With the fall season knocking on the door, everybody is geared up to get soaked in the spirit of joy, celebration, festivities, and charity. There’s no better time of the year than this season to bring your ideas to life. It is the time to gather together, light a bonfire, be around the football field, and indulge in several activities that bring us closer together.
Popular fall festivals like Halloween and Thanksgiving are great attractions and the best time to bring people together. The season is considered to be a great opportunity to host a fundraising event for your cause, and gather more crowds that would make your event a grand success!
Let us know much more about the fall fundraising ideas and the best ones to organize during the fall season
A fundraising event is an event that is organized to create awareness about a cause and gather support from the people for it. As the name indicates it is a “fund-raising” event, where money is raised for a particular cause through different mediums.
From the definition of a fundraising event, you can easily conclude what fall fundraising is. A ‘fall fundraising event’ takes place during fall, that is, the best time of the year.
Autumn or the season of fall is a great time to consider fundraising events because the weather is pleasant and people love to go out, roam around, and spend time outdoors with their loved ones. It is the time between summer and winter when the temperature starts dropping gradually. So, the season naturally evokes a feeling of coziness and spurs positive vibes in everyone.
As seasonal change takes place and people get into a jovial holiday mood, it is the best time to kickstart some fall fundraiser ideas. With schools starting their new sessions, the nonprofits consider the fall season ideal to hold fundraising events where they can utilize all the positivity hovering around to raise funds and create awareness about a cause.
Raising money is one of the key factors for hosting a fall fundraising event. But, when you are letting your creative juices flow to think of some marvelous fall fundraiser ideas, it should deliver more than monetary benefits.
Here we are presenting you with several reasons for hosting fundraising events:
Donors’ retention is one of the key factors for any non-profit organization. However, gaining new donors should not take a back seat. It is the paramount reason for hosting fall fundraisers. When you extend an invitation to a particular person, they often come with a plus one, whom you never know might become your donor. Welcoming new attendees and networking with them gives you an ideal opportunity to build and expand your donor base.
Any relationship needs a constant reminder of support. If your donors are supporting you through thick and thin, it is time for you to show your gratitude. And the best way is to think of some amazing fall fundraising ideas and organize an event to acknowledge the behind-the-scenes people. Even the volunteers need to feel a part of your organization and your event gives you the ideal platform for this.
Raising awareness for your cause, and making people aware of your presence, is also one of the core reasons for hosting a fall fundraising event, which is expected to receive high footfall than the fundraising events of other seasons. The more people are aware of your cause, the more participation you will receive, and the better revenue you can generate for your organization.
The season of fall is full of coziness and generosity. Non-profit organizations who are looking forward to getting more cash can leverage the flow of positive feelings of the season and organize a holiday fundraiser event.
It is the time when schools are back in session, and many are getting ready for the holidays, the fall fundraising ideas help your non-profit organization to enjoy good attention and great community support.
With a drop in temperature and a change in the weather, people prefer to indulge in some fun-loving activities or events together with their families. The fresh air and breathtaking views of the season lure them to come out of their shell and meet their friends, families, and communities. Hence, organizing the fall fundraising events is a great time to ensure the success of your efforts.
Here, we have compiled a list of 37 most creative and compelling fall fundraiser ideas that will boost the donation levels. Let’s read about them:
If you have various unique fall fundraising ideas and you cannot choose from them, roll yourself for hosting a charitable fall festival. The festival must incorporate some fun fundraising activities where families of all income levels can take active and easy participation. Decide to include a corn maze, live music, or other activities that would allow the families to enjoy together, and you will be happy faces all around.
One of the most interesting fall festival fundraising ideas is to organize a bake-off competition. Baking is a passion of many people, and you will also find participants eager to show off their baking skills. All you need for this fundraising idea is to ask for a donation fee and organize a prize for the winner. You can also organize other refreshments for the participants to make the fundraiser, a success. Organizing a cookie dough fundraising event along with this bake-off contest will double your revenue prospects.
