40+ Virtual Fundraising Ideas for More Powerful Campaigns

Browse through this list of virtual fundraising ideas.

Choose the best online fundraiser to support your cause.

40+ Virtual Fundraising Ideas for More Powerful Campaigns

Virtual fundraising is a rapidly growing phenomenon in the philanthropic sector. A recent push has been largely due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent social distancing practices, though many organizations have been transitioning to virtual or hybrid fundraising models for years.

Whether you’re a nonprofit professional looking to raise more in an efficient way or an individual fundraiser gathering donations for a personal cause, effective virtual fundraising is the answer.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of virtual fundraising ideas to choose from! That’s why we’ve put together this guide with more than 40 unique and engaging ideas, along with some top resources and tips to get you started.

For Any Cause	For Individuals	For Churches	For Nonprofits	For Schools	For Teams & Clubs
Crowdfunding	Donation Email Requests	Give-it-Up Fundraiser	Virtual Art Class	Virtual Talent Show	Virtual 5k
Text-to-Give	Custom T-Shirt Sales	Online Bible Trivia	Virtual Cooking Class	Read-a-Thon	Pledge Fundraising
Online Donation Pages	Virtual Envelope Fundraiser	Virtual Raffle Drawing	Virtual Fitness Class	School Auction	Online Gaming Tournament
See more ideas	See more ideas	See more ideas	See more ideas	See more ideas	See more ideas

For Any Cause
For Individuals
For Churches
For Nonprofits
For Schools
For Teams & Clubs

Feel free to skip around to the sections that interest you most, or read along from the top to find out everything you’ll need to know. Let’s jump in!

Best Virtual Fundraising Ideas

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Any Cause

These are our top virtual fundraising ideas that can work for virtually any cause! Take a look and find one that suits you best.

Crowdfunding

Give crowdfunding a whirl! Make it easy to participate in an online campaign by adding crowdfunding to your list of fundraising methods. Crowdfunding campaigns are easy and low-cost to set up, can be set to run for any length of time, and are easy to promote through email, social media, or added to existing fundraising outreach.

With social distancing the rule of the day, many organizations have had to cancel large in-person fundraising events like galas, bake sales, and community fairs. Because crowdfunding campaigns happen online, they often enable organizations to collect less money per donation but from a significantly higher number of people.

Check out these organizations and fundraisers that have raised thousands of dollars by putting their campaigns online.

Take a look at this example of a successful virtual fundraising idea.

This campaign for the Colorado Freedom Fund has raised over a million dollars to pay the bonds for individuals unable to afford their own ransoms.

Here's another example of a successful virtual fundraising idea.

This crowdfunding campaign posted by One Taft of Minneapolis is less than $100 away from its fundraising goal to support the Tubman Organization.

This family exceeded their fundraising goal with a crowdfunding campaign to pay funeral expenses and support the family in a time of need.

Matching Gifts

In times like these, nonprofits need to get creative with asking their community for financial support. Asking people to donate in the ways that they did before the pandemic is a surefire way to turn supporters off from your cause. However, there are other ways that your supporters can continue to make an impact, without having to dig deeper into their own pockets.

Introduce your supporters to matching gifts, and they’ll be able to tap into their employers’ matching gift programs in order to make their donations go further for the causes that they love.

For example, if you know that a supporter works for a company with a matching gift program, send them the information that they would need to complete their match request soon after they make their donation. Make sure to highlight how much your appreciate their support in these tough times, and that your nonprofit is especially grateful for their continued support.

Interested in setting up a crowdfunding campaign?

Start Your Campaign Today

Mobile giving is an effective way to boost any of your virtual fundraising ideas.

Text-to-Give

Give your annual giving campaigns a modern boost with a text-to-give fundraiser. Donors simply text a predetermined keyword (i.e. DONATE) to your dedicated mobile giving number (i.e. (123)456-7890). Within seconds, users receive a link to a simple online form to confirm their gift!

Just be sure to clearly explain how text fundraising works so people understand how they can participate with just a few clicks on their phone. For more information, Snowball fundraising has a great guide that can help you get started.

Online Donation Pages

A donation page on your website is a great way to remind visitors why their dollars matter, and how easy it is to donate to your organization. And thanks to powerful, easy-to-use donation software, you can quickly build donation pages right into your website.

