Don’t let the sight of your fundraising finances give you a fright. No tricks – Just boost your donations with these Halloween fundraising ideas and give your charitable cause the treat it deserves.
As the seasons start to change and the air starts to feel a little chillier, people tend to turn inward. A roaring fire, spiced latte’s, pumpkin candles… It all sounds so cosy! BUT WAIT – There is still fundraising to be done, so don’t get too comfy!
Spooky season is a time for fun, dressing up and knocking on people’s doors asking for things. Halloween and fundraising have a lot in common…!
This is a great time of year to get people of all ages involved with lots of fun fundraising ideas for all the family. And with Halloween in sight in just a fortnight, there’s still time to put some of these spooky fundraising ideas into place ready to raise some money for your worthy causes.
1. Pick a Pumpkin
The UK has seen a huge surge in pumpkin picking popularity recently. Not everyone can get to a pumpkin patch however.
If you have some outdoor space – Perhaps a school field – You could create your own pumpkin picking patch where people can come and choose their pumpkins. Charge a different fee depending on the size of the pumpkin.
If you’re feeling particularly creative, you could even design a display showcasing pumpkins in all their brilliance. This could lead to also charging a small entrance fee to get in alongside lots of other ways of raising money – Think food and drink stalls selling hot dogs, hot chocolate and mulled drinks plus, candy apples and anything else to help people get in the mood for autumn.
A simple pumpkin sale is also a great way to raise money. Why not see if a local farmer, farm shop or even supermarket would consider donating some pumpkins to your cause, or maybe sell them to you at a reduced price.
If you’re able to hold the sale close to Halloween itself, you could even sell pumpkins that have been pre-prepared and ready to carve! Does anyone actually enjoy removing the guts from pumpkins? It’s time consuming and messy – We think people would jump at the chance to buy a pre-prepared pumpkin that they can carve as soon as they get home.
Is it even Halloween if you don’t have pumpkins?
2. Carve a Pumpkin Competition
Carving a pumpkin is great fun for all the family. Everyone can get involved! It’s also a brilliant opportunity for a little bit of friendly rivalry.
This fundraiser would be great to do in person as well as online – Or both! Charge a small fee for entry and make sure people enter their pumpkin by a certain date.
Depending on your organisation, you could have the pumpkins themselves on display up until Halloween with people voting for their favourite via a coin donation box.
Or you could encourage entrees to send a photo of their pumpkin into your social channels, with the winning entry being the one with the most likes! A great way to raise awareness of your cause in a fun way, and reaching a wider audience.
Is there a local organisation that might be willing to sponsor your Pumpkin Carving Competition by donating a prize? The better the prize, the more entries you’ll get – Which all leads to more donations!
3. Ghoulish Gardens
If you are part of a local community – Maybe a village school, community centre or hub – Then this could be a great fundraiser to mobilise your local supporters in a really fun way.
All they have to do is decorate their garden with a haunting Halloween theme, and enter the competition for a small fee. This is a great idea for the week running up to Halloween itself – Ready for all those little trick-or-treaters knocking at the door.
Not only is this fundraiser very low-cost for your cause to run, but it also has the potential to really bring in lots of donations and engage current and new supporters.
The key to making this a success is:
- Lots of publicity! Get as many people as possible involved and taking part.
- Make sure everyone knows when the closing date is, and if there are any rules to follow.
- Charge a small entry fee and ask for people to make their donations online via an online donation page.
- Utilise social media to create a strong online presence. It’s the ideal way to raise awareness of your cause and reach a wider audience. All by people sharing their ghoulish gardens and voting via likes and comments!
- Make use of digital ways of fundraising like QR codes – You could even have one in the windows of all the houses taking part! Someone impressed by the effort can scan the QR code and show their support by making an online donation there and then through an online donation page. It’s super quick and easy with Apple and Google pay at the touch of a button.
- Remember to partner with a local shop or business so you can secure some great prizes to reward all that hard work!
