Check out these fast and easy nonprofit fundraising ideas.
Product Fundraising

Fast and Easy Fundraisers for Your Nonprofit Organization

Post Authormelody.simmons -

As a nonprofit, you know how vital it is to plan a variety of fundraisers to keep your donors involved throughout the year. However, it can be a challenge to come up with enough new and exciting fundraising campaigns to fill your calendar. How do you continue to find new ways to engage donors year after year?

We’re here to help! With the right resources, nonprofits can always learn creative new ways to fundraise effectively. If you need inspiration for new types of fundraisers to add to next year’s calendar, start here. These six fast and easy fundraising ideas will help you get started:

As you decide on which fundraising ideas to add to your calendar, think about how your organization’s donors will react to each idea. Your audience should be your number one priority in choosing fundraising ideas since they’ll be the ones participating. As we dive into each of these ideas more in-depth, really consider if it lines up with your audience’s preferences.

Product Fundraisers

Product fundraisers are one of the easiest ways for your nonprofit to raise a lot of money in an exciting way. This type of fundraiser involves choosing a unique, relevant product for your nonprofit to sell in exchange for donations. You can even encourage supporters to sell the product with you on behalf of your mission. This makes these opportunities great ways to raise funds and directly involve your community in the fundraising process. 

Make the process easy for your team by working with a product fundraising partner—a professional that provides valuable products for your organization to sell. With a partner, you may have access to a web store where you can sell directly to supporters. Their resources will also allow you to sell as you go instead of ordering the product in bulk ahead of time, making it easier for your organization to make a positive return on investment.

As we mentioned earlier, remember to keep your donor base in mind when choosing the best product fundraiser for your nonprofit. Think about your specific community’s interests to decide on the product that will sell best among your supporters. 

Some of the popular products you might choose to sell include the following:

  • Cookie dough
  • Popcorn 
  • Gourmet coffee 
  • Flower bulbs 
  • Candles
  • Branded merchandise

Once you’re all set up, ask your supporters to share the fundraising site on social media to reach a wider audience. To make this even more impactful, ask them to share about their connection to your cause in the social media post as well. This will further encourage their friends and family to participate. 

Matching Gifts

Corporate philanthropy programs are offered by for-profit companies to help nonprofits amplify their existing fundraising efforts without asking donors to dig deeper into their pockets. As a part of these programs, many companies offer matching gifts. These programs match donations made by employees to eligible nonprofits at a pre-determined ratio. For example, a company may offer a 1:1, 2:1, or even 3:1 ratio for a match! 

According to 360 Match Pro’s matching gift statistics, 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matched gifts. That means there’s a good chance some of your nonprofit’s supporters are already match-eligible.

However, most donors don’t know about this opportunity to make an even greater impact. To make the most of this easy fundraising method, make a point to inform your supporters about matching gift availability. You can quickly raise awareness by setting up an email or social media campaign about matching gifts. This will allow you to raise more funds without adding pressure on your donors.

Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

A peer-to-peer campaign is an online fundraising opportunity that allows your supporters to raise funds on your nonprofit’s behalf. Similar to product fundraising, this type of fundraiser is a great way to involve supporters in a hands-on way.

Keep these tips in mind when you’re ready to get started:

  • Allow customized donation pages. To make the fundraiser more personal for your volunteers, let them customize their own donation pages. They can add pictures or a short bio about their connection to the organization. This will give the experience a community feel, even though it’s all online. And, donors will share these pages with friends and family so that personalization will generate even more support for the campaign.
  • Give guidance and encouragement. Keep up a consistent presence with your supporters throughout the process. Provide tips to raise more funds and send periodic messages of encouragement. Show them you appreciate their help by supporting them every step of the way.
  • Gamify the experience. Keep supporters engaged with fun and creative gamification strategies! Use fundraising thermometers or online leaderboards to keep the momentum going. Some friendly competition doesn’t hurt either.

Finally, don’t forget to thank your peer-to-peer fundraisers. Your supporters are the heart of this fundraising method, so always let them know how much you value them. Heartfelt thank you’s will make it all the more likely they’ll come back to fundraise with you again next year.

Shoe Drive Fundraisers

Do you have old pairs of shoes that have been sitting in your closet for years? So do your supporters! Why not turn these unwanted shoes into a fast and easy way to raise funds for your nonprofit?

Start a shoe drive fundraiser, encouraging supporters to donate shoes in-kind to your organization in place of money. When you partner with a shoe-drive fundraising provider, you can turn these shoes into cash for your mission. 

A shoe drive fundraiser is simple for both your development team and your supporters. Follow these steps:

  1. Partner with a shoe drive organization
  2. Place provided collection boxes throughout your community
  3. Promote the drive and ask for donations 
  4. Supporters donate their old shoes to your nonprofit
  5. You send the collection boxes back to your partner
  6. The partner sends you a check. 

Shoe drives can even help you begin lasting relationships with local businesses. Start by asking if you can set up a shoe collection box at their business for a good cause, and this opens the door for future collaborations.

Restaurant Fundraisers

Another easy, community-building fundraiser you can run is a restaurant fundraiser. To do this, you’ll partner with a favorite local restaurant in your area and ask them to host a charity night in support of your nonprofit. Then, you’ll draft up an agreement with the restaurant so that they give a portion of their revenue from that night to your organization.

Promote the restaurant night to your supporters and encourage them to go out to eat for a good cause. Your nonprofit will receive the revenue from the opportunity while the restaurant benefits from additional marketing and business. It’s a win-win! 

To raise even more funds, you can run two fundraisers in one. For example, combine this night with ABC Fundraising’s discount card fundraiser to sell your attendees discount cards to local businesses at the restaurant night. If the restaurant is featured on the discount card, your supporters can contemplate future discounts while enjoying a delicious meal. Eating dinner with your supporters is also a great place to get to know them and foster relationships!

Give-it-Up Challenges

If your supporters have a habit of buying coffee in the mornings or going out to dinner on Friday nights, a give-it-up challenge is the perfect choice for a new fundraiser to add to your calendar!

For this fundraiser, your nonprofit asks supporters to give up one small regular treat, like expensive coffee or dinners out to eat. Then, you encourage them to donate that money to your mission instead. Donors will find this challenge to change up their daily lives a fun way to support their favorite organizations. 

The major benefit of this fundraiser for your supporters is that they don’t have to change their budget at all. They’ll simply remove an unnecessary expense and help support a good cause at the same time. Make sure you set a beginning and end date for this fundraiser so they don’t have to give up their favorite treats for good. 

With these six quick and easy ideas, you’re ready to hit the ground running with new fundraisers next year. Keep your donors invested by mixing up online and in-person events and adding in new activities with their favorite annual fundraisers. These tips can not only fill up next year’s calendar, but they can also spark new ideas year after year. Good luck, and get creative!

Author

Debbie Salat 

Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising(r) – Debbie joined ABC Fundraising(r) in 2010 and is responsible for launching over 6500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams and non-profit organizations all across the USA. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.

Category: