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If you own or work for a nonprofit, you know the importance of fundraising in 2025. Charities will rely heavily on donations and gifts to cover all expenses and operating costs.

Typically, there are three types of auctions that charities will host, these include:

• Live auctions
• Silent auctions
• Online auctions

When you get it right, finding new prospects and strengthening the ones you have by hosting an auction can be highly rewarding. In addition, it will be an excellent silent auction ideas for fundraisers way to encourage new sponsors to join your cause, generate interest from the attendees, and have fun!

If you want your silent auction to be wildly successful, you should have the best items so guests can have a great time and open their wallets.

Tickets to Sporting Events

Who doesn’t love a local sporting event? No matter where you live, sports is a family affair, and many sporting organizations are happy to donate tickets to nonprofits for their auctions. Should you run out of luck getting donations, there may be people in your network or donor list with season tickets they are willing to share. Often, sporting event tickets will sell more than they are worth because tickets run out.

You may even decide to bundle two items together, such as the limo ride and the sporting event tickets. A bundle can attract higher bids because it has more perceived value.

Vacations

Everyone loves a getaway. The hustle and bustle of everyday life can be stressful, and a vacation can refresh you. Since you are hosting a virtual fundraising event, your attendees are likely located in different parts of the country. This means the destination won’t matter much. People want to travel out of their immediate environment, and an item on auction like this will generate a lot of buzz and attention.

If you can, add transportation to the vacation to make it an all-inclusive package. That way, you can maximize the bid and increase interest. Who could resist this silent auction idea?

Memorabilia

Memorabilia will forever be popular. People collect things because it helps them relive their childhoods, connect with history, or the thrill of the hunt. Several memorabilia items will grab your attendees’ attention at your auction:

• Old books
• Coins
• Postage stamps
• Sports memorabilia
• Antiques
• Historic artifacts
• Vintage clothing

If people donate many goods of one genre, you can later host another event for a specialized audience. Collectibles are sought-after items, and a niche auction can be a successful event for your nonprofit.

Wine or Brewery Tours

Who are your donors? Consider your target audience and whether they are beer or wine individuals. Most cities or towns have local breweries that offer tasting flights and tours of their breweries. Craft beer has grown exponentially due to its popularity; as of 2021, there are 9,247 breweries nationwide. In addition, there are more than 11,000 wineries.

Often, people value experiences over goods. Wine and brewery tours are excellent group adult activities where people can explore new areas of their city and broaden their tastes with their favorite beverages. You may even gift the tickets with a charcuterie board for their venture!

Music Lessons

Haven’t we all wanted to learn an instrument or two? Music is popular among all demographics, and it’s never too late to start. Offering music lessons as an item at your silent auction may be a big ticket because those wanting to take lessons but never got around to it might jump at the opportunity.

To up the ante, you can create a combo item and auction an instrument with the lessons. For example, you could offer a guitar with ten lessons.

Signed memorabilia

Signed memorabilia is a big hit! It can be anything, from autographed sports memorabilia to comic book illustration signatures. These items are typically easy to get. You can contact your local sports teams and find out if they are interested in participating in the event by donating signed jerseys, balls, or headshots. Comic book illustrators will let you mail in the comic book, sign it, and return it for a small fee.

Catering

Offering catering as a gift is an excellent item for an auction. People may have a wedding or holiday event or simply want to entertain guests, and a catered meal is just what they are looking for. Contact catering companies in your area or research where your online bidders live and secure a donation. The best way to ensure a donation is to set terms and conditions. For instance, they may offer services for a small, intimate gathering instead of a huge wedding. Other conditions can include the time of year the event should be hosted and the length.

An Outdoor Adventure

Outdoor adventures are fun for the whole family! Unfortunately, life gets busy, and we spend our days running around after the kids or endless hours at work. So why not spark their imagination and encourage outdoor excitement with some adventure?

