Ella Jacques, Author at Givergy

15 Fun & Unique Fundraising Ideas for Kids

Posted on February 7, 2023August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Looking for some unique and enjoyable fundraising ideas for kids? Our Givergy platform users have done some incredible fundraisers over the years, so we wanted to share our top favorite unique ideas to help inspire your next fundraising project. Discover the benefits of getting kids involved in fundraising, see our top 20 ideas and then read our advice for keeping kids safe when fundraising. Plus, learn how you can help them to achieve their fundraising goals.

Why should kids start fundraising?

One way to teach kids about philanthropy early and build their soft skills is by getting them to take ownership of their own fundraising project.

Not only will they enjoy the challenge, but the sense of achievement they’ll feel from completing their fundraising idea, all whilst raising money for good causes, is bound to have a positive lasting impact on their character.

Fundraising helps kids with all kinds of skills including: problem solving, creativity, numerical skills, and most importantly it helps develop their people skills – after all, you need people’s contributions to meet your fundraising targets!

15 unique fundraising ideas for kids

We’ve collated our top 15 favorite fundraising ideas below, which we hope will inspire your next fundraising project.

1. Random act of kindness challenge

Kindness is at the heart of fundraising, so what better idea to kick off our list than a random act of kindness challenge.

There are various ways this can be done. The child could:

See how many random acts of kindness they could do in a set time frame (such as 2 hours, a day etc)
Commit to doing a different random act of kindness every single day for a week or a month

For longer time commitments, the child could keep an online diary of their random acts of kindness so their supporters could follow along.

2. Sponsored car boot sale

Everyone loves to pick up a bargain, so why not ask your child to organise a sponsored car boot sale. This involves asking people such as neighbours, friends, classmates, to bring in unwanted items for a ‘car’ boot sale – with all proceeds going to the chosen fundraising cause.

From clothes to old toys, games to handmade items – you could do a mixture of items or pick a specific category to set a theme. Just don’t let attendees haggle too much!

To increase proceeds, you could even ask all attendees to pay an entry fee – even something as small as a pound can go a long way to reaching your fundraising targets.

3. Community recycling

Want to raise money for charity all whilst helping the local environment? This idea is great for groups. A community recycling fundraising event involves going around your local neighbourhood – from homes to businesses – to collect their recycling. You could also target public spaces such as parks and other green areas.

Donations can be collected from your local community, since you’ll be making it a more enjoyable environment for everyone.

4. Give up something you love

Does your child not go a day without a sweet treat or a session on their video games? A challenging but interesting fundraising idea is to give up a much loved item or activity for a week (or if they’re really feeling determined – an entire month).

5. 24 hour fancy dress challenge

Kids generally love dressing up, so a really fun idea is a 24 hour sponsored fancy dress challenge. Let them become batman or their favourite fiction character for the day, from school to bedtime – just don’t forget to capture some photos of their transformation!

To make things a little more interesting, they could also add that they have to speak like their fancy dress character for the entire time! Quite an ask – but also more likely to raise the fundraising donations!

6. Battle of the bands concert

Combine music and good causes with this brilliant fundraising idea. Ask kids from the community or within their school to create their own bands, then organise a talent show where they can battle it out to be crowned the winners.

This is a great one for getting donations both through ticket sales of the concert and also individual donations for those braving the stage!

7. Neighbourhood clean up

This is similar to the recycling idea mentioned previously, but this time it focuses on a general clean up of the local environment.

This could mean picking up litter, painting, removing graffiti or even planting flowers in the local community garden.

8. Sponsored nursing home day

One way to help tackle loneliness, whilst raising funds, is by visiting a care home in the child’s community – whose residents will likely be glad of the additional company. The child could do a sponsored day volunteering in a care home, or even organise some entertainment such as a talent show or mini concert for residents to enjoy.

9. Sponsored walk or run

Whilst sponsored walks and runs are a popular fundraising idea, you could make yours more interesting by adding a fancy dress theme or doing an interesting route, ticking off important milestones as you go along or even creating a treasure map style route of your town or city.

10. School restaurant experience

Let the kids take your order! For one night only, turn the school canteen into a restaurant serving up dishes prepared by the children. Younger kids can get involved by waiting tables and showing guests to their seats. A fun experience for all – and a great way to get donations from the bills (and tips!).

11. Non-stop instrument challenge

Got a child who’s passionate about guitar, piano or any instrument? Challenge them to play for an entire morning, lunch hour or to give up their weekend to play for the local community in a sponsored instrument fundraiser.

12. Singing telegrams

A unique but fun idea for the kids in your life who love to sing! Ask them to visit neighbours, family and friends with a special signing telegram message. They could even offer specific requests, and extra points if it’s someone’s birthday!

13. Lemonade stand

It’s a classic for a reason! Imagine the lure of a cool glass of refreshing lemonade (or any non alcoholic beverage over ice) on a warm summer’s day. The iconic lemonade stand is bound to be a hit with neighbours in the summer. Make it delicious enough, and they’ll likely be back for seconds!

14. Sponsored silence

You don’t need anything to do this one – not even your voice! A sponsored silence is a challenging but brilliant fundraising idea – most people will question the kid’s ability to do it (especially if it’s for an entire day or even week!) which will likely gather some generous donations.

15. Community or school photobooth

Forget the instagram filters – it’s all about your photobooth for creating fun image memories. Create your own fundraising photobooth with props (or even sounds for videos!) and offer your school or community members the chance to use it for a fee.

From crazy glasses, wigs to exotic backgrounds – make it as interesting as you can!

How kids can fundraise safely

Whilst fundraising is generally a safe activity for children to get involved with, there are various things to consider, to help avoid any safety issues (and tears!).

