The Most Popular Fundraising Idea
Matching Gifts
The Most Popular Fundraising Idea for Disasters and Emergencies
Elevate Your Disaster Relief Efforts. Unlock the Power of Matching Gifts.
The Best Product Fundraising Idea
The Most Cost-Effective Fundraising Idea
Other Great Fundraising Ideas
50/50 Raffle
If you’re hosting an event to fundraise after an emergency or natural disaster, consider a 50/50 raffle. 50/50 raffles are simple and extremely low cost. To prepare, all you’ll need to buy is a roll of raffle tickets.
To organize the raffle, ask event attendees to buy the tickets, and then after the drawing, the winner takes home half of the proceeds and the organizer (that’s you!) takes home the other half.
As a giving incentive, make sure to display how much money is in the growing pot!
Trivia Night
Test your supporters’ wits with a trivia night. Partner with a local restaurant or bar that understands the impact the disaster you’re fundraising for has had on the community.
You can collect donations throughout the night, and the restaurant or bar might be willing to split the night’s proceeds with you.
Make sure your questions are catered to the expected skill level of your crowd (kids, young professionals, etc.), and pick a light and fun emcee.
Have a Bake Sale
Bake sales are a classic fundraiser for a reason. And the good news is that they’re popular with kids and parents alike. Plus, they are low-maintenance which makes them easy to run, even when you’re dealing with the aftermath of a disaster like a tornado or flood.
You can advertise your bake sale in advance once to get recruit bakers and later to promote the actual sale.
To fundraise, you have the option of charging for the treats or collecting donations or even both.
Car Wash
If you want a fundraiser that lets you raise money to cover the costs of fixing your home after a disaster all while helping other members of your community, consider a classic: a car wash.
As most people know, to host a car wash you’ll gather the supplies, set up shop in a high-traffic parking lot, and offer car washes to passersby.
To fundraise, you can either ask for donations for your handy-work or you can charge a small fee per wash. Either way, make sure you’re early to set up and put promotional flyers around the community.
Teachers in Jail
“Teachers in Jail” is a great fundraising idea for schools. So, if your school or a member of your school community has been impacted by a tornado or other disaster, you should host a teacher-in-jail fundraiser.
During the fundraiser, students in each class raise money. If the collective total of a class reaches a certain threshold, the teacher then gets put in “jail.”
“Jail” simply means students get a free period and a break from class. Prior to the fundraiser, be sure to recruit a team of teachers and students to work to throw each teacher in “jail.”
Shoe Drive Fundraiser
To hold a shoe drive, your organization can have your community donate their gently used (or even new) shoes to an organization like Funds2Orgs. Like with teachers-in-jail, this fundraiser is perfect for schools.
Funds2Orgs will actually come and pick up the shoes, weigh the shoes, and pay your organization based on a price per pound.
Once Funds2Orgs has collected your shoes, they then sell the shoes to small business owners in countries such as Honduras and Togo with the goal of encouraging local economic growth. It’s win-win-win!
Engraved Bricks
Engraved bricks are the perfect choice for folks looking to fundraise to cover construction and building costs. They work well with disaster-related fundraisers where the money covers repairing damaged buildings and homes.
Sell engraved bricks to donors and either set up the bricks as an art installation or incorporate them into the actual structure you’re building.
Donors will love the permanence of your recognition and you can get creative with how you display them. There are even companies dedicated to providing this kind of fundraising brick.
Jelly Bean Count
Jelly bean count fundraisers are perfect family and school fundraisers. To get started, you’ll need jelly beans, a jar, and a central location to place your full jar.
Then, fill the jar with jelly beans, but make sure to note the exact number in the jar. Next, have participants try to guess the number, and ask them to donate in exchange for a guess.
After a set amount of time, review the guesses and reveal the winner. You get to keep the donations and the winner gets to keep the jelly beans. If you have an older crowd, you can follow this structure with other countable items.
Grocery Store Fundraisers
With grocery store fundraisers, you have a few options for how to raise money. You can see if the store has a corporate giving program or would be willing to do a checkout charity arrangement.
Additionally, you can set up a grocery delivery program within your community. Have volunteers deliver groceries to members of the community in exchange for donations.
Disasters and emergencies tend to impact whole communities, so it is likely that your local grocery store will be happy to work with you to help the neighborhood heal from the tragedy.
Want to learn more about corporate giving programs?
Marketing A Fundraiser for Emergencies and Disasters
Do you want to promote your fundraiser on Google?
Top Resources to Help You Fundraise
117+ Fundraising Ideas for all Causes
Still looking for more fundraising ideas and inspiration? Good thing we’ve compiled a diverse list of over 100 fundraising ideas to help you! You’ll select a fundraiser in no time!
Crowdfunding: The Beginner’s Guide
Crowdfunding is one of our top fundraising ideas. If you’re interested in pursuing it but not sure where to start, this guide will give you all the necessary background.
Donation Requests: 45+ Companies That Donate
Have you requested donations from companies? There are many businesses in your community that might be open to donating. This guide shows you where to look!
Double Down on Disaster Relief. Leverage Matching Gifts To Boost Donors’ Impact.