4. A Terrifying Trail
If the idea above has got you grinning like a ghoul then why not partner it with this?
If you’ve got a village full of people taking part, then showcase their talents by designing a Terrifying Trail of all the entrees. In return for you hosting a Halloween trail, those wanting to take part can pay a small fee via online donation, for a map showing them where to go.
Hide some creepy clues around the village on the route, including the haunted houses. Once participants have collected all the clues, they solve the riddle and enter their answer for the chance to win a prize!
5. Fundraiser of the Walking Dead
There’s a reason fun runs (or walks) are one of the most popular fundraisers. Not only are they fun, relatively easy to organise and can engage a lot of donors – They are also easy to theme to almost anything!
A Zombie Fun Run or sponsored Walking Dead are a great option if you’re looking to run a Halloween fundraiser. Yes, they take a little bit of logistical planning, especially if they are a longer route, but they can also be hugely successful!
The basics of a Zombie Fun Run (or walk) are:
- Charge an entry fee to those who want to do the running (or walking)
- Encourage participants to ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor their efforts
- Make it easy for people to donate with an online donation page. This can be easily shared via text, email and on social media!
- Remember to tell everyone to come dressed as a zombie!
6. Creepy Costumes
Getting all dressed up on Halloween isn’t just for kids! Adults find it fun too. Halloween falls on a Monday this year, so it’s the ideal opportunity to have a ‘dress down’ day – By dressing up in fancy dress!
This could work well for primary schools as well as any business or organisation really! Whether you’re customer facing or not, a fun Halloween costume could really brighten someone’s day.
All you need to do is charge a small fee for the privilege of being out of school uniform or workwear for the day. Easy! This straightforward spooky fundraiser could easily bring in a few hundred pounds depending on the size of your school or organisation.
7. Creepy Cupcakes and Frightening Flapjacks
What with the Great British Bake Off filling our screens with delicious tricks and treats, it’s no surprise our schools and offices are full of budding bakers! Bake Sales and Coffee Mornings have seen a huge rise in popularity in recent years as they’re an easy way of raising some funds.
All you need to do is ask your employees or supporters to donate their bakes or host a coffee morning to raise funds for your cause. An online donation page, QR sticker or NFC tag are all great ways of making online donations quick and easy. People can choose their cake, scan the code or tap the tag with their smartphone, and make their donation via Google Pay or Apple Pay. Super simple and easy for the donor, and you’re more likely to get higher donations than cash alone.
Don’t forget to make those cupcakes creepy and the brownies go Boo!
How Can Donater Help You to Fundraise Online?
There’s nothing frightening about fundraising digitall when you use Donater. We have a suite of fundraising tools specifically designed to make giving easier. Easier for the donor to make a donation, and easier for charitable organisations to receive that all-important fundraising. No tricks!
Our suite of online fundraising tools include:
- A dedicated online fundraising page, personalised to your charity or good cause. Supporters will immediately recognise your branding and thus, trust that they are in the right place to make a donation. Online fundraising pages are easy to share online via a handy link, and can be easily linked to your website with a ‘Donate Now’ button.
- QR codes. It’s so quick and easy to scan one with your smartphone, QR codes can be really handy for taking donations. All your supporter has to do is scan the QR code with their smartphone, and it will take them to an online donation page. Once there, they can choose to donate with a tap via Google Pay or Apple Pay, or pay with their bank details. QR codes are a great addition to any physical marketing about your event, such as posters or newsletters.
- NFC Tags. Our NFC tags take the above QR code concept a step further, and enable any supporter of yours with an NFC enabled smartphone to merely tap the tag or sticker. They will then be taken to an online donation page where they can make their donation quickly and simply. These work better with in-person events, but could easily be placed at the entrance to your charity or on collection boxes so visitors can donate to your cause if they wish.
There are so many opportunities to raise money over Halloween – Get in touch if you think Donater could help boost your donations digitally this spooky season.