Let’s discover some great outdoor adventures to offer as an auction item:

• A tour through a national park
• Horseback riding excursions
• Camping or glamping experience
• Fishing trip
• Surfing lessons
• Zoo tickets
• Guided ATV tour

Skydiving Excursion

Skydiving has substantial financial potential! Many people have skydiving on their bucket list, and this could be their opportunity to do what they’ve always wanted. Contact your local skydiving companies and see who wants to partner with your nonprofit. Offer them free publicity for a free jump.

If you have daredevil attendees, maybe offer a group package! It will be an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded people and make new friends while making money for your charity.

Car Wash

Who doesn’t love the new car smell? Offer a year’s worth of car washes as an auction item. This can be a hot ticket because everyone enjoys a clean car. Generate hype on your car wash item by offering detailing as well. You can give daily or monthly washes or opt for unlimited yearly car washes with a bi-annual detailing service, often costing hundreds of dollars.

School Fundraising Ideas

A well-planned fundraising strategy creates excitement and pride for the school and gets the community to play a more active role in the student’s education. So, if you’re looking for new ways to reach a larger audience and boost your efforts, choose from these school fundraising ideas and make the most of your event.

    T-Shirt Fundraising

Bonfire – Design your own Shirt on Material you’ll Love

Don’t we all love a good T-shirt? What’s excellent about t-shirt fundraising is combining it with an in-person event. About a month before, have t-shirts made with the school’s name, logo, and event name, so all attending can wear their shirt on the big day.

Getting custom-made t-shirts is easier than you think. There are companies such as Bonfire and Printful that will boost your campaign, help you save money on printed shirts, and create custom print designs everyone will love. best fundraiser ideas Both sites are free to use, have templates and a step-by-step guide to help you with the design process, and will fulfill and ship the orders, so there is one less thing for you to worry about!

    Online Donations

Receiving online donations is one of the best ways to expand your reach. Create a fun donation landing page and express your school’s needs. What are the objectives of the online donations, the target amount, and how do you intend to use the money to improve the school?

Remember that spreading the word is the tricky part and requires attention. Create a Facebook page for the school if you haven’t got one already, and start promoting your donation requests. In addition, you can send a note home with each student and ask them to spread the word. The great thing about social media is how quickly word can spread. When people start to share your posts, you get more reach and increase funding. That leads us to the next fundraising idea for high schools – social media.

Social Media

Social media ranks as one of the best school fundraising ideas. You can utilize various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Create an exciting post, express your needs, and use hashtags to further your reach.

You can spotlight your initiatives and get followers involved in the school’s fundraising events. Instagram lets you add a donation sticker to your posts. You can go live on social media platforms with a Livestream fundraising event with an easy-to-add donate button so viewers can donate throughout the live event. Lastly, don’t forget the Geotag. This allows your donation requests to be shown to people in your community and establishes your credibility.

    Text-to-Give

Who doesn’t have a cellphone these days? Texting-to-give is a great new way for schools to communicate financial needs to parents and guardians. The average donation for text-to-give fundraising is $107, which can significantly impact your bottom line.

Text-to-give helps you gain ongoing support from the community when school fundraising. Use a text-to-give platform, such as Snowball, that gives you unlimited text, personalized campaigns, and low-cost recurring gift options. Donors will text a word like “donate” to the school’s text-to-give phone number and confirm the donation amount. Their credit card information is saved for future donations, and a recurring donation option will help maximize the funds raised.

    Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is one of those valuable high school fundraising ideas that are a must for any money-raising initiative. An online crowdfunding campaign is conducted on various platforms such as Livingtree and DonorsChoose. Fundraising management software allows you to monitor the progress, tell your school’s story, and get the whole community involved in the efforts.

Here’s how online crowdfunding works:

• Develop a plan for your campaign and build the outline
• Create an account on your preferred crowdfunding site
• Set up the campaign with the fundraising goals and tell your story
• Make the campaign live and start sharing it on social media platforms
• Monitor the progress of the campaign and adjust if you are not on track to meeting your financial goals

    Corporate Philanthropy Programs

Corporate philanthropy is a different school fundraising idea many aren’t aware of, but it can be highly effective. You can contact parents or guardians to inquire whether they own or work for a company with philanthropy programs and find out how to apply.

