Fundraising for a nonprofit organization can be a fun and creative experience if you have the right plan and mindset. Online auctions, matching gifts, and generative AI that make creating content simple are innovative ways to raise funds for your nonprofit.
These days, many organizations are fighting for attention. Nonprofits, therefore, need to start thinking outside the box about fundraising. Creative fundraising ideas engage your supporters and help them feel connected to your cause.
Whether you’re a small local organization or an enterprise-level nonprofit, these 10 creative fundraising ideas will make your campaigns stand out.
1. Use AI Tools for Creative Content Production
The use of AI rapid creation tools accelerates and boosts the quality of content production by offering guided prompts to draft campaigns, grants, or thank-you letters. For example, Kindsight is a fundraising intelligence platform that uses AI and automation to power modern fundraising. This platform takes a human-centered approach to generate authentic and empathetic content 16X faster with AI.
Here are some examples of creative content that AI rapid-creation tools can produce:
- Thank you messages: Create a personalized thank you message for a donor in minutes without overthinking it. Customize your message using your nonprofit’s logo, custom colors, and themes.
- Create lapsed donor appeals through email: Develop a stunning and engaging email marketing campaign that captivates a database of past donors. Use these tools to send automated emails to individuals who have donated to your organization in the past but have stopped giving for any number of reasons.
- Schedule follow-up emails: Generate fun surveys asking donors for feedback on their donation experience. Use AI to ensure that these emails are automated and delivered to the right donors at the right time.
- Create a winning grant proposal: Use AI prompts to create grant proposals in half the time you would usually spend. Platforms such as Kindsight provide prompts to help draft grants using advanced algorithms to make compelling content.
When nonprofits’ bandwidths are squeezed, AI tools make creating content easier than ever without sacrificing quality or effectiveness. The result is a more creative and efficient fundraising strategy that helps you develop meaningful content whenever you need it.
2. Organize a Virtual Charity Auction
Charity auctions have always been popular fundraising ideas. Now that everything has moved online, more nonprofits are starting to host virtual charity auctions to entice donors to give. The charm of an online charity auction is that it gives donors something in return for their donations.
Here are some examples of things nonprofits can auction off at a virtual charity:
- Art: Collaborate with a local art gallery or artists willing to donate their artwork for your cause. Set up a virtual gallery using AI-creation tools to showcase the artwork to a large online audience.
- Experiences: Work with local or nationwide businesses that would like to donate to your cause. Auction off cooking, art, fitness, and other types of classes and experiences to your online audience.
- Services: Pair up with local businesses that offer massage, hair styling, yard work (etc.) and ask if they can donate their services. Auction these items off and appeal to a diverse group of donors.
Online auctions are a creative way to raise money because they keep urgency alive among bidders. A virtual auction also allows your nonprofit to reach more than just its local community and expand to a new donor base. These new donors can be stored in a content relationship management (CRM) system that is then used to track donor information.
3. Create a Matching Gift Campaign
Matching gift campaigns are when an individual or employee raises money, and their donations are matched by their company or another donor. Donors are more likely to donate to a cause when they know that their donation will be matched. Research shows that 84% of donors say they are more inclined to donate if a match is offered.
Here are some examples of how to creatively launch a matching gift campaign:
- Team up with corporations: Collaborate with businesses that are willing to double employee donations and launch a special campaign to recognize their staff. An example is partnering with a tech firm or major financial institution that will be able to easily match funds, no matter how large or small.
- Tailor your wording: Matching gift opportunities should use wording that entices donors to double their impact. For example, phrases such as “Double your reach,” “Change twice as much,” or “Maximize your giving” are examples of phrases that may motivate donors and companies to give more.
- Promote with digital tools: Promote your matching gift campaign using digital tools, such as creating a landing page where donors can easily donate. Use an intelligent fundraising platform to generate various content types, including social media posts and emails. Provide links that can be tracked and used to create promotional content in the future.
- Host a matching gift week challenge: Challenge your supporters and donors to make a difference by hosting a matching gift week challenge. Designing campaigns to run for a certain time period can make them feel more excited and urge donors to donate fast.
A matching gift campaign mutually supports a company and its commitment to its employees. Teaming with well-funded corporations will help funds to be matched. Using digital tools to personalize campaigns will help capture donors’ attention. Hosting a matching gift week can add a sense of urgency to your campaign, enticing donors to contribute quickly.
4. Create a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign
Peer-to-peer fundraising occurs when supporters set up fundraising pages on behalf of an organization and then reach out to their personal peers to ask for funds. Supporters usually do this by sharing the campaign on their social media channels or private messaging. Effective peer-to-peer fundraising can take many forms, such as runathons or virtual challenges.
Here are some examples of creative peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns:
- Create a run, walk, or hike for a cause: Host a run, walk, or hike-a-thon for your nonprofit’s cause by having supporters pledge a certain distance. They can then ask their peers for a monetary reward based on the distance they achieve. Supporters can piggyback off the nonprofit’s page to create their own fundraising pages. Here, they can set goals and share their progress with their online community.
- Host a virtual challenge: A virtual challenge is typically a peer-to-peer online fundraising event that is usually shared on social media. You may challenge your supporters to take up a specific challenge and share it with their friends through their social media channels. Individual fundraisers can request that these virtual challenges be sponsored with donations from friends, families, or employers.
- Organize a giving day or week: A giving day or week encourages donors to donate within a certain time period. Nonprofits can host a giving day that lasts for 24 hours or one week and raise as many funds as possible in that time frame. These limited time frames encourage donors to give with more urgency.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a fun and creative way to tap into a supporter’s network. Runs, walks, and hike-a-thons will challenge supporters to raise funds while enjoying a heart-pumping activity. Virtual challenges and one-day events are also creative ways to motivate supporters to fundraise and ask their peers to get involved.
Have Fun Raising Funds
Who says raising funds can’t be fun? Creative fundraising approaches, such as using AI to create personalized and catchy content, make the process easier and more effective.
Many of these processes can be automated by using intelligent platforms that are equipped to expand your nonprofit’s reach like never before. Events such as hosting virtual auctions or a matching gift week challenge are interactive ways to draw upon a new donor base and get them engaged.
Peer-to-peer fundraising events that trend alongside sports activities such as running, hiking, or walking are also creative avenues to get supporters involved in your cause. The right mix of creativity, advanced fundraising technologies, and fun and interesting activities will be the key to boosting your nonprofit’s funds in 2025.