Carrying cash

If your child is going to be receiving cash donations either at school or anytime when you’re not around to oversee it, then it’s a good idea to have a plan for how they will store that cash safely. Not only do kids commonly misplace items (parents who’ve had to call the bus company will know all too well about this!) but there is also the danger of the child making it known they have cash on them – which may be tempting to thieves. Ideally, all donations would be done digitally through a fundraising platform such as Givergy, but if any donations are received as cash, then you could:

Ask a trusted teacher to be the designated holder until the end of school
Find out if there is any safe storage options at the facility where the fundraising idea is taking place
Encourage your child to ask for digital donations so less cash is carried on them

Physical fitness

Before a child embarks on any gruelling fitness or physical challenges for fundraising, they should have a health assessment and also take steps to prepare for their fundraising event. For example, if the child is doing a sponsored run, they could practise in the month leading up to the event to build their stamina.

It’s also wise not to plan a fundraising event right after any existing sporting commitment to avoid overexertion.

Staying hydrated

It’s easy to get caught up in the planning of a fundraising event and forget about the simple things that will help make it a success – and a key one that comes up often is staying hydrated.

If the fundraising event is over a period of hours or days then plan ahead to ensure the child will have plenty of water (and even nutritious snacks) to keep them going.

Speaking to strangers

If part of the child’s fundraising efforts involves speaking to people they don’t know – such as the community recycling idea or even the lemonade stand – then ideally they would have a responsible adult that they know and trust with them throughout.

If that’s not possible, then make time to speak to the child about dealing with strangers safely – such as not giving out personal details or going anywhere with them. Whilst it’s very rare that any issue would ever come up, as fundraising is generally a fun and safe activity, it’s much safer to be prepared and keep the child in the know.

How kids can meet their fundraising goals

Once the child has decided which fundraising idea they want to go with, then you can help them to achieve their fundraising targets with the following techniques.

Post on an adult’s social media

If you’re comfortable sharing your child on your own social media then this is a great place to start – especially as family members who follow you are likely to be the most generous. Ask friends and family to share the fundraising post and leave a comment on it, so that more people see it.

If the child is old enough to post on their own social media then just be sure they don’t send any login details for fundraising platforms or share any personal details.

Contact your local newspaper for a feature

Get a fun photo and write a description of what your child is doing and what good cause it’s for. Most newspapers love featuring good causes – especially if it involves a unique fundraising idea!

Phone in your local radio station

Again, radio stations love feel-good stories! Woo them with your unique fundraising idea for a feature in their community segment.

Ask to go in the school newsletter

The child’s school will have an extensive email database of parents, so if the school has a regular newsletter, ask them if they’d be willing to share the fundraising project.

You could also ask for a feature on the school’s social media profiles as again, lots of parents (potential sponsors) will be followers.

Create posters

Create posters about your fundraising event and put them in local spaces such as cafes – just include the link or QR code to the fundraising page. If it’s an event people can watch, then provide times and the location so you can collect donations on the day.

Start fundraising today

There are so many brilliant ways kids can fundraise, we hope this article has inspired them to start planning their next fundraising project.

Check out our blog for more great ideas and tips on all things fundraising.

What is Stripe Connect?

Posted on January 10, 2023August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

How does Givergy Collect Payment

There are two ways we can collect payment – Pre-Authorisation or via Payment Notifications.

Pre-Authorization is a payment method whereby all bidders would be required to register their card details at the point of registration on the site or when placing a bid. Their cards can then simply be charged at the close of the campaign.

If you chose not to pre-authorize cards of your guests or you have payments that have been unsuccessful, you can send them a payment link via SMS or email in order for them to complete payment for their winning item(s).

In order to collect funds on your behalf, we need to set you up with a Stripe Connect Account. Stripe is one of the world’s biggest online payment systems and allows for a seamless payment experience, from your donors straight through to your bank account.

What is Stripe Connect?

Stripe Connect enhances our ability to provide best-in-class customer service, eliminating any risk of delayed payment by removing Givergy as the aggregator and the need to reconcile between 15,000 and 20,000 payments each month.

Each week we automatically deposit the funds in your Stripe account which in-turn will be transferred to your bank account – once this deposit is made (usually on a Monday) a ‘Stripe Payout Report’ will appear in the Givergy system for you to download.

The Benefits:

The very latest in global payment technology
Seamless experience for the guest / user
Ring-fenced sub-client accounts
Faster transfer of charity profits on agreed dates
Easy reconciliation for the charity
PCI compliant

How it Works:

Dedicated Sub-accounts

Payments received from your donors will immediately be assigned to your own dedicated Stripe sub-account and be held securely by Stripe until it is transferred to your bank account. This means that you will be able to login in to your event on the Givergy Campaign Management System (CMS) to see the exact state of your payment collection, how much has been collected and from whom at any time.

Automatic Payment Transfer

Stripe Connect automates payment transfers every 7 days. All money collected in the Stripe sub-account at that time will be transferred directly to your nominated bank account. This money cannot be transferred to any other account, so all your funds are completely protected.

Connect Account Set Up Requirements:

Setup of a Stripe sub-account is very simple and only requires some basic information about you and your company / charity which will allow us to link your nominated bank account with your sub-account for fraud prevention purposes.

How do I set up my Stripe Connect Account?

FAQs:

Q. Why do I need to complete these details?
Clients must complete the enrolment details so we can set up your Connect account. These details must be completed in full to prevent issues when creating the Stripe Account which might cause payment delays because of fraud prevention checks.

Q. Why do you need my personal details and proof of identity?
The reason we need this information is that Stripe and their financial partners must comply with the ‘Know Your Customer’ regulations. This includes both the business/charity numbers as well as personal information from the individual authorising transfer of funds into that business account. In essence, this is to prevent banking institutions, like Stripe, from inadvertently being involved in criminal activities such as fraud, money-laundering or funding of extremist/terrorist organisations.
Click on the link here for more information: https://stripe.com/docs/connect/identity-verification
Click on the link here to the KYC regulations.

Q. Does it need to be someone from our finance team that gives their personal details?
No. The account representative can be any person who is authorized to open a Stripe account on behalf of a business, and Stripe collect and verify their information as part of their KYC obligations. They do not require that the individual has any special authorization to the business bank account.

