Church Fundraising Ideas

Church fundraising can be a very rewarding task, but also a challenge as many churches need year-round fundraising for recurrent costs in addition to intermittent fundraising for large events and purchases.

Below are some of our best tips and most successful fundraising products for both year-round and intermittent church fundraising:

Involve the entire community
Spread word of your church fundraiser throughout your entire community and don’t limit yourself to only Christian friends and family. You never know who might have a great idea or a helpful contact that might be a wonderful asset to your fundraising campaign. Local businesses, for example, routinely set aside an annual budget for philanthropic use, so be sure to reach out to all members of your community.

Begin blogging
Several reputable blogging services like WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger offer an impressive array of attractive templates which mean you don’t have to be at all technically inclined to produce an amazing blog. Post about your fundraising initiatives and use photos wherever possible to keep interest. Share the URL liberally and you’ll soon see what a useful tool this is to communicate your church fundraising initiatives and other happenings.

Give and you’ll receive:
Kick off contributions by making your own donation to the trip fund first. It doesn’t have to be a huge amount, but even chipping in the amount of money you might have spent on your morning coffee run or eating out for lunch is an excellent start. When others see the small sacrifices you’re willing to make, they’ll get in the spirit, too.

Embrace snail mail
Well-written letters to family, friends and members of the community is a personal approach that gets results. Target 75-100 recipients and don’t be shy in recommending a minimum donation amount. People often want to contribute to causes but only hesitate when they’re not sure of an appropriate donation amount. Remember, there’s nothing impersonal about an electronically-produced letter provided it’s signed by hand.

Plan an event
Church bazaars, community dinners and bake sale are all fun examples of fundraising events that churches should consider when raising funds. Naturally, people love to have fun, so an event is always an engaging approach. Be sure to have lots of snacks and treats at the ready for guests to purchase – it’s an easy way to earn extra profits! Candy bars, lollipops and beef jerky are favorites

Say thank you
No matter the size the contribution, send a thank-you note by email or by mail to let them know how much you appreciate their support. Thoughtfulness often begets future follow-up donations.