Fundraising season can really be a frustrating time for any group that relies on others’ generosity for its budget. It often means sending teens around essentially begging for money and offering good or services that no one would buy otherwise. Whether cookie dough, doughnuts, or charity miles, many fundraisers fall flat.
For the last 20+ years, we at Scoutorama have been receiving and gathering successful fundraiser ideas from youth groups, scout troops, church organizations, schools, sports teams, and even companies. This list of 100+ ideas includes submissions from tons of different groups that can be used to help you and your group meet your goals.
The best way to use this list of fundraiser ideas is to pair a few of them together to create a big activity for the community. This list will help you compile an excellent toolkit with ideas for different situations and different time frames. Feel free to tailor these to your organization’s needs.
Top 25 Best Overall Fundraisers
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
Garbage Can Cleanout Service | 5 | $$$ |
| Indoor Mini Golf | 5 | $$ |
| Teacher Torture | 3 | $$ |
| Sports Clinic | 6 | $$ |
| Flag Subscription | 5 | $$$ |
| Luau | 7 | $$ |
| Breakfast with Santa | 6 | $$ |
| Silly String Shootout | 3 | $ |
| Spaghetti Dinner | 3 | $$ |
| Dodgeball Tournament | 4 | $$ |
| Curb House Number Painting | 3 | $$ |
| Magic Show | 7 | $$ |
| Students vs. Teachers | 5 | $$ |
| Junk Car | 7 | $$ |
| Pie Throwing | 4 | $ |
| Community Service | 6 | $$ |
| Chili Cook-Off | 4 | $$ |
| Swap Meet | 5 | $$ |
| Food Fight | 6 | $ |
| Adult Spelling Bee | 4 | $$ |
| Movie Night | 5 | $ |
| Pink Flamingo Flocking | 5 | $ |
| Car Wash | 6 | $$ |
| Lawn Aerating | 6 | $$ |
| All You Can Eat Pizza | 3 | $ |
32 Fundraiser Ideas that Don’t Require a Budget
A big hangup to fundraising is the seed money required to get started. Some organizations may not have a budget to start with. It can also be risky because you could even end up losing money if you don’t get the turnout you expect. These fundraisers don’t require a budget at all, and can be done with hard work and some creativity.
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (Out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
| Penny War | 2 | $$ |
| Swim-a-thon | 4 | $ |
| Head Shaving | 3 | $$$ |
| Pajama Day | 1 | $ |
| Babysitting Evening | 6 | $$$ |
| Ballroom Instructions | 5 | $$ |
| Vote for Mayor | 2 | $ |
| Eat for a Cause | 3 | $$ |
| Community Service | 7 | $$ |
| Students vs Teachers | 5 | $$ |
| Bring Your Pet to Work Day | 4 | $ |
| Mall Coat Check | 5 | $ |
| Sports Clinic | 5 | $$ |
| Report Card Sponsor | 7 | $$ |
| Rent-a-Youth | 5 | $ |
| Hearts Marathon | 3 | $ |
| Goal Can | 3 | $ |
| Fund-Razer | 5 | $ |
| Volunteer Jobs | 5 | $$ |
| Cheater’s Spelling Bee | 6 | $ |
| Large Vehicle Show | 8 | $$ |
| Children’s Cookbook | 8 | $$ |
| Egg and Beg | 3 | $ |
| Math-a-thon | 5 | $ |
| Egg Cycle | 4 | $ |
| Donation Cans | 2 | $ |
| Cute Baby Contest | 4 | $ |
| Goat Insurance | 8 | $ |
| Crazy Hat Day | 2 | $ |
| Don’t Come Event | 1 | $ |
| Adult Spelling Bee | 7 | $$ |
| One Dollar Auction | 7 | $$ |
| Candle Sale | 5 | $ |
20 Ideas for Ongoing “Evergreen” Fundraisers
Some fundraisers can be done repeatedly every month or year. It’s always good to do more advertising to get the word out for more sign ups, but this way you start with a strong donor base each time. Several of these are just ongoing and can be done or advertised at any time.
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (Out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
| Report Card | 6 | $ |
| Curb House Number Painting | 5 | $$ |
| Read a Book | 2 | $ |
| Community Service | 7 | $$ |
| Mail Coat Check | 3 | $ |
| Pass the Can | 2 | $ |
| Mischief Insurance | 5 | $$ |
| Dog Treats | 4 | $$ |
| Fund-Razer | 5 | $ |
| Lazy Boy Day | 5 | $ |
| Donation Cans | 3 | $ |
| Goat Insurance | 6 | $ |
| Duct-Tape Trap | 4 | $ |
| Potty Protection Insurance | 5 | $ |
| Best Seat in the House | 5 | $ |
| Commemorative Brick Pavers Memorial Garden | 7 | $$$ |
| Garbage Can Cleanout Service | 5 | $$$ |
| Lawn Aerating | 6 | $$$ |
| Flag Service | 6 | $$$ |
| Goal Can | 4 | $ |
17 Ideas for Month-long Fundraisers
Rather than holding a fundraiser for a single event, why not spread the giving throughout a month? Many of these work as a buildup to a larger event, so it makes sense to group them together.
