13 of the Most Profitable Fundraisers for Your Organization (2024)

• Expand marketing: Promoting your fundraiser to potential donors is a great first step, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Your nonprofit can benefit from numerous types of contributions, including people’s time and corporate partnerships. For example, you might target marketing materials to potential volunteers or to local businesses with matching gift programs. This way, your nonprofit gains free labor, doubled gifts, and a variety of revenue sources from its fundraiser.
• Budget wisely: Before starting any fundraiser, determine what resources you’ll need to host the event. For example, an in-person gala might require a venue, catering, and entertainment. How feasible is that for your nonprofit? After evaluating the resources you have available to put toward event planning, you might opt for a more cost-effective fundraiser, such as fundraising through a shoe drive. This way, you can raise money while keeping the cost of fundraising low.
• Appoint a leader: Remember, fundraising takes more than just monetary resources. If you haven’t already put someone in charge of your event planning, be sure to delegate the necessary tasks wisely. When each member of your team focuses on their individual tasks, they’ll be more productive and create a more profitable event.

These tips paired with the right fundraising idea will help your nonprofit keep costs minimal and boost revenue. Plus, efficient delegation strategies and budgeting decisions will help your event planning process run smoothly. That way, your nonprofit can focus on fulfilling its mission while your fundraiser brings in the funds to fuel your efforts. Let’s take a look at some of those profitable fundraising ideas!

A shoe drive fundraiser is a fun, easy way for your organization to turn a profit. Here’s how it works:

• Your organization partners with a shoe drive fundraising coordinator, like Funds2Orgs. With the right partner, you’ll gain access to all the materials you need for a successful shoe drive fundraiser, like a team of coaches, free collection materials, and social media marketing templates.
• Place the collection materials your partner organization sends you around your community. Ensure you’re putting collection receptacles where your supporters can easily find and use them—whether around your school, outside your nonprofit’s facility, or in a clearly-marked area at a community center.
• Promote the shoe drive fundraiser to your community of supporters and encourage them to donate. Use your audience’s preferred marketing channels to connect with them and tell them about your fundraiser. Your supporters can then donate their gently worn, used and new shoes.
• Your shoe drive fundraising coordinator takes it from there. Your partner organization will pick up the shoes you’ve collected and send you a check.

This simple fundraiser is a top choice for a few different reasons. First, your shoe drive fundraising coordinator handles all the heavy lifting and logistics for you, making this a stress-free, profitable experience. Second, a shoe drive fundraiser is easy on your supporters’ wallets and good for the environment. All they need to do to participate is bring in a pair of shoes, which benefits your organization and gives the shoes new life. Lastly, shoe drive fundraisers can easily be paired with another campaign, whether you’re planning a school carnival or a church barbeque. The possibilities are endless!

Your organization only needs a few things to organize a bake sale: a location for your sale, volunteers to run it, baked treats, and hungry supporters!

A bake sale is a great profitable fundraiser for schools because students can sign up to bring treats and then shop the bake sale during class breaks or at lunch. You can also make the school bake sale a family affair by hosting it after school and encouraging parents and guardians to attend.

Another option with a bake sale is to partner with a local bakery or restaurant and ask them to donate batches of their best-selling treats to your organization. This is a fun option because it allows you to promote your cause and a local business at the same time.

Remember, some of your supporters may have dietary restrictions. Rely on clear labels and careful packaging during your bake sale so everyone can safely enjoy the treats.

For an art show fundraiser, you’ll need to have some local artists donate original artwork they’ve created and sell it to raise money for your organization.

You can go about this in a few different ways:

• Host an art class prior to the art show where supporters gather and create drawings, paintings, or sculptures together that can be sold at the show.
• Reach out to local artists and ask them to donate a few of their pieces to your art show.
• Coordinate with a school art program to receive donated artwork from students in your community.