Three corporate philanthropy programs could benefit a school fundraising program:

Matching gifts: Many companies will match an employee’s donation to a nonprofit. For example, if an employee gifts $100 to the school, the company will match the donation with $100. Each company is different, and some may have higher contributions than the traditional 1:1 ratio, such as 1:2 or 1:4 contribution ratios.

Volunteer grants are a great way to raise money and get the much-needed hands-on help many schools require. Employees volunteer their time to a nonprofit, and the company donates financially. Corporate sponsorships: Companies can sponsor events in exchange for favorable publicity. For example, a company can fund an event such as a bikeathon or fun run; the school can promote the business in return.

    Cookie Dough Fundraising Ideas for High Schools

Palmetto Fundraising Cookie Dough, Chocolate chip, cookies, and cream, or peanut butter – whatever your flavor, we all love cookie dough! Not only is cookie dough a comfort food that takes us back to the sweet memories of growing up, but it can also be added to your list of school fundraising ideas. Host a cookie dough fundraiser and get parents, guardians, students, and the community involved in this tasty idea.

So, how does a cookie dough fundraiser work? It’s simple. Use a company such as SavoryFoods or Palmetto Fundraising. You won’t have to pay any money upfront; they will fulfill the orders for the sale of cookie dough, and you get to keep most of the profits. Give customized catalogs of the various products for sale or host the sale online. This idea takes very little work, and you can raise money for your school in a fun way.

    Pledge Fundraising

Pledges and donations are different. Pledges are promises to donate. For example, you can plan a bike-a-thon, walk-a-thon, or fun run, and people can pledge donations for the distance the participant goes. The pledge is made and paid at a future date.

Pledge fundraising is a great way to raise money for schools and organizations. It is a volunteer-driven program that raises funds in an annual, one-time gift through a personal fundraising campaign. Through pledge fundraising, you collect donations from friends, family members, and neighbors who support your school financially before the event occurs.

The first step to organizing a successful pledge fundraiser is simply organizing the people who will participate. Second, you should decide on the goal of your campaign and how much money you want to raise during that period. Finally, set goals for the number of pledges you wish to receive and divide those tasks accordingly.

    Silent Auctions

Silent auctions are becoming increasingly popular for school fundraising because they offer a fun way for people to bid on items and raise money for the school at the same time. Proceeds from silent auctions help schools solicit more funding, provide more enrichment, and enable more learning. They’re a fun way to socialize and mingle with new people at the event.

Charity Safaris is an excellent company to help raise funds for your school. We can help with the entire process, including auction display, online bidding logistics, and catalog production. Sell one of our hunting trips in South Africa, Argentina, or New Zealand multiple times for the event and raise thousands of dollars for your school. Fill out an online donation request and sell the trip of a lifetime at your school fundraiser.

If you’re looking for other types of silent auction items, TheShareWay provides a guide on 400+ companies that donate hotel stays, beauty products, gift cards, and more.

Email Campaigns

More than 4 billion people use email, and 77% of marketers say they have seen an increased engagement with their email marketing campaigns over the last year. So, if marketing companies and businesses leverage emails to gain followers’ support, why not do the same for your school and community?

An email fundraising campaign is simple once you have an email list. You can send reminders to subscribers of fundraising events, express the school’s needs, and request help from the community. What’s great about email campaigns is that you aren’t just driving traffic to your fundraising page but can also gain ongoing financial support.

If you own or work for a nonprofit, you know the importance of fundraising in 2025. Charities will rely heavily on donations and gifts to cover all expenses and operating costs.

Typically, there are three types of auctions that charities will host, these include:

• Live auctions
• Silent auctions
• Online auctions

When you get it right, finding new prospects and strengthening the ones you have by hosting an auction can be highly rewarding. In addition, it will be an excellent auction item ideas way to encourage new sponsors to join your cause, generate interest from the attendees, and have fun!

If you want your silent auction to be wildly successful, you should have the best items so guests can have a great time and open their wallets.

Tickets to Sporting Events

Who doesn’t love a local sporting event? No matter where you live, sports is a family affair, and many sporting organizations are happy to donate tickets to nonprofits for their auctions. Should you run out of luck getting donations, there may be people in your network or donor list with season tickets they are willing to share. Often, sporting event tickets will sell more than they are worth because tickets run out.

