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Fundraising events provide an excellent opportunity for kids to develop essential life skills like teamwork, leadership, and financial responsibility. By involving children in these activities, you raise funds for a worthy cause and foster a spirit of community service and empathy within them.
With a little creativity and fun activities, fundraising can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for kids. Here's our curated list of the 403+ best fundraising ideas for kids.
Candy bar sales provide a delightful way to involve kids in fundraising activities. Children can enthusiastically participate by selling these treats at school, church, or community events.
Many companies also offer fundraiser discounts, so contact local distributors or manufacturers to obtain candy bars at reduced rates. Distribute the treats among your team and challenge the kids to sell the entire stock.
The proceeds can contribute to your nonprofit's funds while teaching children valuable lessons in goal-setting, communication, and perseverance.
2. Bake and Sell Treats
Organize a bake sale fundraiser where kids create delectable treats to sell. Collaborate with parents to ensure various baked goods and proper food safety measures.
Set up an attractive booth at high-traffic locations like school events, community gatherings, or local markets. Encourage kids to engage with customers and share the cause behind the fundraiser.
People love pancakes, and you can include them to add variety to your menu and attract more people. For example, the Crocker/Riverside Elementary School PTO organized a pancake breakfast and sold tickets to their event via Zeffy. They raised $7,900 and saved $395 in fees, as Zeffy is 100% free.
3. Chili Cook-off
Host a chili cook-off competition where participants showcase their best recipes while raising funds. Charge an entry fee for each participating team and sell tasting tickets to attendees.
Engage local celebrities or food experts as judges to add excitement. Offer prizes for the winning chili, people's choice, and most creative recipe. Complement the event with live music, games, and a vibrant atmosphere to attract a larger crowd.
4. Sell Cookie Dough
Selling cookie dough offers a twist on traditional bake sales, as kids can sell an easy product with a longer shelf life.
Cookie dough fundraisers have high earning potential, catering to varied tastes. Offer frozen gourmet, on-shelf, and dry mix cookie dough varieties. Organize a live baking display to engage buyers.
Extend the product line with treats like chocolate bars, fruit snacks, or lollipops to boost sales.
5. Cookie-Decorating Contest
Decorating cookies is one of the most fun kids' fundraising ideas. Here's how you can organize a successful cookie decoration contest:
Pick a suitable venue, like a local school garden or a community park.
Promote the contest in advance to give the kids and parents enough time to gather ideas and plan their schedule around the event.
Create separate peer-to-peer campaigns for the kids. Encourage supporters to donate to the kids' donation page if they like their work. This will motivate the kids and boost donations.
Offer cookies and decoration supplies and charge a small fee to add to your nonprofit funds. Partner with a local business to supply and promote the essentials in exchange.
Offer a prize for the best-decorated cookies and to the team that raises the most.
6. Lemonade Stand
A good old-fashioned lemonade stand is the easiest way to raise money for your cause and one of the best summer fundraising ideas for kids.
Lemonades are easy to prepare for the kids as the setup requires minimum effort. You only need jars and glasses to distribute the lemonade. Request local businesses and supporters to donate lemonade ingredients and other supplies.
Let the kids decorate the stall to make it more attractive. Encourage them to invite their friends, families, and a broader network to get more attendees.
7. Pizza Party
A pizza party is one of the easy, fun fundraisers for kids, as you can team up with a local pizzeria for a nonprofit discount.
Pick several toppings to appeal to kids, and it's always a good option to provide healthy options like whole wheat crust for parents. Charge per slice and offer bulk order discounts.
8. Cupcake Wars
Cupcake Wars is a kid-friendly twist on cook-offs, satisfying sweet tooths.
Participants bake and decorate cupcakes creatively. Supporters vote for favorites, and the child with the most votes wins.
Charge a small participation fee to raise funds for your cause. You should also categorize participants by age group for fair competition.
9. Popcorn Fundraisers
Popcorn fundraisers are low-cost ideas for kids as it requires little effort and resources.
Popcorn is inexpensive and easy for kids to make. You can also partner with schools, churches, sports, and fun events.
