Exercise gives you endorphins – and endorphins make you happy. What else makes you happy? Supporting important nonprofit work! Combining the feel-good acts of exercise and philanthropy can bring in big funds for your mission while engaging your audience in new and exciting ways. Read on to discover 12 fitness fundraiser ideas your nonprofit should try.
Ready to work up a sweat for a good cause? As the fitness industry continues to grow in popularity, many nonprofits are turning to fitness fundraisers to bring in significant donations for their mission.
These types of fundraisers are a great way to attract donors of all ages looking for a fun, active event to stay fit and support the causes that matter to them. They can also position your brand as one that values community health and wellness. Plus, they can be inexpensive to host, saving you resources – and helping you raise more.
In this blog, we share 12 awesome fitness fundraiser ideas to pump up your fundraising. For each, we’ll also share the best way to raise the most money.
Awareness days are designed to do just that – make the public aware of something. They’re a great opportunity to raise extra funds for your cause while celebrating the day and capitalizing on the social media buzz.
Who doesn’t love to stretch and flow for a good cause? International Day of Yoga on June 21 is the perfect time to partner with a yoga instructor and host a special class benefitting your organization.
You’ll need a place to host your class (but you can also host it in a park if the weather is nice!), or you can partner with a local studio. Raise money through class registrations and collect donations during your event with text-to-give or a donation kiosk.
World Bicycle Day on June 3 is the perfect day to host a bike race or ride! Get the people in your community involved to set up a fun route on your city streets. Consider having a slower, easier route for families and kids and a faster or longer route for adults who want serious competition.
Charge registration fees for your cyclers and consider selling tickets to a special finish line to celebrate, the way the Ultimate Sacrifice Foundation did! They used Donorbox Events to sell $60 tickets that included access to the finish line, a meal, two alcoholic beverages, merchandise, and more.
Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? These types of fitness fundraisers encourage participation from more serious athletes looking to practice their sport for a good cause.
This exercise fundraising idea is tried and true. Charity runs involve getting your community together for a 5K or longer race.
These events are so popular because runners love an opportunity to try to beat their personal records in a fun, public environment.
Check out our detailed guide to hosting a charity run to learn how to get started.
We love how Forte Prep made their fitness fundraiser more accessible by hosting it virtually! They created a branded fundraising page to collect donations and share information about how to participate.
This fitness fundraiser is sure to be a hole-in-one! Gather your supporters for a day of golf benefiting your cause.
Partner with a golf course to host a tournament with clear rules and an attractive prize for your winners. You’ll raise funds primarily through event registration, but you can also seek event sponsors to help recoup the expenses of your event.
Check out how the Cardinal Shehan Center used their Donorbox Events page to sell single-player and foursome tickets, along with different sponsorship packages. We love how they included information about each sponsorship level right on their event page – this is a great chance to upsell packages!
Learn the ins and outs of organizing a golf tournament fundraiser in this blog.
People love learning new ways to stay fit and have fun. These fitness fundraiser ideas bring people together to try something new while supporting your impactful cause.
Yoga, dance, martial arts, weight lifting – the subject of your fitness workshop could be anything! The best option will be something that brings people together to have a communal experience. You can choose whether you want your workshop to be for beginners (which may bring more participation) or for experts (which may allow you to charge more for a specialized experience).
This type of fitness fundraiser works best when you partner with a gym or studio that has the space and resources to accommodate your workshop. You’ll raise funds through registrations for the workshop and any additional donations you’ll receive during the event.
Summer camp isn’t just for kids! While this fundraiser can work for kids, too, a summer camp focusing on improving attendees’ skills in a sport or activity can be attractive for adults. You’ll simply host your “camp” in the afternoons and evenings after work or over the course of multiple weekends.
Rock climbing, hiking, basketball, and rowing are all good options for a summer camp full of learning, laughing, and working out! Sell registration for your camp and encourage attendees to get their friends to join in.
Sometimes you need a bit of classic fundraising to help you meet your goals. This category is all about using common fundraising practices with a sporty twist!
