Skift Take
Fundraising is essential to many events, but it can feel daunting to find new ways to raise money. After all, originality is the key to participation. Here are the most original ideas and 60 apps to raise more money for your event.
This list of 101+ ideas for fundraising can help get those magical juices flowing. After all, the ideas are just the start.
In this article you’ll find:
- 11 Unique/Creative Fundraising Ideas
- 10 Fast/Last-minute Fundraising Ideas
- 10 Non-profit + Charity Fundraising Ideas
- 10 Free/Cheap Fundraising Ideas
- 60 Fundraising Apps for your Next Event
That’s a lot of good stuff to ensure you’re bringing in the money.
Now let’s get down to those fundraising event ideas.
Some of them are standalone concepts that can be used to bolster an ongoing campaign and some can be used as the event themselves. Most of them are easy to put together and can be orchestrated quickly and inexpensively either on their own or through the help of companies who can donate items and time.
Celebrity Auction
If you have a celebrity connection, see if they would be willing to donate some time to spend with your auction winner. There are apps out there that can help you coordinate a contest to win a specific experience with a celebrity, such as grabbing drinks with Neil Patrick Harris.
WHY IT’S COOL
Two words: celebrity experience. People love the idea of spending time with their favorite celebrity in a truly unique experience, not some stuffy meet and greet.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Make a star connection. Think about what they’re known for or what they’re willing to do. Tie it into something your audience would enjoy.
Dine with the Chef
Dine with the Chef is a private event in which guests are joined for dinner by the head chef and/or owner of a favorite local restaurant. Guests have the chance to eat and interact with a well-known local chef.
WHY IT’S COOL: A ‘Dine with the Chef’ event gives attendees an exclusive opportunity to peek behind the curtain and learn more about what goes on behind the scenes at an exciting local restaurant.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT: You can use a Dine with the Chef event as a fundraising opportunity by selling tickets or by auctioning off the event as part of a gala event.
Cook-off
Host a specific type of food cook-off, and charge to be a judge or charge per vote. You can incorporate social media, so those at home can vote on ‘most appealing,’ or some other factor that doesn’t involve taste but will get them talking about you.
WHY IT’S COOL
Competition, the desire to succeed, and the knowledge that the prestige of winning recognizes both superior cooking skills and philanthropic value.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
If you display who’s in the lead and by how much (and you keep voting costs relatively affordable), it can come out to a battle at the end – and that means more money raised.
Kentucky Derby Watch Party
Break out the over-the-top hats and your mint julep cups for a Kentucky Derby watch party.
WHY IT’S COOL
If you can’t be there in person, hosting a watch party for a good cause is the next best thing. You can have a lot of fun with this theme by incorporating horses, racing, rose wreaths, mint juleps, and more. You can even offer prizes for the best hat or for the attendee who picks the winning horse.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
You can fundraise by charging for tickets, offering a raffle or silent auction, sponsor tables, and more.
Kickball Tournament Or Sports Challenge
You can charge a tournament or team entry fee. Depending on the sport, you can build the challenge around the farthest ball hit, thrown, or kicked.
WHY IT’S COOL
Competition, fun, and/or exercise can create a fundraiser for those less interested in putting on a tie and dress.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Add humor (like blindfolding the contestant and pointing them the right way) if you want to make it less about athletic competition.
Inanimate floating object race
All you need for this is a body of water (ideally something with some current like a river but some planners also use water slides) and something that will float down it. Planners charge per entry. If local laws allow, they may even have people “guessing” who will win by showing their support through money. It’s a lot of fun to watch.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s a highly visual race but one that moves slow enough that all of the competition can be comical.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Some events use rubber ducks, others sailboats. You could even let people make their own entries as long as they fit into your parameters.
Bingo Night
Bingo isn’t just for little old ladies anymore, and a bingo night event can be a great fundraiser for your organization or charity.
WHY IT’S COOL
Almost everyone knows how to play bingo, so the barrier to entry is low. It’s also a fun game that lets attendees enjoy a little friendly competition with their community. Take your event to the next level by offering great prizes, inviting local food trucks or vendors, or (depending on your venue) selling alcohol.
After-hours Museum Tour
Coordinate with a local museum to offer your guests a private, after-hours museum tour. You can make the event even more special by featuring a cocktail reception or even a private dinner.
WHY IT’S COOL
An after-hours museum tour offers attendees a unique opportunity to have exclusive access to the museum without the crowds or lines. Your event will also help market the museum to your donors/attendees, who, in turn, could help support their mission in the future.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Generate fundraising revenue by charging a ticket fee or raffling off the tour as part of a gala or auction.
Garden Tour
Are you in an area where homeowners take pride in their yards and gardens? Consider a garden tour for your next fundraising event.
WHY IT’S COOL
A garden tour is an excellent springtime fundraiser. Homeowners get to show off their beautiful gardens and guests get to be outside in nature, admiring their neighbors’ yards and getting inspiration for their own gardens.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Work with community groups and gardening/horticulture clubs in your area to identify and lineup stops for your garden tour. You can fundraise by selling tickets for the tour and even hosting a plant sale as an added bonus.
Taste of
Bring in local restaurants or volunteers to cook up food in sample or taste sizes. Sell tickets for these items. Attendees can buy tickets and sample the foods at different vendors for the cost of a few tickets. You can also introduce a voting component.
WHY IT’S COOL
It allows people to sample many different items at a smaller price (but one that adds up quickly).
