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Charity events are powerful catalysts for change, bringing communities together to support.
But planning a fundraiser can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re wearing every hat: running programs, managing volunteers, and still trying to raise money. Most nonprofit leaders we talk to never signed up to be event planners… yet pulling off a successful fundraiser is critical to your mission.
This step-by-step guide was built for small, scrappy teams like yours—showing you exactly how to organize an impactful event that amplifies your reach, engages donors, and builds community impact.
Plus, we’ll show you how Zeffy lets you keep every dollar for your cause—meaning more money goes towards scholarships, food, rent—and do it all without burning out. Every 3% fee is another scholarship lost. With Zeffy, $100 raised = $100 for your mission.
Defining measurable objectives is essential for planning a successful charity event. Identify the event's purpose and how it aligns with your nonprofit's mission to create a solid foundation for your planning efforts.
While generating revenue is crucial for every charitable cause, consider if alternative fundraising methods, such as a clothes drive, might better serve your mission. Tailor your proposed charity event to best serve the needs of your nonprofit.
There are typically five purposes for organizing a charity event:
Focusing specifically on raising funds
Requesting giving in non-monetary forms
Attracting attention and volunteers to the cause
Appreciating and thanking supporters
Connecting and building relationships with new donors
“We lost $0.50 on each hot dog sale to fees.” — Volunteer-parent hustler
Before you can jump into fundraising event planning, you'll need to evaluate what you have available to you, like:
A detailed budget: Consider how much money you have to fund this event. To cut down on costs, opt for a single-plate meal instead of a buffet or provide light refreshments, and limit gifts to small, low-cost items that can be bought in large quantities, such as coasters, pens, and keychains. You could also find someone within your network or volunteer base to donate their time to offer live entertainment, like music.
Staff: Consider whether or not you have enough manpower to host the event successfully. If not, you might need to recruit volunteers or board members to chip in.
Tired of switching between spreadsheets, PayPal, and Mailchimp? Zeffy combines ticketing, donations, and guest check-in in one place—without charging fees.
Responsive Table
The Old Way
With Zeffy
Track guest names in a spreadsheet
Built-in guest management & check-in tools
Collect donations via PayPal, then manually record them
Donations and ticket sales automatically tracked
Send emails through Mailchimp (and hope your list is updated)
Emails and thank-yous auto-triggered from your event setup
Pay platform fees on every ticket and donation
No platform or transaction fees—ever
Use 3–5 tools just to run one fundraiser
Everything in one place: tickets, donations, auctions, P2P
Spend hours on admin after the event
Zeffy handles receipts, reports, and follow-up for you
There are hundreds of different kinds of fundraising ideas nonprofit organizations can choose from. Depending on your mission, audience, and resources, some might be better suited to your needs than others. Consider some event ideas like:
Peer-to-peer fundraising: Tap into passionate supporters by encouraging them to raise money for your cause through a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Each person creates their own fundraising page and asks friends and personal connections for donations.
Events: Host a fancy party that helps raise money for your cause. Offer good food, fun activities, and even entertainment like guest speakers. You'll raise money through ticket sales or other fundraising activities at the event. Or host something really entertaining like a benefit concert.
Auction: Host a live auction, or even consider silent auctions, where people bid money to win things like art, trips, or unique experiences. You'll raise funds with this type of event through your nonprofit's ability to sell tickets, collect donations at the event, and of course, through item bidding.
Creative Charity Event Ideas
Themed historical reenactment day: Step back in time with this unique and engaging charity event idea. Historical reenactments are gatherings where your community members dress in historical costumes and recreate aspects of a historical event or period.
Guided nature hike: Whether you're looking to foster a sense of community or hoping to raise money, a guided nature hike is a wonderful way to do both.
Art exhibit: Bring art lovers together for a good cause with a charity art show. Organize it as a contest for local artists or community members, charging a small entry fee and offering professional judging with prizes.
Jeffersonian dinner: Host an intimate gathering inspired by Thomas Jefferson's intellectual dinner parties. This event helps enlist supporters, uncover new ideas, spread awareness, and engage donors in a unique setting.
Break the record party: Challenge your supporters to make history while raising funds for your cause. Choose an achievable world record that aligns with your nonprofit's mission and appeals to various age groups.
Virtual escape room: Host a virtual escape room experience where participants solve puzzles and challenges in teams online. This interactive charity event idea encourages collaboration and teamwork among participants, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.
Virtual paint and sip: Invite supporters and volunteers to participate in a virtual paint-and-sip session. Have canvases, brushes, and a set of paints delivered to each participant's home, along with a bottle of wine.