Q. Is the company representative personally financially liable for the funds flowing through Stripe?
No. The representative is simply someone to whom Stripe can tie verification and authorization.

Q. Is all our information held securely?
Both Givergy and Stripe’s systems follow strict Information Security polices and are fully PCI compliant. All their data is therefore stored securely. For instance, once uploaded, no-one can access the copy of the customers ID.

Q. Where can I see a report of each payment into our bank account?
There is a report in the Givergy CMS that will allow you to see a breakdown of all the individual transactions that make up the payment into your bank account.

Q. Where are the client funds held?
Stripe holds all user funds in an omnibus account with its local banking partner. Stripe tracks the amount of funds in the omnibus account that is owed to each user. This sub-accounting helps maintain a structure so that each user’s funds are viewed as being separate and distinct from any other user’s funds. This also allows Stripe, it’s partners and any other third parties to pay the appropriate amounts to the appropriate parties in the unlikely event of Stripe’s insolvency.

Q. Why do I need to update information for my business?
Updating information about your business is required to help protect against fraud and to stay current with Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. They are requirements that all payment processers like Stripe are implementing.

Q. Why am I being asked for information about who owns and manages my company?
In certain cases, we are required to collect, verify, and maintain information about a company’s owners or directors. These requirements come from government regulators and help promote transparency and prevent financial crimes.

Q. Do I have to be a beneficial owner of the business to fill out this information?
No. You can add information about a business’ beneficial owners on their behalf. If other members of your team would like to directly submit the required information, you will need to give them access to the CMS so they can add themselves.

Q. What happens if I do not update my information?
If you cannot update your account information, payouts to your bank account and your ability to accept payments may be paused. We want to make sure that does not happen, so please let us know how we can help.

Further Information

For further information about Stripe and your Connect account please see the links below:
https://stripe.com/connect
https://stripe.com/docs/transfers

If you would like more information on fundraising and payment solutions for your upcoming fundraising campaign or event, please get in touch!

Live Auctions: Fundraising Guide

Posted on October 31, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

If there’s one method of fundraising that we can recommend adding into your season’s calendar, it’s a live auction. There is simply nothing quite like it. It’s exciting, exhilarating even and it brings a wide audience filled with people ready to donate. Everyone in participation knows that they are there for a good cause and it almost becomes a competition of who can support that cause the most. If you’re looking to receive some big dollar donations – you need to host live auctions.

Live auctions are often unforgettable nights. Whether that’s because of the items up for sale or because of the great company, food, drinks and laughs, we don’t know. But what we do know is that when someone attends a live auction, they remember it and more importantly they remember the cause they were raising money for. This puts you in good stead for receiving donations for years to come.

But a little less about how great live auctions are, for now. Let’s divulge a little more into what they are. Especially if you’re a newbie to the world of fundraising or even if you’re looking to host your first live event. This is the place to be.

What is a live auction?

You may be more familiar with antique auctions than any other type. They can be a little – stale – in the realms of excitement. But live auctions, while they hold the same ideals of auctions, are so much more than a gavel hammering down on an old lectern.

Live auctions are always for charity. Not for personal business gain. They’re typically hosted in the evening alongside some sort of dinner or night time event. The auctioneer (also known as the host) will call out items that are up for auction. When called out, those in attendance will have a dedicated time slot to raise their hands in order to bid on that item. The battle for bidding can go on for a while, but as soon as silence fills the rooms and bidding stops – the gavel comes down. The bidding has ended and a winner will be announced.

Guests may bid by raising a paddle, a number on paper or calling out to the auctioneer. But the premise is all the same. Item becomes available for bidding, bidding occurs, bidding ends, a winner receives their item.

A live auction can take place alongside your Silent Auction and Prize Draw.

Why would you host a live auction?

A live auction is not as simple to set up as a bake sale. It takes hard work and coordination. So, why would you host a live auction over any other type of fundraising? Simple – it brings in the big bucks. If you’re looking for financial success, hosting a live auction is the way to do it.

How do live auctions work?

We’ve explained how the event will go ahead, but what about those organizing? How does a live auction work? Well it’s not as complicated as you might think. We’re going to take you through a step by step of how the night should go.

Step 1: Get organized

After you’ve sorted out the typical stages such as setting a date and time the very first thing you need to do is register your bidders.

It’s an element of knowing that you’re selling enough tickets into your event but it’s also a case of security. By gathering their details and assigning them a number, then you know who is bidding on what when the event gets underway.

Step 2: Start the bidding

When people are settled into the evening, perhaps you’ve hosted a three course dinner beforehand or all your drinks are flowing, that’s when the bidding starts. It is important to note that your auctioneer or your host will be doing most of the work here. Try to grab someone with a personality – it makes it more interesting for you and your guests.

It’s important to make sure that your bidding starts with a bidding amount too. Don’t ask people for bids outright, you need to guide them otherwise you may undersell your items by a lot. Put out a minimum bid, so you can comfortably say you make profit with each sale.

Step 3: Make sure your host is doing the right job

It’s not just a case of being lively and entertaining. You need your host/auctioneer to sell these items too. Get them talking about its history, how beautiful it is, where it could hang in your home and how it can make your life better. Don’t rely on people to empty their pockets.

As soon as your host decides there are no more bids, they need to give a warning, a countdown. Reminding people that as soon as they drop their gavel, no more bids will be accepted – even if they are more than the current final bid.

Step 4: The crucial part

Now this is possibly the most important part of your event – after all, this is where the money comes in. Before you started your event, you will have taken the details of everyone participating. So you know which bid number belongs to which individual. As soon as someone is announced as the winner – they need to come to the main desk to claim their win.

Make sure your host announces this as soon as it closes. Invite them to the main desk where they can solidify their win. You might take payment at this stage, it might be a downpayment. But the details need to be more than a name.

