Historically, winter fundraising is when nonprofits make the biggest push in terms of fundraising appeals. 28% of nonprofits raise between 26% to 50% of their annual funds in December. Since this time is so important, it\u2019s best to start planning your winter fundraising campaign in September. To help you get started, we\u2019ve compiled a list of our favorite winter fundraising ideas.<\/p>\n
Even though most winter fundraising asks are made in November and December, it\u2019s wise to start planning and preparing your winter fundraising campaign in September. Since this time of the year is so important for most nonprofits, taking the time to think through a fundraising strategy and choose creative and effective fundraising ideas matters.<\/p>\n
Check out how nonprofit experts at Donorbox, Jena Lynch and Cara Augspurger help nonprofits with year-end fundraising fundamentals, tips, and tools to enable them to create a successful campaign<\/p>\n
During winter, especially during\u00a0Christmas\u00a0and New Year\u2019s holidays, enlist local choirs, bands, soloists, and other musicians to participate in a community-wide holiday concert.<\/p>\n
Find a local indoor venue willing to host the event (ideally without charging you). The performers should ideally be performing for free as well \u2013 all for a good cause.<\/p>\n
This means that all of the ticket proceeds would be going directly towards your cause. When promoting the event, make sure you\u2019re clearly communicating what exactly the ticket sales will be supporting (e.g. building a new shelter or 10 wells). It is hence important that you create an event page online with clear description of the event and add a ticketing form to it. It lets you do all this and more. You can add unlimited ticket levels to the form. The form is embeddable on your website or you can just use the Donorbox-hosted event page. It also lets you accept donations from the ticketing form. Here\u2019s an\u00a0example\u00a0of a concert event using Donorbox Events to\u00a0sell event tickets.<\/p>\n
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Holiday concerts are a great way to bring a community together in a fun and inspiring way.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re going to accept donations at the event, you need to provide your community with a simple donation process. Oktion app can be used by an organization to raise money through their holiday concert. It\u2019s the simplest design possible with customizations made on the form to include suggested donation amounts, tribute donation options, and monthly recurring donation.<\/p>\n
Who doesn\u2019t like having good hot chocolate during the winter months? A hot chocolate station is one of the simplest winter fundraising ideas, but it can be very effective \u2013 especially for community organizations,\u00a0schools,\u00a0clubs<\/a>,\u00a0churches, and faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n A hot chocolate station can be set up anywhere: at a community sports event, a holiday concert (see above), at a Christmas market, or simply on a busy street.<\/p>\n All you need is a stand or a table, hot chocolate supplies, and if you really want to take it up a notch \u2013 bring toppings. Nuts, fruit, marshmallows, puffed rice, orange zest, whipped cream\u2026 The options are endless.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Have some dairy-free alternatives like dark chocolate and almond or soy milk.<\/p>\n The Danish concept of\u00a0\u2018hygge\u2019<\/em>\u00a0has been all the rage the past two years. This Danish word roughly translates as \u2018coziness\u2019. While it\u2019s usually applied to home d\u00e9cor and the \u2018way of living\u2019 during winter, you can take this concept and turn it into a winter fundraiser.<\/p>\n This winter fundraising idea is very creative and sure to attract a lot of attention. If the weather allows, book an outdoor space (e.g. a beach or a big yard). Otherwise, indoors will work as well for winter fundraising<\/p>\n Have a fire (if outside) or a fireplace if inside. Encourage casual and comfy dress code (sweaters and scarves), and set up blankets and cushions everywhere. Have a hot chocolate and tea stand with biscuits. Light some candles and do your best to create a cozy space everywhere. Charge for entry and watch the donations pour in!<\/p>\n Carols are a\u00a0big part of the festive spirit during the winter holidays. And everyone enjoys occasional karaoke! So why not combine the two?<\/p>\n Organize a karaoke night where the only thing that anyone is \u2018allowed\u2019 to sing are carols. Encourage everyone to wear \u2018ugly\u2019 Christmas sweaters. Think of a fun festive award and reward the best performer.<\/p>\n Set a minimum donation amount for visitors to perform or watch, but encourage everyone to give more if possible.<\/p>\n If your nonprofit is located somewhere near-real or artificial snow, this winter fundraising idea is for you! People of all ages can get really excited about snow \u2013 especially when there are activities to make it fun.<\/p>\n Whether you organize snow tubing or cross-country ski-a-thon \u2013 this fundraiser is ideal for winter.<\/p>\n You can choose to organize the event on your own or partner with a local company. If you partner with a company, you can split the proceeds from the ticket sales. This way, you don\u2019t have to worry about the equipment or expertise, and the company gains some new customers. Win-win!<\/p>\n Compile a list of all the winter favorite recipes (casseroles, hot drinks, soups, slow cooker pots, cookies, and more) and publish it as a book or an e-book.<\/p>\n You can make this simple by asking your community members to send in their favorite recipes or, resources allowing, you can research, test, and create your own recipes for the book. When selling the book, make it very clear that the money will go towards a good cause.<\/p>\n This winter fundraising idea not only has the potential to bring in a lot of funds, but is also adding a lot of value to your donors \u2013 since so many people are looking for recipes for all the winter dinners, get-togethers, and holidays.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong>\u00a0If you\u2019re printing the book, cover printing costs by asking local printing shops to sponsor the printing in return for advertising space in the book.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Partner with a local\u00a0restaurant\u00a0to organize a Dining For Good Dinner. Co-create a menu with the restaurant chefs, set the date, and then start promoting the event.<\/p>\n For maximum success,\u00a0create a separate event page\u00a0on your website to which you will direct people when promoting the dinner.<\/p>\n On your website, visitors should be able to purchase the event tickets and select a menu option (allow everyone to note their dietary requirements).<\/p>\n Create an inviting and warm space in the restaurant and perhaps have a couple of artists perform during the dinner to add that special touch to the dining experience of winter fundraising<\/p>\n To really go all-in when it comes to winter fundraising, organize a gingerbread house competition.<\/p>\n Provide clear instructions to participants.<\/p>\n You could run this event in many different ways. For example, you could accept registrations from individuals and teams and then have them construct their gingerbread houses in a limited time period (with the audience watching). Then, the judges would judge the gingerbread houses based on things like overall appearance, originality, difficulty, precision, and consistency of theme of winter fundraising.<\/p>\n You could also have contestants make the gingerbread houses at home, display them during the event \u2013 with judges and the audience choosing the winners.<\/p>\n Charge the audience a small fee to watch the competition or see the display (or suggest a minimum donation amount).<\/p>\n3. Hygge Winter Party<\/h3>\n
4. Carol-oake<\/h3>\n
5. Snow Day Fun<\/h3>\n
6. Winter Fundraising Favorites Recipe Book<\/h3>\n
\n7. Dining For Good<\/h3>\n
8. Gingerbread House Competition<\/h3>\n