Online book editing workshop: There must be certain aspiring writers in your supporter group. Give them a chance to turn their passion into a reality with a book editing workshop. Hire a professional editor who helps them refine their writing drafts and share editing resources and tips and tricks on publishing.
Virtual home tour: Let your supporters virtually tour beautifully decorated homes or gardens in your locality. Partner with a local real estate agent and request that they let you showcase their most amazing homes. Someone from your team or volunteers with décor and design knowledge can host the session.
Magic show online: Transform the traditional magic show into an online charity event with a video conferencing platform like Zoom, Google Meet, and more. Hire a professional magician and partner with nearby schools, childcare, and other children-related institutions to spread the word about the event.
Pro tip: Consider offering different ticket tiers or VIP packages to accommodate various supporter preferences and increase fundraising potential, while providing exclusive benefits to your most dedicated supporters.
Need more inspiration? Check out other fundraising ideas:
To prepare and plan for a fundraising event, you'll need to gather a team of trusted supporters or staff. To make organizing the event as stress-free as possible, create and assign roles and responsibilities. These might include:
Marketing and promotion coordinator: Someone who will handle creating and disseminating marketing materials about the event, as well as outreach efforts. This event promotion might include email marketing, social media ads, or even direct mail campaigns. Or, think outside the box and contact local newspapers to get the word out.
Event coordinator: Allow one person to handle all event coordination. This might include communicating with vendors, venue setup, and handling the careful planning of the event. The event coordinator might even do a practice run to make sure the event runs smoothly.
Technology coordinator: For large-scale events, it's crucial to use high-tech tools in order to maximize fundraising. Delegate one person on the event team to handle the coordination of any technology.
Community engagement coordinator: Once the fundraising event begins, the work isn't over. One person should be responsible for connecting with attendees and generating ongoing excitement within the event space.
Entertainment and activities coordinator: Most fundraising events include more than one activity. Designate one person to take charge of ensuring every game or piece of entertainment (or the other events within the main event!) is taken care of. They'll encourage people to join in on the fun.
Managing Volunteers
“I didn’t sign up for this part. I signed up to coach.” — Matt Lopez (Youth Sports)
Sound familiar? Assembling volunteers—recruiting, scheduling, and retaining them—can take hours and hours of time, and isn’t always everyone’s forte.
Here’s how to simplify the process and set your team up for success:
✅ Start with What You Actually Need
Before you start recruiting, figure out the real scope of your event.
What has to happen (check-in, cleanup, donation collection)?
How many shifts do you need covered—and for how long?
What tasks could be combined or simplified?
✅ Don't Wait Until the Last Minute
Many small nonprofits start asking for help a week before the event—but that’s when people are already booked.
Reach out to past volunteers early.
Ask your board or core supporters to refer friends.
Prioritize volunteers who’ve done similar events or roles in the past.
✅ Match the Right People to the Right Tasks
Give people roles they’ll feel good about—and capable of doing.
Someone outgoing? Put them at the welcome table.
Detail-oriented? Let them manage raffle sales or cash.
Teen volunteers? Have them run errands or support setup.
Need more help? Many small nonprofits recruit volunteers last minute. To avoid burnout and no-shows, download our simple scheduling template that helps you:
Map out all the tasks and time slots
Assign shifts based on availability
Track confirmed volunteers and backup options
Avoid double-booking or no-shows
Step 5: Secure sponsors
For small nonprofits, sponsorships can feel out of reach. You’re not sure where to find the right businesses—or what to say when you do.
But securing just one or two sponsors can make a huge difference. It can help you:
Cover event costs
Provide in-kind donations
Spread the word about your event
Boost credibility
Bring in more volunteers
So, how do you do it without a full-time development team? Start here:
Step 1: Identify Who to Ask
You don’t need a national brand to say yes. Focus on local businesses or community-minded companies who:
Share a customer base with your cause (e.g., youth orgs → ask kids’ apparel stores)
Have donated before (check your records or community foundation lists)
Are looking for visibility or employee engagement opportunities
Step 2: Offer Clear Sponsor Levels
Sponsors don’t want a mystery—they want to know what they’ll get. Create 2–4 sponsorship tiers with benefits like:
Logo on event signage or tickets
Social media shout-outs
A booth at your event
Mentions in emails or press coverage
Step 3: Pitch with Confidence
You don’t need a graphic-heavy PDF. What matters is clarity, purpose, and alignment. Here’s a simple outreach email you can copy and customize:
Sample Sponsorship Email
Subject: Partner with [Your Nonprofit] to Support [Cause/Event Name]
Hi [First Name],
I’m reaching out on behalf of [Your Nonprofit Name], a local nonprofit dedicated to [brief mission—e.g., supporting youth through after-school programs].