Plus, you can opt to automatically provide electronic receipts, send recurring giving reminders, and/or thank-you messages to your donors. Giving online has never been soo simple!

Online auctions are effective virtual fundraising ideas.

Virtual Auctions

Charity auctions have long been powerful fundraising events. Now it’s time to leverage some friendly competition and give people something to talk about by taking your auctions online!

With an online catalog to display available items and mobile bidding tools for participants, you can raise money quickly and relatively easily with a virtual auction.

You can also combine online auctions with other virtual fundraising ideas, such as by auctioning off tickets to an online cooking class or item from an online sale.

Urgent campaigns can boost any virtual fundraising ideas.

24-Hour Campaigns

The idea behind this fundraiser is to collect as much as you can within a limited time frame. Create a sense of urgency by promoting a 24-hour giving campaign through email, social media, and other digital fundraising channels.

Choose your date carefully! A fundraising ask that coincides with a big annual event, holiday, anniversary, or another event that’s meaningful to your organization often inspires people to like, share, and give more.

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Individuals

These are great for individual fundraisers. Whether you’re raising money for a mission trip, medical expenses, or emergency veterinary care, one of these ideas will be sure to help!

Donation Email Requests

If you’re passionate about a cause, chances are your friends and family will care about it too. So if you’re fundraising, make sure your friends and family know about it!

Keep your email short and to the point, and focus on explaining why you care about this particular cause and how each person’s contributions can help. You may be surprised by how much support you get. Take a look at these donation request templates to get started!

Selling branded t-shirts is a great way to raise money with virtual fundraising.

Custom T-Shirt Sales

Are you fundraising for a cause that tugs on people’s heartstrings or one that has an especially clever tagline? Put the message on a t-shirt and start selling them online!

It’s easier (and faster) than ever to print custom t-shirts through dedicated fundraising platforms like Bonfire. And with some crowdfunding platforms like Fundly, you can even reward participants for reaching donation targets and allow them to handle the printing and shipping themselves!

This envelope fundraiser is an easy virtual fundraising idea to raise money for any cause.

Virtual Envelope Fundraiser

You’ve likely heard of an “adopt an envelope” campaign as a popular way to raise money for a cause. Now, it’s easy to take the idea virtual and keep donors engaged with social media.

Create an image of envelopes labeled with various donation amounts. Promote your campaign on social media, asking donors to select an envelope and make the corresponding donation. Remember to mark off envelopes as they’re “filled” to keep supporters up-to-date and show your progress!

A Netflix Party is a unique virtual fundraising idea to raise money.

Netflix Party Fundraiser

If you’ve been staying social while keeping socially distanced, you’ve probably attended a Netflix Party or two. If not, Netflix has easy instructions to help you get started.

Essentially, a Netflix Party allows participants from across the world to watch a movie and chat together. For your virtual fundraiser, consider making it a themed event by choosing a film or documentary that aligns with your mission! Once you have a party set up, promote it on social media, and sell tickets online.

Selling unwanted items online is a great virtual fundraising idea.

Online “Garage” Sale

Make Marie Kondo proud by turning your box of things to donate into a virtual “garage sale” in service of your favorite organization. Collect your old clothes, toys, books, and electronics— after all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

It’s easy to sell items on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or NextDoor, and don’t forget to state that your proceeds are 100% dedicated to your favorite nonprofit or charity. This idea certainly sparks joy in our hearts!

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Churches

The extent of most church budgets come from the tithes and offerings of dedicated churchgoers. However, sometimes that’s not enough! Here are some ideas that your whole congregation can enjoy.

A give-it-up challenge encourages supporters to save money for any of your virtual fundraising ideas.

Give-it-Up Fundraiser

You never realize how much your little expenses can add up to until you put some thought into it. For this fundraiser, invite your parishioners to give up something they enjoy for two weeks and donate the money they save. It can be coffee, ice cream, a trip to the salon, beers with the guys, etc.

It’s a reminder to spend intentionally and an opportunity to raise money for a good cause. Plus it’s fun to share what everyone’s little vices are!

Raise money for your church with this themed virtual fundraising idea.

Online Bible Trivia

Your Bible schools and Sunday services have likely moved online this year, and so can your Bible trivia night! Set a suggested entry fee and let teams pay online, then send a web conference link the day of trivia night for everyone who’s registered.

