Fall events and festivals are exciting ways to promote your nonprofit or church, raise funds, and strengthen supporter relationships ahead of the Giving Season. Below, I’ll share 21 unique fall festival ideas for your nonprofit.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!The air is getting crisp. Leaves are falling. And giving season is nearly upon us!
81% of American donors attend fundraising events, and what better way to kick off this important season than to host a fall festival? A fall festival is a great opportunity to connect with your local community and build brand recognition in a fun, seasonal way.
Below, I’ll share some solid fall festival ideas to help your nonprofit engage supporters and build excitement ahead of the Giving Season.
Fall festivals are an excellent opportunity to solicit new supporters and strengthen existing relationships.
Many nonprofits hold their primary fundraising events in the fall, since most supporters are back from vacation and have started the school year.
Pro tip: Use moves management to segment donors based on specific activities, set goals, create a plan, and track your success. This can be especially helpful as you plan your fall fundraiser.
Use the suggested eight-week timeline below to successfully plan your fall festival. Feel free to adapt it to your specific fundraising requirements.
| Timeline | Key tasks |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Set your fundraising goal and budget. Choose a date and venue, and confirm any permits or insurance requirements. |
| 7 weeks before | Set up a branded online event page. Include important event details and ticket options. Share it with your team and begin promoting it to sell tickets. |
| 6 weeks before | Book vendors, entertainment, food, and equipment. Recruit volunteers and assign key roles. Continue promoting your event page via email, social media, and your website. |
| 5 weeks before | Finalize your festival activities and sponsorship opportunities. Remind supporters to register, buy tickets, and share your event page with friends and family. |
| 4 weeks before | Increase engagement and ticket sales by highlighting activities, competitions, and sponsors to build excitement. |
| 2 weeks before | Finalize logistics, volunteer schedules, supplies, and signage. |
| 1 week before | Confirm attendance, vendors, volunteers, weather plans, and setup details. Send attendees a reminder with key information about your event. |
| After the event | Send a personalized thank-you email to attendees, donors, volunteers, and sponsors. Share fundraising results and event highlights, follow up with new donors, and review what worked for your next event. |
All fall festivals have pumpkins, but what about an event that’s all about the pumpkin? Competitions are the best way to encourage participation, so consider holding a pumpkin carving or largest pumpkin contest.
This fall festival idea is great for all ages and doesn’t have to cost a lot to host.
Here’s how to get started with a pumpkin fest:
Consider adding a Kids Zone for your youngest attendees, with various themed crafts available for a small fee. Ask sponsors and vendors to offer food and drink. Provide pumpkin-flavored refreshments to align with your theme, if possible.
Hayrides are a fun fall activity for everyone. If you know someone with access to a truck or tractor and trailer, ask them to sponsor your hayride to reduce event costs. Increase engagement by offering other activities like pumpkin decorating or bobbing for apples for people to enjoy as they wait their turn to ride.
Sell tickets to encourage participation, and solicit sponsors and vendors to supply food and drinks in exchange for marketing at your event.
Event ticketing tools like Donorbox Events make selling tickets to your fall festival effortless. Create a customizable events page with unlimited ticket tiers, and automatically include the tax-deductible amount for each ticket when you input the fair market value.
Instantly send customizable receipts to ticket buyers and accept additional donations during the ticket purchasing process. Plus, streamline guest check-in and increase attendance by allowing supporters to add an event reminder with key details to their calendars.
See how Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation promoted and sold tickets to their hayride using Donorbox Events:
Sell Tickets to Your Fall Festival with Donorbox Events
Another fun activity that screams fall festival is a corn maze.
If your supporter base includes families with young children, set up a corn maze in your facility’s parking lot or basement. For a larger corn maze, consider teaming up with a local farm for help creating one.
Add a corn maze to your existing fall festival or offer this fall activity on weekends throughout the season. Sell tickets or make this a free event to encourage people to attend and learn more about your nonprofit.
Whether as part of a larger event or a stand-alone activity, fall is a great time to bring supporters of all ages together to play games.
Games can be held as a competition, complete with a tournament bracket and prizes, or you can invite attendees to play for fun (or both!).
Game ideas include:
Host your games inside or outdoors and serve food and drinks through vendors or sponsors.