The final recap before you plan your live auction

Step 1: Know your budget and plan your targets

At the end of the day, it’s all about money. You need to know how much you have to spend and how much you want to make. This way you can plan within your means.

Step 2: Recruit a team of people to help

Hosting this sort of event takes more than one person! You might need a catering team, you’ll need someone to keep records on the guests, financial information, ticket sales, a promotion team. You might even need security depending on the price of your items.

Step 3: Announce your event and enjoy

After you’ve announced your event, it’s time to recruit ticket sales. There are plenty of ways to go about this, use social media and word of mouth. When the day and time comes around all you need to do is enjoy. Everyone else should know their role.

Step 4: The important follow up

After everyone has gone home. Items have been paid for. Follow up with your audience. Let them know when your next event is and ask for feedback. It’s the best way to get them to attend and donate a second time.

For more information about how we can help, take a look at our Live Auction services and features.

Fundraising Event Ideas

Posted on October 15, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Are you trying to come up with a new fundraising event but struggling with anything exciting? We’ve put together a comprehensive list of the best fundraising events out there, take a look and see which works best for you.

We’ve created this list based on a number of factors including affordability, profitability, accessibility and of course the fun factor! Check them out and click on the links to jump down the page and learn some more about what it entails.

Gala
Walkathon
Carnival
Talent show
Trivia night
Movie night
Fun run
Charity concert
Car wash

Gala

We truly believe that of all the fundraising ideas, the gala is the most accessible. It’s a formal sit-down dinner with activities and some entertainment. These can be additional fundraising activities such as a raffle or entertainment such as a charity choir. Galas are always held in the name of some sort of fundraising or charity with the aim of reaching a target by the end of the night. Ticket sales allow guests to access the event and typically there is a dress code. If your guests enjoy the glitz and the glam or if they’re typically on a sports field, we know a black tie event is the perfect evening for them.

Walkathon

This fundraising idea is the pinnacle of affordability. You need literally no money at all to carry out this event. All you need is a bunch of volunteers willing to do the work. Set a date, set a route and possibly even a maximum distance or time spent walking and get going. It might be on a treadmill if you live in a built-up city, it might be a relay so that you can continue the walkathon over a long duration. You can dress up in costumes or you can all wear the same clothing to show unity. Get out there and start walking for a good cause!

Carnival

Do you want to have a fun weekend of fundraising? Then hosting a carnival is the epitome of fun! Of course, it requires a lot of organization and a lot of initial funds in order to rent the rides, but we’ve found that especially in smaller towns – they’re like gold dust and people flock to them. Charge for entry and be sure to set up a few dedicated fundraising stalls. You don’t need only the big rides for a carnival to be a success. Have raffle stands, a silent auction, games, and a kissing booth. All of these can raise a profit with a minimum initial spend.

Talent show

Everybody loves a talent show and these work great in schools. It might be a way to raise some new funds for the chess club, decathlon team or even the drama club. Talent shows are far easier to put on than school plays. They allow individuals to express themselves, they also bring in lots of funds as family members and friends flock to support their star.

Trivia night

If you’re from a sports background, we know that a trivia night is the perfect affordable fundraising event. All a trivia night requires is a big enough room to host all your guests or an online platform where you can host the trivia night live. You don’t even need to write the questions! There are plenty of quizzes online that you can download for free. Some are themed, and some are general knowledge. You will always be able to find a quiz online to download. Hosting a quiz online does allow for huge accessibility and potential profits as your audience can be maximized. However, there is an element of wondering if people cheat. Make your questions smart – something that cannot be Googled.

Movie night

Everybody loves a night at the movies but they are expensive. So hosting a movie night of your own, at affordable and charitable prices will no doubt get a lot of ticket sales. You could host the movie night in a large auditorium or, perhaps in the summer months, outside and use a large building wall to project the film onto. You can grab snacks and drinks at wholesale prices and make a profit from those sales. You might even be tempted to host a bake sale alongside the movie night as a form of extra income.

Fun run

Just like a walkathon this is a great fundraising idea for those who are active. We recommend a 5km run. This distance is achievable for those who just want to walk it, those who are mildly into running and those who race competitively. It’s the perfect distance and you can comfortably charge $15-20 per ticket. Set out the 3.12 miles in a route around your local town. Try to avoid busy roads and stick to fields and countryside paths where possible – this way you won’t need to ask the local police department for road closure assistance. Make sure you have a few marshalls to guide runners and First Aid trained people on site and enjoy the day!

Charity concert

Every town has a local star. Whether they’re famous internationally or just in your country. There is always someone that local folk love to see perform. A charity concert is as simple as asking these people to perform. Sure, some might say no, but as soon as one of them says yes – the rest will flock. It’s about providing exposure to them. Costs will need to be covered, and these artists can’t afford to perform at a loss – but knowing that profits are going to a worthy cause will help bring out their own charitable nature. You charge a semi-premium for the concert, not too much, but if you would typically charge $10, charge $12.

Car wash

A classic and a favorite for many people. The affordability is amazing, the accessibility is universal, the profitability is always high and the fun factor is through the roof! You can’t get more successful than a car wash and that’s why decades later they are still a hit. All you need to do is get permission from the landowner to host the event, a few sponges, cloths and buckets of soapy water and you’re ready! Recruit your most dedicated volunteers and spread the word.

Adding an auction into your fundraising event can also help raise even more money. The best two options are:

Live auctions

Perhaps one of the most profitable fundraising events is live auctions. Some may view these as traditional and a little dull. However, live auctions can be extremely exciting – all you need is a good host and some great items up for sale. What’s great is that live auctions are extremely flexible in that you can host them in person and online at the same time. People can bid via the internet, social media, telephone, texting and of course in person. They’re so accessible, which is what makes them so profitable.

Silent auctions

A silent auction is a little different to a live auction. You don’t know what other guests are bidding. Bids are submitted in secret, people only bid what they think the item is worth. For some guests it means they’ll bid even higher to get what they want, making sure that nobody would submit such a high bid. Other people place a low bid, hoping to get a deal. Guess who usually wins. That’s why silent auctions are perfect for raising lots of money. Plus the whole event is a little more exciting when winners are randomly announced at the end of the event.

Halloween Fundraiser Ideas

Posted on August 10, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

If there’s one event that the US celebrates better than any other nation it’s Halloween. For decades we have brought together the best parties, costumes and in more recent years, fundraisers.

The spooky season is the perfect opportunity to raise more funds, and we want to make sure you’re making the most of it. Everyone loves a fun Halloween and it is one of the events in the year when you can raise the most money. From trick or treating, pumpkin sales or a big Halloween party, there are plenty of options to raise money.

Take a look at these Halloween fundraiser ideas and add them to your list of events this fall.

Hosting a Halloween Fundraiser

A big event is a great way to cram many smaller ideas into one day or evening. There of course needs to be a headline event, it might be a concert, auction or perhaps a talent show. We know what you’re thinking. How are these related to Halloween? Well, that’s the best thing about Halloween, you can adapt almost any type of fundraising activity to be spooky-themed.

Say for example you’re hosting a big fundraising event. Whatever you would typically have going on, spook it up a little bit. If your football fundraising event involved auctioning off players to the community for some manual labor, why not have one of the activities involve putting up decorations in someone’s front yard? Perhaps the football players can be the ‘actors’ in a haunted house for middle schoolers. Do you see where we’re going with this?

If your big event includes a wine pull, disguise the bottles in spooky cobwebs or store them in carved pumpkins. You might have an area to go apple bobbing in or you could even have a costume contest to see who is the best dressed. Any efforts you’re currently making in the fundraising world, just need to be tweaked slightly – they still work at getting the dollars rolling in!

Pumpkin carving competition

If you’re looking for a traditional Halloween fundraiser, this is perfect. It’s an event that you can host virtually or in person. Pumpkins are relatively inexpensive and anybody can get involved (although we suggest younger children have some supervision). Check out how we’d host this event in person and online to see which idea works best for you and your team.

An online pumpkin fundraiser allows you to reduce your costs and have maximum engagement. You can create a live event online in a shared video forum where you can get everyone carving pumpkins together at the same time, or you can send out the invitations and get people carving whenever suits them. You could say they have a week to carve or even a month! It means parents with busy schedules can still get involved as often these types of events clash with others. Then, all they need to do is send in a photo.

Alternatively, you could carve in person. While you would need a venue to host this in, there is the opportunity to sell tickets and make more profit. While an online donation would be just to enter the competition, an in-person event ticket could cover the cost of the pumpkin and utensils, allowing you the chance for increasing your profit margins. Plus, there’s the chance to have food and drinks stands nearby for even more cash opportunities. Set a time and date, get your participants through the door and give them 1 hour to carve. You might even set them a challenge on what to carve too. Don’t be shy about getting creative!

Even more exciting Halloween fundraiser ideas

From all the ideas we’ve seen, tested, and enjoyed over the years we’ve mentioned our favorites in a lot of detail. Why? Because it gives you the best chance for success in getting the most amount of money. However, there are loads of ideas out there just waiting to be created with a personal touch from you. If you’re part of a baseball or soccer team, you could get your team’s colors involved. Perhaps it’s a school fundraising event and the gym is available for use. See how you can spin these quick ideas into something more unique to your audience.

Halloween dance/ball

Get your guests to rock their best ball gowns but tear them up a little to create the night of the walking dead.

Haunted school/house

Transform whatever venue to have and charge people to walk through it. This is great for sports teams as they can get involved and be the actors.

Spook-a-thon (costume sporting events like a run)

For any active communities get them involved in spooky sporting events. Night runs are very popular.

Spooky movie night at school

A horror film in the school auditorium sounds great! Alternatively, you could read spooky stories around a campfire to each other.

Gooey bake sale

A bake sale with a spooky twist. Expect fake eyeballs in the jelly, witches’ fingers as cupcake toppings, and don’t forget the edible brain cake!

Pumpkin rage event (pay to smash a pumpkin)

Have you heard of rage events? Charge people a fee, give them a baseball bat and they can smash the night away. Do this after Halloween by collecting any unwanted/donated pumpkins from the community.

Hopefully you have enjoyed our Halloween Fundraiser idea page and found it useful for your organization or charity. Trick or treating is loved around the world so there is a great opportunity to raise funds. Find out how Givergy can support you in setting up your next fundraising campaign.

12 of the Best Charity Fundraising Ideas

Posted on July 28, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Are you looking for a charity fundraising idea to be the talk of the town? No matter what funds your community needs to raise, be sure to test out our best ideas. They’re easy to run, accessible and fun for people of all ages to enjoy.

1. Treasure hunt

Remember the excitement around treasure hunts as a child? Finding clues, deciphering them and then charging ahead to the next location. Well, the excitement doesn’t have to end just because everybody grew up. If you’re raising funds for adults, they still love problem-solving! The crossword section is one of the most popular in newspapers! You can create adult-themed clues, perhaps leading them on a path to creating a unique cocktail.

Alternatively, if you’re running a treasure hunt where families can get involved, send them on trails through local parks. It can be a great way to get the entire family involved and perhaps the winner could win a family meal out or even a day at a theme park.

2. Carnival night

Running a carnival might seem like an expensive decision. But they can also be great money makers. There are a few ways carnivals work, so let us talk about what we think is best for fundraising. Carnivals need one or two main attraction rides. These will be the things that make the biggest dent in your budget, but stands are great money makers.

Some of your attention will of course need to be directed to the big rides – they’re what attract the magic. But you can make money from entrance fees, food and drink stalls, and even create a few games to play. It’s not too much money to make a coconut shy or a face painting stand. Get creative, buy at wholesale to keep your profit margins high, and then drum up some publicity. Soon you’ll feel confident that hosting a carnival isn’t quite the financial nightmare you had imagined.