Don’t forget to publicize prizes for the winners to get people to participate and share. It’s a great opportunity to show off your Bible knowledge, too!

An online raffle is an easy and effective virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual Raffle Drawing

Raffles have been a favorite nonprofit fundraiser for years. This idea simply takes it to the next level by making it a virtual one! Sell tickets online for a small fee (and encourage multi-ticket purchases, of course!) and choose a winning number at the conclusion of your virtual event.

You may choose to raffle off a big, exciting prize, or you could go with a 50-50 raffle— where the winner simply receives half of the funds raised.

An online concert can be a great virtual fundraising idea for your cause.

Online Charity Concert

Reach out to local musicians who are willing to throw a charity concert in support of your church. Perhaps your worship team could throw together a set to perform on camera, or for a special treat you could bring in a favorite Christian artist!

Then, broadcast the concert to your social media feeds or other live-streaming platforms for viewers to enjoy. You can charge a set admission fee or keep it open for generous donations.

Encouraging recurring gifts for any of your virtual fundraising ideas is a great way to increase revenue.

Recurring Gift Drive

Recurring gifts are those that are automatically withdrawn on a regular schedule thanks to top-notch fundraising software.

For a recurring gift drive, simply encourage as many donors as you can to register for these— whether on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.

This is a great way for churchgoers to streamline the tithing process so they’ll never forget or miss a week, and you’ll have a steadier flow of revenue to your church budget.

Virtual Bingo

Who doesn’t love a good game of bingo? It’s a fun time-passer and an exciting activity to partake in with friends— not to mention the stakes involved when there are prizes.

Virtual bingo is the next best thing! Invite churchgoers to join you (virtually, of course) for an evening of fun and games with a virtual bingo fundraiser.

Sell cards for a few dollars each, and be sure to have a prize waiting for the winner.

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Are you looking for new ways to engage your nonprofit supporters in the virtual sphere? Take a look at our top suggestions that are sure to bring in the big bucks.

An online art class is a virtual fundraising idea that allows supporters to unleash their creativity.

Virtual Art Class

Host an art class for your community and sell tickets to raise money for your cause. Be sure to tailor your art class to fit your audience. You can teach anything from crayon drawing or other family-friendly arts and crafts to photography, sketching, and other skills geared more toward adults.

Encourage supporters to learn a practical skill with this engaging virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual Cooking Class

Invite a local chef, bartender, or Instagram star to teach a cooking class online. You can collect donations or charge an admission fee to the class. It’s a fun way to let people bond over a shared food experience while keeping them safe at home— and practice a new, useful skill!

Encourage supporters to get in shape with this virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual Fitness Class

You get the idea here— it’s easy to take all your favorite classes online! Enlist a volunteer or hire a local fitness guru to teach yoga, a dance routine, or a power workout and sell tickets online. It’ll get everyone’s heart racing for sure, from the safety of their own homes.

Virtual Gala

Just because traditional galas have been canceled this year doesn’t mean you can’t get creative about getting people together for a good cause. Don’t let a pandemic stop your party!

More than likely your supporters have been itching for an excuse to get all dolled up for a nice event. But of course, you won’t judge those who choose to attend in their pajamas instead! And thanks to high-quality live-streaming software, you almost won’t notice that your guests are all still in their own living rooms.

Matching Gifts Drive

Did you know that billions of dollars in corporate matching gift revenue is left unclaimed by donors each year? By leveraging this highly untapped source of potential funding, you can encourage supporters to double (or even triple!) their gifts without reaching back into their own wallets.

That’s why you should host a matching gift drive, where you take the time to inform donors of their eligibility and direct them to the required materials used to make a request. The more donors know about this opportunity, the more funding you’ll get!

Try going viral with this unique virtual fundraising idea.

Viral Video Challenge

Several years ago, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge broke the internet with its widespread success across social media platforms, bringing in over $115 million in donations from participants. Do you think your organization has what it takes to be the next big challenge?

Start with a unique and engaging idea that participants can partake in on video (pro tip: you’ll want to keep it short and sweet). Then, encourage your own team to start posting their own attempts at the challenge with a unique hashtag, being sure to nominate others and complete their donation.

Find out which of your supporters has the cutest pet with this virtual fundraising idea.

