Church fundraising doesn’t have to be difficult – especially when it’s for a good cause. For most churches, no matter how big or how small, raising funds to finance mission trips, new construction projects, maintenance, or just to keep the lights on is critically important. While it may seem difficult or overwhelming to figure out a way to raise money, churches have a great advantage over other organizations. They have the passion, dedication, and commitment of their congregation.
With today’s technology and social media, it’s easier than ever to spread the word and accept donations online. Free add-ons like our Simple Social Shout allow folks who donate to your fundraiser to announce their contribution on social media, which can encourage others to support the cause. You could even use our Donation Receipt Attachment add-on to give donors a neat little digital gift for their contribution.
All you really need to create a dynamite fundraiser is a great idea that everyone can get behind. Once you’ve got that, you can easily raise money for your church. Check out this list of 10 super fun and really simple fundraising ideas you can use to get started today!
Offer a Parent’s Night Out
Who doesn’t want a night off from their kids? You can host a fun Friday night event and offer to babysit children and give their parents a chance to enjoy a romantic dinner together or get some shopping done (especially nice around holidays). You may even be able to enlist teenagers in your church to lend a hand watching the kids, which can make things much easier and more manageable.
While you can definitely host a parent’s night out anytime, you might have more luck holding them around holidays like Valentine’s Day or just before Christmas. You can charge by the hour or for a set period of time (such as from 5-8 p.m.). For $10-$15, parents get a nice little break and your church raises money – everybody wins!
Host a Movie Night
If you’ve got a screen and a projector, or a large TV, then you’ve got all you need to host a fun event that can raise a nice amount of donations. Pick out a family-friendly movie and set a price of admission somewhere between $1-$5 so it’s affordable for any family, and you can encourage a lot of folks to come out.
Kick it up a notch and put out a bunch of yummy snacks and drinks. You can sell them as concessions or ask people to bring party supplies so everyone has something to enjoy, but you don’t have any extra costs. Schedule the movie night for a weekend night so more people are able to make it out and put out the word weeks in advance so everyone has time to advance.
(Please be aware of copyright laws regarding publicly showing movies, and act accordingly.)
Put on a Talent Show
Chances are there are a ton of talented people in your congregation who would be more than happy to lend their gifts of talent for a good church fundraising cause. All you really need is a stage and some sound equipment to put on the event, which you probably already have and use for worship services. Put out the word well in advance and encourage people to sign up to participate.
You could end up with singers, dancers, jugglers, and maybe even a comedian or two – talk about a variety show! Set the price of admission somewhere between $1-$5 and encourage people to bring their family and friends, even if they aren’t members of the congregation so you can bring in more donations and also include more people in your church mission.
Hold a Bake Sale
Bake sales are great for church fundraising because you don’t actually have to do anything but turn the lights on and let the talented bakers in your congregation do their thing. A few weeks or months in advance, put the call out for volunteers who are willing to bake and donate some confectionary goodies that you can auction or sell at your bake sale.
Why not gamify it a bit, too? Hold a competition for the bakers. You could give certificates for the “prettiest cake,” “first item to sell,” or “most cookies donated.” Make it fun for your bakers, too!
Get Everyone Together with a Fundraising Fish Fry
Many churches abstain from eating meat on Fridays during the season of Lent, but even if your church doesn’t, you can have a lot of fun and raise some money by hosting a fish fry! Get everyone together on a Friday afternoon and sell plates of fried fish with some tasty sides. You could even ask members if they can bring sides, snacks, and drinks so you can save on some costs.
You also don’t have to stick to a fish fry. If you’re in barbecue country, for instance, why not fire up the grill and get everyone together? The idea is you cook up a ton of food, invite everyone out (and encourage them to bring their friends), and sell plates to raise some money for a good cause. What’s not to love?
Collect Recipes to Create a Church Cookbook
How often have people talked about Ms. Ruth’s casserole, Mr. Smith’s roasted yams, or Grandma Judy’s peach cobbler? Your congregation is probably chock full of home cooks who have legendary dishes that they serve up at family gatherings. Take advantage of it in your church fundraising!
Ask your congregation to write out their favorite recipes. Make it even easier and ask them to type it out in a document. Collect and put them all together into a single document. You can use a local printer or upload your digital file to a self-publishing service such as Amazon. Purchase a stack of books and sell them for $20-$30 each. People will love having such a fantastic and personal collection of recipes and you can raise a nice amount of money for your church.
Host Holiday Festivities
Many people are often in a more giving spirit around some of the major holidays, and you can put on some games and craft projects to make the events more fun and engaging. Put the word out well ahead of upcoming holidays and host the events at your church. This is also a great idea because you already have your theme and many of your activities already planned out based on the holiday!
For instance, you can host an Easter Egg Hunt by putting out a bunch of candy-filled eggs and charging a small fee to let the kids run around and find them. You can also pick up a bunch of pumpkins around Thanksgiving and create a “pumpkin patch” in the churchyard. Let people pick out pumpkins and pay a fee to take them home! Of course, you can also have a church member volunteer to be Santa for the day and pose for photos with families for a small fee around Christmastime.
Sell Custom T-Shirts for a Mission Trip or Project
If you’re looking to raise funds for a specific project, T-shirts are a great way to encourage people to donate and to spread the word about it. For instance, if you’re trying to send a bunch of your youth to a summer camp, or if you’re trying to raise funds for humanitarian efforts, you can come up with a cool shirt that embodies the idea.
You could use a freelance platform to come up with a logo or design, but you could also try asking your congregation if anyone is willing to volunteer to design an image for it. You can then take the image to a local T-shirt printer and order a bunch in bulk. Sell them for $20 apiece and you can actually raise a decent amount of money and donors will have some church swag they can wear with pride.
Set Up an Online Giving Page to Make it Easy to Donate
You don’t necessarily need to have a theme or event for church fundraising! You can simply start a donation page on your church’s website or social media pages. That way people can donate whenever they feel like it. There are even donation campaigns like “Giving Tuesday” (the Tuesday right after Thanksgiving) that call on people to donate to a cause of their choice. Why not make it your church?
You can also direct people to donate there whenever you’re trying to raise funds for a specific project or cause. There are even add-ons you can use to make donating easier, such as our Recurring Donations add-on that allows people to set up regular donations, or our Double the Donation add-on, which empowers donors to get their company to match their donation!
Start a Crowdfunding Campaign for Specific Causes
Crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe, StartEngine, or Patreon make it super easy for people to donate. Most crowdfunding campaigns end after a set period of time or once you’ve reached your goal, so they’re great for specific projects. For instance, if your church is in need of roof repairs, you can start a crowdfunding campaign and encourage your congregation to donate what they can to the cause.
Crowdfunding campaigns are also easy to spread the word about. You can add links to the campaign to your church’s website and social media. You can also ask people to share the link with people on their own social media profiles to help get the word out, which can attract additional donors.
These are just 10 ideas to get you started. There’s really no shortage of great events and fundraising campaigns that could really resonate with your church. For more great fundraising ideas, subscribe to our newsletter! If you can harness the creative power and financial support of your congregation, there isn’t anything you can’t accomplish!
Have more church fundraising ideas?
What church fundraising events and ideas have you used that worked? Tell us in the comments below, and we might include them in a future post!
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