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5 of the Best Church Fundraising Ideas

Recently updated on September 29th, 2017 at 06:48 pm

church_fund_raising_graphicChurch leaders often struggle with the idea of canvassing money from people. For many churches and Christian groups, it can often seem like such an un-Christian thing to do. But the truth is that all churches rely on community funds to survive in today’s costly society. Whether you need money to pay your bills, support your missionaries, or for important charitable causes, you should expect donations and monetary support from your church members.

Bake sales, church carnivals and family fun days are all tried and tested ways to raise funds, but modern and discerning churchgoers are often looking for something a bit different.

To get people excited about your church and community, we have gathered together 5 ideas that put the “fun” back into your church fundraiser:

talent show_image1. Our Community’s Got Talent

You won’t be the first church to organize a talent show, but it’s certainly a little bit “out-of-the-ordinary” for a church fundraiser and you’ll have so much fun doing it! In this age of American Idol, The Voice and America’s Got Talent, people love to perform and fantasize about being the next big star. Have some fun at your church fundraiser and give your community members a chance to show off.

All you’ll need is access to a hall or community center, a bad-tempered English judge, and some talented contestants and you’ve got a sure-fire hit on your hand that’s certain to sell some tickets! And you never know, you might just discover the next Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift!

2. Christian Mingle

The success of Christian dating websites is a testament to the fact that people of faith are searching for like-minded partners to share their lives with. Create a Christian mixer for the single members of your community to get together and meet one another in a relaxed and friendly environment.

A simple wine and cheese affair with some trusted members of your church to chaperone proceedings will ensure that you have a really successful evening. To gather funds for the event, we suggest charging a sign-up fee.

3. 5K Fundraising Run5k_run_church

Organize a charity walk or run in your community to raise funds for your church. It takes some difficult planning and organizing, but if you can pull it off, you can raise some serious money via entry fees and even sponsorship from local businesses, sports good stores, and other businesses. You’ll also have to contact law enforcement agencies about local ordinances, road closures, traffic barricades, and security issues. A fun run is not only a great fundraiser but it’s also a great way to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Add Some Color to Your Run!

The Indian Festival of Color (Holi) is one of the most joyous celebrations in the world where people laugh, dance, sing and throw powdered color over each another. Inspired by this festival, there is a new worldwide event called the “color run” (http://thecolorrun.com/) that is held in cities around the US and the world and attended by thousands of people. For the more adventurous church groups, why not create your own fun and colorful festival in which the spectators “color-bomb” the runners. This idea is bags of fun but serious clean-up! You will  definitely need to discuss these plans with local ordinances and law enforcement.

 4. Community MasterChef

Churches have a grand tradition of having some of the greatest bakers and cooks in America. Church carnivals will attest to the incredible cooking talent within our church communities. However, the typical church carnival cooking contest is possibly a little “old hat” for today’s generation.

So let’s upgrade the old fashioned competition to a TV-inspired MasterChef contest in which a selection of cooks and bakers are judged on a series cooking challenges (It’s basically a re-packaging and re-branding of the traditional church carnival cooking contest.) Create an event out of the contest to sell tickets. You might even consider getting sponsorship from local grocery stores, restaurants, or other related businesses.

wild_west_portrait5. Family Photo Day

Organize a special photo day for members of your church and community. Hire a professional photographer and organize some special costumes and sets to create themed photo shoots so that people can get some fun and memorable pictures. Here are some themes to consider:

  • Wild West
  • Victorian
  • Pilgrims
  • Clowns
  • Famous people
  • Medieval
  • Renaissance fair
  • Civil War
  • Gangsters and molls
  • Superheroes
  • Hogwarts (Harry Potter)
  • Middle Earth (Lord of The Rings)

To increase attendance, pre-sell appointment tickets offering a free portrait for $10.

 

  • If you are organizing any of these kinds of events, don’t forget your flyers, banners, bulletins and other print products. Get them from NextDayFlyers today!

10 thoughts on “5 of the Best Church Fundraising Ideas

  1. Great article!

    I particularly like the Family Photo Day idea Perhaps even use an outfit and make up to be “the blue man group” OR another popular one could be the whole family standing with their back to the camera .. it is always a big conversation starter

  2. The Family Photo Day great – a terrific way to preserve memories of a special point in time. Our company does something similar with artwork and photographs, allowing children and parents to purchase quality keepsakes featuring their own artwork or photograph. Our programs are designed to encourage creativity and preserve memories, while at that same time raising needed funds for the school, group or organization. Check us out at http://www.originalworks.com.

  3. Very good article, it’s nice to see some more modern ideas being presented. I must say I still enjoy a good “Pancake Sunday” though!

    I would also like to make mention of a fundraising opportunity offered by my company, FaithWorks Financial. We are a Christian Debt Relief Company who helps folks who are having a tough time with credit cards, student loans, and things of the sort.

    I mention this because we make donations to the church of our clients choice for those in our debt negotiation program. This is a great way for churches to raise funds directly, as well as strengthen the financial situations of their church family leading to increased tithing.

    You can learn more about this donation program on our website, at http://www.faithworksfinancial.org/faithworks-in-your-church/.

    Maybe you could include us in a future article update??

  4. Hi! I like your your all fundraising-ideas but FAMILY PHOTO DAY is the most exciting and great way as I think. It encourage creativity and preserve sweet memories. I really like your FAMILY PHOTO DAY idea most.

  5. T-Shirts are also a great fundraising idea because everybody loves a good, comfy t-shirt! I’ve gotten to know a company called BonfireFunds.com and I know they have done a lot of church fundraisers. I like them because there’s really no work involved for the person who starts the fundraiser, other than promoting the campaign to their friends, family, and colleagues. All of the logistics are essentially done by Bonfire which makes it so much easier. And it’s free, which helps a lot!

  6. Hi Toddler Mom, Bonfire Funds.com is a great site and a great idea for organizations who want to T-shirt fund-raise (and I do love those comfy T’s…I hate the hard cotton ones 🙁

  7. My church cooked up tons of baked goods with volunteers that were members. We raised a lot of money that went go fixing up benches and repairing different things from a bad flood that occured last year. The family photo day sounds very fun thought, we might try that out next time.

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