While selling, kids can explain your nonprofit's mission to buyers. Reward their efforts with goodie baskets or small gifts. You can also sell popcorn for impulse sales during charity events like sports days or walk-a-thons.
With Zeffy's ticketing feature, you can create different ticket tiers for events that include popcorn sales. To boost fundraising, add an option for additional donations in addition to purchases.
Sports Fundraising Ideas for Kids
10. Create an Obstacle Course
Design an engaging obstacle course that challenges participants while raising funds. Use local parks or school grounds, incorporating age-appropriate obstacles like tire runs, balance beams, and crawl tunnels.
Charge an entry fee for participants and offer prizes for the fastest times in different age categories. Encourage spectators to pledge donations for each completed obstacle. Partner with local businesses for sponsorships and equipment rentals to enhance the course.
11. Host a Sports Camp
Organize a sports camp where kids can hone their skills while supporting a cause. Enlist experienced coaches or student-athletes to lead sessions in various sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball.
Charge a registration fee to cover camp expenses and raise funds. Conclude the camp with a mini-tournament and award ceremony, inviting families to cheer on the participants.
12. Dodgeball Tournament
A dodgeball tournament gets kids moving for high-energy fun. Kids form teams and compete while raising funds.
Award the winning team and recognize all supporters. Hold a closing ceremony to give awards to the winning team.
13. Field Day
Plan an outdoor field day with age-appropriate games like tug-of-war, kickball, water balloon toss, three-legged race, and sack race.
You can also run a shoe drive fundraiser on the side and encourage supporters to donate sports shoes and everyday shoes.
14. Scavenger Hunt
Hold a scavenger hunt - perfect for family fun with minimal effort. Here's how to organize an engaging scavenger hunt for kids:
Choose a clear day for the event.
Pick a kid-friendly theme like “Finding Lost Treasure.”
Plan the scavenger hunt route in an accessible and safe area around the neighborhood.
Come up with fun clues and riddles for each item.
Give hints when needed.
Get the whole family involved in finding clues.
Keep checking in on the kids to ensure they are on track.
To motivate the kids to find the most items, have small prizes ready for the winners. You can combine a scavenger hunt with other fundraiser ideas for kids, like an obstacle course or a school carnival.
Consider setting up a concession stand and refreshment stalls to increase revenue.
15. 5K Race
Organize a 5K race year-round to promote healthy lifestyles. 5k race is a perfect fundraising idea for an after-school or holiday fundraiser.
Add creativity with a color run - participants wear white as spectators throw colorful powders.
Planning a 5K run includes choosing a date and location and determining a course. You can add a creative twist to a classic 5k race by turning it into a color run. FRSD PTO offered a color dance party when the participants crossed the finish line. They partnered with Zeffy and raised $35,500 while saving $1,775 in fees. Zeffy offers 100% free features for donors and nonprofits.
5k races can also be organized as pledge fundraisers. Participants can solicit pledged donations for your cause, corresponding to their reaching the finish line.
Organize a game night for the kids to spend quality time with their families. Charge a small entry fee per family to participate in the games.
Choose a large venue to accommodate all families and offer different board games, cards, and party games. You can also encourage families to bring their favorite board games.
You can also turn it into a family-vs-family tournament and arrange for an emcee to host it. Add music and refreshments to make this kids' fundraiser more engaging.
The winning family can receive a trophy or a free dinner coupon at a local restaurant.
Kids grow up fast! Family photo days can help preserve precious memories forever.
Hire a professional photographer and choose a beautiful shoot location. To raise funds, invite families to participate in groups and individual photo sessions. Offer different photo frames or sell customized mugs and personalized items featuring the pictures.
Market the event through social media, local newspapers, and community centers. Encourage families to purchase photo packages or pay what they can.
For added revenue, set up a concession stand selling snacks and beverages.
Create different ticket levels for different photo packages with Zeffy. You can also add an extra donation option to acquire more funding.
18. Birthday Fundraisers
Birthday parties excite kids with the joy of receiving gifts. Make their day more special by letting kids experience the joy of giving through birthday fundraisers.
