7 Great Fundraising Ideas for Your Church

Many smaller churches rely on the hard work of their congregations to raise money to fund things like community outreach programs, renovations, and missionary work. If your church needs to raise money, read on for some useful fundraising ideas. All of them have been tried and tested and shown to work.

Bake Sale

Bake sales are much beloved by schools and community groups all over the US. Everyone loves a delicious cake, and most people are willing to buy a cake baked by a neighbor or member of their congregation if it raises money for a cause they believe in. Ask your congregation to bake cakes and other goodies. Hold a sale or sell tickets to raffle off the best cakes.

Talent Show

Talent shows can be a lot of fun and are a great fundraising idea if you have younger members in your congregation. Talents can be anything from singing and dancing to telling jokes, performing magic tricks, or even doing tricks with a pet. Anything goes! Sell tickets to your talent show and encourage the local community to get involved.

Community Party

Everyone loves a party and organizing one to raise money for the church is bound to be successful. You can make it as small or as big as you like. Provide food, drink, and entertainment and people will be happy to buy tickets. For larger events, do something amazing like rent a carnival – families will want to come if there is plenty of entertainment for the kids.

Yard Sale

A yard sale is easy to organize and won’t cost anything other than perhaps some refreshments for volunteers. Ask the congregation to donate items they don’t want and sell them at a yard sale. Make it an all-day weekend event and provide refreshments for a small fee for the people that attend. You might not make a fortune with a yard sale, but it’s a fun way to raise money for smaller things, like a church outing.

Church Cookbook

If you have plenty of congregation members that like to cook, why not ask them to share their favorite recipes in a cookbook, so you can sell it to raise money? Ask someone with good computer skills to put the book together and include photos and illustrations. You can sell an e-version or have a small number printed at a local print shop.

Sponsored Walk

Walking is good exercise and something that can be scaled according to the fitness level of the people taking part. Organize a sponsored walk where participants walk a set distance and are paid for each mile they complete. People can do it with their kids, with a pet, or even in a wheelchair with a family member if they prefer.

Online Fundraising

There are several ways to raise money online and sites like GoFundMe and CrowdFunder make it really easy. As long as you have a worthy cause, people will donate.

Other ideas worth trying if you want to raise money for your church include washing cars, an auction using items and services donated by local businesses, and a dinner dance fundraiser.