental fee. Just be sure to rent enough tables and chairs for booths if you don’t have them on hand.
Then, advertise space to local crafters and charge a small fee to sell or shop. You don’t need the decoration or entertainment costs required from other events – shopping will be the main attraction.
Pro tip: No matter what fundraising event you host, place donation kiosks around your venue to make it easy to make swift, cashless donations.
School fundraising ideas that involve kids and parents are a great way to build community spirit while supporting education. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
This no-cost option involves little effort and can even spur a little fundraising competition among participants. Auction off the rights to a prime parking spot to high school students, teachers, or even parents to make drop-off and pick-up a breeze.
You could also give students who drive to school the chance to decorate their parking spot for a small donation. They bring their own art supplies so you won’t have to spend a cent! You might want to approve their designs in advance, though.
Whether it’s a year-end soiree, wine tasting, or a pickleball class, volunteer parents can schedule and host fun events for fellow parents, with ticket proceeds fundraising your cause. These can even be tailored around grade levels to create a fun ice-breaker opportunity for their families!
Turn just about any sport into a fundraising opportunity. Bracketed dodgeball or cornhole tournaments, for example, can be used to generate donations from participating teams as well as ticket sales from those who just want to from the sidelines. These are especially popular with college students who are often looking for a fun way to get involved and meet new people!
It’s time to get your donors to go back to school! See if your teachers or volunteers know any special skills – think cookie baking, yoga, or a fairly simple craft – they’d be willing to share. Then, have them teach a class to parents and other supporters who pay a small donation to attend.
Your staff, volunteers, and parents are busy. How about a fundraiser that doesn’t require tickets, venues, product sales, or entertainment? Peer-to-peer is a cheap fundraising idea that can bring in a lot of money! Simply create your main campaign and have each classroom or student create their own online fundraising page to share with family and friends.
Legacy Christian Academy does this with their Fuss Free Fall Fundraiser. Hosted on Donorbox, they offer prizes to the top individual fundraisers and classrooms to incentivize students to raise more.
Launch Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Church fundraisers are most effective when they involve and can be enjoyed by supporters of all ages. Meant to support your church or mission you serve, these fundraising opportunities have the added benefit of fostering a sense of community spirit.
These low-cost events featuring games like bingo make for an easy and inclusive event because everyone, young or old, can participate on a level playing field. You can charge an entry fee with unlimited play or have participants pay for each round. Be sure to offer prizes to entice more people to join in!
Get the entire congregation involved in good, clean fun with a car wash. Set up an assembly line in your church parking lot and give everyone a job, from collecting payments to scrubbing cars to drying and making them shine. Request that your volunteers bring their own car washing supplies (think buckets, sponges, and soap) to save even more money.
This low-cost fundraising idea gives congregations a simple excuse to gather together over a shared meal while supporting an important mission. Participants bring their favorite dish, engage in a short presentation about the cause you are fundraising for, and enjoy each other’s company.
Place QR codes around your venue so those who wish to donate can simply scan to access your online giving form.
Another delicious yet cheap fundraising idea is selling a cookbook! Ask your congregants to supply their favorite recipes to be included in your book. Then, partner with a local printer to print them at an affordable price. Or, save money by providing a digital cookbook that can be accessed on a tablet or smartphone!
Pro tip: When selling cookbooks and other items, consider gathering donations up front before printing or purchasing the product. This way, you avoid ordering the wrong amount, ensuring you aren’t stuck with inventory or miss potential donations when you sell out.
Everyone has stuff lying around! But hosting your own garage sale to make just a few bucks is a lot of work. Enter the church rummage sale! Many congregants will be willing to donate gently used items to sell for a good cause.
This no- to low-cost event can include other fundraising efforts, such as lemonade or hot cocoa stands and raffle tickets. Just be sure to spread the word throughout your community!
Now that you have a wealth of ideas, it’s time to take them to the next level with affordable fundraising tools. Donorbox offers powerful solutions to nonprofits of all sizes, including –
Donation forms – Build a customized, multi-step donation form (and an accompanying fundraising page, if needed) in minutes with Donorbox. Boost giving with recurring donation options, designated funds, impact details, employee gift matching, and more.
Event ticketing – Create a Donorbox Events page that enables you to sell an unlimited number of ticket tiers, set sales limits and deadlines, provide tax-deductible information, and collect donations on top of ticket sales. Plus, you can use the tool to check your guests in upon arrival at your event!
Peer-to-Peer – Empower supporters to raise donations on your behalf and advocate for your mission by launching their own fundraising campaigns they can share with their networks. This expands your reach, building awareness and bringing in new donors to your cause.
Donorbox Live™ Kiosk – Collect cashless donations, complete auction checkouts, sell raffle tickets, and more with a donation station powered by the Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app. Simply set up a Donorbox Live™ campaign. Then, download the app to your preferred tablet and connect it to a Stripe card reader to get started.
When it comes to fundraising, even a little can go a long way. So don’t let a small budget or limited staff get you down! The best fundraising tactics are the ones that make people feel included and part of a larger effort. That doesn’t mean they have to be expensive.
Use this list of cheap fundraising ideas to spark your creativity. And, when you’re ready, put Donorbox and our cost-effective yet highly innovative fundraising tools to work to raise even more, without breaking the bank.
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Milly is a freelance writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in the fields of content marketing, communications, and brand voice. Grounded in journalistic tradition, she develops messaging and communication strategies for nonprofits, startups, and businesses.
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Millicent Skiles