Nonprofits raise approximately a quarter of their annual funding in the month of December. Between the festive giving mood and donors rushing to make tax-deductible gifts before the end of the year, the holidays are the most important time of year for fundraising.
While classic fundraising appeals can encourage contributions, year-end is also a great time to experiment with unique fundraisers that make your nonprofit stand out. Doing so can grab new supporters’ attention and inspire loyal donors, getting them in the holiday giving spirit.
To help your nonprofit solidify its year-end fundraising plans, this guide will explore five top fundraising ideas that are perfect for the holiday season.
1. Shopping Fundraisers
Between Black Friday deals, holiday gift-giving, and New Year’s resolutions, the end of the year is chock-full of reasons to go shopping. So, your nonprofit can meet them where they are by running a shopping fundraiser.
Here are a few types of fundraisers related to shopping that your organization could run:
- Online shopping. An online shopping fundraiser is completely free for your supporters to participate in! As ShopRaise’s guide to shopping for a cause explains, your nonprofit just needs to partner with an online shopping fundraiser platform that provides access to an app and browser plugin. Supporters just download the app and then shop online like usual from the same businesses they normally do. A portion of these sales goes directly to your nonprofit at no cost to you or shoppers.
- Gift cards. By hosting a gift card fundraiser, you can enable your supporters to not just purchase gifts for their friends and family but also give them the present of supporting a good cause. Like with online shopping fundraisers, a portion of the proceeds from the gift card goes back to your organization. Or, supporters can use the gift cards themselves and give back even more by paying for online shopping fundraiser purchases with them!
- Virtual auctions. Auctions are prime opportunities to find valuable and unique items while also supporting a good cause. If you host a holiday auction, procure a wide range of items that will appeal to all of your supporters’ interests. Then, create marketing materials promoting top prizes to get supporters excited about finding the perfect gift at your auction.
- eCommerce store. If your nonprofit doesn’t already sell branded merchandise in an eCommerce store, the holidays are a perfect time to launch one. Consider what types of items your supporters will want to buy from your nonprofit during the holiday season, such as branded sweaters, beanies, mugs, and Christmas tree ornaments.
Many of these fundraisers can also continue long after the holiday season wraps up. For instance, encourage your online shopping fundraising participants to use the holiday shopping season as the kick-off to a long journey of supporting your nonprofit.
2. eCard Sales
The holidays are a prime greeting card season, and your nonprofit can get in on the action by selling eCards. eCards are online greeting cards nonprofits can sell and distribute to supporters online, making them a cost-effective, memorable, and waste-free fundraiser.
eCardWidget’s guide to charity Christmas eCards shows off what an eCard sales page might look like:
eCards are also a highly flexible fundraising tool. Your organization can sell them through their online stores or provide them to supporters in exchange for tribute donations. Outside of fundraisers, you can also use eCards as event invitations or donor thank-you messages.
Then, after the winter holiday season wraps up, continue to use fundraising eCards year-round. Host eCard fundraisers for other holidays associated with greeting cards, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Easter. Plus, you can always sell eCards for birthdays, weddings, graduations, and other special occasions.
3. Social Media Contests
Reach an even wider audience this holiday season by spreading awareness of your cause online. This time of year, social media platforms are always abuzz with posts about users’ holiday celebrations, and you can add to this atmosphere for a good cause by hosting a social media contest.
For example, you might raise awareness for your cause by challenging your supporters to contests like:
- Gingerbread house decorating
- Holiday-themed pet photos
- Ugly sweaters or seasonal costumes
These types of challenges generate highly shareable photos that your supporters and their networks are likely to spread to the rest of their followers. Plus, you can encourage even more shares by promising an award to the winner whose post gets the most likes, wins a poll on your nonprofit’s social media accounts, or has the most donations given in their name.
To push attention back to your website, ensure each post is accompanied by a link to your website or donation page. To provide a positive experience for these potential new donors, ensure your donation page explains what your organization does and why giving matters.
4. Holiday Fun Run
Depending on your nonprofit’s location, the holiday season might be the perfect time to get outdoors for some brisk exercise. Bring your supporters together to host a holiday-themed fun run, complete with a festive title, decor, merchandise, and snacks.
To host a fun run, be sure to:
- Reserve your venue. Ensure you have a large enough space reserved where your attendees can run safely. This may involve coordinating with your local government to reserve a park or close off certain streets. Or, if it’s too cold in your area to run outside, see if you can set up a course in the gym at a local school or community center.
- Gather volunteers and supplies. Train your team and ensure you’re well stocked on refreshments, medical supplies, trail markers, and any other items you’ll need for a successful run.
- Promote the event. Get the word out to your community by emailing your subscriber list, posting on social media, hanging up flyers, and potentially even leveraging traditional media by taking out a newspaper or radio ad at your local stations.
As for the actual fundraising component, fun runs generally earn revenue in one of two ways. The first option is that participants can pay a flat fee to participate and buy merchandise at the event. The other option is to turn your fun run into a pledge fundraiser, where you’ll ask supporters to fundraise on your behalf by getting their friends and family to sponsor them based on how far they run.
5. In-Kind Donation Drive
Nonprofits like homeless shelters and food banks often see an increased need for their services in the winter months, and an in-kind donation drive is the perfect opportunity to gather needed supplies.
To ensure your in-kind donation drive goes off without a hitch, create a list of desired items and what condition donated items should be in. This helps guide donors’ gifts and prevents awkward situations where a donor attempts to give something your nonprofit can’t accept. For example, a pet rescue might specify that bags of pet food must be sealed or that dog beds must be washed prior to donation.
For your donation drive, partner with local organizations to create drop-off points and encourage participation in your fundraiser. You might work with local schools, apartment buildings, offices, and other nonprofits in your efforts.
The holidays are the perfect time to gather donations that will set your nonprofit up for success in the coming year. Connect with your supporters by hosting fundraisers that get them in the giving mood, are easy to participate in, and make your nonprofit stand out from the crowd.