Creative Summer Fundraising Ideas for a Refreshing Event

The Average American gives 3 to 5 percent of their gross income to charitable events.

For some reason, summer is usually awash with all sorts of events, including fundraisers.

This means that you will be competing with dozens of other events and have to bring your A-game to ensure that yours attracts a reasonable crowd.

Luckily, there are numerous fun activities to be enjoyed during the summer that you can plan your event around.

Here are some summer fundraising ideas to borrow from.

1. Host a Swimming Extravaganza

You can plan your event around water to that attendees can cool off, have fun and give.

You can partner with a YMCA, sports club or other establishments with a pool. Then get to work and deck out the pool area to create the ambiance you want.

You can make money from charging an entry fee, and run tournaments as well. 
Similarly, you can plan a swimming competition with a small gift for the winner. This can be anything from a free swimming pass to even branded gifts.

You can have a refreshment bar as well with carnival snacks and finger foods. You can price these slightly above market rates.

Besides a swimming gala, you can have a water balloon fight, water volleyball, and so on. Your guests will appreciate the fun as well as the chance to cool off by diving in for a swim.

2. Schedule the Party On the Fourth of July

The depth behind this national holiday brings out a sense of patriotism and do-goodness in people.

For a fundraiser with an equally deep purpose, the fourth of July can bring more meaning and more funds.

An excellent place to host this would be a public place as opposed to an enclosed or private residence.

If there is a park or natural water body near you, consider hosting it there. Invite your circle to attend, and then expect other people to join in as the day progresses.

You can charge for food and refreshments at the entry point. Also, welcome people to make donations and pledges.

3. Summer Fundraising Ideas: Celebrity Raffles

These celebrities do not have to be celebrities in the entertainment industry.
The mayor, pastor, prominent business people can be on this list.

Here, you will auction these people for say lunch or a round of golf with the attendees.

How this happens is that you run a typical auction, only the attendees will bid on these personalities instead of items. The highest bid then carries the day and gets an activity with the chosen personality.

4. Film Showing

With drive-in movie spots becoming rarer each year, how about bringing back this fan-favorite for a good cause?

Drive-in theaters have shrunk from 4000 in the 50s to about 300.

You can host a film showing night by partnering with a local business which can allow you to use their space. You can also have one at a public park where people can come in and park their cars.

If you can’t find a space that’s big enough for this, you can request attendees to bring sleeping bags and foldable chairs to the event.

You will get your money by selling tickets, popcorn, cotton candy and of course from donations.

If you can find a documentary-like film that’s in line with the fundraiser’s theme, the better.

Depending on the success of the first event, you can have a series of film screenings scattered throughout summer.

Host these on weekends when most people are not working. As much as possible, try and have activities for the whole family. Weekends are family days and creating family-friendly activities will get you better numbers.

5. Exercise Club

An exercise class combines a good cause with a great work out, making it a win-win for both.

Depending on the attendees, you can have yoga, biking, aerobics, and so on. 
Here, you can have one large event or spread them out into a series of events.

Have some printed merchandise for attendees to buy. You can also set up competitions, where each participant can raise funds to sponsor their participation.

Participants can also raise funds by helping sell event merchandise.

6. Car Wash

Get together a few people that can clean, wax cars and other easy to do car detailing jobs.

Then, use as many avenues as possible to advertise the event, the time and costs for the various services that will be on offer.

Again, you can charge slightly above the typical costs because the funds will go towards the fundraiser.

You can also set up a kid’s corner for the kids to play. You are likely to get more parents to your events if they know their little ones will be catered for.

7. Ice Cream Party

An ice cream party is easy to put together and very ideal for a summer party. 
All you will need is an ice cream truck, an ideal location and hopefully, a sunny weekend afternoon.

Have a table on the side where people can find out about your event and what you are raising funds for. This can also serve as a place to receive extra donations and pledges.

8. Farmers Market Booth

The summer farmer’s market booth is a well-attended event in most communities.

You can request to have a booth at the next event. Here, deck out your booth in your charity’s colors. Bring some swag, a few giveaways and information pamphlets detailing what you do.

This will be your chance to talk to attendees about your events and how they can help out.

9. Plan a Cooking Class

A cooking class can help attendees acquire new cooking skills, and you can sell tickets for the lessons.

Pick a good cook with a few simple baking recipes that can be learned by teenagers and adults alike.

You can also have some cakes, cupcakes, and cookies for sale as well.

When Is Your Next Event?

If you have an event coming up, these summer fundraising ideas can give you some brilliant themes to build your event around.

Most event planners find that having an event planning software makes planning much easier and more seamless.

At Eventzilla, we create easy to use software that can increase your efficiency when planning events. Contact us today to find out how our software can support your next event.