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Whenever possible, get people to donate the food. Give a discount based on the number of tickets sold. For instance, one ticket is sold for a dollar, seven for five, 13 for ten, and so on. People won’t know how many they’ll need but they’ll know it will benefit them to get more up front.
Danceathon
Don’t worry if your dance moves are more like Seinfield’s ‘Elaine’ than Fred Astaire. A danceathon is really about quantity over quality.
WHY IT’S COOL
A Danceathon gives attendees the opportunity to get down and raise money for a good cause at the same time. You can make the danceathon even more fun by featuring a theme that can apply to music, food, décor, and/or costumes.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Raise funds by charging entry fees, soliciting sponsorships, and/or having participants seek pledges for hours danced. Offer a prize for the last one standing to incentivize participation.
Golf Tournament
A golf tournament is a time-intensive event to plan but can also be a substantial fundraiser for your organization. In addition to the golf tournament, add-ons can include an awards dinner and a silent auction.
WHY IT’S COOL
Golf tournaments allow attendees to be outside, play a game they enjoy, and connect and network with neighbors and friends. You can make the tournament even more attractive by hosting it at a closed course where attendees might not usually have the opportunity to play.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
A golf tournament generates funds through entry fees and sponsorships.
Monthly Box/Subscription Service
These are all the rage these days in areas like beauty, pet care, etc. Jump on the bandwagon and send your audience something special every month to remind them of you.
WHY IT’S COOL
This works really well for children’s organizations as they can make crafts, draw pictures, etc.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Think about what your audience would pay for, what can be offered at a low cost or sponsored, and what can be tied into the charity you support.
Head Shaves and Other Dares
YouTubers use this method all the time. Gives us votes (or money, in this case), and you can watch us do something crazy.
WHY IT’S COOL
People are fascinated by others who will do something wild in support of a good cause.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Get creative with who you’ll have to do what. A head shave might not be as effective as a food dare or bungee jump. Think about the audience and what they’d want to see.
Outdoor Movie Night
If you have access to a park or school with a field or open space, an outdoor movie night is a fun and unique fundraiser that can be executed on a tight timeline. Guests can bring out their picnic blankets and lawn chairs for a movie under the stars.
WHY IT’S COOL
An outdoor movie night is a unique event that evokes the nostalgia of a drive-in movie theater.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Work with a local AV vendor to rent a pop-up screen and projector. You can charge for tickets and sell drinks, candy, and popcorn.
Money votes
An easy way to increase the donations at the event is to set up a “this or that” box vote. Include two different options each one attached to a money box. A vote is cast by adding some currency to the box. The box with the most money “wins.” Think of it as a paid straw poll.
WHY IT’S COOL
People like to give their opinion and it takes the focus off of asking directly for money.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Find a comparison for the boxes that ties into your event. For instance, “if you had a superpower, would you rather be able to heal the sick or reverse time?”
Lottery tree
Money wreath or tree. Buy a ticket (or envelope) and see what you win.
WHY IT’S COOL
It makes a nice decoration and adds an element of chance to the night.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Explain that everything is worth at least $20 and then charge $25 for the ticket (or some similar amount). Some people will receive money or gift cards worth $200, others $20.
Naming Rights
Crowdsource the naming of something for your organization. Charge for suggestions.
WHY IT’S COOL
Ego is a big driver for most people and organizations. It can also serve as a good marketing or branding exercise for the winner.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Name a key item for the day, the event, or for much longer. This can be extremely effective for medical charities, where people want to name items after deceased loved ones. Target local companies and auction off something highly visual.
Wall of money
Create a wall of 200 envelopes ranging from $1-$200. On the front of each of the envelopes is a dollar amount. Encourage people to take down an envelope, place the currency in the appropriate envelope (for instance, $1 in the ‘one dollar’ envelope), seal it, and place it back on the wall backward so the currency amount is facing inwards. Suggest that people decorate or write words of encouragement or pen dedications on the back of their envelopes.
WHY IT’S COOL
Prospective donors can easily see fixed amounts that are needed to achieve the goal and can select the ones they’re most comfortable with. There are donation points for every budget.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Think about what your audience would pay and create envelopes that are within their budgets. Arrange it in a high traffic spot where people have a little time. Use a foyer leading to the gala where there is high traffic but not rushed, for instance.
Video Game Challenge
Host a tournament with an entry fee. Split the pot with the winner.
WHY IT’S COOL
Video games are at the centre of a billion-dollar industry. There are even some colleges that are creating eSports teams. Casual and hardcore gamers with disposable, video game-buying incomes are a largely under-tapped charitable giving market.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Use a game that fits your audience or ask people or sponsors to provide others to play.
A 50/50 Raffle
A 50/50 raffle is a quick and easy fundraiser that you can add to your existing event or host on its own.
WHY IT’S COOL
Everyone wins! Much like a traditional raffle, ticket sales make up the prize money. At the end of your event, the winner splits the jackpot with your organization. They can feel good about winning the prize money AND supporting a good cause.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
The overhead for this event is extremely low – just the cost of the raffle tickets themselves. You can market the raffle ahead of your event and promote ticket sales during as well.
Paint and Sip
Paint and sip events are a quick and easy event to organize and a great way for guests to connect, laugh, and create a beautiful sign or artwork, all while enjoying a delicious glass of wine.