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (Out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
| Candle Sale | 3 | $$ |
| Flamingo Flocking | 5 | $$ |
| Math-a-thon | 5 | $ |
| Cute Baby Contest | 3 | $ |
| Spirit Chain | 3 | $ |
| Children’s Cookbook | 6 | $ |
| Volunteer Jobs | 5 | $$ |
| Guessing Jar | 2 | $ |
| Rent-a-Youth | 6 | $$ |
| Picture Voting | 2 | $ |
| Talents | 8 | $$ |
| Prom Boutique | 7 | $$ |
| Students Vs. Teachers | 6 | $$ |
| Head Shaving | 3 | $$ |
| Penny War | 3 | $ |
| Teacher Torture | 6 | $$ |
| Swim-a-thon | 5 | $ |
16 Ideas for Seasonal and Holiday Fundraisers
A season change or holiday can make for a good theme for a fundraiser. Many of these can be done as something that people are going to do anyway (breakfast with santa, pumpkin painting, gift wrapping). Rather than paying a business, they donate to your fundraiser for something that they actually value.
Others on this list involve cleanup for a holiday event, which is often the worst part and people are glad to pay someone else to do it for them. You can be creative with these and do them out of season as well- who doesn’t love celebrating Christmas again in May?
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (Out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
| Pumpkin Painting Party | 6 | $$ |
| Polar Bear Plunge | 6 | $$ |
| Prom Boutique | 7 | $$ |
| Mom-o-Gram | 3 | $ |
| Gift Wrapping | 4 | $ |
| Valegrams | 3 | $ |
| Halloween Mischief Insurance | 4 | $ |
| Pie Throwing | 4 | $ |
| Breakfast with Santa | 6 | $$ |
| Christmas In…April? | 6 | $$ |
| Pumpkin Launch | 7 | $$ |
| Face Painting | 3 | $ |
| Black Friday Hot Chocolate | 4 | $$ |
| Cake Bake | 6 | $$ |
| Black Friday Breakfast Tacos | 6 | $$ |
| Selling Easter Candy | 3 | $ |
45 Standalone Event Fundraisers
These are marquee-events that can draw a crowd by themselves. Most require a team of people to execute, though some could be headed up by a single person. Ideally, you hold a carnival or group several of these together. For example, a Luau with a silly string shootout and an ugly tie contest.
| Fundraiser | Difficulty (Out of 10) | Fundraising Potential ($$$) |
| Magic Show | 7 | $$$ |
| Luau | 8 | $$$ |
| Silly String Shootout | 4 | $ |
| Frisbee Golf Tournament | 4 | $$ |
| Dodgeball Tournament | 5 | $$ |
| Dance Dance Marathon | 4 | $ |
| Ballroom Lessons | 7 | $$ |
| Scrabble Tournament | 4 | $ |
| Bike Scavenger Hunt | 5 | $$ |
| Ugly Tie Contest | 3 | $ |
| Blind Auction | 5 | $$ |
| Babysitting Evening | 6 | $$$ |
| S’mores | 4 | $ |
| Redneck Games | 9 | $$ |
| Swap Meet | 5 | $$ |
| Sports Clinic | 7 | $$ |
| Hydro Joust | 6 | $ |
| Photo with Animals | 6 | $ |
| Yard Sale | 5 | $$ |
| Pet Parade | 4 | $ |
| Rent a Puppy | 5 | $ |
| Dinner Auction | 6 | $$ |
| Cheater’s Spelling Bee | 3 | $ |
| Lobster Racing | 6 | $ |
| Large Vehicle Show | 3 | $ |
| Caged Critters | 7 | $ |
| Super Sundae | 5 | $ |
| Mini Golf-a-thon | 5 | $ |
| Make Believe Tea Party | 3 | $ |
| Potato Bar | 5 | $ |
| No Talent Show | 5 | $ |
| Karaoke Night | 3 | $ |
| Chili Cook-Off | 4 | $$ |
| All You Can Eat Pizza | 3 | $$ |
| Cardboard Boat Race | 5 | $ |
| Bowl-A-Thon | 3 | $ |
| Indoor Mini Golf | 6 | $$ |
| Car Smash | 7 | $$ |
| Car Wash | 6 | $$ |
| Demolition | 6 | $$ |
| Toilet Seat Horseshoes | 5 | $ |
| Spaghetti Dinner | 6 | $$ |
| Food Fight | 6 | $ |
| Movie Night | 5 | $$ |
| One Dollar Auction | 6 | $ |
| Slam Out Hunger | 4 | $ |
Whether you are holding a fundraiser for a non-profit, a church group, a scout group, a business, or a sports team, or a youth group, these ideas will help you create and execute a successful event that will make people happy and bring in the funds you need to be successful. The best events combine a handful of different activities so that people can contribute to what they most closely identify with. It’s always best when the value of the event or activity is aligned with the contribution value.