One of the most exciting fall festival fundraising ideas for school is an online fall fundraiser. It is a go-to for non-profit organizations because it is extremely affordable. The range of online-only fundraisers helps you to expand your reach too far and wide places. You can also deliver food boxes, and gifts, to your participants and ensure that they are happy to support you for your event. This event got extremely popular as one of the most successful fall fundraiser ideas during covid.
There are very few options for fall fundraising event ideas for churches. But this one is the best and will never let you down. The candle fundraiser ensures that you put on display some finely-crafted candles with high fragrance and long-burning capability. It is a perfect event for church-goers during the fall season. It also stands tall among the best fall fundraisers that guarantee maximum return on your fundraising efforts.
When we are talking about the best fall festival fundraiser ideas, the lollipop fundraiser tops the list. Allowing you to create the most successful fundraiser, the event is a major hit among the children, schools, and of course the parents. Being a kid-friendly fundraiser, it is open to all and is a great option for adults to taste their childhood all over again.
A candy bar fundraiser is a hassle-free, mouth-watering, and lucrative way to make money for your non-profit organization or cause. Available in attractive profit margins, you can host this program all year round. Everybody likes sweet treats and people will love to donate to a good cause in exchange for some delectable candies. Hence, the likelihood of making higher sales is quite prominent. Earn more with a candy bar fundraiser and meet your fundraising goals no matter how big or small they are. It’s so an easy and effective option!
These days, DO-IT-YOURSELF projects are on trend. Because of their simplicity and feasibility, they are growing in popularity substantially. It’s these projects only that can make fundraising easy and fun at the same time. Explore the DIY-friendly fall fundraising ideas we shared below to empower your non-profit project and make more money:
Choosing from the different fall fundraiser themes might be a challenge for you. However, a good theme for fall can ensure to help you raise more money for your cause. Now that the schools get back in session, hosting a back-to-school fundraiser event is a smart choice. This makes a back-to-school sound like a wonderful and cheerful event itself. Give the students the chance of buying a wide collection of textbooks, storybooks, pens, and other stationary items. You can also organize a calligraphy session or notebook decoration session to attract the crowd.
With the cool weather, running a marathon will be easy for all. You can organize a half-marathon with an entry fee. You will be amazed to see how enthusiastic your community members will be for the same. They will come forward to actively participate in the marathon, making your fundraising event a huge success.
If you wish to organize a more upscale fundraising event, go for a harvest dinner for your patrons, donors, or sponsors. Serve seasonal foods, with extra-homey touch and impress them with the dinner arrangements. It is a great way to personalize your fundraiser and throw a myriad of social events that would encourage people to support your cause.
Who doesn’t like a bonfire night, especially in the cold weather of the fall season? Organize a bonfire and give the participants a perfect transition from summer to fall. It adds a cozy and nostalgic feel and is popular among people all across. You can also organize a scary story contest. For raising the fund, you can either charge an admission fee to the bonfire or pass around a donation basket during the bonfire.
There are many offline fundraising ideas that you might come across. But you might have many of your supporters living in a different region, who might for some reason not join you at your offline event. What to do for them? You can organize the virtual dance party and ask them to take active participation in the event. Allow the participants to show off their hottest dance moves and cheer for others.
Fundraising walks can be organized around the year, but planning them during fall, ensures that you capture the essence of the season. The crisp weather and beautiful colors of fall are worth enjoying. Ask your community supporters to take a break from their everyday life and start planning for a fall color walk that will take them to the most picturesque spots of the region.
Promote local arts through your fundraising event. Your neighborhood and community both love it. People are interested in hoarding some amazing local crafts, thus ensuring that your craft fair will be a success. You can dedicate the craft specific to a certain cause or put on display everything from the local market. This is a remarkable fall festival organizing idea, which yields excellent results for your organization.
