Fundraising
Fundraising ideas, sorted by what they cost you.
Most fundraising lists rank ideas by what they raise. That is the wrong number. The one that decides whether a fundraiser survives is what it costs in volunteer hours — so that is how this is organized.
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What are the best fundraising ideas for a group?
It depends less on the idea than on who has to run it. Fundraisers fall into three kinds: one-time campaigns that raise the most and cost the most, direct asks that keep nearly every dollar, and recurring programs that raise least per transaction but keep producing with no volunteers at all.
One-time campaigns
High effort, high gross
Galas, carnivals, auctions, product sales. They raise the biggest single numbers and consume the most volunteer time. Run them for the community and the visibility; judge them honestly on what is left after the supplier’s cut.
Direct asks
Low effort, high return
Direct-give campaigns, sponsor-a-traveler, business sponsorships. Almost every dollar reaches you because there is nothing to buy first. The most under-used category on most groups’ lists.
Recurring and passive
One-time setup, then nothing
Corporate matching, purchase-linked giving, affinity partnerships. Small per transaction and easy to dismiss — but it is the only category that still produces in the months when nobody is running a campaign.
Most groups over-invest in the first category and never build the third, which is why every year starts from zero. The guides below are specific to each kind of group.
Guides by kind of group
- Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Most school fundraising fails on labor, not on ideas. These are sorted by what they actually cost you in volunteer hours.
- Affinity Partnerships & Non-Dues Revenue
Dues have a ceiling and members notice every increase. Non-dues revenue is how associations grow without touching that number.
- Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits
Every list of nonprofit fundraising ideas assumes you have a development team. This one is organized around the fact that you probably do not.
- Church Fundraising Ideas
Most church fundraising problems are labor problems. These are sorted by who has to do the work.
- Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams
Travel teams have a particular problem: the season costs money continuously, and most fundraisers only pay out once.
- PTA & PTO Fundraising Ideas
A PTA’s scarcest resource is not money. It is the small number of parents who reliably show up.
- Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas
Most mission trip fundraising works. The problem is that it works exactly once, and next year’s team begins again at nothing.
- Booster Club Fundraising Ideas
The hardest thing about booster club fundraising is not raising the money. It is that everything resets when the board turns over.
- Band Fundraising Ideas
Marching band budgets are dominated by two things nobody enjoys fundraising for: instruments and buses.
- Fundraising Ideas for Youth Groups
The best youth group fundraisers are the ones where the students are visibly doing something, not the ones where parents quietly write checks.
How can travel turn into fundraising?
Groups that travel are already spending money on it — trips, tournaments, mission teams, alumni tours — and travel protection is usually bought separately from whoever sells it. Bought through your organization’s page instead, BonaVia shares up to 40% of what it collects back to your organization as a sponsorship.
It belongs in the recurring category above: modest per trip, no volunteer time, and it keeps producing between campaigns. Your people pay exactly what they would pay for the same coverage anywhere else — the sponsorship comes out of what we collect, not out of a markup on them. Nobody in your organization sells or explains insurance.
Two ways to work with us: a sponsorship partnership for organizations and groups, or a licensed retailer path for travel advisors and businesses.
Questions people ask
What is the easiest fundraiser to run?
A direct-give campaign. One letter, one ask, no product and no event — and because there is no supplier taking a cut, nearly every dollar reaches the organization. It raises less than a big event and takes a fraction of the work, which usually makes it the better trade.
What is passive fundraising?
Fundraising that produces revenue without an ask or an event: purchase-linked giving, corporate matching, and affinity partnerships. Each transaction is small, but it runs year-round with no volunteer time, so it keeps producing between campaigns.
What is an affinity partnership?
An arrangement where a company offers your members or families a product and shares the revenue with your organization. Members pay the ordinary price, the organization carries no cost, and the income is unrestricted. It is the most common source of non-dues revenue for associations.
Which fundraisers raise the most money?
Measured in gross dollars, large events and product sales. Measured per volunteer hour, direct giving and recurring programs win comfortably. Most groups should run one big push a year and build recurring revenue underneath it, rather than running three events and no baseline.
How does travel protection raise money for a group?
When members or families buy travel protection through your organization’s BonaVia page, BonaVia shares up to 40% of what it collects with your organization as a sponsorship. They pay the same price they would pay anywhere else, and the organization pays nothing to set it up.