Cutest Pet Contest

This one is sure to get those social media “likes!” Ask members, volunteers, staff, and others in your network to submit their most adorable pet photos, then circulate the photos for voting on social networks. The pet who gets the most votes (read: dollar donations) wins!

Photography Contest

Pick a theme that relates to your organization— whether that’s animals, nature, families, arts, or something completely out-of-the-box. Post submissions on your website and ask people to vote via donation, with the photo receiving the most donation dollars being the winner.

Selling custom calendars can be an effective virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual Calendar Sales

If your organization publishes an annual calendar, why not take the sales online? Remember to promote each month’s image via social media to entice people to donate. Who knows, this method might even land you some sales outside your home geography.

Local business partnerships can lead to excellent virtual fundraising ideas.

Online Business Partnership

Reach out to popular local businesses or associations and see if there’s an opportunity to host an online event together. For example, you can host a cooking class with a chef, flower arranging class with a florist, or yoga class with a personal trainer.

It’s a great way to raise money for your organization while drumming up attention for local businesses. Another win-win.

This virtual fundraising idea gives supporters an opportunity to learn more about your organization.

Live-Streamed Q&A

Help donors put a face to your name by hosting live-streamed Q&A sessions on a social media platform such as LinkedIn or Facebook. You can take audience questions about your organization’s activities and plans, or share tips and tricks about a personal hobby like cooking, gardening, mountain biking, etc. Either way, it can help build more personal connections with donors, who will in turn want to contribute more!

Logo Design Challenge

Are you looking for a logo refresh for your nonprofit organization? Why not get your community involved and showcase their talent?

The winner gets exposure for their design, (and maybe some free merch!) and you get a logo for less than you’d pay a professional. Plus, everyone who enters the contest gets to have their work featured. It’s a win-win!

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Are you a teacher raising funds for classroom supplies or a PTA parent looking to bring in more for your annual fundraiser? These virtual fundraising ideas can help your school be at its best.

This virtual fundraising idea gives students the opportunity to show off their talents.

Virtual Talent Show

Give your little stars a chance to shine by hosting a virtual talent show for your school. Gather participants, who then submit videos that you can promote on your website and social media channels.

Invite parents, staff, and community members to vote for their favorite performers by donating in their name. Proceeds go to benefit the school, with the performer who raises the most funds crowned the virtual talent show winner.

This virtual fundraising idea encourages donations and education.

Read-a-Thon

Turn your summer reading list into an online read-a-thon for an effective and powerful fundraiser. Students register to participate and request pledges from friends and family members to encourage their reading.

Donors pledge a certain dollar amount either per book or hour of reading, and kids get a little extra incentive to power through that reading list. It’s a great way to encourage learning while raising money for your school!

School Auction

Going once, going twice…we’re sold on this idea! A virtual auction is a great way to raise funds for your school in an exciting way. After all, you know students and parents are looking for a fun event to partake in after being home for so long.

Be sure to choose an engaging host that guests will respond well to, such as a favorite teacher or principal. Start collecting items to auction off, and send out an invitation with a link to your web conference on the day of the big event.

Try selling your school merch online for this virtual fundraising idea.

Spirit Merch Sales

Invite parents and students to show their spirit wherever they go by purchasing branded merchandise online. Whether that’s t-shirts, hats, lanyards, or water bottles, everyone will jump at the chance to sport their new gear.

And no longer are your sales limited to those at PTA meetings and sports games! Having your gear available online makes it easier to buy and ship merchandise to spirited grandparents all over the country.

Online Board Game Tournament

Bring board game nights online and give players the convenience of participating from the comfort of their own homes. With sites like Meeple League, you can easily set up an online tournament and raise money by requesting or requiring an entry fee.

Whether you stick with traditional favorites like Monopoly or Scrabble or explore new and exciting game ideas, it’s sure to be a blast for everyone involved.

Find out which of your supporters was the cutest baby with this virtual fundraising idea.

Cutest Baby Picture Contest

You don’t have to be a daycare to host a cutest baby picture contest! Invite students, teachers, and staff to share their favorite pictures of themselves as babies. Everyone loves this cheerful idea and the opportunity to view precious photos of their friends and classmates.

You can charge a small entrance fee and/or collect donations as votes to make sure the favorite baby wins!

Selling student artwork online is a great virtual fundraising idea for schools.

