Some traditions remain effective, but technology offers multiple church fundraising ideas that can help your church reach its goals and engage more members. A fundraising plan can help your church plan out its goals and increase giving. Check out the following 20 fundraising ideas to see which ones may work for your congregation. fundraiser for church ideas
In the past, churches would take up offerings on a Sunday morning by passing around collection plates. Members would toss in their cash or check contributions. Nowadays, churches have to take it up a notch.
This does not mean that traditional ways should be abandoned. In fact, some congregation members might still prefer them, but there are multiple church fundraising ideas out there that you can use to reach your church goals and engage your members. Sometimes the offering just isn’t enough.
When your church needs to increase giving, what do you do? What types of fundraisers should your church conduct, and how can you get your congregation on board? Is it even possible to make fundraising fun and meaningful?
One for One
The famous “Buy One, Give One” concept, popularized by TOMS, is a straightforward and inspirational way to fundraise.
For example, if your church is helping the homeless, you can organize a community lunch sale offering “buy a lunch, give a lunch”, pricing the food slightly higher than average to support your cause.
The Digital Offering Plate
Offering plates have been used by churches and other faith-based organizations as a primary way to receive donations ever since the early 19th century.
In addition to this traditional method, give your congregation an option to donate online. Make sure your church has a modern, well-designed online giving page. Use Text-to-Give to easily redirect members to your giving page. It will be more convenient for them rather than having to type the URL in their browser. Donorbox also gives you free QR codes with every campaign, so you can use them at your church to send givers to your online donation form instead of only relying on the offering plate.
With Donorbox’s QuickDonate™ feature, your one-time givers can also easily repeat their donations, right on the go. Their precious payment information will be saved upon confirmation from their end and they can repeat their last donation and even download their donation receipts as and when they want.
Finally, you can also set up a giving kiosk at your church to encourage visitors and members to make cashless, in-person donations. The Donorbox Live™ Kiosk app lets you convert your iPad or Android tablet – paired with a card reader device – into a giving kiosk in only a few minutes and accept swift cashless donations. Your donors will be able to give via quick taps, dips, and swipes of their credit/debit cards or by using their digital wallets. A giving kiosk can be a great alternative to your traditional offering place!
Text To Give
A quick, but untapped tool for church fundraising, text-to-give is easy to set up. Mobile fundraising is a simple way to receive donations as a faith-based organization.
With Donorbox, text-to-give is quite easy. Your donors need to send your campaign ID to 1 855 575 7888 (basic plan) or the keyword “GIVE” to 801801 (short code plan). While the choice is yours, the shorter number is much easier to remember and type in. Plus, you can choose a custom keyword in this plan. Once your donors send the campaign ID, Donorbox will send them your mobile-friendly campaign link and there they can make donations. With our repeat donation feature, your donors can quickly repeat this donation in the future without having to fill out any forms. Check this picture for a glimpse –
This method is especially important since fewer and fewer congregants carry cash around, and more and more bring their phones everywhere.
Check out our detailed guide on text-to-give fundraising.
Churches and religious organizations use the Text-to-Give feature extensively to collect donations. We talk about 11 reasons why churches should adopt text-to-give and unlock a new fundraising opportunity.
Give it Up
Nonprofits and churches from around the world have used this effective fundraising technique for years.
The idea is simple. Ask congregation members or members of the local community to give up going out to eat, going out for drinks, coffee, weekend movie nights, or any other (by all means) modern luxury, and donate instead.
Here’s an example of a “Give it Up” fundraiser organized by Neuroblastoma UK. One of the participants said:
“I gave up my daily cappuccinos and texted to donate £3 each day I walked straight past the coffee shop! It was a great feeling. In total I gave £42 plus Gift Aid to save children’s lives. Who needs caffeine when you can get a kick from supporting such an amazing cause?”
If you want to make it easier on your congregation, choose a shorter month, like February. Your congregants can also choose to opt-in for half of the month.