Church fundraising is a large undertaking. It almost seems that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to fundraising. If you’ve been in the church for a while, you’ve probably participated in all of these church fundraising ventures. Unfortunately, there will always be a need to support and, over time, continually asking the church to raise funds eventually gets really stressful for them, especially when you have a smaller church. So what do you do? We look for outside sources to fund the missions, events, goals that we want to achieve as a church. This is why church fundraising will always be a staple for the church. But it doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Here are a few steps to help you think through the process and plan appropriately. At the end of the article, we reveal a solution that will cover all of your bases and make it simple and easy to start fundraising.
Top 12 Church Fundraising Ideas And How To Do It
Gather Your Team
Assemble a group of people that you can count on to help with the church fundraising efforts. You could do everything on your own, but where is the fun in that? Having a team around you will ensure that you enjoy the fundraising process and the fundraiser will go off without a hitch or major setback. God calls us to be a part of one body that moves together, with each different part playing its own specific role to reach one specific goal.
Develop/Set Your Goal
You can have your goal set before or after you assemble your team. Either way, you need to have a direction and something to strive towards. You could just raise money because you want more money, but you will probably find that people won’t be open to donate to a cause like that. The goal that you set should be something that you are passionate about. If you are passionate about something, people will see that and will be more open to supporting that cause. You should also set goals that push the limits, but are realistic at the same time.
Identify/Describe Your Fundraiser
What are you doing? How are you doing it? Be ready to describe how your fundraiser works, what will donors have to do, how will the money be collected, etc. Here is a list of church fundraising ideas that will get you started.
- Use Social Media/Crowdfunding
Social media is one of the best ways to start a church fundraising campaign. Why? Because it’s free! Not only is it free but you will have a worldwide reach almost instantaneously. All you need is a spark that will eventually catch fire, social media is a good fire starter with a major track record of success. - Create A Dedicated Campaign Website
This could be something that you integrate with your social media campaign. Social media can get the people to your dedicated fundraising website. We say “dedicated” because you want it to be as simple as possible for donors to donate while providing them with the basic information that they could want regarding your fundraiser. A dedicated website allows you to have the basic information about your fundraiser and a simple way to donate, while perpetuating the overall feel or brand of your cause or church. Minimize the noise on the web. There are so many ads and companies jockeying for your money, making most of us have become numb to those websites that are flooded with information. Keep it simple and to the point. - Encourage Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Encourage people to talk about it. The more people that are talking about it, it brings a sense of comfort to people who would otherwise be unsure about donating. Think about it, if someone you trust is donating to a certain cause, you will most likely feel more comfortable about donating, too. - Apply For Grants
It doesn’t hurt! There are a number of grants out there that you could tap into. You will never know unless you try, right? - Buy One, Give One
This may sound counter-productive, but there are some people who want to know what the incentive is for their donation. Some might call this being efficient with their money. Whatever the case may be, if you are able to incentivize your donations at a cost-effective level, you may be able to gather more donors. - Host A Vision-Sharing Night
Have a night where you have the opportunity to paint a vision for everyone who is considering donating to your fundraiser. Tell them why they should support, what the funds will go towards, and what kind of impact it will have once all is said and done. Build excitement for everyone involved in the church fundraising process. - Plan A Community Sports Event
Bringing the community together is a great way to build hype about your fundraiser and your cause. Sell tickets at an affordable rate, try to get as many donations for your event to cut down your initial overhead costs and you are set. Have a raffle. Play a game. Involve the community. - Bake Sale
Have volunteers bake goods. Create an event where these goods can be sold. Utilizing the talents of those around you is a great way to get others to volunteer their services in ways that they feel strongest in. - Car Wash
This is a classic. Have fun with it! - Go After ‘Bigger’ Fish
Develop connections with small businesses in your surrounding community. See if there is a business that will be willing to back your cause. Small businesses are open to help as long as they know what you are doing and you’ve developed a relationship with them. Be genuine and passionate about your church fundraising event. - “Give It Up” Fundraiser
This could be a fun way to get people involved on a personal level. Challenge your church to give up something for the duration of the fundraiser and donate the money that they would have otherwise spent on the item that they are giving up. Perhaps you want to give up eating fast food. Average the amount you spend on fast food and donate that to the cause. - Seasonal Fundraisers
Use the seasons as a way to theme the fundraiser in a way that is fun and exciting. Christmas themed fundraisers make it fun and exciting for everyone involved.
Tell Your Story
Explain the heart of the fundraiser. What is the connection? If you can communicate your heart to your potential donors, they will be more likely to donate to the cause. Who you are and how these funds will help to achieve your goal are crucial things to express when you are sharing your fundraiser with people.
Collect The Donations
- Giving Kiosk
Have a specified giving kiosk in the foyer of your church or in a common area that everyone can find. Maybe you could get a banner to put up next to the kiosk so people know that they can donate by using the kiosk. - Text-to-Tithe
Text-to-Tithe has been around for some time, but is still a great way to gather donations on the spot. Not necessarily out of compulsion, but while people are actively thinking about it and don’t want to forget to donate.
Share Your Fundraiser
Really important, share your fundraiser with as many people as possible. The more people who know about your fundraiser, the more opportunities people have to support your cause.
Sharefaith Giving
Sharefaith Giving is the all-in-one solution. Sharefaith Giving can easily get you started with your next fundraiser. Once you are a Sharefaith member, you will be able to simply create donation forms, track donations, provide links and share your fundraiser with anyone through your website or the social media platform of your choosing. FREE to all Sharefaith members and there are NO setup fees, NO monthly fees and a low 3% transaction fee! With Sharefaith Giving, you’ll empower your congregation to give anywhere, anytime through your church website, church mobile app or with text giving for an extra $10/month. Learn more how you can increase your tithes and offerings with Sharefaith Giving, sign up for your FREE Sharefaith Giving account here!