Are you ready to shake up your nonprofit with fresh and quirky fundraising ideas? Traditional events can feel repetitive, and it's easy to fall into the same old routines. If you’re looking to bring a new level of excitement to your fundraising activities, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ve curated a list of twenty-five unconventional fundraising ideas that go beyond traditional galas and walk-a-thons.
Have you grown tired of the same old fundraising galas, walk-a-thons, and email campaigns? Out-of-the-box thinking can elevate a traditional fundraiser to new levels and help raise thousands of dollars for nonprofits. This article offers twenty-five quirky fundraising ideas to get your brain turning. Feel free to take these ideas and make them your own.
There are many different ways to raise funds. In today’s nonprofit world, in-person events have included various online and hybrid activities to reach a larger audience. As you file through these quirky ideas, look for ideas that fit best with your mission and target audience. Don’t be afraid to try a new and offbeat idea. If you’re struggling to find more ideas, look for national awareness days like “National Donut Day” to appeal to a new audience.
Quirky fundraising ideas are an excellent way to appeal to new people and turn a common golf outing or gala into a fun and unique activity. The following ideas are meant to get you thinking about different ways to share your organization’s mission with your target audience.
Zombie books, movies, and video games are everywhere, but people are still jumping at every new story. A fundraising zombie run is a great way to join this trend and raise funds. Marathons aren’t appealing to everyone. Many people claim that they don’t run unless they’re being chased. Well, with a zombie run, you can make it fun and exciting and give participants a reason to run. Invite participants to register, raise funds with peer-to-peer campaigns, and invite the public to cheer on the runners or the zombies!
Mystery dinners have been around for a long time. Your nonprofit can find boxed mystery dinners at local and national stores or create your own. Share your organization’s history or tell the personal story of your founder. Or you can look outside the box and find a unique and creative monster story to excite the public.
This example from Arts Academy of New Hampshire shows how versatile Donorbox events pages are. From including your ticket information to an events program – you can customize every aspect!
Pro tip: If a food fundraiser sounds great, check out our list of food-themed events here.
If you’re looking for ways to connect with younger people, a karaoke or dance battle could be the best quirky fundraising idea. Are you located near a high school or college? Contact the music and artistic groups to see if they’re interested in helping set this event up. Outside of a location (which can be outside), it doesn’t take much to hold this fundraiser. Once done, you can sell event tickets or register participants and encourage them to collect pledges with crowdfunding pages. You can also design and sell t-shirts for each participant so attendees can show their support for their favorite entertainers.
As quirky fundraising ideas go, this idea is probably the best. Finding talented participants can be tricky, so why not try another way? Appeal to your supporters to find participants willing to perform tasks they’re not good at. Can you find someone who has always wanted to be a standup comedian but isn’t funny? Now is their chance!
Or take a page out of The ARC’s book and create a talent show with tired sponsorship levels:
Pet costume parades are fun for pet parents and their fur babies. Nonprofits can develop a theme and encourage attendees to get as goofy as possible. This fundraiser is for community engagement. Instead of requiring participants to pay, collect donations from the public via cash, credit cards, and digital wallets with live kiosks.
This event is more than just a fundraiser; it’s a way to build a stronger community. In a world where people complain about not knowing their neighbors anymore, your nonprofit can help fight against this trend with a community talent auction. Individuals can auction off skills like cooking, cleaning, and more. Event attendees can support your nonprofit and learn more about their neighbors.
If a Zombie Run doesn’t fit your nonprofit’s donor base, maybe a historical run will. This event can also be a fun way for teachers and students to raise funds while learning more about history. Participants can dress up as famous historical figures and collect pledges from the community to raise money for their school.
Have you noticed the uptick in Autism diagnoses? Many individuals with autism struggle with over-stimulation. If your nonprofit or school works with these individuals, you can raise funds and educate the public with a silent disco. A silent disco is a dance party where all attendees wear headphones to enjoy the music. Events like this are an excellent opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves and feel included.