Student Art Sale

Invite students to donate a favorite piece of artwork, whether that’s something they created in an art class or on their own. Then, encourage your families and the overall community to bid on their favorites!

Beforehand, be sure to promote the art on a website, email, and/or social media post to let your community know about the unique artwork that’s up for auction. You can either accept rolling bids online or host a virtual live auction to sell the pieces.

Box tops collection has gone digital for this virtual fundraising idea.

Digital Box Top Fundraiser

Box Top for Education has undergone a digital transformation! Now, parents can scan their receipts from the grocery store to search for qualifying box tops. Then, for every eligible product purchased, a certain amount is donated to your school right from their phone.

Write up a quick step-by-step informational and send it out in your next newsletter. This way, you can let parents know how they can stay in the donation game without having to clip or send in any box tops.

Collect favorite recipes for this virtual fundraising idea.

Digital Cookbook

Raise money for your organization by selling a digital cookbook! This unique virtual fundraiser can take the place of (or complement) a bake sale.

Simply ask for recipes from your parents, volunteers, and staff to get personal favorites for your collection. Or, you can infuse your cookbook with some star power by asking local restaurants, bakeries, and cafes to donate popular recipes with their community.

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Teams & Clubs

From gathering equipment for a child’s soccer league to paying travel expenses for a high school chess club and beyond, these virtual fundraising ideas can help fund your favorite hobbies!

Take your traditional 5k charity run online with this virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual 5k

Encourage folks to stay in shape while giving back to a good cause by hosting a virtual 5K run. The rules are similar to an in-person event, where participants can pay a flat entrance fee or seek personal sponsors— and you can still send race bibs, t-shirts, and other swag via mail pre-order.

The only difference? Runners complete the race in their own neighborhoods, track their own time, and share their results with you online. It is based on the honor system, but it’s still sure to be a good time!

Pledge fundraising can offer a host of unique virtual fundraising ideas.

Online Pledge Fundraising

Most often in the form of an “event-a-thon,” (such as a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, dance-a-thon, etc.) participants gather support in the form of pledges beforehand from friends and families. Pledges are typically a dollar amount corresponding to the number of laps or miles the participant is able to do.

After the event, sponsors make a donation to your organization based on the success of their sponsee. For example, a pledge of $5 per lap for 5 laps would become a donation of $25.

Online gaming tournaments can be engaging virtual fundraising ideas.

Virtual Gaming Tournament

Ready… set… game! This virtual fundraiser gives players and team members the opportunity to prove their skills in top video games. Plus, it’s an opportunity to win the ultimate prize— bragging rights!

Gather as many participants as you can find, choose a gaming system, (such as Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC, etc.) and a game to get started. Not only is it a great way to raise money for your team or club, but participants will have fun in the process.

Online cake decorating contests are excellent virtual fundraising ideas.

Virtual Cake Decorating

Baking has seen a resurgence as people are spending more time at home. For this fundraiser, encourage your amateur bakers to take it up a notch or two and send in photos of a fully decorated, bakery-worth creation.

Let people vote online for their favorite and raise money for your cause. Plus, who doesn’t love a good opportunity to eat more cake?

Host an online karaoke night for a unique virtual fundraising idea.

Virtual Karaoke Night

Let your inner diva out by inviting everyone you know to karaoke night— only this time it will be online! You can use a signup form to schedule performers and take song requests ahead of time, so the whole event goes off without a hitch.

After each participant has had the chance to sing their heart out, let the audience vote with their donations. The singer who raises the most money takes the prize!

Encourage health and fitness with this virtual fundraising idea.

Online Fitness Challenge

This is both a fundraiser and a great way to get in shape! Set group goals (such as weight loss, strength building, or improved endurance) and have each person seek out donors to support them in meeting their individual goals.

Set flat participation standards, or opt for tiered goals to accommodate both couch potatoes and fitness gurus. The participant with the biggest overall change is the winner!

Virtual Fundraising Resources to Increase Revenue

In order to pull off a successful virtual fundraiser, it’s important to have the right tools in your fundraising toolkit. Without the right solutions available to your organization, you’ll be stuck with an inefficient process and risk losing out on valuable fundraising revenue. So which fundraising tools will you need to maximize the effectiveness of your campaign? Here are four types of resources to look out for.