You may even decide to bundle two items together, such as the limo ride and the sporting event tickets. A bundle can attract higher bids because it has more perceived value.

Vacations

Everyone loves a getaway. The hustle and bustle of everyday life can be stressful, and a vacation can refresh you. Since you are hosting a virtual fundraising event, your attendees are likely located in different parts of the country. This means the destination won’t matter much. People want to travel out of their immediate environment, and an item on auction like this will generate a lot of buzz and attention.

If you can, add transportation to the vacation to make it an all-inclusive package. That way, you can maximize the bid and increase interest. Who could resist this silent auction idea?

Memorabilia

Memorabilia will forever be popular. People collect things because it helps them relive their childhoods, connect with history, or the thrill of the hunt. Several memorabilia items will grab your attendees’ attention at your auction:

• Old books
• Coins
• Postage stamps
• Sports memorabilia
• Antiques
• Historic artifacts
• Vintage clothing

If people donate many goods of one genre, you can later host another event for a specialized audience. Collectibles are sought-after items, and a niche auction can be a successful event for your nonprofit.

Wine or Brewery Tours

Who are your donors? Consider your target audience and whether they are beer or wine individuals. Most cities or towns have local breweries that offer tasting flights and tours of their breweries. Craft beer has grown exponentially due to its popularity; as of 2021, there are 9,247 breweries nationwide. In addition, there are more than 11,000 wineries.

Often, people value experiences over goods. Wine and brewery tours are excellent group adult activities where people can explore new areas of their city and broaden their tastes with their favorite beverages. You may even gift the tickets with a charcuterie board for their venture!

Music Lessons

Haven’t we all wanted to learn an instrument or two? Music is popular among all demographics, and it’s never too late to start. Offering music lessons as an item at your silent auction may be a big ticket because those wanting to take lessons but never got around to it might jump at the opportunity.

To up the ante, you can create a combo item and auction an instrument with the lessons. For example, you could offer a guitar with ten lessons.

Signed memorabilia

Signed memorabilia is a big hit! It can be anything, from autographed sports memorabilia to comic book illustration signatures. These items are typically easy to get. You can contact your local sports teams and find out if they are interested in participating in the event by donating signed jerseys, balls, or headshots. Comic book illustrators will let you mail in the comic book, sign it, and return it for a small fee.

Catering

Offering catering as a gift is an excellent item for an auction. People may have a wedding or holiday event or simply want to entertain guests, and a catered meal is just what they are looking for. Contact catering companies in your area or research where your online bidders live and secure a donation. The best way to ensure a donation is to set terms and conditions. For instance, they may offer services for a small, intimate gathering instead of a huge wedding. Other conditions can include the time of year the event should be hosted and the length.

An Outdoor Adventure

Outdoor adventures are fun for the whole family! Unfortunately, life gets busy, and we spend our days running around after the kids or endless hours at work. So why not spark their imagination and encourage outdoor excitement with some adventure?

Let’s discover some great outdoor adventures to offer as an auction item:

• A tour through a national park
• Horseback riding excursions
• Camping or glamping experience
• Fishing trip
• Surfing lessons
• Zoo tickets
• Guided ATV tour

Skydiving Excursion

Skydiving has substantial financial potential! Many people have skydiving on their bucket list, and this could be their opportunity to do what they’ve always wanted. Contact your local skydiving companies and see who wants to partner with your nonprofit. Offer them free publicity for a free jump.

If you have daredevil attendees, maybe offer a group package! It will be an excellent opportunity to network with like-minded people and make new friends while making money for your charity.

Car Wash

Who doesn’t love the new car smell? Offer a year’s worth of car washes as an auction item. This can be a hot ticket because everyone enjoys a clean car. Generate hype on your car wash item by offering detailing as well. You can give daily or monthly washes or opt for unlimited yearly car washes with a bi-annual detailing service, often costing hundreds of dollars.