Jenga is a popular party game that can be found on most families’ shelves. Have you ever seen the giant Jenga games? Your nonprofit can pick these up online or at stores like Five Below and add them to your existing event or hold a tournament by itself. A giant Jenga tournament is an exciting and quirky fundraising idea perfect for schools and children-focused nonprofits.
If your nonprofit has a younger donor base, an adventure race can be another exciting and unique way to connect with the public. Various outdoor challenges like zip lines, roller skating, bike races, and even Jenga can be combined to make this race one to watch. Invite individuals and teams to join the fun.
Outside events aren’t the only way to have fun. For people who’d rather get lost in a different world, a book reading marathon is a unique and quirky fundraising idea that inspires. Your nonprofit can invite authors or readers to donate and participate in a reading marathon.
You can turn this event into a learning experience in a few ways. Assign specific books that speak to your donors about your organization’s cause. Ask them to collect pledges based on pages read and give their insight online when they’re done.
Online classes and webinars are affordable ways for people to learn new skills. Your nonprofit can offer unique classes on cupcake frosting, stained glass window design, or makeup application, which can be a fun way to appeal to different donor groups. If you’re looking for quirky fundraising ideas, you can even offer classes on juggling, yo-yo tricks, or spoon-bending.
Create an online registration page to sell tickets and set up messages to automatically send a link to Zoom. Hold these classes once a month to reach more donors.
While a lock-in isn’t exactly a quirky fundraising idea, it’s a unique and simple way to raise money for your school. A lock-in where parents can pay $10 to drop their kids off in a safe space for three hours is a deal for everyone! Schools that can get enough teachers and volunteers to set up art, karaoke, reading, movies, and other activities can create a fun environment that kids want to experience.
With enough volunteer help, your event can be fun for kids who can roam free and try their hands at everything. Schools can sell food and drinks for extra money or include them for free. Either way, you can raise close to $2,000 with every lock-in.
Schools and other nonprofits with public facilities can use this quirky fundraising idea to raise money without spending a dime. All you need to do is place pictures around the school (the funnier, the better) and ask people to add captions.
People can pay $1 for each caption, and at the end of the contest, a judge or committee will choose the best caption for each image. Each winner can either take home a prize or half of the funds raised.
Pro tip: Take it online and use your organization’s social platforms to host your caption competition. Find out more about maximizing your social media in this article.
Almost everyone knows about 50/50 raffles, but what if you turned this raffle into a monthly activity? This quirky fundraising idea is a quick, easy, and affordable way to raise money every month. Welcome supporters to donate a dollar or more every month for a chance to win half the pot. With Donorbox, your nonprofit can set up a donation page for this event and encourage people to set up and manage recurring donations to participate each month.
This is a fantastic challenge for parents who have to say no multiple times a day. Invite people to sign up to say yes for a whole day. The primary rule for this quirky fundraising idea is that people must pay them one dollar for every offbeat request. You can turn this fundraiser into a competition and award prizes to players who raise the most and say yes to the goofiest requests.
Don’t shy away from this quirky fundraising idea. Make it huge! Invite all your supporters or students to participate in a massive silly string battle. Sell cans of silly string to participants and offer extra perks (like hiding spaces and backup) for additional donations.
Truly quirky fundraising ideas include. With a food art competition, you can challenge people to create art from everyday food items and watch their creativity take control. Come up with specific challenges and ideas to inspire competitors. Hold the final event in person or online and invite people to vote for their favorite food art!
There you have it – eighteen innovative and quirky fundraising ideas to make your next event stand out and attract attention. From zombie runs to silent discos, these creative concepts offer something for everyone.
The key to a successful fundraiser is not just in the idea but in how you execute and promote it. Choose the ideas that best fit your organization’s mission and target audience. Don’t be afraid to add your unique spin. Donorbox is here to support you every step of the way, with robust event ticketing solutions, Peer-to-Peer fundraising, and a powerful Crowdfunding platform – we’ve got all the tools you need to ensure your campaigns are successful!
By thinking outside the box and embracing these offbeat strategies, you’ll raise funds and engage your community in exciting new ways.
Don’t forget to visit our Nonprofit Blog and sign up for tips and resources to make your next quirky fundraising event unforgettable!
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.
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Kristine Ensor