These 5 Creative Fundraising Ideas Will Inspire Generosity

You’ve set a new vision for your church and the entire congregation is on board. Now, you need to follow through on what you’ve promised. Funding is one of the hardest parts of bringing a big vision to life. Your congregation expects fundraisers. But they usually involve adults buying chocolate bars they don’t need from little kids who are too cute to say no to. Don’t fret! We’ve curated five creative fundraising ideas that will actually bring value to your church members both young and young at heart.

1. Offer Childcare

Choose a busy day, like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and solicit volunteer caregivers. You’ll want individuals who have been trained in first-aid and CPR to be on the safe side and have a child-to-care-giver-ratio that safely suits your needs. Once you have all your logistics in place, allow parents of young children to drop off their children and make a donation for the childcare they’ll receive!

Churches have a unique opportunity to make this type of creative fundraiser work successfully. There’s an inherent trust within the church and a family atmosphere where congregants know each other very well. What better way to fundraise while also offering a service your congregation will find useful?

2. Host a Work Day

This type of fundraiser can be a recurring opportunity to raise funds. Pick one day each week where members of your congregation will dedicate a few hours of their day to helping others. People who need the work done can make a donation to your place of worship in exchange for a mowed lawn, meal prep, visiting the elderly members of your church, and more.

Be sure to set clear boundaries for the work requests so they fit into the time allotted for the Work Day. Teenagers who are looking for volunteer hours for college admissions or high school requirements would be a great group to lead this fundraiser.

3. Offer Classes

Your congregation probably has a lot of untapped talent waiting to be shared! Nancy from the choir could probably teach vocal lessons. Steve in media may have a lot of experience in videography he could share.

Consider offering classes to your general congregation that are led by other congregants. In exchange for a donation, they’ll learn the basics of interesting skills at a discounted price and for a great cause.

4. Car Wash

This classic fundraiser is classic for a reason – it just works. Gather up some of your younger congregants to work a car wash this summer. Community members can leave with a sparkling clean vehicle in exchange for a donation to the church. That’s a deal that can’t be beat!

Car washes can be scaled and repeated fairly easily, so consider hosting one per week during the summer months to maximize your fundraiser.

5. Video Game Tournament

Are you looking to get your youth more involved this year? Host a video game tournament! For a small donation, the kids can join in on an exciting video game tournament. The winner wins bragging rights until the next tournament and receives the gift of joy from giving!

Check out this list of best-selling video games and poll your members to see what they might find fun to play.

Fundraisers don’t have to be daunting or expensive. A bit of creativity can go a long way. Try these creative fundraising ideas at your church next Sunday. Then, comment down below to let us know how they worked for you.

Looking for more great content like this? Give us a shout!