Encourage supporters to celebrate kids' birthdays by contributing to your cause. Invite family and friends and request donations as birthday gifts.
Create a fundraising page with the parents' permission in the kid's name. Share the page and raise money on your behalf. Offer creative rewards like handmade cards or artwork created by kids for different donation tiers.
You can raise money for your cause effortlessly and spread more awareness.
Your supporters feel the satisfaction of doing something meaningful for a cause they support
Kids develop a sense of generosity.
19. Movie Night
An outdoor movie night with family, friends, and classmates is an enjoyable fundraiser for kids. With proper permissions, you can set up a large movie screen in a local park or community garden.
Arrange movie-themed snacks, decor, and tents for kids to camp overnight. Alternatively, rent a pool and screen to organize a movie night by the pool.
To increase turnout, survey kids beforehand on their movie preferences. Then, generate revenue through ticket sales and food stalls/concession stands.
Encourage community volunteers and involve kids in setup and clean-up.
Holiday Season Fundraising Ideas for Kids
20. Christmas Tree/Wreath Sales
Offer beautiful home decor through a Christmas tree or wreath fundraiser during the holidays. Partner with local farms or nurseries to rent a space and display your tree/wreath collection.
Get community kids involved in decorating the trees with lights and ornaments. Kids enjoy the holiday festivities while you raise funds by selling the decorated trees and wreaths. Offer bundle deals like trees with wreath sets or package discounts for bulk orders.
Set up an online store for supporters to conveniently purchase from home. Market through social media, local advertisements, and distributing door-to-door flyers in neighborhoods.
Kids love sharing their Christmas wishlists with Santa. Set up a pictures-with-Santa booth fundraiser to save them from mall lines.
Find a photographer or photography student to volunteer for the event. Decorate a festive backdrop and have Santa costumes ready. Charge for photo packages or pay-what-you-can picture opportunities.
Sell holiday treats and beverages while families wait. Market through schools, community centers, and local businesses. For added convenience, enable online ticket sales using a fundraising platform and include extras like photo printing or digital downloads.
Here's how to arrange the event:
Ask someone from your community members to volunteer to be Santa Claus.
Rent a Santa costume.
Request a local photographer to volunteer or set up a discounted deal.
Set up a lively booth.
Your team can dress up as elves to run the booth. You can also set up a concession stand to sell candy canes, cupcakes, and hot cocoa to raise more money.
22. Pumpkin Carving Fundraiser
For fall fundraising, host a pumpkin carving party—an easy event requiring just pumpkins, carving tools, and paint. Charge entry fees for kids to join the creative festivities. After the party, sell the carved pumpkins to supporters to collect additional donations.
Enhance the experience with Halloween music, snacks, and decorations. Let kids showcase their carved masterpieces in a mini pumpkin patch display.
Offer carving templates or stencils for smaller kids. Partner with local grocery stores or pumpkin patches to get pumpkin supplies at discounted rates. Promote through schools, community boards, and neighborhood groups.
23. Letters to Santa
Writing letters to Santa is a beloved Christmas tradition for kids. Adapt this into a creative fundraiser by setting up letter-writing stations and combining it with bake sales or lemonade stands.
Provide tables, paper, pens, and a Santa mailbox for kids to drop off their wish lists, ensuring clear names and addresses. Parents then pay to receive personalized reply letters from Santa.
Create letter templates at varied price points for parents to customize with their child's name and address.
Convey your fundraising mission to encourage participation and offer add-ons like colorful stationery, Santa stamps, or small gift items accompanying the reply letters. Promote through schools, community centers, and holiday event listings.
24. Breakfast with Santa
Organize a magical "Breakfast with Santa" event for kids during the holiday season to attract a wider audience. Partner with a local restaurant or community center to host the breakfast.
Charge an entry fee that includes a delicious meal and a memorable photo opportunity with Santa Claus. Set up a crafting station where kids can write letters to Santa or create holiday art to pair it up with other ideas. You can also conduct activities and games around Christmas theme to keep the kids interested.