Fundraising Ideas for School

It’s no secret that public schools are underfunded, and there is a spending gap between wealthier districts and low-income areas. In fact, the wealthiest districts spend three times more per pupil than low-income district schools.

Spelling Bee High School Fundraising Ideas

There are many reasons why a spelling bee is a great fundraising idea for schools, including:

• Friendly competition among students
• Educating students
• Highly affordable to host the event
• Community involvement

You can combine a spelling bee fundraiser with a pledge campaign. Students can get family and friends to pledge funds accurately for every word they spell. You can print school fundraisers certificates online and request donations from local businesses for prizes for the winners.

Walk-a-thon

A walk-a-thon is an excellent event for students of all ages, and there are many ways to host one. Color runs have become highly popular over the years, and platforms such as MyFunRun are making it easier and easier to do. They offer all the digital materials, personal fundraising pages, and pre-registering participants.

Students are not the only ones who can participate. Family, friends, and community members can all participate in the walk-a-thon. You may even switch things up, do a zombie run, and see the community show up in their best outfits and spooky makeup. There are no limits to what you can do with this school fundraising idea – have fun with it.

Prom Dress Drive

The best way to host a prom dress drive is a couple of months before prom or homecoming season. Shopping for the perfect dress can be time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. Instead, reach out to the community through social media posts and send notes home with the students. Ask them if they have gently used dresses of all sizes to donate for the prom dress drive. You can also approach second-hand clothing stores and see if they can part with dresses!

Hand out pamphlets to local businesses and the community with information on the event, such as date, time, location, and whether it will be a cash or card-only event. Remember to have private facilities for students to try on the dresses and hanging racks for easy displays. To guarantee attendance, sell tickets to the event. This is also a great way to maximize profits and know how many volunteers you’ll need.

Cook-Off

What better way to get the students involved in the school fundraiser than a cook-off? Kids can pay a small fee to enter the competition, and attendees pay to be taste testers. In addition, tasters will make donations for the foods they love the most, and the winner will be crowned by the amount of money they raise.

Students can make simple but tasty meals such as chili, mini burgers, tacos, and baked goods for those with sweet teeth. These meals are easy to make and won’t need much kitchen space. These high school fundraising ideas don’t have to be the “typical” event. Spice things up with live music, host fundraising raffles, and sell drinks to get the most out of the event.

Lip Sync Showdown

Consider lip sync showdown if you’re looking for a unique high school fundraising idea. The kids have a lot of fun choosing a song, practicing, preparing dance moves, and performing their favorite songs. Friends, family, and the community will be privileged to see the lip-sync showdown by paying an entrance fee. The winner can be determined by how loud the applause is.

School Carnival

School carnivals require all hands to be on deck as they are involved in events. There are games to create and run, lots of fair food to make, and entertainment to plan. Carnival games and booths to consider are:

• Cornhole
• Mini Golf
• Ring toss
• Picture booth
• Tattoo booth
• Face painting

A school carnival fundraiser will require student committees, parents, guardians, and volunteers to participate in planning the event. First, browse company websites such as Rode Island Novelty to find bulk carnival prizes that everyone will love at a low cost. Then, maximize profits by charging admission tickets and charges per activity. These are very popular Fundraising Ideas for School.

Pajama Day

Pajama Day is a simple and effective way to raise money for school fundraiser ideas. The costs are low because there is not much to organize. Have each student pay a small fee to come to school in their pajamas. This fee can be as low as $1 or $2.

Add more fun to the day by letting the students watch a movie during lunch in the cafeteria and having a prize for the class that participates the most.

Principal Challenge

Involving the principal is a fantastic and fun way to raise money for your school. Principals are typically known to have serious and authoritative reputations. While fundraising for your school, this exciting fundraiser will influence pupils’ perspectives and foster a sense of camaraderie.

Ideas for prizes include:

• Sliming the principal
• Principal kissing a pig
• The principal gets pied in the face
• Principal colors their hair in their school’s colors

Schools set fundraising goals that students must attempt to meet. The fundraising target must be realistic for the students to see the results.

A class wins the prize when they reach a certain amount. The school gets to watch the hilarious act of the principal facing their demise if they reach the specified target.