On the day of your art show, charge a small admission fee and encourage attendees to peruse your gallery and purchase their favorite pieces. Alternatively, you could host your art show auction-style, with each piece going to the highest bidder. You can also make extra money by selling refreshments or having local artists host workshops during the show.

This fundraiser is a fantastic way to get your community active on behalf of your cause. With a traditional 5K fundraiser, you’ll need a race course and good weather for walking, running, or rolling with bikes, scooters, wheelchairs, and strollers. You can make money by charging a registration fee, and don’t forget to plan to reward the fastest participants with a trophy or medal!

You can put a fun spin on the 5K fundraiser, too. You might turn your 5K into one of the following:

• Bubble run
• Color run
• Foam run
• Mud run

A unique race will attract more interest for your 5K, as supporters will love being able to say, “I completed a foam 5K” or “Check out this picture of me running through the mud last weekend!”

You can also very easily incorporate a shoe drive fundraiser into your 5K to increase the event’s profitability. For example, participants could bring in their old shoes as “admission,” or have onlookers donate shoes to enter your race course and cheer on their family and friends.

Another revenue-generating idea is to host a charity auction. “Charity auction” might bring visions of dollar signs and opulent, high-end galas to mind. However, there are ways to reduce upfront costs and make a profit for your organization with this fundraising idea.

Here are some steps to follow to set up a budget- and profit-friendly auction:

• Consider going virtual. Doing so will reduce the costs of renting and decorating a venue. Plus, a virtual event offers more flexibility for your supporters to attend wherever they are.
• Give yourself plenty of time to procure auction items. To secure desirable donated auction items, you’ll need plenty of time to build relationships with donors and gather your things. Give yourself a few months to scout out exciting items or packages and prepare them for your auction. You could even consider working with an auction consignment company, which can help you tap into high-end auction packages at no risk to your organization.
• Focus your attention on finding local sponsors. Local businesses may be able to give financial or in-kind donations, whether that be chairs for your event, refreshments, or auction items themselves. This is a great way to cut the costs of your auction and gives local businesses a positive publicity boost.

An auction also doesn’t have to be the main event for a fundraising campaign. Consider pairing this idea with another. For example, if you host a barbeque or picnic, you could incorporate a silent auction into your event to elevate your chances of pulling in more revenue.

Matching gifts are a powerful fundraising tool that allows your organization to essentially double its fundraising revenue. Gift matching is a form of corporate philanthropy where employers match their employees’ charitable contributions, usually at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio.

With a matching gift drive, you can dedicate an entire campaign to educating your supporters about matching gifts and encourage them to make a gift and submit their matching donation. Then, at no additional cost to them, their donation can be boosted to drive more impact for your nonprofit!

Here’s how securing a match will work for your supporters:

• Your supporter donates with your online donation form.
• Using a matching gift tool, they check to see if their employer offers gift matching.
• They submit their gift-matching information to their employer for approval.
• Their employer matches the gift.

Use matching gift software with auto-submission capabilities to make your matching gift drive even easier for your supporters. The software takes the hassle out of the process for your supporters, submitting their matching gift application to their employer for them. More convenience for your supporters during this process means more matched gifts and, thus, more revenue for your cause!

Everyone loves to give their car a good shine-up, but not everyone has the time to do it themselves. Make it easy for your supporters to get their cars squeaky clean by hosting a car wash on behalf of your organization.

For this fundraiser, you’ll need a full team of volunteers willing and ready to wash cars quickly and thoroughly as they arrive at the car wash site. This idea works especially well for schools or sports teams because students make enthusiastic car wash volunteers!

To give your car wash fundraiser a creative edge, consider theming it. For example, if you’re hosting your car wash around Halloween, you might make it a haunted car wash. Have your volunteers dress in costumes and try to spook your car wash attendees. Or, you could have a School Spirit team, with your volunteers wearing jerseys or school t-shirts and spreading school pride. Get creative, and you’ll be sure to pull in the cash!

A drive-in movie is a profitable fundraiser for organizations looking to engage families. For this fundraiser, you’ll need a large space and a projector. Families will drive up to enjoy the movie, paying an admission fee and purchasing drinks or movie treats.