Encourage parents to pre-register online to ensure a smooth event flow. Offer a variety of breakfast options to cater to different dietary needs and preferences. For example, Shrewsbury Elementary PTO raised $3,040 by selling online tickets to their “Breakfast with Santa” event. By partnering with Zeffy, a 100% free platform, they saved $152 in fees.
25. Polar Plunge
If your nonprofit is somewhere cold during the holidays, host an exciting polar plunge fundraiser ideal for older kids like high schoolers. Organize the event near a lake or pond, ensuring the weather is cool but the water isn't dangerously freezing.
Mandate parental supervision and presence for all participants. Charge registration fees for the plunge or gather additional donations from spectators. Award prizes for top fundraisers or creative costume contests.
Provide heated tents and changing areas. Sell hot beverages and snacks. Partner with local businesses for sponsored heat lamps and towels, or donate cozy plunge apparel.
26. Sell Flowers
A flower sale is an excellent fundraising idea for kids, especially during holidays like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Partner with a local florist to purchase flowers at discounted rates. Explain your cause and the promotional benefits they'll receive to incentivize discounts.
Get community kids to sell the flowers at schools, neighborhoods, and local events. Offer flowers by the dozen or create custom bouquet options for special occasions.
Market the sale through social media, flyers, and by having kids go door-to-door taking pre-orders. Set up pop-up flower stands at high-traffic areas like parks, community centers, or outside grocery stores. Let kids make simple bouquet wrapping or decorating crafts to jazz up the flowers.
For added convenience, enable online ordering using Zeffy's e-commerce platform. Customers can select flower varieties, quantities, and pick-up/delivery options. Include an option for personal notes or gift messages with orders.
Easy and Engaging Fundraisers for Kids
27. Talent Show
Host a talent show to let the kids showcase their hidden skills and talents. Fundraising ideas like this will attract participation as parents love watching their kids on stage.
All you need is a venue and some talented performers. Sell tickets for their family and other supporters to attend and cheer for the kids. Promote the show on social media and distribute flyers across the neighborhood.
Try selling concessions or branded merchandise to acquire extra money.
28. Kid-Friendly Silent Auction
A silent auction is a great fundraising idea that will get the kids excited. Create kid-friendly auction baskets that the young ones will love to bid on.
Here are some auction basket ideas kids will love:
A movie-themed basket with movie tickets, candies, and popcorn.
Fancy school supplies basket with crayons, geometry box, notebooks, etc.
A collection of young adult novels for literature enthusiasts.
A basket with delicious cookies, candies, and discount coupons to local restaurants.
A sports-themed basket with a jersey, game equipment, sipper bottles, and tickets to an upcoming game.
You can partner with local businesses to arrange the auction baskets. Another way to conduct a silent auction is to get the kids involved in creating auction items like art pieces or paintings. Parents will love to bid for their kids' artwork.
Zeffy's auction feature helps you organize online silent auctions free of cost. Monitor your bids and sales and let bidders browse items easily.
29. Face Painting
A face-painting event is one of the best fundraising ideas for kids, as you can organize it with another fundraiser, like a school carnival.
Even if you organize a fundraiser for adults, a face-painting booth will keep the kids engaged. It can also raise extra funds for your nonprofit.
It is one of the cost-effective fundraising ideas that can be executed with minimal planning. All you need is a table, chairs, paintbrushes, skin-friendly paint, and wet wipes.
Charge a small fee for kids to get their faces painted. If the face-painting booth is part of a larger event, promote it online and on your fundraising page.
30. Teddy Bear Raffle
A teddy bear raffle is an easy and effective fundraiser to engage kids. Collect teddy bears from community kids and local gift shops. Sort the collection, ensuring each bear is in good condition. You can also get creative by naming all the teddies to add excitement.
Write each bear's name on two slips of paper. Put one in a raffle jar and pin the other on the corresponding teddy. Kids donate to pull raffle tickets from the jar, winning the bear with the matching name. Strategically include some blank tickets to encourage more pulls and donations.
