4 Best Event Ideas for Joint Nonprofit Fundraisers
In an increasingly competitive world where nonprofits are vying for supporters and donations, teaming up with a like-minded nonprofit can be a solid fundraising strategy for organizations of all types and sizes. In fact, a joint fundraising venture, where your nonprofit collaborates with another to raise money for both of your missions, brings in funds while also building a strong relationship and furthering your community connections. What’s more, joint efforts are a particularly great option for increasing visibility for both organizations’ mission and programs, as each is exposed to an entirely new audience.
Event-based fundraisers are well-suited for collaboration. The burden of planning and execution is shared between partner organizations, rather than falling on a smaller planning team. Each nonprofit brings its networks to the table to sell event sponsorships and attract participants. And each nonprofit will have a new slate of potential donors to steward after the event. In short, a joint fundraising event can put both organizations on the map.
Here are four fundraising event ideas that are perfect for nonprofit partnerships.
Charity Sports Tournament
Whether you pit teams from each of the partnering nonprofits against each other or open the event up to the community at large, sports can bring people together like no other event can. Plus, peer-to-peer fundraisers naturally complement sports events with their inherent competition between supporters.
These charity sports tournament ideas will get everyone’s competitive juices flowing to raise money for your missions:
Golf tournament. Golf is extremely popular, making it a great choice for a fundraiser. Plus, you can lean on each other's networks to attract teams and sell sponsorships, which opens doors for future support. You could consider having specific prizes for teams representing each nonprofit, or adding fun contests or games that help boost fundraising and make the tournament more fun.
Basketball tournament. You might try matching teams from each nonprofit against each other in a seeded format, or recruit teams from your community. Alternatively, you could try skill-based games, such as a free-throw or three-point contest.
Fun run or walk. This classic fundraiser is approachable for everyone from kids to adults. Consider different groupings based on age or adding a specific kids’ division. The most common distances are one mile, 5K, or 10K.
Pickleball tournament. Pickleball has become the sport of choice for many people, so leverage its current popularity to host a tournament.
Whatever format you choose, you can raise money by charging an entry fee for participants and spectators, selling food and drink, and selling sponsorships to local and other businesses. Consider an online registration platform to collect participant information and payment, and save yourself a ton of time and effort.
Community Festival
Community festivals can bring people together from different backgrounds, ages, and interests for a great cause. Work together with your nonprofit partner to determine the festival’s theme, components, and target audience. Festivals take all types of shapes and sizes, so be creative and think outside the box with these joint festival ideas:
Focus on holiday or seasonal activities. People tend to get excited about holidays and certain times of the year and want to celebrate them in various ways. Whether it’s a fall foliage festival or a winter wonderland, tap into the time of year to attract community members.
Sell goods from local merchants or artists. Invite various crafters, small businesses, and artists in your community to purchase booth space to showcase and sell their wares at the festival. You might offer complimentary booth space if they’re willing to donate part of the proceeds to split between the two organizations to help you reach your fundraising goal.
Add music. Connect with the local music scene to see if bands or individual acts would be willing to donate their time to perform at the event. They get great exposure and your festival instantly becomes more fun. Another idea is to reach out to local colleges, universities, or high schools to invite musical ensembles to perform. If any musicians have a social media presence, ask them to promote their appearance to drive even more attendees.
Offer great food. Add some flair to standard festival fare by asking local restaurants or food trucks whose menus include diverse cuisines to sell food at the event. This helps attract adventurous community members to try a new type of food and helps your festival stand out.
Once again, you can boost your festival’s revenue by charging a fee to attend and seeking sponsors and in-kind donations to help cover hard costs.
Gala & Auction
A gala is a tried and true nonprofit fundraising event. You can make it a more formal event and invite attendees to dress up and enjoy great food at a high-end venue, a more casual affair, or even a themed event.
Adding an auction to your gala adds an element of fun and friendly competition, while increasing the event’s fundraising capacity. Keep in mind that galas and auctions typically have the best outcomes when there are many attendees, which makes it a great choice for a joint fundraising event.
When sourcing auction items, look to donated items so you’re not adding expenses by purchasing items or using a consignment service. You could tailor items to your nonprofit’s focus or the theme of the event. If you have high-end items for your charity auction, like a stay-and-play package to an exclusive golf club, be sure to advertise it in your promotional materials as a draw to potential attendees.
Educational Conference
A conference with interesting guest speakers and workshops can draw a large, dedicated audience. This will likely work best if you collaborate with a nonprofit that has a similar or complementary mission or a shared audience to maximize the number of attendees.
Pull subject-matter experts within your nonprofits to present topics that are of interest to your audience. You can also pool your organization’s connections to book higher-profile keynote speakers and special guests. When appropriate, you could also offer continuing education units or hours to make the event even more valuable to participants.
You’ll want to budget carefully to make sure both organizations stay in the black. Go after sponsors to help cover any and all costs and increase revenue, and charge an appropriate registration fee. Consider selling conference merchandise or add-on tickets for big-name presenters. Share your online donation page by posting QR codes around the conference venue, so attendees can easily donate from their mobile devices.
Now that you understand how collaboration can be a boon for fundraising, it’s time to create or strengthen connections in your community. Float the idea of a joint fundraising event with partners you already have a relationship with, or connect with potential partners on LinkedIn, at conferences, or through mutual industry contacts. The foundation of a successful joint fundraising venture is a strong relationship between the organizations.