Church fundraising ideas
Looking for best church fundraisers to rally your congregation and raise money for your next project? Discover fresh approaches to raising the roof (literally) and hitting your financial goals with the best fundraising ideas for churches.
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Virtual movie night
Use Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) to host a virtual family movie night fundraising event on the streaming service of your choice. Ask movie trivia questions throughout to make the evening more interactive!









Grow-your-own garden kit
Ask local nurseries to donate herbs, seeds, and soil you can use to assemble gardening kits. Bring volunteers together to assemble everything and sell them on a custom fundraising page or donation form.









Earth Day
Reserve an indoor or outdoor space and invite your community to come arrange flower bouquets and pot their own plants to celebrate Earth Day (April 22).
Charge an entrance fee and make your fundraising event move smoothly with mobile app check-in and easy scan-to-donate payment options.









Mini-golf tournament
Assemble teams, charge entry fees, and cheer everyone on as they compete for the best score. Encourage participants to make personal team fundraising pages and ask friends and family to support them and the cause.









Sell swag or merch
Raise some extra funds for your organization or club and spread the word about your cause by selling branded swag like totes, stickers, and t-shirts.
With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!









Grab bags
Reach out to local businesses and ask them to donate a small number of products that you can bundle together and offer donors online.
To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.









Community cookbook
Create and sell a custom cookbook featuring favorite recipes from your community members and families. To drum up excitement and spread the word, share sneak peek photos on your custom fundraising page.









Donation drive
Set up a donation drive to collect valuable in-kind donations or financial gifts for your cause. This can be done by setting up a drop-off zone in person or collecting donations online through a fundraising page. No matter the format—make sure to share your fundraising goal far and wide to keep the momentum going!









Community resource fair
Reserve a large space like a parking lot or school gym and sell booths to local vendors. Invite the community and charge a small entrance fee with easy mobile giving tools like Tap to Pay or scan-to-donate.









Sponge toss
For this fundraising event, charge a small fee per water balloon or sponge, and let students throw them at each other during a pep rally or outdoor event. For easy participation, offer scan-to-donate and accept multiple payment methods like Apple Pay, Venmo, and more.









Family and friends game night
Sell custom event ticket types and group tickets that offer unlimited access to games—or charge a certain number of tickets per game.









Flower bulb sale
Sell wholesale flowers or request donations from nurseries and landscaping stores to sell to supporters. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage individual supporters to compete to see who can sell the most!









Concert for a cause
Work with popular local musicians and performers to host a benefit concert with a percentage of the proceeds going towards your cause.
Want to make sure everyone can listen in and donate, no matter where they are? Livestream your concert to the masses and enable people to contribute to your campaign without leaving the stream.









Bake sale
Everyone loves sweet treats. Whip up some cookies, cakes, and donuts, and set up a bake sale with proceeds going directly to your good cause.
Supporters don’t have cash on them? No problem! With Givebutter you can accept a wide range of modern payment methods, including Venmo.









Trivia night
At this crowd-favorite activity, you can come up with fun questions, charge entry fees for teams, and raise extra money by providing sweet and salty snacks.
Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.









The guessing game
At your next event, fill a jar with candy and, for a small fee, invite people to guess how many pieces are in the jar. The closest guess wins all the candy!
Use scan-to-donate to send guessers directly to your donation page for easy on-the-spot giving. Print the QR code onto a poster, or display it on a tablet or screen on your stand.









Movie night
Find a suitable indoor or outdoor space and host a ticketed screening of a fan-favorite movie (bonus if it’s related to your cause!). Sell popcorn, treats, and drinks, too.
Use Givebutter’s fundraising event tools like online ticket sales, mobile app check-ins, and in-person payments to make it easier for you and your supporters.









Grill-off
At your next BBQ, invite hobby chefs to compete in a grill-off, where they’ll be judged by a panel of experts—your supporters!
Set up team fundraising pages where everyone can make a donation to vote for their favorite chef. They can also see a live leaderboard and watch the votes land in real time!









Take a pie to the face
Set up a booth and invite people to pay to throw a pie at willing participants like teachers, bosses, or coaches—the more authority, the more satisfying!
With scan-to-donate, pie throwers use your QR code to land on your donation page instantly—no waiting around.









Donate or dare
Pledge to do something wild, exciting, or newsworthy if your fundraising campaign hits or exceeds its target.
Share regular campaign updates and add a goal bar to your fundraising page to keep the momentum going and encourage more donations.









All you can eat buffet
Host an all-you-can-eat buffet or potluck dinner, and charge a small fee to enjoy a meal together with your community.
A free event ticketing platform can help you organize and manage your evening and check people in from your mobile device without any stress.









Recycling drive
Ask supporters to collect recyclable materials like cans, bottles, or even old tech, then use a service that helps you turn these items into cash. Recycling drives work as great long-term fundraising activities. Keep your supporters engaged and remind them where and when they can drop off materials with your email marketing software.









Scavenger hunt
Set up a themed scavenger hunt in your venue, neighborhood, or across the entire town. Charge participants a small entrance fee and offer fun, donated prizes for the winners.
Streamline the process of selling tickets and create a hub for your hunt with a fundraising event page. Any energy saved can be spent on making your event even more exciting!









Caroling
Embrace the holiday spirit and spread joy by going caroling around town or at an event. Pass the hat for cash donations AND hold a big QR code or text-to-donate number for easy mobile giving!









Crowdfunding campaign
Collect online donations from friends, family, and community members by creating a fundraising page that lays out your needs and the impact that you will make with the money you raise. Use photos and videos to make your story more engaging, and use a goal bar to showcase your progress.
Be sure to follow crowdfunding best practices in order to make your campaign an even bigger success!









Frequently asked questions
What are some examples of great church fundraisers?
The best fundraising for church ideas build on the deep connections that congregations foster. These include community cook-offs, service days, or peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, where individuals create online donation pages and ask for support from friends and family members to fund specific programs.
What are some of the ways churches make money?
Most places of worship sustain their mission through consistent donations, sometimes called tithes, from members of the congregation.
Churches may also have multiple fundraising drives and events throughout the year, including rummage sales, silent auctions, and family-friendly activities that charge a small fee, in addition to in-kind donations and investments.
What does the Bible say about fundraising in the church?
Many verses throughout the Bible promote Christian fundraising ideas and other acts of giving—whether that be through sharing kindness, service, or prosperity.
One example is in 2 Corinthians 9:6, which states, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Which church fundraiser ideas are the easiest?
The easiest ways to raise funds for your church are those that your team has the skill, resources, and motivation to host and encourage others to take part in—book or bake sales, postcard drives, you name it.
Additionally, many churches and other faith-based organizations generate passive income by renting out their space to local groups.
Which fundraiser ideas for church groups raise the most money?
Beyond passing the plate on Sunday morning, church fundraising events that bring in the most money are typically large-scale events, such as a 24-hour social media livestream marathon, or exciting, time-specific campaigns like “Raise the Roof” or “Bail Out the Pastor” challenges.
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