We’re hosting our upcoming event, [Event Name], on [Date], and we’re looking for community-minded partners to help make it a success.
Sponsorships help us [cover X cost / reach X people], and in return, we’d love to recognize [Business Name] with [a booth, logo placement, social media features, etc.].
Would you be open to chatting for 15 minutes this week about how we can work together?
Thanks so much for considering, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Your Nonprofit Name] [Contact Info]
Want more help pitching? Download our Free Sponsorship Outreach Guide to learn:
How to write a sponsorship proposal (with a template!)
What benefits to offer
How to follow up after sending the email
Real scripts and examples from small nonprofits
Step 6: Spread the word
One of the most crucial parts of organizing a fundraising event is marketing it. If supporters don't know about your event, they're not likely to come. When considering how to spread the word, be sure to use multiple channels of communication. This might include:
Social media: Post about your upcoming event on Instagram, Facebook, X, or even Linkedin, depending on where your audience is—and even host a social media contest or giveaway! Plus, consider working with influencers to reach a wider audience.
Email: Send personalized or mass emails to alert supporters of your event. These should include details of how to buy tickets, an agenda, and more. Check out our Mailchimp alternatives if you are looking for an emailing platform.
Texting: Create an SMS campaign with a link to your event website for ticketing.
Direct mail: Send personalized letters or pamphlets with a QR code for supporters to buy tickets and RSVP.
Local media: Craft a compelling announcement for your charity event and share it with local media outlets, such as newspapers and magazines. Reach out to local TV and radio stations to secure a slot where you can discuss your cause and encourage attendance.
Step 7: Engage attendees
The planning that occurs before the event is usually the most effortful. However, the work isn't over once the event has started. To keep attendees engaged, having fun — and donating — be sure to include a few extra games and fundraising strategies at the event like:
Live fund-a-need appeal: Invite attendees to give on the spot to your charitable cause with an emotional appeal.
Networking opportunities: Offer networking “speed dating” or particular areas of the event where professionals can connect.
Goods for sale: Offer custom t-shirts, hats, or for example, that attendees can buy. Or, extra food (like including mini bake sales) and beverages that are off the menu. Of course, offer easy ways to accept donations on the spot, too (think scan to donate, mobile-friendly fundraising pages, etc). Zeffy's 100% free tap-to-pay POS system enables contactless check-in and enhances the guest experience.
Step 8: Follow up and give thanks
Once the event is wrapped up, the event management work isn't done. Be sure to thank all participants and donors for such a successful fundraiser, and for their financial support. Expressing gratitude is one of the best ways to make donors feel good, and even encourage future giving.
Social media posts: Post pictures from your nonprofit event, note the impact, and express gratitude to supporters. You might even let them know if you met your fundraising event goals.
Personalized thanks: Send a tailored email, or give a supporter a direct call to thank them for attending. (Check out our thank-you letters templates here)
Send receipts: If your supporters gave at the event, be sure they receive a donation receipt with the necessary tax information.
6 common pitfalls to avoid when organizing a fundraiser
1. Not showcasing impact
Failing to clearly communicate the impact of donations and how they contribute to the mission can result in a lack of motivation for potential donors. They want to understand the tangible outcomes of their contributions.
How to showcase impact:
Clearly articulate the direct and positive effects
Use stories, visuals, and data
Bring in beneficiaries to give a testimonial.
2. Not using donor-centric language
When fundraising for your nonprofit, using language that focuses solely on the organization's needs rather than emphasizing the donor's role and impact can lead to a lack of connection with potential supporters.
Donors want to feel valued and understand how their contributions make a difference. Language that centers on the organization may feel impersonal and may not resonate with the audience.
How to use donor-centric language:
Use phrases like "you make this possible" to show appreciation for their contributions.
3. Not offer multiple ways to give
Restricting donation options to a single method or platform may limit accessibility for potential donors who have preferences or constraints. People have different preferences for how they contribute, and limiting options may discourage potential donors.
How to offer multiple ways to give:
Use payment processing that accepts a variety of donation methods. This might include Apple Pay, Google Pay, or even Venmo. Plus, be sure that your nonprofit offers several different channels for giving. This might include online fundraising platforms, mobile apps, text-to-give, and other options.
4. Not doing prospect research ahead of time
Neglecting to research potential donors can cost your nonprofit crucial support. Personalized and targeted appeals are more likely to resonate with donors. Without prospect research, organizers may miss opportunities to engage donors effectively.
How to do prospect research:
Conduct thorough prospect research with tools like iWave and DonorSearch to understand the background, interests, and giving capacity of potential donors.
5. Not connecting the event to the mission
Disconnecting the fundraising event from the organization's mission can lead to confusion and a lack of clarity regarding the purpose of the funds raised. Donors are more likely to support a cause when they understand how their contributions align with the organization's overall mission and goals.
