Charity Fundraising Ideas

Charity Fundraising Ideas come in large supplies and in many creative variations...

Selecting which ideas will work best for your charity or the nonprofit cause that you are fundraising for will be the key!

On this page...

You will find some of the most rewarding and profitable charity ideas.

But there are some important things that you must make sure you have organized, if you want your fundraising campaigns to be successful.

Charity Fundraising Ideas - The best ideas for Nonprofits! (Photo by Williami5 / Flickr)

So please take the time to read through the Charity Fundraising page for valuable advice on equipping your Board Members, setting up your fundraising committee, applying the Slight Edge, and marketing your cause!

It's an important read.

And if you have any Charity Fundraising Ideas yourself we'd love to hear about them...

For those who are individuals fundraising for charities you can also read the Fundraisers for Individuals page.


Charity Fundraising Ideas:

Quick Links...

Donors & Major Donors | Recurring Donations - Monthly Giving Programs | Crowdfunding Campaigns | Foundation Grants | Cause Marketing | List of Ideas



Donors & Major Donors:

Finding and growing your donors will be one of your most rewarding and profitable charity fundraising ideas and campaigns.

It's big funds without the need of having to organize events etc. (although you can often find many donors through events).

Then if you're able to find Major Donors, or to turn current donors into major donors, you're on a winning track.

Charity Fundraising Ideas - The best ideas for Nonprofits! (Photo by Dominic Alves / Flickr)

Finding Donors and Major donors and then retaining them is also something that many Charities struggle with.

And although it doesn't necessarily involve events, there is still much work and organizing that goes into a successful donor campaign.

So how do you find and develop your Charity Donors?

By learning the best techniques and building a solid strategy for it!

But I'm not the person to learn from.

The people you should learn from are a group of fundraising professionals who have collaborated on two incredible projects to help you find new donors, retain the donors you already have, and in time increase their donations.

These two phenomenal projects are...

If you are serious about growing your donors and increasing their donations, which you should be, then these two resources are must have’s!

Another great article on finding Major Donors is this one on "Nonprofit About".

And a free MUST WATCH video on Major Donors: Making a Major Gifts Plan for Next Year



Recurring Donations - Monthly Giving:

The BEST way to retain donors and raise funds!

Retaining donors is all about creating recurring donations...

But to help make it simple for your donors you should set up a Monthly Giving Program where donors can sign up easily to a recurring donation.

For example: Giving $10 through a Direct Debit every month.

To learn how to do this:

  1. Firstly watch this video titled: A Cup of Coffee, a Marmot, and $18,000 in Monthly Giving - Harvey McKinnon explains exactly what a Monthly Giving Program will do for your cause!
  2. And then learn how to start your Monthly Giving Program through this Step-by-Step guide.

DoJiggy, a popular fundraising software and services provider,  then provides a really simple solution for enabling donors to setup a recurring monthly donation.

Their Donation Program is easily integrated into your website, and provides the option for donors to give a once off donation, or to setup a monthly donation.

You can also setup monthly giving through offline registration forms, but you will need to check with your bank and attorneys in regards to how to setup the legal paperwork etc.



Crowdfunding Campaigns:

Crowdfunding has become a huge fundraising method for many causes, including charities!

What it essentially is, is the funding of a project or cause through a crowd of donations through a single campaign page.

It can be used in one of three ways for your Charity Fundraising...

  1. You can use a Crowdfunding page for general donations to your nonprofit.
  2. You can use it to raise funds for a specific project or need at your Charity. For example: To build that new Homeless Shelter.
  3. Or by individuals wishing to raise funds for your cause. This is often done in conjunction with a sponsored challenge, like a sponsored walk or cycle.

    If you are registered at a Crowdfunding website, individuals can setup personal fundraising pages and have your charity as the beneficiary.

See the widgets below for some Crowdfunding Campaign examples...

There are a few very important steps to a successful Crowdfunding Campaign though and I've outlined them in the three Online Donation articles. These articles are a must read if you want to succeed with your Crowdfunding.

As to which site to use, there are many to pick from, but I personally recommend this website/platform!

Another Crowdfunding Option:

Is to use a T Shirt Crowdfunding Campaign.

Essentially the same as a normal Crowdfunder but you will be focusing on selling custom T Shirts... Or rather rewarding donors with your custom T Shirt for their donations.

A supporter can of course still just give a simple donation if they don't want a Shirt.

It's a great twist on an already brilliant fundraising idea.

Find out more here.



Foundation Grants:

Quite simply, there is loads of funding available through Foundation Grants...

The difficult part is actually convincing the Grantors that your Nonprofit deserves those funds ahead of the many others also applying!

So how to succeed...

To make it simple, the process is...

  • Find and identify the foundation grants specifically available for your Charity and the needs it provides for...
  • And then to write the most AWESOME foundation grant proposals that convinces the Foundation Grantors that your Nonprofit deserves the funds ahead of the other 100 charities that have applied!

My suggestion to learning this process is simple as well...

Read "Writing Grant Proposals"...

Pamela Grow, who is one of the incredible fundraising professionals that took part in the 100 donors in 90 days and the Donor Retention Project I mentioned up above...

Also wrote the most incredible and intuitive Foundation Grant Proposal book that will teach you all you need to succeed.

And watch...



Cause Marketing -
Fundraising With Businesses:

Cause Marketing, through the words of the expert on the subject, Joe Waters, is defined as a "partnership between a nonprofit and a for-profit for mutual profit."

And it is a big earning fundraising method for many causes!

Here are a few Cause Marketing techniques that you can use for your charity fundraising ideas...

  • Point of Sale - Where a shop cashier either solicits a donation from a shopper (through an ask), or a sign is prominently displayed to encourage the customer to donate.

    This fundraiser commonly uses Pinups. Read this article on the Anatomy of a Cause Marketing Pinup to find out more.
  • Purchase/Action Triggered Gifts - A small donation is given when a customer does some form of action (ex. Fills out a shopping survey) or purchases a specific product.
  • Licensing - When a company pays to have an nonprofits brand on their products. Usually through an endorsement of the product. This is usually for big nonprofits and health based charities.

Get your Campaign Started...

To find out more, and to get started in Cause Marketing I would recommend you read this guest post by Joe Waters: Cause Marketing - Fundraising's most misunderstood term!

Then you should get a copy of the top selling book "Fundraising with Businesses: 40 New (and Improved!) Strategies for Nonprofits", written by Joe.



List of Charity Ideas:

Here comes a list of other recommended Charity Fundraising Ideas that you could look to include in your fundraising mix!

Online Ideas...


Events...

General Charity Fundraising Ideas...

For ideas to help with Promoting your Charity Fundraising Ideas read here.

And for advice on making your Charity Fundraising more effective read here.


What are your Charity Fundraising Ideas?

We are always open to hearing about and posting new ideas.

So if you have any quality fundraising ideas for charities to share, then please add your contribution below...


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