Online Giving Platforms

Online giving platforms are a unique type of fundraising software that allows nonprofits and individuals to accept donations online. Without a virtual giving platform, there would be no way for supporters to digitally transfer funds to you, limiting your fundraising potential to gifts that can be accepted by cash or check.

There are hundreds of different online giving tools out there for use by both nonprofits and individuals, so how can you be sure to choose the best one? The “best” platform for your organization is the one that fits your needs most closely. You can determine the right fit by examining features such as pricing and fees, customization options, the potential for streamlined user experience, and how easily it can be embedded in your website.

Our favorite resource: Fundly! Fundly is a crowdfunding platform designed for both nonprofit and individual use to raise money for any cause. It’s easy to use and free to get started, with only a small percentage of donations taken for platform fees.

Matching Gifts Software

Matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy where thousands of companies agree to financially match charitable donations by their employees to eligible nonprofits. And while over 18 million individuals are employed by participating companies, only around 1.3% of nonprofit donations end up being matched.

This significant disconnect is largely due to the lack of awareness surrounding matching gift programs. The solution? Implementing the use of matching gift software to promote the powerful opportunity and inform donors of their eligibility.

Our favorite resource: Double the Donation! Double the Donation offers the industry-leading matching gift database and company search tool. If a donor wants to research their own eligibility for a matched gift, they simply input their employer and receive an answer and suggested next steps to take. And for your virtual fundraising campaigns, the database can be embedded directly into your online giving pages for easy access!

Prospect Research

Prospect research is a fundraising tool used to enhance donor outreach strategies by targeting individuals who are most willing and able to give. Instead of wasting valuable time targeting prospects who aren’t at all likely to support your cause, prospect research can point you in the right direction and help you uncover eager new donors. By combining a donor’s ability to give (based on wealth indicators) and affinity to give (based on past philanthropic engagement), you can narrow down your donor outreach to your most promising prospects.

Our favorite resource: DonorSearch! DonorSearch is an intuitive tool designed for nonprofit organizations looking to implement prospect research into their fundraising strategy. Plus, they offer a free prospect research tool called DSGiving that can be used by anyone!

Fundraising Request Templates

When you’re ready to reach out to donors to solicit new gifts, it’s important that your outreach is personal, targeted, and strategic. Be sure you inform each recipient about your specific fundraiser and the cause it will support, ways to get involved, and how their donations can help you reach a goal. Well-written fundraising letter templates can help you include all the right points in a professional, yet personable way.

Our favorite resource: FundraisingLetters.org! Fundraising Letters offers an online compilation of free fundraising letter templates available for anyone to use. Divided into several different categories, (donation requests, sponsorships, matching gifts, etc.) there’s sure to be a template that fits your needs. After finding the template most appropriate for your campaign, be sure to customize it to reflect your fundraiser, and send it off!

Getting Started with Virtual Fundraising: Top Tips

Once you’ve chosen the right software, you’re ready to get started. If you’re new to the virtual fundraising world, this might seem a bit overwhelming at first. Between choosing the best software and establishing successful marketing strategies, there can be a lot of moving pieces to manage. That’s why we’ve broken it down into these best practices to follow to ensure an effective campaign.

Choose a top online donation software provider.
The software you choose to collect and process online donations is arguably the most important tool for any virtual fundraising campaign. It directly affects the appeal of your fundraiser, the donor’s giving process, and ultimately the way you receive valuable funding.

Thus, it’s not a decision to be made lightly. Be sure to do your research beforehand and find the right software solution that fits your organization’s personalized fundraising needs. For more information on finding the perfect tools, check out our more comprehensive guide to fundraising software.
Streamline the giving process as much as possible.
Regardless of the fundraising software you choose, it’s crucial that your online giving process remains short and sweet. By only including fields for necessary donor information, securely storing payment information for repeat donations, and providing an easily navigable form, you can ensure that the largest portion of donors who visit your campaign page will submit their gifts.

A lengthy or unnecessarily complicated giving process, on the other hand, will likely lead to high levels of donor abandonment— and a loss of valuable fundraising revenue.
Leverage the power of social media.
Social media is one of the most valuable marketing tools for any organization, as you can easily get a message out to thousands of supporters in your network for free! Before you launch a specific campaign, be sure to spend time connecting with donors, volunteers, and constituents and building a significant social network.

