Raising funds is essential to nonprofit organizations, and one of the best ways to gain donations to support your cause is to host events.
As tempting as it may be to keep repeating the same event format you have carefully perfected over the years, sometimes, the key to raising more money is to try something new.
Put the Fun Back in Fundraising with These Top Charity Event Ideas
Hosting a fundraising event is still one of the most efficient ways to raise money (and awareness) for a nonprofit organization.
These types of events are ubiquitous in the fundraising world.
However, many non-profit institutions are struggling to come up with novel and fun charity event ideas which breathe new life into their organizations. If this is an issue you are well-acquainted with, you should keep on reading.
In this article, we are going to share with our best non-profit event ideas which will engage donors and ensure your event is going to be an exciting, enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Charity events are a great way to get donations for your organization. However, if you want to incentivize people to donate more, you have to raise the bar.
Entertainment is undeniably the best way to spice up a charity event and attract more funds. If this resonates with you, then we have the best charity fundraising ideas your guests will enjoy.
That being said, here are top charity event ideas to raise money which might inspire you moving into 2020.
1. Make Giving Fun with a Battle of the Bands
Building donor engagement is key to hosting successful charity event because if you do not manage to keep donors invested, then your fundraiser is likely to start losing steam.
So engaging often means fun, which is why the first idea we have included in this article involves getting some of your local bands and artists to take part and compete in the event.
The audience will get to decide whom the winner is by casting their votes via the donations they make to support your cause.
This is not only a fun idea, but it is also one which will help raise money from multiple sources:
- band entry registration fees
- ticket sales
- band voting fees.
As an added benefit, everybody loves music, which means this is one of the best charity fundraising ideas you can use to raise funds for your organization with a diverse audience.
2. A Guest Speaker Event for Powerful Communication
Booking a professional speaker to speak at your charity event is an excellent way to make sure the message you want to convey reaches as many of the people present in the room as possible.
How?
Well, it is needless to say speakers are good with words and thus can ensure the points you are trying to make will get across the right way.
Not only that, but they also have a powerful delivery which will create a more profound emotional effect and increase donations as a result.
Least, but now last, a professional knows how to drive engagement and make sure the audience does not start losing interest. However, remember not all speakers are created equal.
If you are looking for qualified speakers who know how to use communication to inspire and engage, we encourage you to peruse our selection of speakers with experience in nonprofit.
Whether you are a small center or a large organization, we are confident you will find the right speaker for your organization and show you why this is one of the top charity event ideas.
3. Surprise Donors with a Live Shadow Performance
Many nonprofits nowadays have to face a landscape of donor fatigue and supporters who are challenged by adverse economic circumstances. Also, the nonprofit sector is one which offers donors a plethora of choices.
One of the secrets of being successful in the often-challenged and competitive nonprofit sector is to stand out from the rest by offering something different, something which has that that Wow factor.
With that in mind, one of the best charity event ideas to raise money we wanted to include in this article involves working a live shadow act into your event.
So what exactly is a live shadow performance?
As the name suggests, it involves dancers transforming their bodies into surreal images which trick the eye and dazzle the mind. The reason you are likely to raise more money by featuring this kind of performance has to do with its immense customization potential.
In other words, the dancers can customize their act, so it translates the message you want to ford your donors in a highly visual way.
If this is an idea you are willing to consider, we have an excellent suggestion for you: Catapult Entertainment. Click here to learn about them and what they can do to elevate your fundraising.
4. Get Artsy
If you see a beautiful painting, you cannot help but stop and stare at it for a while, right? That is because people are naturally fascinated by things which are visually appealing.
Why not leverage people being instantly drawn towards art to maximize the results of your next event?
You could just host a painting exposition which is somehow related to the mission of your organization within the event. Alternatively, you could take things to the next level and make your fundraising genuinely entertaining by booking a live painter.
We even have a suggestion for you: Heidi Schwartz! Heidi has extensive experience performing at charity events, and she has got excellent reviews every single time.
What’s great about her act is that it allows donors to watch as the painting emerges into its final form. Also, you can auction the painting at the end of the event and further increase donations.
Attendees will get to witness art being born, and your organization will have a better chance to raise more money. It is a win-win situation.
5. Play a Hoax on Your Guests
If you are looking for outside the box charity event ideas to raise money, this one is for you.
Booking HypnoTWIST for your special evening ensures that the element of surprise will be used to your organization’s advantage.
Their latest hoax act cleverly combines Hypnotism components with surprise entertainment to dazzle their audiences. The result can be described as an interactive experience attendee will not be able to forget anytime soon.
During the show, one of the entertainers who introduces himself as world-renowned Hypnotist Ivan Lendl will pick three volunteers from among your guests.
The rest of the audience will watch as he transforms them into rock stars, opera singers, dancers and more. As the performance comes to an end, the truth is revealed: two of the selected volunteers are not whom they said they were!
Their show is better seen than explained, so here’s a small sample of what you can expect them to do on stage:
6. Humor Is Always a Good Idea
Often at the core of human interactions, laughter is the ultimate mood-booster. It relaxes people and puts them in a good state of mind.
More so, comedy can change our perspective and even how we act. It makes us more generous, and it also builds hope.
So why not book a clean comedian to spruce up your next event? Someone like Paul Aldrich will ensure your event is fun, smooth and right on schedule!
Moreover, comedy can successfully be used to direct donors’ attention where you want it, namely your cause.
7. Have People Sing Along a Concert
If you ever feel like your event is missing something, then it might be the music. But we’re not talking about playing music from a device through the speakers; we are talking about having a fully-fledged band to perform live on a stage.
For your charity event, you can choose to organize a benefits concert. It’s a very stable way to raise money through ticket sales or even donations.
Due to its universal appeal, music is always the safest option to go for. It attracts people’s attention like a magnet. It also drives them to engage in social activities and perhaps even dance.
Our suggestion is to hire a professional singer or even a band. Also, you can find the right musicians for your event by following this link.
8. Capture the Audience’s Attention with Magic
When music or comedy don’t seem like a perfect fit for your event’s profile, you can always rely on organizing something a bit more interesting.
In that case, one of the best charity fundraising ideas we can suggest you put together a show which incorporates magic. It is by far one of the most enthralling topics. Even the mere mentioning of magic attracts people’s curiosity.
It does so because it is fascinating for every viewer. It has the unique property of never getting old, no matter how many times people see it.
If you want to offer your guests something which will genuinely surprise them, then we wholeheartedly suggest hiring a magician – it will turn your event into a memorable experience.
Turn The Best Charity Fundraising Ideas into Reality
Fundraising events should be enjoyable, not only for those attending but also for those organizing it. We know it is not easy, but try to keep the stress to a minimum and have fun putting together the details of your event.
We can assure you that incorporating entertainment in your event is one of the best charity fundraising ideas. If you consider the benefits of all the suggestions listed in this article, it’d be such a waste not to put at least one of them to good use.
Which One of These Top Charity Event Ideas Will You Try in 2020?
As one last suggestion, we encourage you to browse through our selection of entertainers with experience in the nonprofit sector.
We are confident they will spark your creative mind so that you can come up with some pretty fantastic new charity event ideas to raise money!
We hope you will consider trying at least one of the ideas mentioned above because they do have the potential to help you accelerate your nonprofit’s fundraising success in 2020.
If this has captured your attention, then you’d be glad to know you can find the right performer precisely for your event.
You can do so by browsing our online catalog. If, however, you’d like to find performers more tailored for specific audiences, then we’d be glad to assist you. Simply call 1-615-283-0039 and let’s get in contact!
