Churches are perhaps one of the most traditional organisations that come to mind when you’re talking about fundraising – Charity, and churches.
Whilst many modern day churches reside in newer buildings built for a different purpose, there are also a lot of churches that are old and traditional, meaning that stained glass windows, historic walls, and modern refurbishments such as sound systems and glass partitions are pricey restoration work for their PCC’s to fundraise for.
So here’s our Top 20 fundraising ideas for your church group!
Contactless and Quick Donation Point Product
How many people carry cash nowadays? Whether that’s for the collection on a Sunday, or at a fundraising event, what could make it easier than an app they can carry on their phone. Perfect for those that never carry cash, and a great encouragement for more generous donations.
St Swithuns Day
We read about this one from St Chad’s in Rochdale and just had to share it as we loved it! Legend says that if it rains on St Swithun’s Day, it will also rain for the next 40 days. So, before the 15th July, people sign up to donate between 10p and £1 for every day it rains over the following 40 days. If however, it doesn’t rain on St Swithun’s Day, you just swap it round and get donations for every day that’s dry. As Brits we’re pretty obsessed with the weather so we can see this being a popular one!
Sponsor a Minute
We read about this from St George’s in Worcester and thought it had a lovely sentiment. They named it ‘Just a Minute’ and invited people to sponsor a minute which was important to them. It could be the time their baby was born, when they were married, when a loved one passed away, the minute of extra time when England won the world cup! Whatever was special or important to them. This is lovely because it also invites people to share stories with each other at the same time as raising money for the church.
Online Crowdfunding
The internet has become the fundraisers new best friend. Never before has it been so easy to create a fundraising platform that can be shared online via social media and reach so many more people. These methods tend to not only meet their target, but exceed it, resulting in even more money raised. Especially if it’s for a specific cause like repairing a roof, or building a whole new room or space. The thing with crowdfunding is that you have to offer something in return, but this is something quite straightforward – Something as simple as letting your community use your space.
Pamper Evenings
There are so many holistic therapies out there now, as well as beauty treatments, aromatherapy and so many more ways for one to pamper themselves. You could reach out to those in your local community to donate their services one evening during the week, and then charge a fee for people to attend.
Jumble Sale / Nearly New Sale
An oldie but a goody. People are generally always willing to declutter their house, especially in the New Year. This year the world’s gone crazy for Marie Kondo and charity shops have been inundated with donations! This is a great way to raise funds – You could either ask sellers to donate what they make from what they sell, or charge people £5 for a table at the sale.
Bake Off and Sale
Time this with when The Great British Bake Off is on TV and you could even make this a weekly thing! Contestants pay to enter their creation, which they then donate to be sold after the church service on a Sunday morning! Cake all round.
Sponsored Walk
This is one that you could theme to your city or town. Maybe it’s particularly historic, like Winchester, and you could lead a sponsored walk taking in the sights and history as you go. Or you could do something a bit different and do it through the night! There’s several options, but a walk is something the whole family can get involved with.
Supper Club
This could be a ticketed event to include supper and wine; a lovely opportunity for a social evening with great food and drink. Perhaps one of your parishioners is a chef, or maybe you could contact the restaurants in your local area and ask them to donate a supper one evening?
Fete
There’s one for every season! Easter, Summer, Harvest Festival and Christmas! A great way to get the whole congregation involved, and plenty of opportunities for fundraising.
Christmas Card Sale
This is so straight forward but bound to raise some money. You could get the children to draw some nativity scenes at Sunday School and get them turned into Christmas Cards. People won’t be able to resist buying a pack to send out to family and friends!
Bingo Night
The Lord is My Shepherd – Number 23! A bingo night is another one relatively easy to arrange, and such great fun. A lovely way for the congregation to get together outside of church services.
Car Wash
Probably one for the Summer months when the sun is shining! But who doesn’t want their car washed for them?? A lovely little earner, and all you need are some volunteers and a few buckets and sponges.
Mother’s Day Candles
When it’s coming up to Mother’s Day, you could sell candles for those to either give to or remember their mother. Include an invite to a Mothering Sunday service and you could even grow your congregation.
Skills and Services
Your congregation probably have a whole host of skills just waiting to be discovered. And I bet they would be more than willing to donate their skills or services in aid of church fundraising! It could be a morning of bike repairs, or maybe a skilled florist selling posies, technology skills helping to get people online, or even a hair cut!
Treasure Hunt
This would be a lovely Easter treat for families, with clues and eggs to find, or a simple traditional treasure hunt at any time of year. Putting the FUN in fundraising!
Family Fun Days
Speaking of fun, this is a great one not only for current parishioners, but also invites people outside of your normal congregation to come and spend time in your church. If you have a large indoor space then you could fill it with stalls, games, activities, maybe even an inflatable of some kind! If you’ve lucky enough to have some outside space, you could hold it in the summer and team it with a bouncy castle, visiting farm and a BBQ. Charge a couple of quid per family to get in, and get as many activities donated as possible.
Cinema Afternoons
For the larger church building, perhaps one with a big screen, you could hold a cinema afternoon. It doesn’t need to be a new film – Maybe one from the year before, and one that the whole family can enjoy. It only needs to be a small donation for entry, and once in you could also offer drinks, popcorn and sweets for some extra pennies. *Disclaimer – You may need permission to show a film like this.
Playgroups / Toddler Groups / Bump and Baby Groups
These groups are so lovely, and so vital, for new mums, dads and mums-to-be to meet new friends and socialise with their little ones. Parents are more than happy to pay 1 or 2 pounds to come along, and even when a small snack, teas and coffees are offered you should still make a little bit for church too.
Craft Evenings
There is bound to be a creative, crafty member of your congregation. Maybe they do it as a business, or even just a hobby, but there are so many different things you could do. Knitting, macrame, silk painting, embroidery, painting… the list is endless. It would make a lovely evening out for people to attend. You could provide materials, or you could ask attendees to bring their own, but either way we’re sure that they wouldn’t mind paying a small fee to attend and maybe enjoy alongside a complimentary glass of wine.
There is quite a variety of ideas there – Hopefully something will light your mind up with ideas and inspire you for some great and successful fundraising for your church group.