WHY IT’S COOL
Guests get to drink wine, create a painting or sign that they can display in their home, and support a worthwhile cause.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Work with a local studio to get the space and instructor time donated, then charge a premium on top of the supply fee to raise money for your organization.
Testimonials
Share testimonials or handcrafted items from people who are benefitting from the donations along with transparency. St. Jude Children’s Hospital does this well by selling art from their patients. Why it works: people get a visual representation of the good their money is doing.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s a beautiful testament to the good that’s being performed. And who can resist something that tugs on your heartstrings?
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
There are quite a few ways to incorporate this idea into your event. To use the testimonial idea, feature recipients telling their stories, and then transparently link donation requests to a specific thing they’ll be paying for. For instance, ask a recipient of the services to talk about how much it means to them to receive school lunch. Then, tell the audience that $25 pays for a month of school lunches.
Show the value of the bids as they escalate to get people excited about the rising number. For instance, you can illustrate that a $50 bid means 10 senior services, a $100 bid means 10 services and 10 meals, and so on. The mounting goodwill can drive participation as people wonder what their money can accomplish next.
Off To The Races
Buy “cars” or “ponies” and advance them along a track based on dollars raised. The winner of each heat gets a prize donated by a sponsor and then faces other winners until a final winner is crowned. The final winner is the one who raised the most money.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s competitive and because the money raised is posted for all to see everyone knows what it takes to overtake first place.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Use a theme that fits your audience. If you chose ponies to “race” you can also tie in a hat contest as if you’re attending the Kentucky Derby.
Raffle For a Surprise
People pay a set amount for a chance to win an undisclosed or veiled item (a covered bottle of wine, for example), told only that it’s worth above a certain amount (but could be worth far more). They won’t know what they have until they unwrap it.
WHY IT’S COOL
There’s a chance you’ll get something worth more than what you put in. Human curiosity and the lure of a good deal are strong motivators.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Want to avoid alcohol? You can do the same thing with “surprise” gift cards. Ensure the buyers that all gift cards are worth at least X and then sell them for slightly higher.
Color Run
A color run is a fun and vibrant take on a more traditional race.
WHY IT’S COOL
A color run is perfect for participants of all ages and fitness levels. Participants in the run wear white t-shirts and have different color dust thrown at them at different points in the race. By the end, participants are a rainbow of color dust.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Work with your local parks and rec or school to secure donated outdoor space for your course. You can raise funds by charging an entry fee or by soliciting (or having runners solicit) donations or pledges.
Battle of the Bands
A Battle of the Bands is a rockin’ way to generate revenue for your cause.
WHY IT’S COOL
Your event not only raises money for your cause or organization, it also helps to bring exposure to local musicians and raise their profile. Bands can be judged by a panel or by how loud the crowd cheers for them. Offer great prizes for an awesome event.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
A Battle of the Bands is a perfect outdoor event in the spring, summer, or fall. You can also secure a cheap indoor venue by hosting it at a school or community center. You can charge the bands an entry fee, charge for tickets, and sell food and merchandise.
Be a ‘Something’ For a Day
The Ohio Valley Symphony has an annual fundraiser where it features a contest of three local citizens who vie to become the maestro of the orchestra for a song during the annual Christmas Concert.
WHY IT’S COOL
Everyone needs bling and you have a captive audience who is already supporting you.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Create/buy your own or bring in vendors that you’ll collect a portion of proceeds from.
Accessories
If you’re already hosting an event, like a run, sell some bling or some swag.
WHY IT’S COOL
This type of last-minute party is reminiscent of speakeasies where you never know where they’re going to crop up. It gets people to follow you on social and tune into your social streams to discover where the next place is.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
The money can be generated as a portion of the proceeds or you can make people buy wristbands for drink specials or discounts at each spot.
‘Mom Prom’/ Prom With a Twist
Dress your mom up and take her to prom or try a different theme. There are tons of humorous prom themes you can use as an un-gala event.
WHY IT’S COOL
The prom is a big deal in a teenagers life. It’s fun to relive under less serious circumstances
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Try the 80s, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. to shake things up.
Ninja Warrior Challenge
By now, you’ve probably seen those super fit (some say crazy!) people competing on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. Why not host a slightly tamer version for your next fundraiser?
WHY IT’S COOL
Guests compete to race through an obstacle course to be crowned the top ninja warrior.HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Trampoline parks often have obstacle courses set up in their spaces. You can work with the park to donate the time and space and charge entry fees and solicit event sponsorships.
Hashtag Donation
Use this idea to show that all donations matter, regardless of size. This is a virtual event where you encourage participants to join you in giving something up and donating that amount to your cause instead. For instance, a daily can of soda is $.50. The give that money to your cause and use a hashtag to challenge others to do the same.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s virtual and a challenge. It’s difficult to ignore when someone calls you out.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Use an easy mobile app to encourage people to give and make sure you share all of the mentions of people doing so on your behalf.
Craft Show/Garage Sal
If you support an organization where people will make or bring things for you to sell, you can host a craft show for very little money outside of finding a location.
WHY IT’S COOL
DIY and Etsy are very hot. If you know crafty people you can raise some revenue.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
The key here is donated crafts and being allowed to sell them. You could even create an online or e-commerce component. Bolster sales by telling each piece’s story.
Contact local parks, donors, and businesses to see if they might discount the rental fee or allow you to use the space for free. Think of groups that might appreciate the marketing potential behind hosting a charity function. Public spaces also work well, but you want to contact local officials to see if there are any licensing or insurance requirements first.