Turn it into an all-day event by selling raffle tickets alongside other games, activities, and food stalls. Let kids run mini-booths or host activities to earn volunteer hours.
You can also organize a more convenient online teddy bear raffle with Zeffy's 100% free online raffle tool. Create customized raffle forms, automatically generate tickets, and track ticket purchases.
31. DIY Slime Workshop
Gather ingredients like glue, baking soda, and food coloring, and organize a slime-making workshop! Kids can invite their friends and charge a small fee for participation. To make it more exciting, offer different slime recipes (like glitter slime or glow-in-the-dark slime). Afterward, kids can take their creations home.
32. Storybook Writing and Selling
Organize a storybook-writing workshop where kids can write and illustrate their own short stories. Once the books are completed, host a "Storybook Fair" where parents and community members can buy these one-of-a-kind creations.
Offer personalized stories where kids can include the names of their friends or pets as characters. You could also collaborate with a local printing company to professionally bind the books.
33. Kindness Rocks Garden
Gather smooth rocks and painting supplies, then host a "Kindness Rocks" painting event. Kids can paint uplifting messages and designs on the rocks. Afterward, sell the rocks or ask for donations to add them to a community garden or school yard.
For more fundraising fun, create a "Pay-It-Forward" option where buyers can purchase a rock to be placed anonymously in a public space to spread kindness.
34. Recycled Art Fair
Encourage kids to create art projects using recycled materials like cardboard, plastic bottles, and old magazines. Host a community art fair where these works of art are displayed and sold.
Collaborate with local businesses to sponsor awards for the most creative, most eco-friendly, or most innovative designs. You can also include a workshop on recycling and its benefits.
35. Community Service Auction
Kids can offer their time for various tasks like lawn mowing, pet sitting, or car washing, and these services can be auctioned off to the highest bidder in the community.
Pair each service with a homemade voucher, making the transaction more personal. Offer bundled services, like a "Weekend Helper Package," to increase donations.
36. Eco-Friendly Fashion Show
Kids can design and model outfits made from eco-friendly or recycled materials, such as old clothing, paper, or fabric scraps. Host a fashion show where the community can buy tickets to watch the event.
Include a "DIY Fashion Station" where audience members can create their own accessories or upcycle old clothes. Partner with local eco-conscious brands to sponsor or donate materials.
37. Kid's Cookbook Project
Collect favorite recipes from kids in the community, and compile them into a cookbook. Include illustrations, photos, and fun cooking tips. Once completed, sell the cookbooks to family, friends, and at community events.
Host a "Tasting Event" where kids prepare and serve dishes from the cookbook, and attendees can sample the recipes before purchasing the book. Partner with local chefs or restaurants for additional support and credibility.
38. Book Exchange and Sale
Organize a book exchange event where kids bring in gently used books they no longer need. For each book donated, they receive a token that can be used to pick a new book from the exchange. The remaining books can be sold at a small price to the community.
Include a "Book Signing" area where kids can write personal messages or draw pictures in the books they donate. Offer a special section for themed books, such as mysteries, adventures, or fantasy, to cater to different interests.
39. DIY Science Fair
Encourage kids to create simple science projects or experiments at home. Host a science fair where they can display their projects, and charge an admission fee for attendees. The fair can include interactive demonstrations, allowing kids to explain and showcase their experiments.
Offer a "Build Your Own Experiment" station where attendees can try out simple science activities, like making a volcano or creating static electricity. Award prizes for the most creative, most educational, or funniest project.
40. Community Art Wall
Secure a wall in a public space or at a school, and invite kids to contribute to a large community mural. Charge a small fee for each participant to paint a section of the wall. You can also offer the option to paint individual tiles or canvases that will be mounted together as part of the mural.
Host an unveiling event where the community can see the completed mural, with an art auction or sale of prints and smaller art pieces made by the kids. Include a live art performance, like speed painting or a collaborative piece.
41. Toy Hospital
Create a "Toy Hospital" where kids can bring their broken or old toys for repair or cleaning. Charge a fee for each toy repaired, with options for basic fixes like sewing a stuffed animal or replacing batteries. Offer certificates of "Toy Revival" for the toys that are fixed, and display before-and-after photos of the repairs.