Then, you have the structure in place to begin promoting your virtual fundraiser to your social media followers. Encourage them to share your fundraiser on their networks too! Make sure you include a link in your posts to your online donation page so followers can give quickly and easily.
Establish peer-to-peer fundraising tactics.
Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns allow your donors and supporters to take on a whole new role for your organization— as fundraisers! When individuals promote your campaigns and encourage their own families and friends to take part, you have the opportunity to build new donor relationships and raise more for your mission.

For the most effective peer-to-peer campaign, make sure each fundraiser has a customizable fundraising page to share with their personal networks. This way, they have a platform to share specific stories about why your organization is so important to them.
Provide suggested donation amounts.
One of the most important elements of any donation page is the field where the donor specifies the size of their gift. While some forms may include an empty box for an individual to type a number of their choice, many offer suggested donations to select from.

Suggested donation amounts are a great feature to include in your online donation forms, as it can simplify the donor process and lead to increased donations.

These options provide a reference point that supporters can use to decide what other supporters are contributing to the same cause, which is also known as social proof. However, it’s also important to leave an option for donors to choose their own gift so they can go lower or higher than your suggested amount.

Set a lofty, yet attainable fundraising goal.
It’s important to determine a concrete fundraising goal ahead of time, and “raise as much money as possible!” doesn’t quite cut it. An appropriate goal is dependent on the size and scope of your organization, average donation size, and approximate donor base. You want the goal to be difficult to reach, (to foster inspiration and growth) yet not so high that it seems impossible (as that will only be a discouragement to both donors and fundraisers).

Once you’ve settled on the perfect number, consider implementing a fundraising thermometer to illustrate your progress. This unique visual aid can be a significant encouragement to donors as they can see the tangible impact of their donation.
Share specific examples of donation impact.
Another powerful way to encourage donors to support your fundraising efforts is by showing tangible examples of the impact your organization is making on your community. Rather than donating to some sort of “mystery fund,” donors prefer to know exactly where their hard-earned money is going— and who it’s helping!

This can be done in follow-up communications after a donor makes a gift, (ex: Your gift of $100 provided 10 children with the school supplies they needed.) or during the giving process itself (ex: A gift of $50 can feed a family of 5 for two weeks. Donate today!)
Personally thank each donor for their gift.
Speaking of follow-up communication, it’s important that you don’t forget to thank each donor for their generous gifts. A donor who feels appreciated and valued by your organization is more likely to give again, as they can more easily see the way in which they’re pushing your mission forward!

Various fundraising and/or marketing software solutions can help you automate this process so you never have to worry about donor appreciation slipping through the cracks. However, to be most effective, be sure that your messages are personalized to each recipient, rather than a catchall thank-you.
Ensure payments are processed securely.
Any time an individual submits sensitive payment information over the internet, they want to be sure it’s going through a secure process to get where it needs to go. The same is true with donation forms, so it’s important you employ top nonprofit payment processors for your virtual fundraisers. Be sure to research the payment processors used by the donation tool you use (or plan to use) to make sure they’re PCI compliant or certified.

If your online donation process requires the use of untrustworthy third-party tools, donors will be less likely to make a gift. And if you do fall prey to fraudulent activity, your donors can become victims as well, on top of a loss of fundraising revenue and a secure reputation.
Provide unique incentives for giving.
One way to gather donations for your virtual fundraiser is by offering unique incentives in response to a gift. These fundraising perks can be something like branded merchandise, exclusive digital resources, or access to a membership club— something small and inexpensive that can give supporters a little extra encouragement to contribute.

Although donors’ primary motive for giving is pure generosity, it’s always nice to get a little something in return! By including giving incentives, as well as adopting these other best practices, your nonprofit can encourage your current supporters to make the leap to donors.

Virtual Fundraising Ideas: FAQ

So you’ve decided to move forward with virtual fundraising, but you’re still not sure how to bring your idea to life.

Here are some of the most-asked questions (and answers!) concerning top virtual fundraising ideas.

What is virtual fundraising?

Virtual fundraising is an efficient way to raise money for a cause via digital tools. It’s a practice that’s been gradually and increasingly adopted by both organizations and individuals over the past few years. Recently, virtual fundraising has experienced a burst of popularity and use in the nonprofit world due to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines.