Concert
Know someone with musical talent? Ask them if they would be willing to donate their services for 1.5-3 hours for a concert.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s nice to chill and listen to music. Other than the talent and the venue, this can be done for very little money.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
You can charge an admission fee or take a more modern approach and ask attendees to contribute the value they received from it afterward.
As discussed in the previous idea, you’ll need to source a venue. With concerts, local businesses that revolve around food might be especially receptive to the idea of hosting a music night as it will draw business for them as well. Charitable events in bars and restaurants that have a cover are also a great way to generate funds. See if they’ll consider splitting the entry fee with you, or better, keep the entry fee for yourself. Most bars especially will be happy to drum up business on a quiet day in exchange for alcohol sales.
Dance (or Other Skill) Workshop
Teach a group on how to salsa or make the best cake decorations known to man.
WHY IT’S COOL
People spend a lot of time on YouTube trying to learn new skills. This is a fun way to learn in person instead of on video.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Again, you can charge admission or use a “pay what you want” approach. It works for a dance class or any other skill that can be learned quickly and has mass appeal.
Game Show Extravaganza
Register 4-5 person teams (pay to enter) and then run them through a gamut of game show-inspired challenges. Livestream the event.
WHY IT’S COOL
Retro game shows are a lot of fun. You can even create a little side action by allowing the audience to pay to add to the challenge. Think about log flume rides that encourage those on the side to spray others with water for a small fee.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Select several different game shows from a variety of time periods. Let’s Make a Deal, the Price is Right, Family Feud, Card Sharks are all good ideas that aren’t expensive to recreate.
Portion of Sales
Some restaurants are willing to give you a portion of sales of everyone you bring in. Outside of the time it takes to advertise, this event requires absolutely no cash on your end.
WHY IT’S COOL
It’s free to you to host outside of marketing time.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
This works well if you have a localized audience that would eat at the family-friendly types of restaurants that are usually willing to host.
Partner With a Company to Create Something
Create an item for your cause, like a string bracelet. Take orders online and at events and you won’t need to handle anything up front.
WHY IT’S COOL
You can create your own branded item.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
This is something you can do on its own or as part of a larger fundraising event.
Used Book Sale
A used book sale is a fantastic community event that not only allows you to fundraise for your organization, it also gives donors the chance to clear out books from their shelves (to make way for new ones!) and gives buyers the chance to pick up new-to-them books at low cost.
WHY IT’S COOL
A used book sale is an easy, low-cost fundraising option that promotes reading and literacy.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Solicit donations for used books in good condition well in advance of your event, then host the sale at your local library, community center, or school.
Marathon Event
Give attendees the chance to get outside, enjoy a healthy and competitive activity, and raise money for a good cause by hosting a marathon event. And don’t worry – you can design your event so that it appeals to all ages and fitness levels by differentiating the marathon into walkers/runners and age divisions.
WHY IT’S COOL
A marathon gives attendees the opportunity to connect with their community and do good in the world. Work with local organizations and vendors to offer prizes, feature food trucks and merchandise stalls, and help volunteer and coordinate the marathon.
HOW YOU CAN APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Though it can be time intensive to plan, a marathon held at a school or a local park is also a low-cost fundraiser to host. You can generate fundraising revenue through entry fees and sponsorships.
Challenges
Remember the ALS Ice bucket challenge? You can create any sort of visual challenge on social media for free.
WHY IT’S COOL
It was fun, visual, silly and viral. A component was challenging others to get involved, and who can ignore a challenge?
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Think of a public challenge you can levy and then use video to challenge people to do it. You can start with staff and sponsors. Give them the option to pay to avoid doing it. With ice bucket, many paid and did it anyway. Plus, it created a huge buzz for the cause.
Yard / Ebay Sale
Collect gently-used items and sell them in a garage or rummage sale or sell them online on eBay. Alternatively, you can set up parts of your event to look like a garage sale.
WHY IT’S COOL
You help your donors to get rid of their clutter while you turn it into cash.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
Ask members and supporters to donate things that can be sold, such as purses, old electronics, etc. You can try an in person sale and everything that doesn’t get sold can be donated or sold online.
Scavenger Hunt
Give people a list of things to “acquire” around town. First team back with everything checked off their list wins.
WHY IT’S COOL
Competition is fun and it’s a team activity.
HOW CAN YOU APPLY IT TO YOUR EVENT
There are many variations to this idea as well as apps that can help. You can require them to bring back physical proof or simply take pictures with their phones. Charge a registration fee to participate and have a chance at prizes. Give a prize out to the people who bring back the most trash and/or recycling.
Mobile Cause
MobileCause is all-in-one fundraising software. It provides online, mobile, event and peer-to-peer fundraising software to help nonprofits engage donors and boost giving. Their team of fundraising experts partner with customers each step of the way to ensure your success. As the pioneers of text-to-donate, MobileCause has become the trusted online and mobile fundraising partner for nonprofits looking to scale their fundraising quickly and efficiently, without paying any transaction fees
Features
Online & Event Fundraising, CRM Reporting, Marketing, Text-to-Donate, Peer-to-Peer, Engagement, Reporting
eleo
Eleo’s comprehensive nonprofit fundraising software features allow you to record and track all your information in one easy to use, online program. No matter your size, Eleo will help you cultivate stronger, more sustainable donor relationships, build long-term stewardship, and increase the return on your fundraising efforts.
