Fundraising ideas for churches go beyond the weekly offerings given by parishioners during weekly religious services. Unfortunately, in many churches, they have to maintain high overhead costs as their number of churchgoers declined. With that decline fundraising dollars vanishes. However, the costs of keeping the lights on, paying for salaries, and essential church programs provided to their communities continues.
The programs by churches are even more necessary today than ever. And that’s especially true with continued cuts in government funding for efforts that support the most vulnerable people in our communities. For instance, church programs for senior citizens, soup kitchens and substance addiction. So, fundraising ideas for churches is a perennial topic for discussion.
We have 5 fundraising ideas for churches. In short, they’ll help your faith-based community raise money for your church and its vital community programs. And some will allow not only for the support of your parishioners, but also your broader population.
1. Shoe drive fundraiser
A shoe drive fundraiser is an easy and engaging fundraiser. Moreover, it makes an incredible difference in your community and around the world. So, when you do a shoe drive fundraiser, you ask your entire community for their gently worn, used and new shoes. Ultimately, it keeps shoes from going into the trash. After, a check gets issued by you shoe drive fundraising partner. Later, they take the shoes, consolidate them and then ship the footwear to micro-entrepreneurs in developing nations. The small business owners sell the shoes to help themselves out of poverty. In other words, a hand-up, rather than a hand-out.
2. Fish fry lunch or dinner
In particular, during Lent, a fish fry is a way to remember the lessons taught in the Bible. But it’s also one of the top fundraising ideas for churches. Essentially, a fish fry could happen during the weekend. All you do is ask your parishioners and their families to attend a lunch or dinner event. Before the event, they will make a contribution to attend. So, make sure you have a tasty fish dish to offer and inspiring speakers to motivate attendees. Also, another great idea to add for a fish dry day is to ask people to bring shoes they don’t want for additional fundraising dollars.
3. Coffee morning fundraising
Church leaders tend to have many meetings. For instance, think of school committees or volunteers who serve in church groups. Moreover, there’s always coffee, but coffee is a fundraising opportunity. So, ask all of your church groups and committees having meetings to make coffee and serve it for fundraising dollars. And that includes churchgoers needing a cup of java, especially if it’s artisanal or special brands, to clear their heads before church services. Remember, every steaming cup of coffee is a fundraising opportunity for your church.
4. Compassionate camping
One of the most impactful ways your church could drive home the point the homeless experience is by having a compassionate camping or sleep-out. In short, when your church-goers sleep in the elements or camp for the night, they do it with nothing more than a sleeping bag. Essentially, a bed is a luxury for people who don’t have a home or place to stay. Participants in the sleep-out contribute and also ask friends, families, and co-workers for donations. Remember, compassionate camping or a sleep-out is an excellent way to remind people how important it is to be kind, caring, and compassionate to others.
5. Super Soul Sunday
If your community has football fans, and all churches do, the Super Bowl is an excellent opportunity to raise money for your programs. Use your auditorium or a meeting room in your community as a place for people to join together to watch the Super Bowl. One of our partners asked their parishioners to participate in a Super Sole Sunday. At the event, people brought gently worn, used and new shoes they no longer wanted to share Super Bowl Sunday. Ultimately, it became fundraising dollars for the organization and a way for families to watch the Super Bowl in a community.
Many church fundraising ideas go beyond the offering basket passed around during church services. So, if you want to read our full list of 25 church fundraising ideas, take a look at our guide, for more thoughts to help you raise more money for your essential programs.
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