11 Spring Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

Why Are Spring Fundraising Ideas Important to Have?

The arrival of Spring means it is time to gear up for the year’s second-most profitable period of fundraising after the holiday season rush. We made it through another winter and people are ready to emerge from seasonal hibernation and COVID isolation now more than ever. What can you do to capitalize on this unique moment? There are tons of spring fundraising ideas!

It’s time to put the fun in fundraising with these 11 Spring fundraising ideas!

#1: Spring Cleaning or Renewal

Spring is a great time to discuss your big organizational or program plans to your donors as part of a new recurring giving program. With some creative messaging that describes how you’re planting the seeds of change this year, you can invite your donors or prospects to help nurture that growth through a sustained giving effort.

Recurring giving programs are a great way to nurture new donors and usher them into higher levels of giving because they are making smaller donations on a monthly basis that add up to an amount that is usually higher than one-time donation averages and gives you an ongoing opportunity to deepen the relationship over a sustained timeframe. 

#2: St. Patrick’s Day

If the pandemic showed us anything, it’s that people like to get together over Zoom to drink and have fun. You can capitalize on that with a St. Patrick’s Day event tied to an in-person, Zoom or hybrid event where revelers are encouraged to wear green and bring green (dollars) for you. Wine and liquor tasting events were popular Zoom events so why not try one centered around Irish whiskey or green beer? They can be done in person as well. Or maybe a pub crawl you host in partnership with local bars along a walkable route? Simply charge for registration and encourage revelers to do peer-to-peer fundraising via a personal fundraising page. Spring fundraising ideas for nonprofits can be fun too!

#3: March Madness

Capitalize on the basketball mania that is March Madness with one or more viewing parties at a local bar that can set aside some space for your crew and encourage them to bring friends. Ask for a reasonable donation for admission and be sure to include a short program element, raffle, and/or marketing materials so you can leave your supporters and their network with a good impression of your organization. 

#4: International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day on March 8 is a perfect occasion to tug at the heartstrings of your followers with a social media campaign that asks them to talk about the women in their lives that they celebrate. Create some suggested messaging that encourages them to ask their supporters to join them in support of the women they honor with a donation to your organization. 

#5: Mother’s Day

If International Women’s Day is too soon for you, think about doing the same type of social media campaign we recommended for that event for Mother’s Day, particularly if women feature prominently in your organization’s history or mission. Or organize a Mother’s Day brunch and invite some key donors to the event with their moms. If you have a board member who will host the event, even better!

#6: 5K Run or Walk

Spring is a great time to host a 5K run or walk-a-thon as people look forward to getting outside again in warmer temperatures and before it gets too hot. All you need to do is set up your participants with the tools they need to create their own personal donation pages, pick a route, publicize it, and watch the money roll in. Bonus points for ensuring the event is set up on Instagram with appropriate hashtags so your participants can chart their progress in training for the event and during the event. Check out this blog on how to set up an Instagram event. 

#7: National Volunteer Week 

National Volunteer Week is April 18-24 and what better way to celebrate your volunteers than to have your supporters make a donation of appreciation for their work? If you have a volunteer program, you can spotlight it during the week and showcase your best volunteers in stories on your website and on social media. And of course, you can recruit new potential supporters to join your volunteer program. Bonus points if you are able to create an actual volunteer opportunity during National Volunteer Week and promote it in your community using Google Ads. Our handy guide will show you how to do this. 

#8: BBQ, Picnic or Outdoor Movie Night

May is National BBQ Month so what better way to celebrate safely outdoors with your volunteers than a BBQ or picnic with games and prizes. Or you can have an afternoon BBQ turn into a movie night if you have a projector and screen handy. Outdoor movie nights are gaining in popularity and you’ll have a captive audience where you can tell your story and encourage donations to a monthly giving program. 

#9: Garage Sale or Spring Cleaning

Garage sales are a great way to engage your supporters in donating something other than money. Everyone has dusty items they’ve been meaning to get rid of and chances are they’d be happy to donate them to your event and gain a tax credit for doing so. Find a good location with heavy foot traffic to set up and be sure to market the event heavily. Our post on Google ads will help!

#10: Earth Day

Earth Day is on April 22 and this is a great opportunity to co-market the event with the National Volunteer Week above and encourage your supporters to do a beach or park clean-up. Encourage your supporters to create personal fundraising pages to promote their participation in the clean-up event and share their efforts on social media with a link to your website for donations. And you can ask your volunteers to consider deepening their impact of the day with membership in your recurring giving program. 

#11: Dance Marathon

Is it time for a Spring Fling? This is a spring fundraising idea for nonprofits that will send your donors back to high school. Have a creative dance event where you rent out a large space, ask for donations in exchange for tickets, connect with vendors to donate snacks and drinks, and host a night of revelry. Is this something your audience would appreciate and jump at? What if costumes and/or a theme are involved? An event like this would be a surefire hit on TikTok and we will help you make sure it’s successful on that emerging platform with this post. 

Now, Create Your Own Spring Fundraising Ideas

Do you think you have enough ideas to get a Spring fundraiser up and running now? Your supporters are chomping at the bit for some fun, engaging, and meaningful interactions now more than ever and their money will help fill your coffers. Let us know what you decide to try!

Ray Delgado