One of the best ways to get people to donate to your organization is to host a fundraising event. There are many different types of events and themes, and this post will take you through over two dozen different ideas to help get your creative juices flowing, so you can host your best fundraising event ever!
Types of Fundraising Events
Fundraising events are a great way to increase the impact of your nonprofit by connecting with new people and raising money. But fundraising events don’t have to be boring; you can create a fun, engaging event that gives guests an opportunity to be creative or help out at a meaningful cause. Here are some popular event ideas we’ve seen:
1. Gala
A gala is usually more formal, although they don’t have to be! Check out our theme ideas below that will freshen up your gala and l, with a dinner, entertainment, and a traditional program. Most galas will have a specific theme and will include both a live and silent auction.
2. Walk/Run
Holding a walk or run is a great way to involve the community in your fundraising efforts. These events usually occur in the morning on a weekend and can include additional activities such as vendor booths and live band performances. With a walk or run, participants raise money in advance of your event through methods like peer-to-peer fundraising pages.
3. Golf Tournament
There are many opportunities to raise money through a golf tournament. This type of fundraising event is attractive to corporate supporters and can include a pre-event dinner and a silent auction.
4. Concert
We are seeing an emergence of concerts in recent years. A benefit concert can involve a big headliner or a popular local cover band, as long as you make sure that it’s music your supporters want to hear. It’s important to know your audience and what they like! The big question you want to ask yourself when throwing a concert fundraising event is whether you want your income to come from ticket sales or sponsors.
5. Taste of Events
“A Taste of” fundraising event is a fun and trendy way to raise money for your nonprofit organization. Gather local chefs and hold a cookoff or contest between their dishes. Chefs can also raise money ahead of time, and whoever raises the most money wins. With this type of event, you don’t even have to worry about lining up a caterer!
6. Food Truck Frenzy
Gather five or ten local food trucks with different types of cuisines, get a local band or other entertainment, and sell tickets to a food truck frenzy to raise money for your cause.
7. Networking Event
Networking events aren’t just for your local Chamber of Commerce; they can be effective fundraising events as well. These work really well when you have a prominent local business person or leader in your industry who will make themselves available for people to spend time with one on one or in a small group. For example, people can buy tickets to fish with an executive or bowl with a local professional athlete.
8. Indoor Sporting Events
Volleyball tournaments, bowling tournaments, and other indoor sporting events do well as fundraising events. Make it casual yet competitive and invite people to raise lots of money.
9. Video Game Tournaments
Invite your supporters to participate in a video game tournament like Fortnite, League of Legends, or Madden. You can execute this type of event in person in a large venue or as a virtual event. You can even live stream the event in real-time to engage your audience.
These event types can include things like a silent auction, Text2Give, and other additional ways to raise money for your cause.
Event Themes
We’ve all loved incorporating a theme into our events since the dawn of the birthday party. Before doing this, however, you should ask yourself, “Does having a theme add value to my event?” You may not need this added element to your event if you already have a solid event structure in place. For example, a golf tournament does not need a Hawaiian theme. It stands on its own.
Listen to Kristen’s example of an established event that doesn’t need a theme on the Elevate Your Event Podcast.
If you’re looking for creative and fun event themes, you’ve come to the right place! Before we list out our ideas for themes, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Be mindful of the day of the week your event takes place, and let that factor into your theme. You don’t want a formal event on a Thursday night where people have to rush home after work to get ready for your six o’clock start time.
- Make your event website match your theme. The right event software can help you match your event landing page to your theme.
- For broader themes, include language in your event invitation that clues your guests into what they should wear. For example, “Boots ‘N Bling,” and, “Denim and Diamonds” should both indicate that guests can wear jeans and more casual attire to your event. Other phrasing can include things like, “date night attire,” or, “snappy casual.”
1. Boots ‘N’ Bling, Denim and Diamonds, Stilettos and Steins (all fun plays on a casual, country theme!)
2. “Through the Looking Glass” (Alice in Wonderland)
3. Yellow Brick Road (“Wizard of Oz”)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Roaring 20s
6. Phantom of the opera
7. Under the Big Top
8. Cirque du Soleil
9. Totally 80s
10. High School Prom
11. Bridgerton
12. Mardi Gras
13. Kentucky Derby
14. Casino night
15. Flip Flop Gala
16. Black Tie and Tennies
17. “Un gala”
18. White-Out
19. Shrimp Boots and Bowties
Click here to tune into our podcast episode all about event themes to find out how to incorporate different elements of these ideas into your fundraiser.
While these events and themes are not guaranteed to be a success for all organizations, they have been proven to bring in foot traffic and donations for other non-profits. You just may find that these ideas will give your organization an edge when it comes to the success of your next fundraising event. This list of events should give you a good starting point when brainstorming ideas on how to host the perfect fundraiser event. We hope that you can find a theme here that will cater to you and your organization’s audience!
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