Features
Donor Database, Fundraising Tracking, Mailings and Communications, To-dos and Calendar, Reports and Analysis, Events, Memberships, Grant Management, Web Forms & Online Donations, Security, Back-up, and User Rights, Customizable Homepage
Firespring
Firespring builds powerful nonprofit websites with built-in tools to make it easier to raise money and manage events—all from one place and without the help of a programmer.
Features
Easy to use website builder, responsive themes, flexible fundraising campaigns and event management
dp (donor perfect)
dp is a fundraising growth platform; software is designed to supercharge nonprofit’s fundraising initiatives and cultivate valuable relationships.
Features
Integrated mail & online donation forms, fundraising analytics & reporting, automatic monthly giving.
NationBuilder
A platform that streamlines your fundraising so you can focus on building lasting relationships with your donors. Has a built-in payment processor and fundraising tools helping you to raise more money while minimizing fees.
Features
Built-in action pages, customizable themes, secure payments, full integration, easy volunteer recruiting.
ClearView CRM
Fundraising software that helps you track & exceed goals, work better together and centralize database donors and all required activities.
Features
Streamlined data entry process, configurable dashboards and reports. Centralized database and collaboration.
Salsa Engage
Easy to use, intuitive software platform that helps centralize: Donor Database, Online Fundraising, Peer to Peer Fundraising.
Features
Track Donors and Donations, dashboard & Custom Reports, Direct Mail, Single Multi-Step Donation Forms, Automated Gift Acknowledgments, Dashboard Analytics.
Every Action
EveryAction offers best-in-class digital, multi-channel fundraising, organizing, and advocacy tools on a single, unified CRM.
Features
Targeted Email, Major Gifts, Voter Contact, Mobile Contributions, Online Fundraising, Advocacy, Direct Marketing, Social Network Integration, Custom Reporting, Data Visualization
Engaging Networks
A suite of tools tackling advocacy, fundraising, email tools, peer to peer campaigns, CRM and event management.
Features
Click-to-call, Email, Social, Pages, Forms, Recurring, eCommerce, Membership, Tribute, Gateways
DonorSnap
DonorSnap is an easy to use online donor/membership management system.
Features
Tracking for donations, pledges, and interactions; unlimited user defined fields; Excel import/export; online forms/donations; and included mass emailing.
Bloomerang
Bloomerang is a donor management software to help you create a simple, cloud-based donor management solution that helps nonprofits decrease donor attrition and increase revenue. Plugging in the latest technologies and delivering them with a clean, modern interface.
Features
Online Giving Forms, automated acknowledgments, appeals, and stewardship pieces, email tool, Social Media Monitoring.
Giveffect
Ideally suited for medium to large nonprofits, Giveffect is an all-in-one nonprofit software solution that streamlines your online fundraising systems into one platform. Launch peer-to-peer fundraising, auctions, and ticketed event campaigns in minutes, with every donation instantly reconciled. With built in email and direct mail marketing, SMS text-to-give and an integrated database, Giveffect powers nonprofits to spend less time on manual data entry and more time furthering their mission.
Features
Ticket Sale, Crowdfunding, Peer-To-Peer, Team Fundraisers, Live and Silent Auctions, Smart Automation, membership Management
NeonCRM
NeonCRM offers their core CRM solution plus websites and powerful tools like dashboards, automation. It integrates with services such QuickBooks, Constant Contact and MailChimp. Their fully integrated database lets staff and volunteers quickly engage with donors via built-in email, edit and manage records and create growth campaigns.
Features
Accounts & Relationship Tracking. Track Activities, Online Web Forms, Volunteer Management, Email Marketing & Segmentation, Login Portal, Reports & Analytics, Automated Receipting, Grant Management, Credit Card & Check Processing, Online Store, Letters & Material Tracking, Survey Builder, API & Customization, QuickBooks Integration.
Donately
Donately is trusted by over 1,000 orgs to grow their impact through online fundraising. Their top features include simple donor management, custom donations forms that can be embedded into your site, beautiful donation pages, support for recurring donations, automatic donation receipts, & robust integrations via Zapier. Give donors the option to pay via credit card or bank transfer, and allow them to cover donation fees.
Features
Custom Donation Forms, Donor Management, Portal, Peer-To-Peer, One-Time and Recurring Donations, Credit Card or ACH payments
Arreva
With Arreva Online Fundraising you can send a mass email to event attendees, empower participants with peer to peer fundraising pages, manage your website, launch online donation pages, and much more in one place with a single login.
Features
Event Registration, Online Donations, Volunteer Registration, Microgiving, Peer-To-Peer, Email Marketing, Content Management, Grant Management, Reporting.
DonorDrive
DonorDrive Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Software helps medium and large nonprofits raise more money.
Features
Participant management, page personalization, videos, images, & content, social media, text, & email, incentives – achievement badges, analytics, integrations and APIs to connect with payment providers
iDonate
iDonate is an all-in-one solution that helps large nonprofits engage donors and raise more. With iDonate, you get to keep your CRM while upgrading your fundraising. iDonate is packed with features and delivered with expert coaching.
Features
Web And Mobile Giving, Peer-to-peer, Chapters, Noncash, Text/Sms, White-label, Event Ticketing, Campaigns, Crm/Dms Integrations
Continue to Give
Their donation platform makes giving quick and easy so you never miss a gift. Your donors will be able to give one time or recurring through any of their great online giving options (Text, App, Kiosk, Online, Facebook), and you’ll be able to manage all your relationships in their Donor Management System.