The best part of these games is that they can be fun for participants and an audience, so consider charging either group or both. Make it easy for supporters to purchase tickets online by using an event ticketing tool like Donorbox Events.
Treasure in a Haystack is a unique take on the phrase “needle in a haystack” and an exciting activity for young children.
For this activity, which can stand alone or be part of a larger event, you need a few haystacks and small items like stickers and toys. Consider offering prizes for finding certain items.
Charge a small fee to enter the haystack area, like $5 for every five minutes of searching.
Haunted houses are traditional fall and Halloween fun. Younger kids may be too scared to enjoy most haunted houses, so offer a way for everyone to enjoy one with a haunted house scavenger hunt.
Decorate your haunted house like normal. Instead of ghosts and ghouls jumping out, let children search in the nooks and crannies for goodies donated by local businesses.
Sell tickets to families and individuals visiting your haunted house. Solicit in-kind gifts and sponsorships from local businesses in exchange for marketing opportunities.
If your nonprofit caters to young families, a trunk-or-treat is a great way to celebrate the coming fall season and raise funds with donations and sponsorships.
Solicit businesses for in-kind candy gifts and financial support in exchange for their name on signage throughout the event.
Hanson Holiday Festival Fireworks and Activities hosted a family-friendly Truck-or-Treat and used Donorbox Events to sell tickets and track how many participants to expect.
Quidditch was the most popular sport at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Muggle game was created in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont. Two teams “ride” broomsticks and do their best to get the ball in the opposing team’s hoops. Today, the game is known as Quadball and is governed by the International Quadball Association (IQA).
Reignite parents’ love of Harry Potter with a Quadball event for all ages. Charge for participation, event attendance, and sponsorships.
A mummy wrap is a fun and exciting team event for all ages. Supporters form teams and sign up to compete for a prize. Teams must have one volunteer to play the mummy, and the rest will wrap.
Solicit in-kind donations of toilet paper and financial sponsorships in exchange for marketing before, during, and after the event.
Mummy wraps are an excellent idea for schools since they don’t need a lot of planning or money. It can also be added as part of a larger event.
Kids of all ages love kites, so consider holding exciting kite-flying fall festivals for little to no money. Outdoor space is required, so rent a picnic shelter to set up a ‘Make Your Own Kite’ table filled with paper, sticks, markers, tape, and string.
After the kids finish their kites, invite them to fly their kites in the park or open field.
To upgrade your event, hire professional kite makers and flyers to entertain the crowd and invite vendors to sell pre-made and commercial kites. Encourage sponsors and vendors to set up tables, collect donations with a giving kiosk, and sell items like t-shirts and hats to attendees.
Traditional beer and wine tastings are a dime a dozen, but your nonprofit can add a unique feel by inviting supporters to try your “witches’ brew” as a fun fall activity for adults.
Decorate your event with spooky items one may find in a witch’s hut. Solicit donations from local restaurants, wineries, or breweries and sell tickets to your event. Guests can also sample different brews from various locales and vote on their favorites.
Pro tip: To raise more funds, add a silent auction to your event and set up a giving kiosk to collect cashless gifts using donation kiosk software like the Donorbox Live™ app for tablets and smartphones.
Including quality music and dance performances at your festival ensures everyone can enjoy the fun.
If you’re a music or dance nonprofit, this fall festival idea can help you raise money and promote your activities. Hire professionals, ask local celebrities to donate their time, or invite supporters to give it a whirl.
Moving Architects in Montclair, New Jersey holds their fall festival at a local brewery and includes dance performances, beer and food, a silent auction, door prizes, and kids’ activities.
They used Donorbox Events to sell tickets and collect additional donations on top of ticket sales to increase their event revenue.
Office Trick-or-Treat events are a fun way to develop workplace culture, give staff the chance to celebrate Halloween with their families, and promote your company’s nonprofit foundation.
Run trunk-or-treat activities in the parking lot or encourage children to visit different floors and offices in the building. Entice staff in other towns to join the celebration online with competitions and presentations about your company’s social impact.
The purpose of this event is not to raise funds (although you can through donations and sponsorships). Instead, your office can strengthen relationships with staff and the community by offering this event for free.