To ensure your drive-in movie night is family-friendly, choose a film that is age-appropriate for the families that will be attending. Plan ahead to let your supporters know your selection beforehand so they can decide whether it’s the right movie for them.

This is another fundraiser where it’s easy to incorporate a shoe drive fundraiser. Attendees might bring their gently worn, used and new shoes to get free admission, VIP parking, or snacks and drinks.

With a text-to-give fundraiser, your organization’s supporters can give wherever and whenever they want. All you’ll need to do is invest in a text-to-give tool to help your supporters complete the necessary steps of providing a gift.

Here’s how this fundraiser works:

• Supporters text a specific keyword (determined by your organization) to a dedicated mobile number.
• This text triggers a response with a link to your online donation form.
• The supporter then completes their gift through your online donation form.

The most critical part of setting up a text-to-give fundraiser is determining the keyword your supporters will use to access your donation form easily. A keyword that is too long or generic will be difficult for your supporters to remember and enter accurately. Instead, choose a keyword that is short, distinctive, and specific to your cause. For instance, a keyword like “Cash4Cats” will be a much more effective keyword for an animal shelter fundraiser than “Give2PittsburghHumaneSocietyCatCampaign.”

This fundraising idea is a real winner for a few different reasons—not only does your organization profit from selling t-shirts, but you also get to spread the word about your cause as your supporters wear your t-shirts when they’re out and about!

A t-shirt fundraiser also offers a lot of flexibility in organizing it. For example, you can work with a t-shirt graphic design service to create t-shirts with your organization’s name, your campaign’s name, or a specific program’s name. You can then sell the shirts in an online store, during an event, or at your facility when supporters come to visit.

If you’re fundraising for a school or a school group, consider selling shirts with the school’s name and mascot. You can design a different style each year and sell them all year long to pull in fundraising dollars.

For young students, try hosting a t-shirt design contest. This is a great way to encourage creativity and an interest in the arts, and the winner gets the honor of having their design brought to life on the t-shirts you sell!

A dance-a-thon is a fun, exciting way to engage your community of supporters and encourage them to get their groove on for a good cause.

For a dance-a-thon, your supporters will collect pledges from their family and friends beforehand. For example, a participant’s parent might pledge $5 for every hour of dancing completed. Or, a friend might pledge $10 for every dance the participant dances. However you decide to structure your pledge system, your supporters will act as fundraisers, getting people in their networks to commit to supporting them ahead of time.

At the big event, you’ll play music, host dance-offs, and encourage your participants to enjoy their night on the dance floor. Then, they’ll collect the pledged donations based on how many hours or dances they’ve danced!

This idea is great for schools looking for ways to get their students involved in fundraising. Students can ask their friends and family members for pledged donations and encourage them to join in on the dancing.

This profitable fundraising idea is a hit for any organization because everyone loves a good excuse to get together and enjoy delicious food!

Charge an admission fee for your picnic or barbeque to pull in funds. You can cut down on upfront costs by hosting your picnic or barbeque potluck-style or by asking a local restaurant or catering company to donate the food or give you a discount.

Pull in additional cash by setting up fun carnival-style games at your fundraiser. Attendees can pay for tickets to play classic games like bottle toss, balloon pop, and bingo. Make sure to have fun prizes for the winners!

With a contest fundraiser, you can tap into your supporters’ competitive sides and create a memorable occasion where you pull in contributions and crown a contest winner.

There are many angles from which to approach a contest fundraiser. Here are a few examples:

• Cutest Pet Contest
• Costume Contest
• Chili Cook-Off
• Talent Show
• Battle of the Bands
• Spelling Bee

The premise of this fundraiser is simple. Encourage participants to pay to register to be part of your contest. Then, host an event where you determine who has the cutest pet or the most amazing on-stage talent. Reward the winner with a fun gift basket or gleaming trophy to cap off the event!