Eight Outrageous Ideas for Larger-Than-Life Events

When you’re looking for a great fundraising event, think big! Hosting a larger event is an excellent way to get more people involved and excited about your cause, creating more opportunities for individuals to become donors. Because they require more planning, you can announce your event farther in advance to create more buzz and give people something to look forward to. The extra marketing and planning allow you to increase awareness and get more individuals involved. 

Exploring larger fundraising ideas for nonprofits can help your organization determine which event type best suits your group, resources, and target audience. 

1. Carnival 

Carnivals offer an excellent opportunity to engage audiences of all ages with fun and exciting activities. Different stands, games, and performances can entertain kids and adults alike throughout the night. Further, these events offer the chance to bring in lots of funds because you can make money from: 

• Carnival admission. 
• Raffle and game tickets. 
• Food and concessions. 
• Merchandise and prizes. 
• Regular donation boxes. 

Depending on your resources, you can purchase or rent rides and prominent attractions to bring more people to your event and increase the carnival’s impact. Your volunteers can dress up as entertainers like clowns and show off skills like face painting or making balloon animals. 

2. Talent Show 

If you want to host an event that involves the greater community, talent shows are excellent showstopper events that anyone can participate in. When hosting a talent show, you can invite all community members to get involved and perform, expanding involvement beyond volunteering. People will love showing off their hidden talents while supporting a good cause. You can get the audience involved by letting them vote on their favorite act. 

Like carnivals, talent shows provide several revenue outlets. Many organizations charge individuals to attend the performances. You can also enforce an entrance fee for all acts so the performers contribute to your cause. Throughout the show, you can boost audience engagement and entertainment by offering a prize raffle, which can also give your cast and crew time to set up between acts. 

3. Golf Tournament 

If your community loves low stakes and friendly competition, consider throwing a golf tournament. The competition aspect creates more excitement for your event, which can raise awareness for your cause. People can enter the competition, regardless of their skill level, increasing the volume of those involved. You might even offer different brackets and rounds for beginners and more experienced players. 

Golf tournaments are excellent opportunities for event coordinators and volunteers to network with board members and donors to get larger donations. People can talk about your cause as they move through the course or wait for their turn at the various holes. Getting to know your donors gives events a more personal flair, making donors feel like part of the community and encouraging them to donate and give more. 

If you want to up your golfing events, consider adding a theme. You might take inspiration from a specific decade, holiday, or country. You can encourage volunteers and participants to dress up to match your theme, and you can add fun decorations at each hole. Themes can also add to your marketing materials. 

4. Charity Gala 

A charity gala is a great way to show your donors you care and appreciate them because of the glamour offered by this event type. At this event, your guests and donors can dress up nicely and enjoy classy events. You might host silent auctions with high-quality items, provide a multicourse meal, offer live music, or include casino games. 

Like golf tournaments, you can use this event type to network with potential and existing donors. Because of the classy setting, your donors will feel more appreciated and more likely to give money to your cause. 

5. Walkathon or Fun Run

Walkathons and fun runs are excellent ways for individuals to get more involved with fundraising. Walkathons and fun runs are an example of peer-to-peer fundraising, where people ask their friends, family members, and other loved ones to donate via individualized donation pages. Peer-to-peer fundraising is impactful because people are more inclined to donate to people they know. Plus, it gives participants the chance to express their connection to a cause. 

Both fun runs and walkathons encourage physical activity. You can add various elements to your event, including concession stands where you provide snacks and share promotional materials with your donors and participants. 

6. Trivia Tournament 

While many large fundraising ideas require extensive planning and resource access, trivia tournaments are simple and fun. For this event type, your preparation will mainly consist of getting your trivia questions and prizes together, allowing you to focus on other events and marketing campaigns. Trivia is excellent for all ages to get involved and have fun while engaging in some friendly competition. You can encourage your audience to join as individuals or groups. 

You can also tailor your event to various audiences. You might host different nights or split groups into multiple rooms depending on your guest volume and their desired experience. For example, you might have one trivia room targeted toward kids and things they might know and another focused on asking questions to adults. 

7. Cook-Off 

If you want to attract foodies to your organization, you need to host a cook-off. This event invites amateur or professional cooks to prepare the same dish and compete over whose is the best. Organizations typically choose a fan-favorite meal, like chili, pizza, or baked goods, to appeal to more individuals and leave lots of room for interpretation. 

Like other competition large-scale fundraiser ideas, you can charge individuals a fee to compete. Further, you can sell tickets to the event, allowing community members to taste each person’s take on the designated food and help determine a winner. 

8. Concert 

When you want to host a large event that everyone will look forward to and remember, a concert performed by a local group is an excellent option. With this event type, you can support local artists while they add entertainment to your event. You can even consider hosting auditions to get local groups and musicians excited about the event and increase demand for the performance. 

You can collect funds in several ways when you host concerts. Your organization can charge individuals to attend, and you might even consider hosting several nights if there is high demand. At and before the event, you can sell merchandise for your cause and the event itself, which serves as free advertising for your organization and the campaign. Concessions and food are another big part of attending a concert, so you can ask local restaurants and food trucks to provide food for your guests. 

Manage Your Large-Scale Fundraising Ideas with GiveSmart 

When planning a larger fundraising event, you need the right tools to streamline planning and launch initiatives. GiveSmart designed a nonprofit donation management solution that can handle events of any scale, so you can dedicate more time to interacting with your donors and running your event. With various capabilities, it adapts to any event your organization can imagine. 

Request a demo today, and discover how GiveSmart can optimize your next fundraising campaign.