October classics and October fundraising events include a Halloween costume contest. Make the best of it by turning it into a fundraiser event. Book a venue, and spread the word about your fundraiser. You will have many people joining the contest in Halloween costume contest. You can also decide to let your participants walk around the neighborhood to showcase their costumes and spread awareness of your organization. It is a great event to be organized for students or for fall fundraising ideas for high school.
With the spirit of Halloween hovering over our heads, organizing a pumpkin carving contest is one of the easy seasonal fundraising ideas. It is easy to organize and easier to carry out. All you need to organize are pumpkins and carving supplies. You can ask or gather the community at a local market and organize the event. Charge an entry fee for the contest and raise money for your event.
A fall-basket auction can be organized focusing on the popular parts of the season. These are also known as silent auctions. It falls under one of the most popular fall fundraising ideas for many non-profit organizations. The participants need to create a fall fundraiser-themed basket collecting or presenting everything that they consider to be the highlight of the season. The themes and ideas for the auction can be varied. One might come up with a move night fall fundraiser basket idea or a hot cocoa basket, and many more. On the auction night, your guests need to write down their offers for the basket(s) they want. The basket will be given to the person with the highest bid. A wonderful way to raise funds!
If you are struggling through different fall fundraising ideas for schools, then planning a school carnival is going to be fun for you! It is an outdoor event that allows you to raise money easily. Include some carnival games, and market the event properly to gain the right publicity from your supporters. It will enhance your footfall too.
Celebrate the German beer festival and make money from the same. It lies among the best fall festival fundraiser ideas and the crowd footfall at the event is tremendous. Get a few local pubs to participate or get involved with your event and make an event from an evening of drinking beer and eating out. You can organize a low-key party or opt for an actively participated event, depending on your choice or requirement.
Outdoor movies with the entire family are a fun concept for your fall fundraiser themes. All you need is a grassy area, a projector, and a large white background. Of course, a move that you know people love to watch. Talk to the attendees and inform them about your organization and cause. It is a great way for spreading awareness and network with people. You can use it as one of the best club fundraising ideas as well. Plan the movie night on a weekend and no seats will be vacant at your event.
Many adults miss out on homecoming the first time. With your second chance homecoming fundraising event, you give them the chance to live that part again. Organizing mostly for adults, you need to rent a space, where they can be themselves, enjoy their day, relax with their friends and drink alcohol. Fix a theme for the event and set an entry fee, your fundraiser campaign is all set to kick off amazingly.
People like to be scared, especially when they know it is in a controlled environment. So, your fall festival fundraising ideas for a haunted house will be a hit. The advantage of this idea is it is so flexible that you can execute it even in a very small space, like a garage. Take the help of some volunteers or some of your friends and use their creativity to get the place done in a spooky décor. Take the price of admission from the people to raise funds for your cause.
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday. It is one of the largest and best festival fundraising ideas. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to tap the potential of this day. It is a unique fundraising idea for your nonprofit organization. It encourages the community to involve in a charity program and feel good about themselves.
Fall is the synonym of football; we aren’t exaggerating when we are saying this!
The fantasy football league can be organized anytime from the beginning of September to the end of December. It is a fun fundraising initiative that makes sure of the success of the event. Determine an entry fee, and a prize for the winner and participants, and plan for the event exuberantly. Football is the favorite game of many individuals and will bring more footfall to your event.
Fall marks the beautiful yellows, oranges, and reds that fall from the leaves. It makes the road and the surrounding areas look stunning. But, when these leaves fall on the ground, someone needs to clean the mess up. Create a fall leaf cleanup campaign and announce that the participants will secure donations from the sponsors for each pound of leaves that they collate.
This is among the brilliant fall fundraiser ideas for the school, as the energy and enthusiasm of the students can be utilized to the fullest.
It is another variant of fall fundraising run ideas. What do you have to do in this zombie run? Have a group of volunteers dressed up as zombies and let them chase your supporters through the streets.
It sounds interesting, isn’t it? Make it more interesting by adding a condition that whoever gets caught, will have their “brains” eaten, which means he/she will have to donate to your cause. The zombie runs are one of the most amazing fall festival fundraising ideas that you can organize with minimum effort.