Whether you host a live or silent auction, this tried-and-true fundraising method is sure to excite your crowd. Especially if your auction items are fitness-related!
Get creative with your supporters and community to request auction packages like the following:
And more! The possibilities are endless.
To collect in-person payments for auction items, be sure to use a donation kiosk. The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app allows you to collect cashless payments with cards, smartphones, and smartwatches with just a tablet and card reader. This will allow you to easily track all funds raised during your auction!
Selling raffle tickets is a great way to raise more by generating excitement around a big-ticket prize item. To put a fitness spin on this classic fundraiser, make the price an enticing exercise-focused experience!
For example, an excursion like a week-long, guided backpacking trip or an opportunity to play baseball on your local team’s field are both attractive prizes that many donors would love the chance to win.
You can sell raffle tickets in person or online, the way Free MMA did through their crowdfunding campaign! A donation of $10 donations equaled one raffle ticket. Their prize was a pair of ATV rides!
Kids can get up and moving for a good cause, too! These fitness fundraiser ideas involve activities for the younger set.
Invite kids and families to get into the groove of fundraising with an exciting dance-a-thon! Set a fun theme and have participants collect pledges for how long they think they can dance.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is the perfect tool to collect pledges. With Donorbox Peer-to-Peer, you can invite your supporters to fundraise on your behalf via email or allow anyone to sign up with a button on your campaign. Then, your supporters will create their personalized fundraising pages to share with their network. Any donations they collect will automatically flow to your Donorbox account.
Dance-a-thons work great for adults, too! Check out how He, She, Ze, and We used Donorbox Peer-to-Peer to raise over $23,000 with their 80’s themed dance party. They allowed anyone to sign up to fundraise right from their campaign page.
Launch Your Peer-to-Peer Campaign
Learn how to host a fun and successful dance-a-thon in this blog!
A charity running event doesn’t have to be serious – make it fun! A fun run is an event with a race component and typically some sort of silly twist. Maybe all participants are required to wear costumes, or you play fun music during the run. Whatever it is, these events are more accessible for kids of all ages who may not be able to run as far or as fast.
Similar to a charity run for adults, raise money through registrations for your event. You can also collect donations during your event and sell refreshments or merchandise to raise more.
This fitness fundraiser idea involves going beyond the norm to create an incredible, unique experience for your donors. The best experiential fundraising ideas are connected to your mission in some way and allow donors to learn more about your cause while enjoying themselves.
Intense obstacle courses gained fame from shows like “American Ninja Warrior.” They offer participants a chance to show off while experiencing unique physical challenges.
This is a great idea if your organization is connected with the military. You can invite donors to see how they would fair running boot camp drills!
Sell tickets to raise funds for your cause – and don’t forget to give t-shirts to everyone who participates so they can represent your organization and get the word out about your fun event!
What’s better after a good workout than a delicious meal? Combining movement with artisan food can create a unique experience that donors will remember for years to come. Partner with local chefs to build a menu that matches your experience.
For example, check out how Farm to Crag created an engaging night of climbing, eating delicious local food, and discussing how to preserve the environments climbers hold dear. This event worked so well because it was connected through the theme of enjoying – and protecting – the environment, which is central to this organization’s mission.
Turn up the theme song from “Rocky” and get ready to sweat with these fun fitness fundraiser ideas. Whether you’re targeting serious athletes or launching an event for the whole family, getting your supporters up and moving provides a great time for them while supporting your important work.
We hope you found inspiration from these 12 ideas. Remember to get creative and try to find a connection between your activities and your mission. This will strengthen your brand image, educate your donors about your cause, and bring in more interest – and more funds.
Donorbox can help every step of the way. Whether you need event ticketing support, peer-to-peer fundraising pages, in-person giving functionality with a donation kiosk, or a fundraising page to sell raffle tickets, we have you covered. Learn more about our features and sign up today!
For more fundraising tips, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the best of the blog delivered straight to your inbox.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower