Creative Christmas Fundraising Ideas 

Posted by Katie Collins on 25 November 2022

The festive season is coming but perhaps more importantly – it’s the season of giving. And for anyone that wants to fundraise, they need to have some sort of event schedule during the holidays. People are incredibly generous around this time of year, you don’t want to miss out on that opportunity because you didn’t get organized with the fundraising schedule. But if you’re stuck on ideas, we’ve got plenty for you so take a look and pick which ones you like the most.

Christmas house decorations competition

Are you living in a festive area? Then one of the best ways to fundraise is to have a competition for whose house is the best decorated in the area. It might be filled with lights and festivity or depict the nativity. 

There are plenty of different criteria you can create, it might even be homemade decorations only. But if you don’t think there are enough festive people in the area, why not get businesses involved? Schools, community centers. Get everyone involved! Ask them to pay $10 to enter, then the winner can get a cut of the total funds raised. What’s good about doing this – the winner will typically donate the money back anyway because they had so much fun decorating in the first place.

Festive costume

This one is perfect for the workplace or school. Especially if you typically have a uniform that all employees must wear. We suggest hosting it on a day when the maximum number of employees are in the workplace. You might make it ugly Christmas sweaters or full-blown festive gear! 

People donate an amount in order to wear the Christmas costume but then you leave it down to everyone else to vote. If you’re in a school, teachers are good at voting or the other way around – have the students vote for the teachers! If you’re in a public workplace, then maybe you could get customers to vote. Each person is given a token as they check out and they pop it in a pot with their winner as they leave.

A gift-wrapping service

There aren’t many people who hate Christmas, but there are plenty who absolutely hate wrapping gifts. So what is the perfect fundraiser that’s guaranteed to get a lot of donations? A gift wrapping service. There are professional services where you can get super fancy wrapping carried out, but for a good cause at a lower price point, plenty of people will be happy to have their gifts wrapped by your volunteers. 

Position yourselves outside a shopping mall (with permission of course) and watch the crowds of people come along to get their gifts wrapped. Be sure to hire more volunteers on Christmas Eve because there are bound to be a lot of last-minute shoppers!

Christmas bake sale

The holiday season is of course the time for giving but it’s also the time for indulging in all the great food on offer and becoming ‘festively plump’ as it’s now known. So when you announce you’re hosting a Christmas bake sale, whether it’s at work, at Church, at college, or even in the PTA – you can be sure there will be plenty of people dying for you to try their Christmas cake, apple strudels and gingerbread cookies. There can be prizes for the person who has created the most elaborate-looking gingerbread house, a prize for the best-tasting cookie or one for the most unique take on a classic. Have some local celebrities as your judges and you’re certainly in for a treat. For further information, check out our guide to running a successful cake sale.

Christmas caroling

Another tradition is Christmas caroling and if you’re trying to raise money for your local Church or community group this is the perfect fundraising option. Get a group of people to go around a variety of neighborhoods and knock on people’s doors. We find that this tradition is slowly vanishing in North America, so why not be part of its resurgence for a good cause? The great thing about Churches is that they already have choirs, and most people already know their part and the words. So all they need to do is sing and enjoy their time. Raising money along the way. For more details, we’ve put together a guide on how to host a Christmas carol fundraiser.

Santa grotto experience

This one is all kinds of fun. You can host it in plenty of places, shopping malls, community centers, churches, and even at schools. All you need to do is have a team of volunteers who are prepared to help out and of course, someone to play the all-important role of Santa Claus. Get your team together to build a grotto. You’ll need lots of cotton wool – and we mean sheets of it to act as snow. 

Tinsel to make everything look pretty and don’t forget the fairy lights. Next up, costumes, and not just Santa’s! You’ll need elves to help run the show and keep up the facade. What most people forget about, is gifts! You’ll need gifts for the kids who visit. Invest and make them unisex so it doesn’t matter who gets what. By providing a present you can charge more for the ticket. Without one, you run the risk of reducing your visitors.

Katie Collins

Campaign Success Team Manager – UK

Katie heads up the UK Client Success team. With experience working with a multitude of organisations across Europe, Katie has in depth knowledge about what it takes to run successful fundraising campaigns and events. Her passion for advising clients on how to maximise their fundraising is fueled by helping them meet and exceed their goals!