How to tie the event to the mission:
In all marking materials, clearly articulate the connection between the fundraising event and the organization's mission. Outline exactly how funds raised will help the cause.
6. Not using the right tools
Ignoring helpful nonprofits tools and technology can make things harder, limit how many people you can reach, and make you miss chances to connect with donors. If you don't use these tools, you might waste time and miss chances to connect with people.
How to find and use the right tools for your fundraising:
How Jerry Jam keeps the music going—and raises $70,000
Jerry Jam, a beloved music festival in Vermont's vibrant arts scene, found traditional ticketing platforms were cutting into their margins with substantial processing fees, directly impacting both the festival's sustainability and attendees' costs. That's when they found Zeffy.
✅ $70,703 raised in ticket sales ✅ $3,535 saved in fees
Y’all builds community and raise over $17K
Y'all, an Indiana-based nonprofit founded in 2022, focuses on creating inclusive environments for queer individuals. When planning their first fundraising event, "Fill All My Bowls," they discovered Zeffy, a 100% free platform designed for nonprofits.
Using Zeffy's features, including online ticketing, donor management, and tap-to-pay, Y'all successfully raised $17,435 while saving $850 in platform and transaction fees.
✅ $17,435 raised ✅ $850 saved in fees
"At the 'Fill All My Bowls' event, I was in charge of checking people in. I got really familiar with [Zeffy's platform], and it wasn't hard. I even trained someone while we were selling tickets. The platform was so simple, he figured it out intuitively on the spot."— Bryggs, Y’all team member
Bottom line? Whether you’re hosting a grassroots music festival or your nonprofit’s very first fundraiser, Zeffy helps you keep more of what you raise—and makes the process easier from start to finish. $100 raised = $100 for your mission. Always.
Organize a fundraising event for free with Zeffy
Nonprofit event planning takes lots of time and energy — whether it's a virtual event, hybrid, or in-person. But with the right plan and tools, your nonprofit can create a memorable experience for everyone. Plus, bring in some major donations, and make lasting connections with supporters.
Whether your nonprofit is looking to host a gala or an auction, Zeffy is the best, completely free all-in-one event planning and fundraising software. Packed with tools for donor management, marketing and communication, hosting raffles and lotteries, and selling tickets, nonprofits can handle all of their fundraising in one central place.
Unlike other platforms, Zeffy is the only platform that doesn't charge nonprofits platform or processing fees. That means, when a donor gives $100, $100 goes right to your cause — and not a cent less. User-friendly and loved for its great customer service, hundreds of nonprofits use Zeffy every day to help make the world a better place.
Whether you’re an animal shelter, charity, or a religious institution, these ideas are some of the best fundraiser event ideas:
Shoe drive: A fundraiser that collects gently used shoes and sneakers and partners with a shoe drive fundraising coordinator like Funds2Orgs who pick up the shoes you’ve collected from your neighborhood and send you a check.
Community potluck: A family-friendly fundraising event idea that brings together people to share a meal and support your nonprofit organization.
Obstacle course: It is a series of challenging physical obstacles a person navigates, usually while being timed. You can raise funds by selling event tickets or asking participants to collect pledges through peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
Benefit concert: A benefit concert is a musical benefit performance featuring local performers, held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific humanitarian crisis.
Here are some challenges you can do for charity:
Read-a-thon: Participants strive to read a certain number of books or pages within a specific time period and collect donations for each.
Virtual fitness challenge: Choose an accessible challenge like an exercise routine or daily walk and offer goals for participants to reach. Individuals can share their progress path along with your online fundraising event page on social media and raise additional funds.
Social media challenge: Create your own “Ice Bucket Challenge” that resonates with your nonprofit’s mission in creative ways. Then ask your supporters to post videos of completing the challenge while tagging three or more peers to do the same.
Dance-a-thon: Hold a dance competition and ask participants to collect pledges from their friends or family based on the hours they can continue dancing.
To host a successful golf sporting event follow the given steps:
Pick a tournament date and location. Select one or two backup dates in case of poor weather.
Set a fundraising goal – how much you want to raise from this nonprofit event.
Decide on a budget and pick a suitable golf course.
Build a team and divide responsibilities.
Create challenges and contests for some friendly competition. Determine prizes and awards.
Secure event sponsors to break down the cost of the event.
Decide if you want to combine it with other fundraising events like a live auction.
Promote your golf tournament through multiple channels.
Event Fundraising Software Options: Best 10 for Nonprofits
Looking to host a charity event but don’t know which platform to use to help you pull it off? Compare the top 10 options and find out how to run your event for free with Zeffy.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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