23 Christmas fundraiser ideas for the festive season
Whether you’re a solo fundraiser, part of an organisation, or are working with your local community – these festive fundraising ideas have got you covered.
‘Tis the season of gifts and giving – so why not give the greatest gift of all? Fundraising for a worthy cause can be an excellent way to cash in on that festive feel-good spirit – all in the name of a cause close to your heart. And it doesn’t have to take tons of effort, either (although if you want to go all-out with a mega Christmas market… go for it, we say!).
Whether you’re a solo fundraiser, part of an organisation, or are working with your local community – these festive fundraising ideas have got you covered 👇.
Simple Christmas fundraiser ideas
These simple Christmas fundraiser ideas are perfect for those who are strapped on time or simply want to raise funds without too much fuss:
1. Sponsored winter walk
Nothing beats a walk in a beautiful nature spot on a crisp winter’s day. So why not turn this lovely festive activity into a fundraising mission?
2. Christmas carolling or carol concert
Gather friends, family and neighbours for a carol singalong in a local park, church or community hall. Or simply round some troops to go door-to-door with, collecting donations as you go. Better get those vocal chords warmed up!
3. Donations instead of gifts
This has to be the lowest-maintenance festive fundraising idea of them all. Simply ask family and friends to donate to a charity of your choice instead of buying you gifts this year.
4. Sponsored Santa run
If you’re a keen runner, doing a sponsored run is a pretty low-key way to raise money for charity. Aside from training, there’s no major event to set up. You just need to pick a Santa Run event to participate in near you, and set up a sponsorship page where people can donate.
5. Festive fancy dress day
From garish Christmas jumpers to elf ears and tinsel-boas – the opportunities are vast for a festive fancy dress day at work. A great way to both lift the spirits and raise money for a good cause.
Community-focused festive fundraiser ideas
If you’re keen to get your local community together for a great fundraising event that also delivers on good times – these ideas could be just the ticket:
6. Festive bake sale (or bakeoff!)
Gather the community together for a bring-your-own bake event. The idea is that everyone brings a batch of delicious home baked goods to sell, with all proceeds going to charity. Add a competitive element and make it a bake-off for an added layer of fun! Bakes could be judged by simply being ‘the best’ – or the most creative, festive, funny etc.
7. Festive cooking class
If you’re at home in the kitchen rustling up delicious festive feasts and treats, why not host your very own fundraiser cooking class for the community? You could do it at home if you’ve got the space, or you could rent out some space in a community hall or even cafe to run your class.
8. Christmas games day
Head to the local park on a bright day and host your very own mini winter olympics. Set up event registration and donate all proceeds from ticket sales to charity.
9. Christmas pub quiz
Everybody loves a pub quiz. Make your questions Christmas-themed – and be sure to do a guess-the-song round with all those timeless Xmas classics.
10. Christmas market
If you’re in the event planning world or part of a nonprofit, you might have the time, funding and skills to put on a bigger charity event. We reckon nothing quite gathers the troops like a good old Christmas market, complete with stalls of festive trinkets, treats and an abundance of mulled wine. Nice.
Tip: Read our guide to organising a Christmas market for your local community >
11. Christmas elf auction
Basically, a standard charity auction but instead of physical things, people bid for someone’s time (aka they become your Christmas elf). For example, someone might put their gift wrapping skills up for auction, or cleaning skills, or baking skills… you get the picture.
12. Santa’s grotto
Creating a magical wonderland for little ones to catch a glimpse of the one-and-only Mr Claus is a great way to raise money for charity while giving your community a really special experience.
Crafting Christmas fundraiser ideas
Love a bit of festive crafting? These fundraiser ideas are for you:
13. Christmas card making
One relatively low-key way to fundraise this festive season is to make your own Christmas cards to sell. If you’re into arts and crafts, this is a fun activity that can be done from your own home. Simply donate your card sale proceeds to a charity of your choice.
14. Gift wrapping workshop
If you see gift wrapping as more of an olympic sport than a means to an end (we can relate 😌🎁), why not share your skills and passion with others? A gift wrapping workshop in the run up to Christmas is sure to go down a treat.
15. Wreath making class
Whether you’re into floristry or are dab-hand at all things arts and crafts, hosting a Christmas wreath making class is a great way to put your skills to good use while raising money for charity.
16. Festive baking class
From mince pies to traditional Christmas cake, gingerbread men and stollen – the opportunities are almost endless when it comes to inspiration for your very own festive baking class.
17. DIY Christmas decorations class
Glue Sticks and glitter at the ready – this fun fundraising idea could be tailored to kids, adults or both. Serve up festive refreshments to give your class a Christmas-indulgence vibe.
Christmas fundraiser ideas for schools
Kids and parents alike are sure to enjoy this super festive fundraisers:
18. Best bauble competition
Get the little ones making baubles and offer out a series of prizes for best efforts. Host a mini awards ceremony and sell tickets to parents, with all proceeds going to charity.
19. Festive raffle
It’s hard to beat a fundraiser raffle! Put plenty of festive goodies up for grabs for mums and dads – think bottles of baileys (or go all out with a premium whiskey), wine and cheese baskets, tickets to a festive show, or even a winter weekend away.
20. Christmas fayre
Put on a fun Christmas fayre with live music, food stalls and games for the kids and some festive tipples for the mums and dads. You could even get the little ones to make their own Christmas decorations and trinkets to be sold at the fayre.
21. Festive fun run
Get parents and kids to don their trainers for a festive fun run. Hand out funny fancy dress props for runners to wear, like elf ears and Rudolph red noses. Keep things light and make sure the run isn’t too challenging – it’s the joining in that counts!
22. Christmas jumper competition
Get the kids to come to school in their most festive Christmas jumpers and give out prizes to the best dressed. Charge a small fee to get involved with all proceeds going to charity. Easy peasy.
23. Christmas pantomime!
Get your directing hat on and organise a festive Christmas panto. Charge parents to attend and (you know the drill) donate all proceeds to charity.
Ticketing tips for your festive fundraisers
- Choose an event registration platform that is 100% free for free events: Ticket Tailor doesn’t charge you a penny to set up event registration for free events. Zero costs or hidden fees. Just great, free event ticketing for free events. Also – for paid events, we only charge a small flat fee per ticket, rather than charging a percentage of your sales. This makes us one of the cheapest ticketing platforms around 😌.
- Allow people to make donations at the point of ticket sale: Our handy donation feature makes this super easy to do.
- Sell merch as well as tickets to make your donations go further: With Ticket Tailor, you can set up your very own online shop, which you can run year-round regardless of whether you’ve got any active events.
- Customise your event registration page with your own fun branding: With Ticket Tailor, it’s super easy to fully personalise your event registration page!
That’s a wrap! We hope these festive fundraiser ideas give you all the inspo you need to make money for your chosen charity while having fun this season. Good luck!
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