You may have already been doing some virtual fundraising, which is a great start. There are thousands of different virtual fundraising ideas, spanning from simple online donation forms to complex virtual events, all of which can be used to further a charitable cause. In order to get started planning one, it’s important that you first have a basic understanding of the virtual fundraising process. Most often, your nonprofit sets up a fundraising page through a third-party donation tool, your donors give via this donation page, the donation is then processed and deposited in your bank account. And then, ta-da, you’ve fundraised virtually!

How do I start a virtual fundraiser?

The first step in organizing a virtual fundraiser is to decide which type of fundraising campaign you’d like to host. For example, would you like to start a crowdfunding campaign or host a live-streamed virtual event? Maybe you could implement text-to-give or host an online auction? There are tons of options to choose from, and using a handy online guide (like this one!) can help you narrow it down.

Then you’ll need to decide which donation tools you’ll be using. If you’re an established nonprofit, you might already have the software you need to pull off a virtual fundraiser, but individuals or newer organizations may have to conduct some research to decide on the right solution. From there, the process will likely be dependent on the type of campaign and software you choose.

How do I choose the best virtual fundraising idea?

Similar to choosing the best fundraising software, the “best” virtual fundraising idea is the one that will work well with your particular organization and audience. For example, an individual raising money for a mission trip won’t have the resources to pull off the same level fundraiser that a national nonprofit could.

That being said, it’s important to consider the interests of your supporters. Generally speaking, new and unique ideas are more likely to draw in a (virtual) crowd than if you were to keep recycling the same old fundraisers. If your target donor is a young family, be sure to include kid-friendly elements in any virtual fundraiser you choose. On the other hand, if your audience tends to be older with more capacity for donating, a virtual auction might be a great choice.

What is the best virtual fundraising platform?

It’s a good idea to choose your virtual fundraising platform based on the type of campaign you plan to host. For example, some platforms specialize in facilitating online auctions, while another might be known for their crowdfunding and peer-to-peer offerings.

Then, you should always look at other key characteristics such as user experience, cost-efficiency, and ease with which you can get a campaign up and running— with an emphasis on what’s most important for your team. The good news is that there are tons of powerful fundraising software providers out there to choose from!

How can I promote my virtual fundraiser?

Be sure to leverage any marketing outlets you use for your general nonprofit messaging to get the word out about your upcoming virtual fundraising idea. Your social media platforms, nonprofit website, email outreach, and physical mailings are great ways to increase awareness and excitement for your fundraiser. It’s also a great idea to personally invite your top donors to participate, whether through a phone call, email, or text message.

Plus, you can encourage current supporters to invite their friends and family members to participate in order to reach a wider audience and raise more funds!

40+ Virtual Fundraising Ideas for More Powerful Campaigns

Best Virtual Fundraising Ideas

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Any Cause

Crowdfunding

Check out these organizations and fundraisers that have raised thousands of dollars by putting their campaigns online.

Matching Gifts

Text-to-Give

Online Donation Pages

Virtual Auctions

24-Hour Campaigns

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Individuals

Donation Email Requests

Custom T-Shirt Sales

Virtual Envelope Fundraiser

Netflix Party Fundraiser

Online “Garage” Sale

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Churches

Give-it-Up Fundraiser

Online Bible Trivia

Virtual Raffle Drawing

Online Charity Concert

Recurring Gift Drive

Virtual Bingo

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Virtual Art Class

Virtual Cooking Class

Virtual Fitness Class

Virtual Gala

Matching Gifts Drive

Viral Video Challenge

Cutest Pet Contest

Photography Contest

Virtual Calendar Sales

Online Business Partnership

Live-Streamed Q&A

Logo Design Challenge

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Virtual Talent Show

Read-a-Thon

School Auction

Spirit Merch Sales

Online Board Game Tournament

Cutest Baby Picture Contest

Student Art Sale

Digital Box Top Fundraiser

Digital Cookbook

Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Teams & Clubs

Virtual 5k

Online Pledge Fundraising

Virtual Gaming Tournament

Virtual Cake Decorating

Virtual Karaoke Night

Online Fitness Challenge

Virtual Fundraising Resources to Increase Revenue

Getting Started with Virtual Fundraising: Top Tips

Virtual Fundraising Ideas: FAQ

Additional Resources

131 Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits and Individuals

Crowdfunding 101: Raising Money and Awareness Online

4 Big Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Benefits

Crowdfunding Resources

Fundraising Resources:

Popular Resources