Top Five Strategies to Raise Money for Charity

Raising money for charity can bring a sense of fulfillment on a personal level. Many small businesses choose to raise funds for local organizations as a way to help the community and boost their own profile.

Hosting an afternoon get-together for a game such as bingo is great for fundraising, as you can get a lot of people to visit the same location. If they have a lot of fun, they are likely to be more generous with their donations as well.

Whether you have an organization that is close to your heart or you want to raise money for a cause that has come up in the news recently, there are countless ways you can make it happen.

Below are the top five strategies to raise money for charity.

1. Offer a Product

If you run a business or you are handy, then you can sell products in the hopes of raising money for charity. Perhaps you can sew or knit items that people can buy online. You could also sell products or services directly through your business, with a promise to donate all or part of the proceeds from those sales to charity.

2. Sell Items You Own

Most people underestimate how much money they can raise if they clear out their closet and home of items they no longer use. You likely have countless clothes, furniture, appliances, electronics, and other things you have not touched in years.

Rather than allowing those items to gather dust or throwing them away, you can sell them to raise money for charity. Host a yard sale, sell the items online, or donate them to local charity organizations.

Business owners can also sell items to raise money. If you have an old machine or pieces of furniture that you no longer use but have not thrown away, you can sell them online and donate the proceeds.

3. Host an Event

Hosting an event is a very appealing and fun way to raise money for charity. Most significant charity organizations around the world host fundraisers when they need to raise money quickly. 

While you may not have the capacity to host a lavish fundraiser, you can put together a modest gathering at short notice. You could host the event at your home or in a public space. If you are a business owner, your establishment is likely an excellent option for hosting the event.

Try to include people at the event who have a direct relationship with the charity you are sponsoring. Perhaps you can invite someone who benefited from the charity in the past, and they can talk to others who come and convince them to donate money.

Events should also be fun, which means adding live music or entertainment. You could host a game day, where people sit down to play board games, card games, or other games with friends, family, and new acquaintances.

4. Crowdsourced Funding Online

Countless online platforms allow you to sign up for an account and seek funding for any reason. You must provide information about yourself, why you are raising money, how much you hope to raise, and when you need the funds.

The advantage of using online platforms is that you can promote your fundraising on social media. By including a link to the crowdfunding website, your followers can easily chip in with a few dollars. Even if each person donates a modest sum, by reaching tens of thousands of people, you can raise a lot of money very quickly.

However, you must be careful in how much personal information you reveal online. Sometimes you can receive unwanted attention if you provide your full name, place of employment, or address. Include only the information that is necessary to prove the validity of your bid to raise money for charity.

5. Write Letters

Even though online platforms make it easy to reach a wide audience and collect donations, not everyone is always online. If you are looking to reach a demographic that is more traditional in its means of communication, you can write letters or cold-call for donations.

Letters usually work better, as you can provide ample information about yourself or your business, the charity you are supporting, why they need the money, and how much you are seeking.

You can curate a list of people who should receive these letters or send a lot of them to mailboxes in your area. Either method should help you reach a wide enough audience to receive significant donations.