Instead of organizing a regular bake-off, you can also start your pie-baking contest as your fall festival fundraiser. Let the supporters take part in the event and battle it out with their best pie recipes. Either a jury declares the winner or you can also ask the crowd to choose by tasting the sample.
Make a buzz around your idea by organizing a popular homecoming-inspired dance-a-thon. Non-profits can rent a space and allow the participants to enjoy a theme dance party by registering with an entry fee. Dance-a-thon is always a popular fall fundraiser event. You can create more enthusiasm by asking the participants to share their ideas for the music included.
The fall season means a Halloween party and of course Thanksgiving. For both events, we cannot ignore the cooking, as it requires a lot of cooking. Some people love to cook, while others avoid it. Organize a cooking class as your fundraising event and you will have crowd and revenue flowing throughout. Partner with a restaurant and ask a chef to take the cooking class for the local community. The event will be a major hit!
Hosting a chili cook-off also receive active participation. It allows families to present their culinary skills and share their favorite chili recipes that could even make them win the competition. The best way to raise funds through this activity is by charging a registration fee to the contestants. You can spice things up by allowing the community members present at the venue to taste the sample and be the judge of the contest. It is a great fundraising idea that will never disappoint you.
The decoration is a part of the fall festive season. Halloween decoration is as popular as Christmas ones. Have a contest for the best-decorated porch and you will come across some of the most creepy and creative decorations. It is a great way to connect with your community and allow them to develop a theme for the event and showcase their creativity. The porch with a large number of votes and most donations claims the winner prize.
Being a low-maintenance fall fundraising idea, the checkout charity campaign is getting extremely popular among non-profit organizations. Under this campaign, all you need to do is simply ask a local business or a retailer to collect donations from their customers.
You can prepare a donor card, printed in fall colors or the shape of leaves, and ask the business to hand it over to the donors when they donate. You can also give a decoration element to the business that matches your fall fundraiser themes. It creates awareness among the local community about your event.
The National Take A Hike day falls in November. You can plan your hiking fundraiser event around the same time and ask the participants to register ahead of time. Contact your sponsors and organize a goodie pack that includes bags, travel guides, and even T-shirts. Start sending a “save-the-date” mail in advance and allow your participants to prepare for the hike.
There’s a novelty as well as fun in the Autumn Paint and Sip Night fundraising event. In this event, supporters or donors gather at a place to paint while enjoying a variety of beverages. It is one of the most relaxing and unique fall fundraiser ideas that help you raise money while letting the supporters paint their imaginations and deliver artistic creations.
You can host this either formally or informally! Host it in a formal way with wine-tasting and providing instructions on how to paint.
To do it informally, you can ask the participants to have fun while painting randomly with brushes or fingers! Alongside, offer a range of drinks including soft drinks, smoothies, crushers, healthy beverages, or other refreshments. There are endless ways to host this fundraiser!
To host this promising fundraiser event, you need to arrange the two key essentials – art supplies and drinks. Also, a good place, preferably an open space is needed where people can enjoy the Paint and Sip Night underneath the starry sky.
Thus, you need to plan so that you can even take part and do some painting with others while raising considerable donations.
The hay ride is one of the coolest fall fundraiser ideas, which has the potential to attract a lot of families or participants of all ages. This makes it a great idea for schools, daycares, teen groups, and nonprofits involving children.
While this fundraiser must be ideally hosted in the farm lands, any open green space like a park or garden is also good to hold this event! With minimal upfront arrangements required, i.e., the hay ride equipment, it is super-easy to host this fundraiser. You can rent the equipment at a minimal cost if you don’t own a farm.
To make the hay ride event even more exciting, combine it with other farming-related activities like apple picking, autumn bake sale, etc. Also, organize some delicious snacks/refreshments for the supporters to help them enjoy while doing miscellaneous farm activities.