Features
Text Giving, Mobile Giving, Donor Management, Integrations, Recurring Donations, Kiosk, Virtual Terminal, Event Ticketing, Customizable Forms, Tagging System, Crm, Emails
Little Green Light
Little Green Light is a complete fundraising and donor management system designed to give nonprofits the confidence and ability to succeed. Affordably priced, Little Green Light delivers power & flexibility to grow with the changing needs of nonprofits everywhere.
Features
Custom Reports, Gift Tracking, Goal tracking, Constituent Profiles, membership Engagement, Volunteer Management, Online Donations, Acknowledgments, Integrated mail merge.
Revv Fundraising Platform
Revv is the fundraising and donor platform that will help your campaign, nonprofit, or cause raise more money. Revv can automatically recognize users that have donated across any organizations using the platform- allowing them to donate using a single click resulting in astronomically higher conversion rates. The easy-to-use dashboard and integrations allow you to automate many of the tasks associated with marketing for less work and higher conversions.
Features
One Click Donations, Forms, Petitions, & Surveys, Mobile Optimization, Text To Donate.
Kindful
Kindful is a donor management platform built for growing nonprofits. Create unlimited, custom donation pages, and peer-to-peer campaigns. Connect the tools you use daily without the frustrations of manual exports and imports.
Features
Emails, events, volunteers, fundraising, accounting.
GiveSmart
Features
Mobile Interface, Text, Video, Image placement, Mobile Bidding, Text-to-Give
GivingFuel
GivingFuel provides simple, affordable tools to help any organization maximize their donations. They provide everything you need to reach your goals including recurring donations, social sharing. text giving, app giving, mobile compatibility, peer to peer fundraising and more.
Features
RealView Builder, Product Incentives, Social media Integration, Text to Give, recurring Donations, Conditional Logic, Branding Control, Real-time Analytics, Employer Matching.
GivingTools
GivingTools makes online giving easy. GivingTools offers preconfigured templates to help you set up most any kind of appeal. Process gifts for as low as a 25 cents.
Features
Pre-Configured Templates, Recurring Gifts, Ticket Sales, Merchandise, Registration, Gift Designations, Payment Processing.
Agilon One Donor CRM
Agilon’s web-based donor management CRM solution helps mid to large nonprofits take their fundraising to the next level. A complete Donor Management System with integrated online donor portal and e-marketing, Agilon’s ONE suite of modules seamlessly shares information and manages workflow to improve fundraising results. ONE increases efficiency in managing relationships, contributions, memberships, events, capital campaigns, stewardship and more.
Features
relationship management, communications and outreach, and campaigns and stewardship.
Trail Blazer
Trail Blazer’s Non-Profit Manager is a complete, integrated fundraising solution that tracks almost everything. It makes life easy for outbound fundraising calls, mass emailing, fundraising events, direct mailings, and capital campaigns. Access data from any computer, tablet or mobile device. Best of all, enjoy seamless integration with your website. Track online donations, ticket purchases, memberships, volunteer registrations and contact signups.
Features
Cloud-based Access, Mobile Apps, Social Media Integration. Event Management & Ticketing, Mass Email, Custom Reports.
Paypal
Paypal is a simple, easy-to-use, and broadly adopted payment platform that can also be used for online and event fundraising. Paypal offers fundraising tools for personal, non-profit, school, and political use. Discounted processing rates are available for 501(c)(3)s.
Features
Shareability, Customization, Flexible Donation Amounts, Program Designation, QR Code
GiveForms
GiveForms are high converting, simple, and beautiful donation forms that can be added to a website in just a few minutes. It’s perfect for non-profits, charities, and churches. Get up and running in 5 minutes with a Stripe account.
Features
30+Currencies, Donor Dashboard, Monthly recurring Donations, Social Networking Sharing, Customized Forms.
MobileCause
MobileCause is an all-in-one fundraising software. They provide online, mobile, event and peer-to-peer fundraising software to help nonprofits engage donors and boost giving. Their team of fundraising experts partners with you each step of the way to ensure your success. As the pioneers of text-to-donate, MobileCause has become the trusted online and mobile fundraising partner for nonprofits looking to scale their fundraising quickly and efficiently, without paying any transaction fees.
Features
Online & Event Fundraising, CRM Reporting, Marketing, Text-to-Donate, Peer-to-Peer, Engagement, Reporting.
ProClass
ProClass helps continuing education, dance and gymnastics studios, arts organizations, non profits, after school programs, camps, training facilities, lifelong learning and OLLI’s, community health organizations, certification and non-credit education providers.
Features
Class Management, Online Registration, Membership Management, Online Donations
4aGoodCause
This is an online fundraising platform for small to midsize nonprofits. You can launch unlimited campaigns for online donations, event registration, membership, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer. Boost your revenue with their simple, mobile-friendly pages that your donors will love. Save time and money with easy administration and integrations to 1000+ third-party apps such as Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, and more.
Features
Donations, Event Registration, Peer-to-Peer & Crowdfunding, Membership & Product Sales, Third-Party Integrations.
Gesture
At Gesture, they help “Make Hope Happen” for non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, and many others by providing simple and seamless technology that allows donors to give and get support from their mobile phone. The Guest Management platform allows the organization to manage their event from ticket purchase to seating tables.
Features
Mobile Bidding, Guest Management, Check-in, Direct Donations, Dashboard, and Exclusive Travel Packages.