People love showing off their pets, so plan a pet costume parade and award prizes to the best dressed, spookiest, best behaved, and more.
Hold your parade in a public place so community members can watch and enjoy the fun. Solicit sponsors to have a table or march in the parade for more marketing and fundraising opportunities.
Pro tip: Fundraise on the go to raise more funds at your parade. Get volunteers to download the Donorbox Live app on their smartphones and use the Donorbox Live™ Mobile mode to collect cashless donations from participants.
Package s’mores in specialty bags or boxes with your organization’s name and logo. Sell your s’mores packs to supporters who can enjoy them at home or stay to enjoy the treats together around a bonfire.
This can be held as a stand-alone event, or add other activities like a sing-along as part of a bigger fall festival.
Craft fairs are a great way to draw a new audience to your organization’s location. These fairs are popular with people looking for homemade goods, including everything from holiday and home decor to jewelry and clothing.
Ask craft vendors in your area to bring their booths and sell their goods for a small fee. Charge a low entrance fee for shoppers or make it part of a larger festival with food vendors, games for kids, and more.
Pro tip: If you choose not to charge a fee to shop, set up a donation kiosk at the entrance or exit of your craft fair.
A fun run or race is especially perfect for camps, schools, parks, and other nonprofit organizations with their own land. Set up a course that shows off your property and offer prizes to your winners.
This event is easy to add to a larger fall festival, bringing you more fundraising opportunities and a chance to increase event attendance. Charge for entries to the race and bring in food and craft vendors, games, and more to entice runners and their friends and family to stick around.
Looking to expand your mission beyond your church? Host a harvest festival celebrating homegrown crops and food. Consider collecting food or monetary donations to give to a local nonprofit like a soup kitchen or food pantry.
This festival can also be hosted as a single church event or as several activities over the course of days or weeks.
City Harvest, a large U.K. organization working to end food insecurity, encourages its supporters to help during their festival by hosting events or activities of their own:
They also raise funds on their Donorbox Donation Page:
Your faith-based organization or church can celebrate the fall season with presentations from kids’ summer camps, speakers, and musicians. Encourage the community to join by inviting sponsors and vendors to sell food and drinks.
If you don’t want to sell tickets, ask attendees and church members to cover event costs and request donations for specific programs.
The Masked Singer is a popular television show that dresses celebrities in disguise and asks participants to guess the singer. Consider hosting a similar contest that disguises pastors and members of your leadership.
Encourage parishioners to sign up to play and win prizes. Host your event in person, online, or as a hybrid event.
This activity works great on its own but can also be added to any other fall festival.
While not a fundraising opportunity, adding a service day to your fall festival is a great way to get your church members involved as volunteers.
Ask congregants to help set up the day before your festival or to assist with clean-up the day after.
You could also use your fall festival as an opportunity to encourage attendees to sign up for other service projects, such as raking leaves for older congregants, painting the Sunday school classrooms, and organizing a canned food drive.
With the right fundraising approach, your church can host a highly engaging and successful fall festival that raises funds for your ministry or a community program.
Here are some church-specific fall fundraising tips to consider:
Use the checklist below to help you budget for your fall festival. Adapt it accordingly or skip certain sections if you’ll be working with sponsors to minimize expenses.
| Category | What to budget for |
|---|---|
| Venue | Rental fees, deposits, tables, chairs, tents, or other venue requirements |
| Permits and insurance | Local permits, event insurance, and any required licenses |
| Entertainment | DJs, live music, performers, games, or activity providers |
| Food and drinks | Food, beverages, serving supplies, and catering or vendor fees |
| Supplies and decor | Festival activities, prizes, decorations, signage, and equipment |
| Marketing | Flyers, printed materials, and other promotional materials |
| Contingency | A small reserve for unexpected costs or last-minute requirements |
Fall festivals are a fantastic way to raise money, promote your organization or church, and spread your mission. Having access to solid fundraising tools will streamline your planning and fundraising efforts.
Unified, global fundraising platforms like Donorbox offer a suite of intuitive fundraising features that help you raise more for your cause.
If you haven’t already, sign up to start fundraising in 15 minutes.
For more fundraising ideas and tips, visit the Nonprofit Blog. Sign up for the monthly newsletter to receive a curated selection of expert resources in your inbox.
Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!
