The 55 best fundraising ideas you’ll find anywhere in Australia!

Stop what you're doing and read these fun, inspiring ideas for your next fundraiser. Start an icause campaign today to smash your fundraising goals!

The 55 best fundraising ideas you’ll find anywhere in Australia!

It’s here! The ultimate list of ideas to inspire, motivate and help you smash your fundraising goals.

Remember donations don’t always have to be in the form of cash - some of the most meaningful campaigns make a difference through donating time or goods to help a person in need or a worthy cause.

55 Fundraising Ideas

Fundraising is a unique exercise, and you might already have something perfect for your campaign up your sleeve. But it can also be really hard work to think of creative and engaging ways to get your supporters onboard.

We’ve seen everything in our time, from face painting to silent vigils and everything in between. These 55 fundraising ideas are just some of the hundreds of ways you can raise funds for a cause you care about.

School Fundraising

1. Fetes

The school fete is a staple in the annual fundraising calendar. Use a fundraising platform in Australia to make planning, ticketing and receiving donations for your school a breeze. You can even sell merchandise, show bags and tickets for rides all in one place.

2. Artwork auction

Let students unleash their creativity and auction off the results to the highest bidder - proud parents are sure to help drive the prices through the roof!

3. Cookbooks

This is perfect for a PTA fundraiser - pool together all your favourite, kid-friendly recipes and sell them through your chosen fundraising platform.

4. Tea towels

In days gone by, every primary school student would proudly bring home a tea towel every year, adorned with self-portraits from their classmates. While these have dropped out of fashion in recent years, there’s a new wave of millennial parents that will jump at the chance to revisit this nostalgic hit and raise some school funds at the same time.

5. Free dress day

Another school staple, a free dress day, mufti day, casual clothes day, dress down day, own clothes day, non-uniform day or civvies day is a fun way to fundraise. Use a crowdfunding platform in Australia instead of receiving gold coin donations to save parents rummaging for cash and hours of counting money.

Sports Club

6. Branded merchandise

A piece of merchandise with the club logo is the perfect way for your supporters to show their loyalty and raise funds. There are endless options to choose from - t-shirts, caps, scarves, stubby holders and keyrings to name just a few!

7. Sponsorship

This is the main way clubs raise a large number of funds and secure their fundraising future. A sponsor gives your club money for various things, including maintenance, uniforms, tours and more in return for their company being advertised to your supporters.

8. Show bags

If you have crowds of spectators at your matches or competitions, set up a show bag stall to raise funds on the day. You can have grown-up and child options to cater for everyone in the crowd and if you have a sponsor, you might be able to get them to donate some goods or vouchers to include.

9. Silver coin drive

By simply asking your club members and supporters to bring their spare silver coins to practise and games, your club can raise a lot of money, and your supporters get to tidy up their wallets at the same time!

10. Disco/Dance

After a year of training hard, your members will jump at the chance to let their hair down. Plan the event on a fundraising platform in Australia to make planning and ticketing easy. For some added fun, give your dance a theme - who doesn’t love a 70s dress-up?

Raising Money for Charity

11. Fun run

A charity fun run is usually a short distance, between 1km and 10 km, so that everyone can get involved. You can either have participants donate an entry fee to your crowdfunding platform or encourage participants to get friends and family to sponsor them to raise money.

12. Picture plates

For children’s charities, hold a plate painting event and then sell the results at a fundraising event or online auction. These precious creations will be held dear by friends and family and the children will have a blast creating them in the process.

13. Food truck rally

Everybody loves a food truck these days! Raise some money and awareness for your charity by planning a food truck rally with your area's most popular trucks.

14. Celebrity cooking class

Plan a cooking class with a celebrity chef, or just a celebrity, who is involved with your charity. Attendees will pay an entry fee to enjoy an evening of cooking gourmet food and enjoying a feast at the end… all with their favourite famous face.

15. Art installation

An art installation is a great way to raise awareness in the local community. You can display a QR code at the site to encourage visitors to hop online and donate to your charity's crowdfunding page.

Health and Medical

16. Sponsored event

There are lots of options for sponsored events - sponsored silence, walk, pushups, danceathon and skips to name a few. Ask your friends and family to sponsor you through your crowdfunding page to keep track of how much you have raised.

17. Chocolate drive

Sell chocolate door-to-door or at your workplace and donate the proceeds to your chosen health or medical campaign. Consider leaflets or a link to your crowdfunding page to raise awareness at the same time.