3. Open-air cinema night

If there was any way to bring the community together and raise money for a common cause it’s with an open-air cinema night. This works great for raising money for a cause such as a sports team or a school. Why? Because you’re going to need a big wall, schools and sports teams usually have ample facilities that they use regularly, so sourcing it should be easy.

You can raise awareness of the event by getting people to vote on what film should be shown on social media groups. But we feel like cinema nights should come with a twist, so make sure you offer VIP packages. It could be ticket entry with snacks and drinks, it might be offering a shelter to sit underneath with fairy lights and pillows to sit on.

4. Charity run

If you’re raising funds for a sports team we know this one will be a home run. Literally! It’s excellent at getting the whole family involved. Typically, competitive children have competitive parents so there’s the potential to entice a lot of people with this idea. You might make it a simple 5km to raise funds or you could go the extra mile.

Charity fun runs can involve a few obstacles. Get people running over hurdles and crawling under cargo nets. You might make it a costume run and the best dressed takes home first prize. Perhaps you want to involve the family and it’s going to be a team or relay race. Could you create the annual pentathlon with wacky races going through your community? Plan this one out to be fun for all because quite swiftly it will become a popular event for you to host every year.

5. Quiz night

Quiz nights are always a big hit. Alongside showing off your physical abilities, mental abilities are just as impressive so you can expect a lot of people to flock to this fundraiser. Fun for all ages too. The elderly can get involved in answering questions and even the smallest of children, all you need to do is make your quiz suit the audience.

The one thing you don’t want to get into is a boring type of quiz. Where a question is read and then an answer needs to be written down. Think of multiple choice questions, picture rounds, riddles, and acronym answers. There are so many types of quiz questions and of course, you can make them themed too. Are they about the history of a specific sports team? Are they about Disney princesses? Are they about the local area? Get thinking and create the ultimate quiz night!

6. An awards gala

Is it the end of the school year? End of the sporting season? Or the end of a big tournament? It’s the perfect time for an awards gala! Celebrating all the achievements that have happened – and remembering achievements aren’t just about winning. Reward the most dedicated, the person with the highest spirit, the person who supported their friends in hard times. But more than that, make this awards gala an excellent fundraising event.

Beyond the awards, you can serve dinner for everyone. It might be a fancy sit-down meal or it could be a buffet. This way you can charge an entrance fee. There might also be the space to host an auction of the season’s memorabilia for teams. The ball that won the winning touchdown in the big rival game. Auction it to raise funds for the new season. Think about framing big moments and auctioning the signed picture from the whole team. Go the extra mile to make the evening special and people will flock to it. Take a look at our virtual gala event solution.

7. Raffle

When you think of fundraising, one of the first ideas that will pop into your mind is a raffle. Big or small, as a side attraction or the main focus, they’re great at getting the cash in and keeping overheads to a minimum. So get collecting some prizes to win and before you start thinking about ticket sales. You can ask local businesses for donations to the raffle or see if you can purchase some at a discount before paying for prizes at full price.

The good thing about a raffle is that once you have your prizes, you can create restrictions as to when the draw happens. This gives you as much time as possible to maximize your ticket sales. It might be a draw that happens the following month or you might draw the prizes after a certain total is raised. Never shy away from selling multiple tickets to one person, remember this is about profit not creating a ‘fair’ chance to win! Take a look at our charity auction prize solution.

8. Sponsored car wash

Want to try and help the community while you fundraise? Car washes are the way to go! Water is one of the cheapest utilities around. Meaning it will cost you pennies to fill up buckets and wash cars. All you need to pay out for is the soap and sponges. Oh, and then the small matter of getting some volunteers to wash cars.

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Who will you get to wash the cars? Our suggestion is for whoever will benefit from the money you’re fundraising. It might be the football team or the seniors for their prom. Remember the more volunteers the more cars you can wash and the more money you can make.

9. Making a calendar

If time is of the essence, perhaps you need to think about making a calendar. One day with a photographer is all it takes to create 12 images for you to make into a calendar. There are so many opportunities here. You could create a calendar for the local area, the sports team, the school or even of puppies from the local dog shelter.

The good thing about calendars is that you no longer need to buy hundreds of them and then hope to sell them. You can give people a link and a code online for them to order one for their house. Leaving you with no leftovers and maximizing your profit.

10. Skills donations evening

Everyone needs something to be completed in their home. Whether it’s a deep clean of the oven, a new lick of paint on the front yard fence, or their gutters cleaned. Skill donation evenings are the perfect opportunity for everyone involved. Whether you’re the person who is bidding on someone with the set of skills or the organization trying to raise money. Even those who carry out the work get the pleasure of saying they helped someone for a good cause.

11. Silent auction

If you’ve never heard of a silent auction before, be sure to check out our ultimate guide on how to run one. We go over everything you need to know. From sourcing items to auction, all the way to the best method for delivering large items to people’s homes. Silent auctions are a great way to host an alternative evening while still raising money. Plus, if you get the right crowds in, you can make huge bucks.

12. A 24-hour challenge

24 hours sponsored silence? 24 hours to climb Mount Everest (in a team) on a step machine? 24 hours relay running event? Giving yourself 24 hours provides you with a massive window of opportunity to raise funds, and as it’s the only restriction, you can get as creative as you like. Take your 24 hours and run with it… you never know where you’ll end up with it.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of the best charity fundraising ideas. If you need any help running your best charity fundraiser, please consider looking at our tools including silent auctions, donations, prize draws and live auctions.

How to Run an Online Fundraising Event: Definitive Guide

Posted on July 8, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Fundraising is no simple task. Ask anyone who has been part of a fundraising committee or event. It takes a lot of organization and preparation. It’s hard enough to come up with an idea for how you’re going to raise funds, but let that be the end of it. With our definitive guide on how to run an online fundraising event, you can wave goodbye to the rest of the stress.

Have a read, prepare yourself, and get back to the enjoyment of fundraising.

What are Online Fundraising Events?