Aplos
Ideal for small and medium-sized nonprofits, Aplos makes it simple to manage your nonprofit and more effectively raise money. You can easily engage your donors with email and letter communications. A smart CRM makes it faster to accept giving and send contribution statements and grow giving with online donation webpages or event registration. Plus, there is a built-in financial module so you can do it all in one place.
Features
Improve Donor Retention, Donor Database, Dynamic Contact Lists, Reporting.
DoJiggy Pledge
Affordable fundraising and event management software for walk-a-thons, School Fun Runs and all types of peer-to-peer and crowdfunding events. Event administrators create a customized fundraising website, set fundraising goals and prize levels, and generate numerous reports. Participants create their own personal fundraising page to collect donations via email and Social Media shares. Team fundraising is also supported.
Features
P2P, Mobile Donations, Registration, participant & Fundraising Pages, Social Media Share, Personal Control Panel, Sponsorships, Email Confirmations.
Sumac
Sumac is robust, customizable fundraising software that includes online donation forms. Choose the Add-on options you need to create a solution tailored to you. Sumac integrates with accounting software and Fundful peer-to-peer fundraising!
Features
Online Donation, Automatic Receipting, Built-in Email Marketing, Peer2Peer.
Fundful P2P
Create a completely branded peer to peer fundraising campaign in just a few clicks. No signup or monthly fees. Individual & team fundraising, control branding, simple customizing, mobile-friendly, easy social sharing, allow donors to cover processing fees.
Features
Individual and Team Pages, Customization, Donor Covered Processing Fees, Branding, Built-in Communications, Social Sharing.
Snowball Fundraising
Snowball Fundraising is a user-friendly fundraising platform that allows organizers to do a text-to-pledge campaign, sell event tickets, motivate donors through a campaign progress thermometer, and more.
Features
Events/Campaigns, Ticketing, Donation Pages, CRM, New Account Coaching
Givebutter
Givebutter is a new fundraising platform for groups, teams, companies and nonprofits to collect online donations, set up fundraising pages, and sell tickets to events. It is built on top of Givebutter’s free, self-service CRM platform with industry-low transaction fees and no monthly cost
Features
Collecting Dues & Donations, Fundraise, Ticket Sales, Registration.
ToucanTech
ToucanTech provides community software for schools, universities and companies. In one system they give institutions the power to manage all alumni/community relations in one place. Synched with social media and combining a CRM, email, fundraising, news, events, mentoring and more, it’s a complete solution at an affordable price.
Features
Database, CRM, Social media Integration, Email, Process and Log Donations, News Posts.
Servant Keeper
Too many programs make fundraising complicated. Fundraising should be fun, simple, and easily managed. If people want to know where they are with their giving and how much they owe, this should be a simple thing to report. Servant Keeper makes it so easy! Join the 30,000+ non-profits that have discovered the secret to simplifying fundraising while increasing donations.
Features
Mobile Giving, Event Kiosks, Recurring Gifts, Text.
Campaign Deputy
A CRM built for fundraising by fundraisers. With the ability to track pledges, call backs, unanswered calls and emailing directly to potential donors, you will have the tools ready for a successful fundraising campaign. Campaign Deputy also has built in financial disclosure reports for Political Campaigns, including the FEC.
Features
Call Time Manager, Email marketing, Pledge Tracking, Compliance Reports, Actblue Integration, Custom Reports.
Credibal
Credibal helps nonprofits raise funds by being more transparent with their donors. You can use Credibal to easily show donors how you are using and spending their gifts. Build strong, long-lasting relationships with your donors based on transparency and trust. Attract, inspire & retain your donors and keep them engaged with personalized experiences.
Features
Donation Tracking, Personalized Reports.
OneCause
OneCause fundraising software (formerly BidPal) offers an intuitive, reliable, and affordable solution. Providing the ability to manage multiple fundraising events/campaigns annually allowing any sized organization to connect more donors to its cause.
Features
Event Management, Auction Item & Package Tracking, Bidpal Mobile Bidding, Ticket & Sponsorships, Table Management, Online Auctions & Stores, Reporting & Analytics, Text2give, Online, Phone & Email Support.
Network for Good
This is an easy donor management software that fully integrates with best-in-class fundraising pages all supported with personal fundraising coaches. Donor management, fundraising pages, and personal fundraising coaches are available individually or as an integrated platform to enable and grow individual giving and online fundraising.
Features
Fundraising Pages, Donor management, Fundraising Coach
GoFundMe Charity
GoFundMe Charity was built specifically for nonprofit and event fundraisers. Social fundraising that actually works for nonprofits; proven to increase giving, event participation, and awareness of your cause.
Features
Mobile Device, PCI-Level 1 Compliant Database, Branding, Customization, Automated Engagement Emails, Optimized Social Sharing, peer2Peer, CRM Integration.
Blackbaud
Blackbaud is an industry leader in providing full-service solutions for non-profits and other organizations driving social good. Blackbaud has millions of users in over 100 countries, whose programs are raising, granting, and investing over $100 billion each year.
Features
Analytics, Financial Management, Fundraising and Relationship Management, Grant and Award Management, Marketing and Engagement, Organizational and Program Management, Payment Services, Social Responsibility
Silent Auction Pro
Simplify every aspect of running a charitable event! Sell tickets, Online, Mobile and paper-based bidding options. Manage contacts, track donations, create auction bundles and printed material. Eliminate check-in / check-in lines, store credit cards, write thank you letters and more. Simple, affordable and powerful event management software for any charitable organization including Schools, Churches, Community Service Organizations.
