The best 40 fundraising ideas for nonprofits

St. Jude hosts many kinds of events across the country, ranging from large formal events to small fundraisers among friends. Organizing an activity or event is a fun way to educate people about your cause. Virtual fundraising events are also a great fundraising idea for nonprofits to reach an ever larger audience of potential donors.

Fundraising tip: Offer incentives for attending, like snacks or a free T-shirt. Make a budget, and decide how much is appropriate to ask community members in return for participating in your event. 

Selling items is a great way to raise money, plus having your logo or name of your cause on the product may give your mission widespread exposure. If your budget is small, you can start with an item like stickers. If you have money to spend, try printing T-shirts or hats. 

Fundraising tip: Be smart about how you spend your budget by making sure the cost will deliver a return, even if you don't sell out of all of your items. 

Fundraising at your school or college is a smart way to educate and gain support from peers, but it's important to know your audience. For example, funny social media posts might work best for high school students, but support from administration could require a professional presentation. 

Fundraising tip: Fundraising at your school or college usually requires permission from administration, so be sure to seek approval when appropriate. If your ideas won't work at your school, consider working with school officials to come up with a better fit, or you could try something outside of campus.

Partnering with organizations or companies is a way to share your mission at a larger scale, by gaining help from an organization's members or a company's customers and employees. 

Fundraising tip: When you present your cause and your fundraising idea to a company, do it in a professional and informative way. Because this is a partnership, come prepared to be open-minded if the company has ideas that change your initial plan.