Traditional fundraising has always been popular, there’s nothing quite like running a bake sale or a carnival in the name of a good cause. However, there is more demand than ever for online fundraising events. In recent years, the barriers that come along with traditional fundraising have become too much for smaller budgets and success is difficult.

An online fundraising event is, as you may have guessed, online. But what does that mean? Well, it allows you to run multiple formats of fundraising, it might be in the form of an online class, a demonstration, performance or something more interactive such as bidding auctions.

There is no ‘normality’ to online fundraising events. That’s why they’re so popular. There are fewer restrictions on location, budgets and of course the volunteers who give up their time. In fact, let us walk you through some of the benefits of hosting online fundraising events.

Pros of hosting Online Fundraising Events

If you’re a little dubious as to why you should opt for an online fundraising event instead of one in person, then you should keep on reading. Afterwards, we know you’ll be wondering why you didn’t make the switch sooner.

Less stress and simple procedures

When you move to online fundraising, you immediately remove the need for a lot of technical logistics that involve several different people. There’s no land or building to rent, so you don’t need to deal with the owner, scheduling their staff to operate bars, organizing security for the event or even paying for cleaners to clear up afterwards. There is none of that. Just click a button to turn on an event and another button to close it.

Your entire process for setting up the event is much easier. Plus you save a lot of money. No building to rent or staff to pay for means you can keep more profits in your pockets. Do you see how much easier your life could be by hosting an online event?

No restrictions on invitations

Inevitably, the more people you invite to a fundraising event, the more money you can raise. Which is great unless you have a capacity limit. But what are the capacity limits online? There aren’t any! Invite as many people as you can. Use all your powers via your database, social media and supporters to get the word out there. And once signed up, see here for more details about our guest messaging option so you can communicate clearly and effectively on the fundraising campaign.

Note – if you’re running a virtual gala with a live host, it’s important to be aware that there will be some sort of limitations to invitations online, but it all depends on what type of server you’re hosting on. Most platforms will be able to give you an indication for how many people can log in at once, but much like your ‘unlimited calls and texts’ mobile phone plan, you will really struggle to reach the limit, so you won’t notice the difference.

Getting that all-important data

One thing that can be difficult to know with in-person fundraising events, is why they were or were not a success. As much as you may ask for reviews, you’re less likely to receive them if they need to be jotted down while people are trying to enjoy themselves at your event.

The benefit of an online fundraising event is that you aren’t just relying on reviews. During the event you can evaluate what is and isn’t working, making adjustments as you raise money, maximizing profits. Plus, the processes are all automated so that funds are received, receipts are given, and data can be safely stored in a secure database.

What you need

Like any fundraising event, you will need a few things to get you started. Don’t worry, the list is nowhere near as long as you’d expect and can all be done in less than an afternoon. Take a look.

A reset on your ideas

Fundraising online looks different to fundraising in person. You’ll need to amend your ideas of carnival games, bake sales and raffles to an online format. Be prepared to think big. Getting a fresh perspective on fundraising ideas is essential.

Remember you are not limited by numbers – so if you’re setting up an online fantasy football league, don’t limit yourself to just 10 teams in a league, you can have as many as you want! There’s no promotion and relegation in the virtual world so invite as many teams as you’d like.

While events like silent auctions in person take a lot of manpower and various teams such as catering and security to get going, you don’t need them online. Instead put your resources into online advertising, promotions and searching for the best items to sell.

A supportive team

Some aspects of online vs offline fundraising are extremely different, but this one is the same. You will always need a supportive team around you. Not necessarily the same team, mind you. Even if you’re a one-person-band for this fundraising event, you can do it with just some support for your idea. Services like Givergy help provide all the technical work so you just need to bring your idea to the discussion table.

Of course, for charities to set up online fundraising events there are a whole host of people that need to be involved in order to approve an event. Luckily though, it’s all involved in the set up. As soon as that idea is signed off, the process can be simple again through the use of platforms like Givergy.

A target you can all agree on

Perhaps one of the hardest and most difficult things to agree on before an event is a target. You know the fantastic cause you’re raising funds for, but how much will you raise? Your initial instinct might be ‘as much as possible’ but studies show that this isn’t always a strong marketing technique.

By focusing on a target, those who are donating will know what they’re to aim for and it will help boost their donation. If you say ‘we’re happy to receive anything’ more often than not you will receive a minimum. If you state that you’re still $1,000 away from your target, people will push their donation to match the urgency of the target. As much as people love to give money to a good cause, don’t expect them to give more than the minimum. Just make sure the minimum is a good amount for your charity. Take a look at our donation options for more advice on this.

Step by step – how to run your online fundraising event

Spread the word

The absolute first step you need to consider is how you’re going to promote your event. There’s no location involved so you won’t be able to put up posters in hallways. However, you have the power of online communities.

Facebook groups are incredibly powerful, especially when trying to raise funds for a good cause in the local community. Everywhere has a local group these days, it might be a ‘Mums in Westport’ or ‘The Chit Chat of Huntingdon’ or even a ‘What’s On in Raleigh’. Join these groups and post as much as you can about your event (following the group rules of course). This is free advertising and it’s a great way to invite new people.

Of course, spreading the word to your contact list is far easier. Sending invites and links via email, text and even using your social media pages. It’s all very simple to do and it’s free, you just need to put in the time to make it happen.

Set up the event using your platform

Whatever platform you go with, you will need to set it up and plan ahead. Think about timings. How long do you want to run for? will each segment last? Who will speak when? What instructions will be explained to your supporters and how?the audience? In addition, what will be your fundraising activities? An auction, raffle, donations only?

Making these types of decisions can happen at a later date but most of the time they occur when you’ve decided on what type of event you want to host.

Enjoy your event and send out your thanks

If you’ve done all the planning possible, running the campaign event itself will be smooth sailing. Of course, every good planner will have a contingency for if something goes wrong but that’s the beauty of hosting online virtual fundraisers – other than a loss of connection to the server (incredibly rare)signal, there isn’t much that can go wrong.