Features
Ticket Sales. Check in, Check out, Sponsorships, Securely Store Credit Cards, Custom letters, Email, and Text message Blasts, Drag and Drop Interface, Event Statistics.
Charity Miles
Charity Miles helps people donate to their favorite organizations while getting active. Like a Turkey Trot, but everyday. Users choose the charity they want to support, and then for every mile they move (walking, running, bike-riding, you name it), they earn money for the organization from corporate sponsors.
Features
Donations matching, app powered.
Facebook Fundraisers and Donate Buttons
Facebook Fundraiser allows you to grant your followers permission to crowdsource on your behalf. It’s like franchising your fundraising campaign — and right now Facebook is promoting fundraisers in its algorithm. Facebook also allows you to add a donate button to your page so users can easily donate directly to your organization. Since Giving Tuesday 2017, they’ve waived all transaction fees.
Features
Easy website integration, works with Facebook, no transaction fees.
Prizeo
Prizeo is a fundraising app that partners with charities and their celebrity partners to create once-in-a-lifetime sweepstakes for experiences that users can win for small donations. Have a celebrity endorser or a connection with someone in film, music, or sports? You can work with Prizeo to set up a sweepstakes that people can enter by donating directly to your cause.
Features
choose from existing charities and celebrity partners
One Today by Google
One Today is a fundraising app that shows the impact of just one daily donation of $1. For each donation, users receive photos, short stories, and explanations of how their dollars are effecting change globally.
Features
$1 makes a difference, Validated by Google and IRS for Nonprofits, No transaction fees, Tax- Deductible, Discreet
Pledgeling
Corporate giving made easy, Pledgeling connects brands and consumers to their favorite causes. They help for-profit organizations give back to nonprofits that align with their mission and their customers’ interests. For instance, the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week helps with hammerhead shark conservation.
Features
Team Expert Support, Delivers Tax Deductible Receipts, Social Impact, Authentic & Branded Experience, Ownership of Donation Payment Processing.
Donorperfect
DonorPerfect is a donor management platform that works through an app. If you are on the go and need to contact donors, you can access your database from your smartphone. Great for any development professionals that take in-person meetings with top donors.
Features
Data management, Fundraising, Gift Processing, Reporting, Payment Services, Online Forms.
Budge
Who doesn’t love a friendly competition for a good cause? Budge is a fundraising app that allows users to challenge their friends to anything — a game of chess, a donut-eating competition — and the person that doesn’t win donates to a pre-selected charity.
Features
Saas model, mobile giving, digital strategy and implementation.
Omaze
Omaze is a fundraising app that partners with celebrities to auction off exclusive experiences in exchange for micro donations. Just $10 for a chance to hang out with Dax Shepard?
Features
Find causes, donate, one person is picked at random for memorable experiences.
GiveLively
GiveLively allows organizations to collect donations from text (SMS) messages. So far, they’ve helped over 1,000 nonprofits raise money at $0 charge to their members.
Features
Designed for Mobile, Tablet, and Desktop, Encrypted and Hosted on SSL protected Pages, PCI Compliant, Accepts Credit Card, One-Tap Donations, Access to Donors, Automated Emailed Tax receipt, Nonprofit Admin Portal, Unlimited Creation of Text Codes, no donation limit, Fundraising pages and Live Display.
Fundly
Fundly is a mobile crowdfunding app that feels like a social network. Organizations can easily share Facebook posts, YouTube videos, and images to bring their campaigns to life. Fundly also makes it easy to thank your donors directly on the platform.
Features
Video & Photos Front And Center, Blog-Like Updates & Commenting, Available in Apple store, Mobile Web Friendly, Facebook Open graph Actions, Updates 7 Alerts, Import Contacts and Customize Templates, secure Online payments.
Shoparoo Fundraising
Turn shopping receipts into donations for your school. You only need to take a picture of your daily receipts, and then Shoparoo transfers real money to the school.
Features
Shop, Snap, Earn.
GiveTide
GiveTide: Donate Spare Change is a philanthropic round-up for charity or causes app developed by GiveTide, which allows users to give micro-donations with just a few taps.
Features
Free, Tax Deductible, Tap-to-Give Experience, Simple User Experience, Real-Time Tracking, Secure
Bidding Owl
BiddingOwl has auction software on its mobile-friendly site to manage everything from donations to checkout for a traditional or online format. If you host a silent or live auction, the platform is free and includes invoicing, checkout with PayPal, and a website to preview items. If you decide to go mobile with online bidding or an online auction, the site charges a 5 percent performance fee—for an auction that brings in $10,000, that’s just $500.
Features
Mobile Banking, Fundraising Education, Bidder text Message and Email Notification, Bidder Check-out, Auction Reporting.
Zoho
Create your own nonprofit fundraising App with Zoho. Nonprofits can sign up for free and create Apps to manage volunteer programs, manage donor databases, or create an App for your next fundraising event.
Features
Volunteer Portal, Donor Management, Event Management
Volunteer Match
AmazonSmile is a free and easy way to fundraise for your organization. Work with donors to shop through smile.amazon.com, and 0.5% of eligible purchases will be donated to the charitable organization of their choice. There is no cost to donors or charities to participate.
Features
Online marketing tools, such as a customized landing page, No cost or administrative fees to charities or donors
