12 Easy Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Meta: Discover the most effective fundraising ideas purpose-built to drive donor engagement, increase member participation, and create more attention for your event.

Are you looking for a new way to raise funds for your nonprofit? You’ve browsed the internet and found something that might work, but you need to run it by your team first. Writing a fundraising campaign isn’t as straightforward as it used to be, so how do you get people on board with something that might not even work?

At OnBoard we will highlight the most effective nonprofit fundraising campaign. You’ll understand how to get on a Nonprofit Board and the importance of effective fundraising methods.

Top 12 Easy Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

The most effective fundraising campaigns are simple and easy to activate

By using an effective fundraising method, the process becomes more manageable. You need to ensure that you have all the necessary tools for the entire process. We will go over 12 of the easiest fundraising ideas for Nonprofits that will help you in your campaigns. In addition, we will dive into the importance of making fundraising simple and easy to activate. Let’s look at the 12 Fundraising Examples for Nonprofits as follows:

1. Use Text Messaging to Reach Your Supporters

Text messaging is a powerful tool that nonprofits can use to engage supporters and build community. In fact, 90% of marketing messages are opened within 3 minutes, making SMS effective when reaching your audience. Text messaging makes it easy for you to communicate with the people who support your nonprofit and makes it easy to share with you. With texting, you can give supporters an avenue where they feel heard and supported.

2. Host a Virtual Happy Hour

As a nonprofit, you may ask, “How can I raise funds from new supporters?” An online happy hour to serve as a virtual platform for thanking guests and engaging the current supporters. Similarly, you will reach new volunteers and donors.

At no cost, you can use Facebook or Instagram Live to invite all of your visitors to join you in thanking them for their generous contributions.

3. Launch a Digital Advertising Campaign

Launching a digital ad campaign is excellent for raising money. It works best for generating smaller amounts of donors and monthly fundraising. Using ad platforms like Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, you can focus your user’s attention on an engagement piece speaking to your nonprofit’s cause. Also, they are great if you have a young generation of donors who might be responsive to online advertisements.

4. Find a Corporate Sponsor

Reaching out to a corporate sponsor is another great way to raise funds for your nonprofit. Guarantors can be found at the local, national, and international levels. Some of the benefits of finding a corporate sponsor include:

• Your organization’s name will be positioned next to a widely-recognized brand name
• Use the sponsor’s logo on your website and marketing materials
• Opportunities for tax deductions
• Funds that can be used for operating costs or program costs

5. Estimate Time for Each Task

If you don’t know how long the campaign will take, you might find yourself working late into the night the day before your fundraiser. More importantly, overestimating your time could lead to missed deadlines and a poorly executed event. Under-estimating could lead to volunteers feeling stressed or overworked. Focus on breaking down larger event-planning tasks into smaller sub-tasks is necessary.

6. Create a Custom Giving Landing Page

A practical method to raise funds for your organization is to create a custom-giving landing page. It will help you tell a compelling story and provides a clear call to action. This landing page should include:

• A call to action button, such as “Donate Here.”
• An image or video that illustrates how the donations will be used. For example, pictures of previous projects, videos of testimonials from people you’ve helped, etc.
• A sense of urgency.

Once you’re done creating the giving landing page, provide a link on your website homepage so visitors can easily find the opportunity to donate.

7. Host a Charity Auction

Hosting a charity auction is among the top fundraising examples for Nonprofits. The simplest way is to:

• Get donations like products to auction off.
• Host the charity auction.
• Pay auction costs.
• Use some of your donated items as payment for rental fees, catering, etc.
• If you don’t have enough donated items, pay for them yourself or with donations from supporters.
• Donate the profits to a charity.

8. Host a Golf Tournament

A golf tournament is an increasingly popular choice for nonprofits looking for a new fundraising approach. It’s among the creative fundraising ideas for Nonprofits because the average game raises $5,000 to over $100,000 in profit. If you’re planning to host this event, these are some of the steps to use:

· Set a target for the fundraising

· Pick an effective method to use

· Look for the right venue and much more

9. Host an Art Auction

One of the great fundraiser ideas for Nonprofits is hosting an art auction. It’s a way to get the community involved in supporting your cause by creating original works. Also, it’s fun for both sponsors, budding artists, and event organizers.

To get started, ask your members, local artists, or galleries to donate an original piece for auctioning off. To make it exciting, invite one of the area’s famous residents, like an actor, musician, or artist, to judge the artwork and decide which piece raises the most money.

10. Leverage Crowdfunding Tools

Whether your nonprofit is looking for funding to launch a new project, you need capital for equipment. Crowfunding platforms allow you to raise funds from anywhere globally and connect with people who share your vision and want to support it. The two main types include:

• Rewards-based: Allow donors to receive something tangible like a handwritten thank you card or photo for their donations.
• Equity-based: Let donors become shareholders in your venture.

11. Find Community Grants

If you’re looking to raise funds, community grants are among the best fundraising activities for Nonprofits. Typically, they are available for specific projects or programs offered by local businesses/foundations. You may find farming grants through federal agencies and the United States Department of Agriculture.

When applying for grants, keep the following in mind:

• The application process varies from donor to donor. Some will require a formal application, while others may only ask for an email stating interest in acquiring funding.
• Perform due diligence before.

12. Host a Car Wash

Hosting a car wash is among the top fundraising ideas for Nonprofits on our list. With this activity, you can raise money while helping your community keep their cars clean. Holding this affair in a high-traffic area will attract more people like passersby. Also, boost your advertisement for the carwash by posting around town or talking about it on social media.

Conclusion:

OnBoard Powers Nonprofit Boards

At OnBoard, we believe you should have a seamless, effective, and easy way to hold your meetings. We have numerous features like Agenda Builder, Minutes Builder, and Task Management, which are great for nonprofit fundraising ideas. For instance, you can host a charity auction, art auction, or car wash event to get funds for your project. We are qualified for these types of campaigns, and have a Trial Request for you to enjoy the features. Not only to help you in your fundraising activities but make the process easier.