These ideas can be modified to fit many different fundraisers, or added to an event you already have planned. The emphasis is on creating a light-hearted atmosphere and funny memories while you raise funds for your charity or nonprofit organization!
Have someone dressed as a policeman at your fundraising event, complete with a set of toy handcuffs, and set up an area as your "jail." People can pay the policeman to "arrest" friends and relatives and throw them into the jail for a period of time (usually about 10 minutes). This one works especially well for Western- or gangster-themed events.
The "prisoner" can get out early by raising bail from the crowd, which brings in a second round of donations. Stick to good sports who have agreed ahead of time. This event also provides great photo opportunities!
Fill a carton with a dozen eggs, most of them hard-boiled with a few left raw. Two contestants take turns picking an egg and cracking it on their own forehead while the crowd counts down. The first to find two raw eggs loses.
Supporters pay to nominate a contestant, so line up a principal or a team captain who is happy to play. Run it outdoors, or put a tarp down, with towels ready for the unlucky one.
There's just something about a pack of wobbling dinosaurs that makes a whole crowd laugh. Runners pay an entry fee to race a short course in inflatable dinosaur costumes. (Keep the course to about fifty yards, since the costumes are warm and hard to see out of.)
Run separate heats for kids and grown-ups. Ask racers to bring their own costumes if they have them, or borrow a few for the day. Hand out a trophy for the slowest finisher as well as the fastest.
Give every contestant a plain cake, a pile of frosting and decorations, and the same photo of a truly ambitious showpiece. They have 20 minutes to copy it while the crowd looks on. Expect lopsided towers and sliding icing.
Ask a grocery store bakery to donate the plain cakes, or use cupcakes to keep it small. Line up the finished attempts next to the photo and let the crowd vote with donations for the funniest one. Afterwards, everyone gets a slice.
Where does George Washington keep his armies? In his sleevies!
Two contestants sit face to face and take turns reading dad jokes from a stack of cards. Whoever laughs first is out. Keeping a straight face is much harder than it sounds!
Run it as a bracket until one champion is left, then present a suitably groan-worthy trophy. A parents-against-kids round always goes down well.
Think of a talent show where nobody has to sing. Acts sign up a few weeks ahead, pick a song and rehearse a routine to mime along to. On the night, each one gets about two minutes on stage. Costumes and choreography are encouraged, the sillier the better.
Teachers and managers make the most popular performers, so recruit a few early. Sell tickets to the show and let the audience crown a winner by donating to their favorite act.
Mini-golf is fun on its own, but take it up a notch by adding a silly handicap to every hole. Players might putt wearing oven mitts at one hole and with the club in their opposite hand at the next.
Ask a local course to host a fundraising night, or build your own holes from things like cardboard and plastic cups in a gym. Have competitors make a donation to compete, with a prize for the winner.
This one is a no-brainer around Halloween, but other holidays make great options as well. Owners pay an entry fee to walk their costumed pets past a panel of judges. Award ribbons for categories such as best owner-and-pet duo and most creative costume.
Hold it outdoors on a short route with water bowls ready, so the stars of the show stay comfortable. A local pet store may be glad to donate the prizes.
You’re never too old to enjoy playing with bubbles! Think giant bubble wands and bubbles in a park or at the beach for this fast, fun fundraiser.
There’s no need to buy expensive equipment. A giant wand is two wooden dowels joined by a loop of cotton string. Mix your bubble solution in buckets from water and dish soap, with a little glycerin or corn syrup added so the bubbles last longer. Set up a few stations around the park, each with a bucket and a couple of wands.
Families make an entry donation and play for as long as they like. Every 15 minutes or so, call everyone together for a quick contest. Give out prizes for the biggest bubbles, bubbles that last the longest before they pop, and for the bubbles that go highest into the sky. Volunteers judge by eye, with a phone stopwatch for the longest-lasting round. A calm morning is the best time, since wind pops bubbles quickly.
Sell wand kits and bottles of your bubble mix so families can keep playing at home.
Hair tinsel, sometimes called fairy hair, is a pack of fine sparkly strands made to be worn in hair. There are tons of options on Amazon. Set up a booth where volunteers tie a few strands in for each customer and add stick-on face gems. Each strand is attached with a small slip knot near the roots, a technique your volunteers can pick up from an online tutorial. The strands brush out afterwards.
One pack of hair tinsel and face gems goes a long way, making this a low cost fun fundraiser option. Offer team or school colors on game days, or traditional colors for different holidays (like black and orange for Halloween or green and red for Christmas). Keep a mirror at the booth so everyone can admire their fabulous results.
Remember the stiff studio portraits of the 1980s, with the hazy backdrop and everyone in matching sweaters? Families love recreating them, and the results make unforgettable holiday cards.
Ask a local photographer to donate a few hours and set up a backdrop with proper lighting. Families book a ten-minute slot ahead of time and arrive in their best coordinated outfits. Keep a box of props on hand, such as oversized glasses and wigs, for anyone who needs a finishing touch. Each family receives their digital portrait in return for a donation.
We've all done karaoke, right? Now try nursery rhyme karaoke!
The kids will absolutely adore this fun fundraising idea, where everyone pays to take part and the winner receives a prize! Karaoke versions of most favorite nursery rhymes are easy to find on YouTube. Parents who sign up tend to get the biggest laughs.
If you have a bare wall at the venue for which you’re trying to raise money, and you have permission to decorate it, then a mural wall is a fantastic and fun idea.
Ask a local artist or art teacher to sketch a design on the wall and divide it into numbered sections, each matched to a paint color. Participants make a donation to paint a section. Even the youngest helpers can join in, and the finished picture comes together beautifully because everyone is following the same plan.
Leave a strip along the bottom where painters can sign their names. Local businesses can sponsor the larger sections in return for a mention on a small plaque. A hardware store may be happy to donate the paint and brushes.
Where a permanent mural isn’t allowed, paint on large canvas panels and hang them when they’re dry.
Pick a well-loved musical, turn on the subtitles so the lyrics are on screen, and invite everyone to sing at the top of their lungs. Hold it in a school gym or church hall, where a projector and a blank wall are all the equipment you need.
Ask kids to come in their pajamas, and invite everyone to bring blankets and pillows so they can get nice and cozy for the show. Costumes from the movie are welcome, too! A volunteer host can lead the crowd through the big numbers and hand out a prize for the most enthusiastic singer.
You need a public performance license to show a movie to a group, so arrange that first, then sell tickets to your show. For maximum fundraising success, sell easy-to-serve and easy-to-hold snacks and drinks for your moviegoers to enjoy.
All of these ideas can be customized to suit your needs and your budget. Add a theme for the season, or combine two of them into one big event. Let your imagination run wild and have fun while you raise funds for your nonprofit.
Happy fundraising!