18. Fundraising bracelets

A symbolic way of creating awareness for your campaign is to create a campaign bracelet. This could be adorned with a message or the name of your cause so donors can show off their support with pride.

19. Gala dinner

At a sit down dinner, your guests can enjoy the chance to get dressed up and enjoy some fine food and wine. At the same time, you can organise speakers from your cause to show people how their support is helping.

20. Comedy night

Raising money for health and medical campaigns is a serious business, but there’s no reason you can’t have fun along the way. Try an open-mic night for the brave, or book a professional comedian to give your supporters a night of fun and laughter.

Animals and Pets

21. Cookie drive

Ask your supporters to sell some delicious doggie treats to their friends and family, or at their school or workplace, with the proceeds going towards your campaign. Add a branded label to the cookies for extra impact.

22. Sausage dog race

If you have never witnessed a sausage dog race, you are in for a treat! One of the cutest sites you’ll ever see is these little champions bounding towards the finish line. Run bets on the race, charge an entry fee or have QR codes to your crowdfunding page on-site to raise funds at the same time.

23. Mud run

You can have humans or dogs compete in a muddy obstacle course to not only show off their prowess on the field but also raise awareness and funds. Make it a sponsored event or ask participants to donate to your crowdfunding campaign. And you’re sure to get some great social content in the process!

24. Buy, swap and sell

Create an online community to buy, swap and sell goods relating to your animal cause. As well as helping your new community care for their pets, you can use the forum to share information about your campaign and reach a new audience.

25. Sponsored walk

A sponsored walk is perfect for dog owners, but if you’re raising money for other animals, you could create quite the buzz! Why not walk your other animal friends, maybe a cat walk, turtles, birds or rabbits, and be sure to invite the local press to take in the spectacle!

Accident

26. Sausage sizzle

This quintessentially Australian fundraiser is easy to put together and always a hit with the locals. Family and friends can man the tent and you can transfer the funds into your crowdfunding campaign to keep track of how much you’ve raised.

27. Trivia night

There are many Trivia companies out there that can host either an in-person or online event to help you raise funds. Or if you’re a trivia boffin yourself, you could be the MC and put your guests' knowledge to the test.

28. “Pay your rent” crowdfunding campaign

If you are raising money for a loved one who cannot work in the wake of an accident, set up a crowdfunding campaign to help cover their expenses until they get back on their feet. You can break down the expenses on your campaign page so that supporters know exactly how their donation will help.

29. Meal roster

Recovering from an accident or trauma can be a lonely time. Gather your family and friends and make a meal roster, with everyone taking turns to deliver a home-cooked meal. While you’re there, you can spend some quality time together to help with the mental load of being in recovery too.

30. TikTok Pay It Forward

Use social media for good by kicking off a Pay It Forward campaign. The concept is that you do a good deed for someone, and in return, they do a good deed for someone else, and so on. Create a hashtag for your cause to raise awareness along the way.

Bucket list

31. Art show

Contact a local gallery to arrange a charity evening with drinks and canapes while guests admire the artwork. You can use the time to tell guests about your bucket list item, explain why it’s so important to you and ask for donations to your crowdfunding campaign.

32. Pie throwing contest

Bucket lists are meant to be fun, so why not do something wacky like a pie-throwing contest? Run a sweepstake on the participants, with the profits going to your Bucket List crowdfunding campaign.

33. Dare fundraiser

Another fun way to get your friends and family involved is a Dare fundraiser. After every dare, the participant gets to nominate someone new. Make each dare sponsored and run it on social media so your campaign can be spread beyond your immediate contacts.

34. Birthday crowdfunder

Set up a crowdfunding page, and when your birthday comes around, ask for donations instead of birthday presents. You should also ask your friends and family to share their donations on social media to spread the word.

35. Instagram countdown

Turn your grid into a countdown to the date you want to tick off your bucket list item. Include a link to your crowdfunding page on every post and update your followers with how far off your goal you are. As the time gets closer, supporters will jump in with donations to make sure you get across the line.

In Memory

36. Winery tour

Plan a winery tour in memory of a loved one. You can visit some of their favourite places and use the time to share memories. The funds raised can be donated to a cause that was dear to their heart.

37. Community Garden

Make a lasting memory with a community garden. Ask friends and family to help maintain the garden and in return take the fruits and veggies to enjoy at home. Add a plaque with some special words as a reminder to everyone who visits.