Prospect Research

Performing prospect research, you will better understand who in your school can donate and will most likely donate regularly. In addition, through research, you can find the parents or guardians who participate in philanthropic work and may see what you are doing in your school that is worth donating to.

Specific wealth indicators will help you determine who to approach:

• Profession
• Foundation affiliations
• Real-estate and assets

Prospect research is most effective in affluent communities and allows you to change your marketing tactics to target the right people.

Field Day

Field days are ideal for the spring semester, when the weather is warmer and kids want to enjoy themselves outdoors. They are perfect for younger elementary school children.

This fundraising opportunity can have several activities for the students and their families to enjoy.

• Tug-of-war
• Water games
• Dodgeball
• Bounce house
• Obstacle courses
• Potato sack race

To make money, charge for both general entrance and individual game participation. Concession stands and a donation booth can be set up for additional fundraising opportunities.

Donation Requests

A well-known fact about Americans is that they are givers. This is particularly true regarding giving to nonprofits, charitable organizations, and worthy causes.

Throughout the USA, companies are willing to donate to fundraisers through online requests on their websites. Below, we list 7 companies eager to target donation request grant your donation requests in 2025. Reach out to them and be amazed at their generous offers to assist your fundraiser!

Charity Safaris

Charity Safaris accepts online requests for donations and gives 100% safari hunting to qualifying nonprofits, charities, and worthy causes. The gifting is in the form of hunting safari trips to Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa. The gifted trips may be sold in live, silent, and online auctions and raffles, and the organization gets to keep all the profits for their cause.

Access their online request form by visiting the Charity Safaris website.

Elite Island Resorts

Elite Island Resorts offers a no-cost donation of Caribbean Vacation Certificates to exotic beachfront destinations such as Antigua, Barbados, Panama, and the Grenadines. Your nonprofit organization can use these in live, silent, or online auctions and raffles to raise 100% profit off sales for your cause and provide a memorable lifetime holiday for a lucky person.

Click here to see if your organization qualifies to complete an online donation request form and raise significant funds for your nonprofit.

 The Walt Disney Company

Disney partners with nonprofits and charitable organizations to bring affirmative, relevant, and measurable impact to communities through in-kind contributions and employee volunteers who raise funds for a given cause. They support health, social empowerment, and conservation.

See if your organization qualifies by filling out their online donation request form.

The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton has a program called Community Footprints, which zeroes in on relief for hunger and poverty, children’s well-being, and the restoration and maintenance of the environment. They proudly partner with nonprofit organizations that support these aspirations. Requests for donations may be made here.

Coca Cola

Coca-Cola provides aid to 501(c)(3) compliant nonprofit organizations in the USA through monetary donations, sponsorships, and product donations. To determine if your organization is eligible, complete the online donation request form here.

Cisco

This company offers donations to nonprofits through its philanthropic arm, the Cisco Foundation. They donate network technology through the Product Grant program to improve set-up and productivity. Global Impact Cash Grants are awarded to struggling communities with dire human needs, economic power, and education, specifically for community-based grants for the Bay Area in California. Click here to make online requests for donations.

Ben and Jerry’s

Ben and Jerry’s offers grants nationally and at the state level in Vermont. The donations are directed explicitly to community organizations across the USA. Ben and Jerry’s are big on human rights and social justice. Check their website for more information about the donation request criteria.

American Electric Power

American Electric Power, through its foundation, offers donations to nonprofits nationally and those located within the AEP service area. They specifically support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, housing, and hunger assistance. Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) certificates must secure an invitation to apply for grants from their local AEP and will then be directed to apply online. You can find more details on their information page.

Dunkin’ Donuts

The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation supports organizations that have hunger relief as their cause.

Grants are made to food pantries and banks, grocery delivery programs, community gardens, and other food-based philanthropic causes.

Request a donation for your nonprofit organization directly on their website.

General Motors

General Motors aids 501(c)(3) compliant organizations focusing on STEM education and community development. They also support road and vehicle well-being initiatives and education. Eligible nonprofit organizations can visit the company’s website and follow the steps for securing a donation request.

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