Bowl-a-thon is one of the merrier fall fundraiser ideas to host this fall season that lets participants have loads of fun and enjoyment while contributing to a cause. All you need is to select a great bowling alley and ask the community members to participate.
It is also one of the easiest ways for nonprofits to raise funds, by selling bowling tickets at a price and asking for a registration fee for bowling teams. You can make this fundraiser idea more eventful by adding some fun games for the kids.
While elders can compete in bowling with full excitement, kids can enjoy some fun time in kids’ bowling, balancing beam, pitching pennies, board games, and other games.
Bowl-a-thons are community-friendly and accessible fundraising events that bring together families and community members together in a fun-filled atmosphere while raising money for a noble purpose or cause.
If you need a fall fundraiser idea with maximum supporters but want to do it in a hassle-free way, then a peer-to-peer fundraising event is the one. The main idea of this fundraiser is that the supporters work on your behalf to raise money. There are many ways to raise this fundraiser- team fundraising, individual fundraising, and both.
Your supporters can raise funds through their fundraising ideas, either creating fundraising pages or hosting events like walk-a-thon, bake sales, dance-a-thon, etc.
With different styles or ways to raise this fundraising, it is easy to encourage participation from groups, communities, or individuals.
Besides, every DIY fundraising program can attract a great number of participants if the organizers put efforts into the promotions through social media, flyer distribution, posters, and word-of-mouth. With virtual fundraising becoming popular these days, hosting the peer-to-peer fundraiser has become furthermore easy.
The virtual gala fundraiser is just like the gala fundraising event that uses a live streaming platform. This event can get you maximum supporters because they can simply participate in the event from the comfort of their homes.
In the program, the supporters are required to say something inspirational, sing a song, or perform a recitation. You can host any type of virtual gala program depending on the supporters that you expect to get.
While hosting this fall fundraising program, you need to make sure to put a proper call-to-action on your virtual fundraising page that would encourage the audience to click and register.
Another thing that you should take care of while organizing this virtual event is that you should plan the gala programming. Making the list of the participants, what they are going to perform, and for how much duration, is necessary.
It will help you arrange and coordinate the virtual event smoothly. Also, try to make the virtual event short, i.e. maximum of 60 – 90 minutes because it isn’t easy to keep the online audience hooked for a long time.
Although any fundraising ideas for fall can ensure you achieve success, with a few strategies and tips in mind, you can raise your bar. Let’s look into some ways through which your fall fundraising event ideas will turn into a successful event:
When organizing your fundraising event, you have to keep in mind a few tips that will make your campaign experience successful. Here is a list of some tips, keep reading and enjoy:
Your donor is the backbone of your organization. Valuing their time ensures that you care for them. It intensifies their trust and faith in you. Educate and spread awareness of your cause, but don’t take all the time on earth. Always remember, that the donors or supporters are visiting your event to enjoy. Allow them to do that!
Let your supporters or donors decide whether they want to buy something or are eager to get something from your event or not. Don’t be too pushy. Give them a good experience and they will come back for your next event.
If you are planning a fundraising event for the fall season, you must plan for it in advance. Starting from the décor, the creative fall fundraising ideas, and the guest list, everything needs to be planned.
If someone comes to you and asks about what your organization stands for, then you should never let them down. Inform them about the purpose of your organization and be open about the purpose. Consider that people donate money when they feel like they are contributing it to a cause, that they care about.
With such interesting facts and details, we are sure you can raise more this fall season with fewer efforts. You can raise thousands of dollars from these events and allow your donors to explore new trends and fall fundraising ideas. Coming up with something new and impressive leaves no stone unturned for your organization.
If you are looking for a company that can help you with your fall fundraising event, then Midland Fundraising is here for you. Offering various catalogs for different kinds of fundraiser events, this is your ideal destination to organize or hold a campaign, in a shorter time, while registering the highest returns on your fundraising event.
Get ready for the upcoming fall season and kickstart your fall fundraising event with excellent opportunities waiting for you!
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