38. ‘In lieu of flowers’ crowdfunder

If you are holding a funeral, celebration of life or wake for your loved one, ask attendees to donate to your crowdfunding page in place of bringing flowers. You can use the campaign to help pay for funeral costs, or you could donate the money to a charity that your loved one supported.

39. Lantern release

A lantern release is a really special way to pay respect to a loved one. Have participants write a memory or a message inside the lanterns before they are released into the night sky. To raise funds, you can ask for a donation for each lantern to be made to your crowdfunding campaign or charity of your choice in your loved one’s name.

40. Memorial potluck

A memorial potluck is a chance for friends and family to come together to remember someone they have lost. Encourage everyone to bring a plate and enjoy good food and good company for the evening. Ask attendees to donate to your crowdfunding campaign, set up in your loved one’s name, to raise money for a special cause.

Environment

41. Containers for change

Several non-profit organisations in Australia will exchange your used containers for change. Raise awareness in your school or workplace by having people collect their old containers and put the money towards a special charity or a celebration event for everyone’s hard work.

42. Hike

Don’t just talk about the environment, show people! Run a guided hike of one of your favourite spots to encourage people to experience nature and connect with your environmental cause. Pack a lunch and make a day of it - by the time you get home, you’ll have a new bunch of loyal supporters!

43. Meatless Monday

Implement Meatless Monday in your workplace to raise awareness about the huge environmental impact that even just one day a week without meat can have. If you have a canteen, serve up some delicious vegetarian options, or otherwise encourage people to get creative with their meatless lunch boxes to start a conversation.

44. Seedling sale

A seedling sale is a fun way to raise funds and awareness for your environmental cause. For maximum impact, hold your sale in a concrete car park to emphasise the need to plant more trees to counteract urban sprawl.

35. Video challenge

Have some fun on your socials by launching a video challenge. Make a theme that is easy for everyone to join in with and don’t forget a catchy hashtag! Make it relevant to your environmental cause - why not have people hug a tree or dance in front of their favourite natural view?

Travel and Tourism

46. Cook-off

If you’re raising money to travel the world, gather some support with a good old-fashioned cook-off. Your theme could be Foods of the World, or a dish specific to the area you want to travel to. Invite spectators to sample the dishes to decide on the winner.

47. Board game tournament

Choose your favourite board game - we suggest versions of Monopoly from around the world - and create a tournament to get the competitive juices flowing. You can run the tournament over a series of days or weeks, world cup style, to keep people coming back.

48. Pub crawl

Gather a group for a day of merriment with a pub crawl with a twist. Ask participants to dress in the national dress of the country you are raising funds to travel to and add a link to your crowdfunding page to the invites.

49. Cake walk

If your crowd isn't the drinking type, have a cake walk instead. Find all the best local bakeries, cake shops and cafes and gather a group of sweet-toothed individuals for a day of indulgence. If distances allow, you can walk between venues to work up an appetite for the next stop!

50. School supplies for local schools

If you’re raising funds to travel to a developing country, ask your supporters to donate stationary and school supplies to take to a school at your destination. Giving children access to supplies to further their education can make a lifelong change for families that would otherwise go without.

Faith and Community

51. Engraved pavers

Sell engraved pavers to raise funds for a community project. Supporters will love the chance to be recognised for their contribution in a meaningful and lasting way.

52. Movie nights

Host a movie night in a local park for the whole community to enjoy. You can include kids' activities and food stalls to maximise your fundraising potential. Make sure you let everyone know what the night is in aid of to gather even more support.

53. Raffles

Local communities love a good raffle! Ask businesses in your area to donate prizes, which will not only help your fundraiser but raise their profile among locals at the same time. You can sell tickets through local businesses, at a community event or door-to-door.

54. Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls

Celebrate family and raise funds for your local community with a craft stall or bake sale. Families will be happy to help support a local community cause while getting some help with their present shopping at the same time.

55. Cake stall

If you’re at a local community event without a cake stall, then something has gone horribly wrong! Cake stalls are a fantastic way to encourage community members to get involved by baking their favourite tasty treat to raise funds.

Over to you!

If you’ve made it this far down the list and you’re still not inspired, do not despair! We have a team full of the best crowdfunding talent in Australia, just waiting to help! The first step is to set up your crowdfunding page so that you are ready to receive donations. Then drop us a message and we can help you to figure out the best way to reach your goal.

Whether you are raising charitable donations in Australia or working towards a personal cause, our team is here to make sure your campaign is a success.

The 55 best fundraising ideas you’ll find anywhere in Australia!