Top 9 Virtual Fundraising Event Ideas For Non-profits

Last year proved to be a major challenge for most sectors of life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofit organizations and charities particularly felt the impact.

This is because the whole world was going through economic uncertainty, so donations became a lesser priority. In addition, nonprofit organizations bring in a lot of their donations from events. With physical events nearly impossible now, virtual fundraising events are a great idea. However, coming up with virtual event fundraising ideas can be quite difficult.

After all, many of you must have your events planned out well in advance. But you don’t have to worry as virtual events are here to save the day. Essentially, whatever activity you plan, you can turn it into a virtual event easily. Furthermore, you don’t even have to make the arrangements yourselves. We handle it all for you, letting you dedicate your efforts to your nonprofit organization.

If you want some virtual fundraising ideas, here are a few to start you off with.  

1. Virtual concerts

You can host virtual concerts online and use the ticket sales for your fundraising. If possible, try to look for a celebrity performer to volunteer for the event. In 2019, the video game Fortnite hosted a virtual concert where the celebrated artist Marshmello headlined the event. Over 10.7 million players showed up, which is a testament to the potential of virtual events. 

So, use one of our virtual event options, or customize your own to get ticket proceeds like never before.  

2. Trivia nights

The pandemic era has led to many people getting on video calls to have virtual trivia nights. Why not turn it into a charity event? Sell tickets for people to participate, and arrange different question categories. 

This virtual fundraising idea will be a fun activity and can become a regular thing. This way, you can get a fairly regular stream of donations even when people are sitting at home.  

3. Open mic nights

The quarantine era has helped many people discover new talents and hobbies. You can utilize this trend by hosting virtual open mic events. encourage people to share their talents with others, and set up a ticketing system to get donations. 

4. Fitness challenges

Fitness is another trend that has really been apparent recently. More and more people have started taking up workouts and fitness challenges. You can choose a specific kind of challenge for your cause, and have people donate to enroll in it. Furthermore, you can add a competitive element by creating a point system. That will get many fitness enthusiasts worked up, and want to participate. 

5. Virtual yoga classes

If you want to go for a more mellow option, see if you can find a certified yoga instructor willing to work with you. Then, you can get donations through class fees, which can either be fixed or you can let the donors decide how much to give. This is also a great activity for people who have been at home most of the time, and want to have some exercise in their lives. So, you’ll find this to be a popular option. 

6. Endurance Challenges

These can be fun competitive activities. You can have people sign up for an endurance challenge for a specific type of exercise, for example a squat or plank, and have them all appear online at the same time. Then, you can either time them for how long they can hold a position or see how many reps they can do in a set time period. This will bring the competitive spirit out, and will encourage people to participate and donate. 

7. Online auctions

If your donors are used to and prefer traditional fundraising events like auctions, why not take them online? You can set up payment gateways using our flexible features, and have people buy the objects up for bidding online. Additionally, you won’t lose out on any of the fun of auctions as you can have a host do the usual patter and keep the bidders engaged. 

8. Virtual community events

This is where you can really let those creative virtual fundraising event ideas flow. Taking everything online has meant that lots of people are craving community. Why not give them the chance to connect and get donations at the same time? 

Something like a virtual picnic or online cooking event can be a good idea. Furthermore, you can encourage communication by pairing people up as virtual ‘pen-pals’. If you make these events ticketed, you can raise a generous amount of money for your nonprofit organization. 

9. Virtual Museum/Gallery Tours

Virtual fundraising events do not just have to involve video conferencing. Instead, you can get creative and take people on virtual tours. Try to arrange a video walkthrough with a good local museum and art gallery and sell tickets to people who want to ‘visit’ these places. 

If you can turn it into a live event, it can be an even more interesting venture. This way, you can also attract donors from all over the world as well. 

So, you now have a great list of virtual fundraising ideas to choose from. You can also riff off from them and come up with your own. Then, you can make things easy for yourself and use our solutions to host these events and dedicate yourself to your cause.