Givergy can help you run your Online Fundraising Event

Here at Givergy, we provide an award-winning fundraising platform that helps you raise more for your event or live auction.

Take a look at some of our services including live fundraising events, live auctions and payment options.

Top tips for your Live Auction

Posted on January 25, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Your live auction is often the most important aspect of your event in terms of the funds raised. Givergy’s event team are experienced in managing a live auction and will work with you to make sure each element of the live auction is planned to make the most of every opportunity.

Here our top tips for your live auction:

Choosing the right auction lots is the first thing to think about.
It is a unique item? Try to use items that money can’t buy for a live auction, i.e. a sold-out event.
Are there restrictions on the item? Try not to use items with a short expiry date.
Does the item have broad appeal? Try to use items that are going to appeal to a lot of people to increase the number of bidders to drive up the price.
Can you sell it twice? If you have multiple bidders sell the item twice & double your profits. Ensure your spotters and the Givergy team know this is a possibility so they are prepared.

The next most important element to consider if the number of items you will auction live. You want to ensure you raise lots of money but be mindful that if live auction goes on too long, guests can get bored which will ultimately end up in a disengaged audience – the last thing you want for a live auction! In our experience, the most effective live auctions have an absolute maximum of 5 items – in fact the most successful auctions we have experienced have 2-3 items!

There are various ways to make your live auction engaging and to keep the energy in the room high:

Do you have any videos to accompany the auction lots?
Do you have a celebrity guest who could help the auctioneer to generate bidding activity?
Do you have any items that could be walked around the room?
Could you use glow sticks as paddles? This will help locate your bidders too!

Your auctioneer is paramount to the success of your auction – read this article on Selecting and briefing your auctioneer

The timing is a key element of the live auction. Do not start or finish your event with a live auction. Just after the main course is often a good place – at this point guests are into the swing of their great evening; they are feeling energised and ready to give. More advice on your running order can be found here: Live Event Running Order

Be prepared! Make sure your spotters are prepped & ready as they play a vital role in making sure your live auction runs smoothly & most importantly getting the winners details for payment. If guests feel their bids are not being seen, they can get frustrated and stop bidding so position your spotters around the room to help catch the eye of the auctioneer. Your Givergy team will be happy to assist to collect all the bids during the live auction, but it’s great to get volunteers involved too.

Have you ever thought about running a reverse auction? This can work effectively as it makes sure the whole room is paying attention. Here’s how it works:

Choose an item that you are able to sell multiple times.
The auctioneer will ask everyone in the room to stand, and then start the bidding low, asking guests to remain standing if they are still willing to pay the bid amount as it increases.

Givergy leaderboard options

Posted on January 18, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

The Givergy leaderboard system will help to engage your guests with both the auction and donations to ultimately help you raise more.

There a multiple different options available as shown below. The leaderboards will be designed pre-event to match your events branding. To find out how to customise your leaderboard follow this article: How to customise your leaderboard screen

If you have a live event with a Givergy tech manager on-site the leaderboards will all be taken care of for you. We will liaise with the AV team pre-event to confirm our connections into their screens and we can be switched in and out whenever required.

If you do not have a Givergy tech manager present at your event, follow this article to find out how to display your leaderboards: How to display your event leaderboard

We can offer a ‘bespoke totaliser’. For more information on this please follow this article: How to customise your Bespoke Totaliser

Top tips for successful smartphone events

Posted on January 11, 2022August 29, 2025 by Ella Jacques

Pre-event
1. Make sure your chosen venue has strong signal / WIFI
For guests to access the fundraising site, your venue needs a strong mobile signal. The Givergy team will send you tools to test the mobile signal and provide alternative recommendations, such as venue WIFI, if the signal is not strong. It is also a great idea to remind guests in your pre-event materials to bring their phones to participate this time around.

2. Pre-registering
Registering at the event is quick and easy, but we always encourage pre-event registration. Givergy has a great ticketing platform, so why not sell tickets through the same site so everyone is registered and ready to go for fundraising during the event? This can make a huge difference when it comes to your pledge appeal and processing final payments.

3. Open the auction in advance
Another way to generate fundraising revenue before your event even begins is to open your auction in advance. Givergy’s mobile solution makes it easy for your supporters to start bidding at home and continue the activity throughout the event. We recommend opening the auction approximately seven days prior to the event.

4. Make use of outside bidders
As all of your fundraising is through a website, extend your audience by promoting your site further than event attendees. Take a look at a great article on promoting your fundraising site on social media here.

During event
1. URL & QR code
It is extremely important for guests to understand how to access the fundraising site. We recommend having the URL on the screens around the room as well as QR codes printed on tables for easy access to the site.

2. Host
In the opening speech by your fundraising host, make sure they promote the site and how to access it by pointing out the URL on the screens as well as the QR codes. This needs to be continuously pushed throughout the night.

3. Leaderboards
Make use of the Givergy Leaderboard options to display on your screens around the room. We can also include the event URL at the top of these screens for an extra push. This will draw guest’s attention to what is available in the auction, ultimately drawing them to the fundraising site. During your pledge appeal, we have various totalisers available so speak to our team to make sure you are utilising those in the best way for your audience.

4. Guest messaging
The Givergy system will send automatic registration and outbid notifications to guests to ensure they have easy access to items of interest. Through the system we can also send notifications to your guests to keep them interested. We recommend countdown notifications to the end of the auction / prize draw to ensure you have a big focused finished with guest’s full attention on placing their last bids or purchasing their final tickets. We also recommend a pre-pledge appeal message, so all guests are only one click away from making a donation.

5. Quick and easy payment solution
Collecting your guests’ payments couldn’t be easier with our mobile platform! All pledge and prize draw tickets can be taken straight away, and with our pre-authorisation feature, we will have the winning bidders card details already stored so we can simply charge them at the close of the auction. Don’t forget, we also have an option for guests to cover the payment processing fee to ensure more charity profit.