42. Kids' Karaoke Night
Host a karaoke night where kids can sing their favorite songs in front of an audience. Charge an entry fee, and sell refreshments like popcorn and drinks. Provide a variety of music genres and songs to choose from.
Offer a "Star Performer Package" where participants can have their performance recorded and receive a copy of the video. Include a costume station where kids can dress up as their favorite singers or characters before performing.
43. Pet Parade and Show
Host a pet parade where kids can dress up their pets and walk them in a parade. Charge an entry fee for participants, and sell tickets for spectators. Include categories like "Best Costume," "Best Trick," and "Most Unusual Pet."
Offer a "Pet Adoption Corner" where local animal shelters can bring pets available for adoption. Include pet-related vendors or a DIY pet toy station where kids can make toys for their own pets or donate them to the shelter.
44. Puzzle-a-Thon
Organize a puzzle competition where teams of kids work together to complete jigsaw puzzles. Participants can gather sponsorships or donations based on the number of pieces they complete within a certain timeframe.
Create custom puzzles with local landmarks or school mascots, and offer a "Puzzle Swap" area where participants can exchange puzzles after the event. Award prizes for fastest completion or most creative puzzle strategies.
45. Kid-Friendly Escape Room
Create a kid-friendly escape room with age-appropriate puzzles and challenges. Charge an entry fee for teams to attempt the escape within a set time limit. Themes could include pirates, space adventures, or detective mysteries.
Include hidden clues or challenges that incorporate educational content, such as math problems or history facts. Offer small prizes or certificates for teams that successfully escape.
46. Mini Olympics
Set up a mini-Olympics event with fun and simple games like sack races, three-legged races, and hula hoop contests. Charge an entry fee for participants, and sell refreshments to spectators.
Create country teams and assign kids to represent different nations, complete with mini flags and national anthems. Offer medals or ribbons for top performers, and include a "Parade of Nations" to kick off the event.
How this nonprofit’s fundraising ideas for kids raised over $4,000 — for free
The BTC Area Youth Benefit Corporation (BTC AYBC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth in the BTC area by providing financial support for educational and recreational programs. One of their most anticipated fundraising events in 2024 was the Color Obstacle Fun Run. But in order for it to be successful, they needed a ticketing platform that would help them raise money — and direct as many funds to the cause as possible. That's where Zeffy came in.
With Zeffy's ticketing platform, the 2024 AYBC Color Obstacle Fun Run was a tremendous success, raising a total of $4,055. With Zeffy, AYBC was also able to save $203 in fees, meaning they could allocate more resources directly to their programs, furthering their mission of supporting youth in the community.
Wrapping Up on Fundraising Ideas for Kids
By implementing these creative and enjoyable fundraising ideas, you can create memorable experiences that inspire children to become active change-makers in their communities.
Embrace the power of youth in philanthropy and watch your cause thrive. You can also amplify all the in-person fundraising ideas with digital donation options. Set up an online fundraising page to share while promoting your fundraising events.
Explore Zeffy's 100% free fundraising platform that offers a comprehensive set of tools for organizing successful fundraising events for kids. Zeffy doesn't charge any platform or transaction fees for the donors or your nonprofit - get $100 for a $100 donation!
There are several fundraising ideas for kids that can help them raise money for a cause they support. They can:
Do small chores around the house or neighborhood.
Feed pets and walk the dogs.
Organize auctions of their stuff online or in person.
Participate in a bake sale or run a lemonade stand.
Teach some skills to other kids.
Promote their chosen nonprofit's online fundraiser among their peers.
Food fundraisers, such as bake sales and chili cook-offs, can help you raise significant funds, as people are naturally attracted to events involving food.
Matching gift drives are another profitable fundraiser idea that lets you double your donations instantly.
Some of the most cost-effective fundraising ideas for kids include:
Organizing a game night.
Setting up a face painting booth.
Matching gift drives.
Lemonade stand.
Letters to Santa.
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