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The best fundraising format is the one your audience will actually enjoy taking part in and your team can deliver without burning out. There is no single winner: UNICEF UK lists ideas for individuals, schools, workplaces, faith groups and community clubs, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital says plainly that “what works for a workplace fundraiser might not be the best fit for, say, a fundraiser at a school.” This guide helps you pick a format, set up a clear way to give, and get people involved. If you raise money for a shelter, rescue or animal-welfare group, the same logic applies.
Start with the people, not the idea
Before browsing lists, answer five questions. These are practical planning axes, not a tested scoring system:
- Audience fit: Who should feel welcome, and what can they comfortably take part in? Children, office colleagues, congregation members and neighbourhood dog walkers want different things.
- Setting: In person, online, or both?
- Organiser capacity: How many reliable helpers do you have, and how many hours?
- Participation style: Social (play, eat, bid), active (walk, challenge), or hands-off (give, pledge)?
- Timing of donations: Do you need money pledged beforehand, given on the night, or collected afterwards?
None of the sources reviewed compare net proceeds, costs or return on investment across formats, so no format here should be treated as a guaranteed earner. Choose for fit and deliverability.
Fun fundraising ideas by style
UNICEF UK names the formats below, and St. Jude adds games and themes. Matching them to a participation style is our own framing.
#1 Best Overall
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Social gatherings
- Games night: St. Jude suggests fundraising games, including classic board games and video games. Choose games the intended crowd already knows, so nobody needs a rules lecture.
- Bingo night: Easy to explain and suits mixed ages.
- Charity dinner: Suits groups who like to sit and talk, though it asks more of organisers.
Giving with a little excitement
- Raffles and sweepstakes: Quick to understand, but see the rules section below before you sell a single ticket.
- Auctions: A natural home for donated goods or experiences.
- Bucket collections: Simple in concept, but they often need permission and are regulated in some places.
Active and networked
- Walkathons and challenges: Participants ask their own friends and family to sponsor them, often through individual pages. A set campaign period can line up with the event itself, according to America’s Charities.
Remote-friendly
- Virtual fundraisers: Useful when supporters are spread out or cannot attend in person. UNICEF UK lists this as an option with its own planning tips.
Use a theme
St. Jude also points to planning an event around a fundraising theme. For an animal group, that might be a costume contest for pets, a trivia night with a rescue-animal theme, or a “paws and pints” gathering. These are our suggestions rather than formats the sources evaluated, so test the appeal with a few likely attendees first, and make sure any animal involvement is safe and comfortable for the animals and permitted at the venue.
Plan it in six steps
- Define the welcome. Decide who the event is for and what they can comfortably do.
- Pick a format your team can deliver. A modest event done well beats an ambitious one done badly.
- Set up a clear way to give and state the purpose. UNICEF UK recommends an online fundraising page that explains the activity and why you are doing it.
- Recruit helpers. UNICEF UK explicitly suggests recruiting friends or family. Give Lively’s peer-based guidance adds that helpers do better with materials such as logos, images, videos and a ready description.
- Share it. UNICEF UK’s top tips are “Get creative,” “Get online,” “Share” and “Recruit.” Those are its headings rather than quotations from a named person.
- Check the rules for your location and activity (below).
Match the donation method to the moment
America’s Charities describes different ways to collect, and when they tend to be used:
Rank #2
- PrintWorks printable raffle tickets with stubs are perfect for fundraisers, events, auctions, giveaways, 50/50 raffles, and carnivals for cost-effective, simple convenience and a professional look
- Simply design and print by yourself with included easy-to-use templates for personalization. These custom raffle tickets are compatible with laser and inkjet printers and are printable on both sides
- Pack includes 2000 blank raffle tickets (2.125" x 5.5" ticket size), 8 tickets per sheet, 250 raffle ticket sheets, white 8.5" x 11" perforated ticket paper, heavyweight 67 lb/147 gsm cardstock
- This raffle ticket paper has perforations at 2.25", 4.25", and 6.125" from the top edge of the sheet and 2", 5.5”, and 7.5" from the left edge of the sheet ensuring clean tears and folds
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| Method | Typical timing | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-to-peer fundraising | Often before an event | Walks, challenges and campaigns where supporters ask their own networks |
| Pledges | Often before an event | Sponsored activities where money follows completion |
| Crowdfunding | Can be used during a live event | Building a shared total people can watch grow |
| Text-to-give | Can be used during a live event | Giving on the spot from a phone |
No particular platform is required. Pick whichever method your audience will find easiest, and keep the route to giving obvious on invitations, posters and screens.
Check the rules before you promote
Raffles, lotteries, street or bucket collections, food service, permits and safeguarding of participants vary by country, region and event details. The Fundraising Regulator, which oversees the UK Code of Fundraising Practice, lists guidance on fundraising events and challenge events in a resource index dated 10 July 2025. That is UK-specific and does not settle requirements elsewhere. Contact your local authority or charity regulator, and confirm with your venue and insurer, before you announce anything.
Rank #3
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- BACK WRITABLE TICKET SURFACE – On the back, you’ll find the ticket has a place where guests or attendees can write their contact information, so you can reach out to them if they’ve won a prize or require follow-up information.
- CONSECUTIVELY NUMBERED – Each roll of tickets for raffle and event use features numbers completely in order to make it easier to separate them and stay organized if you’re holding a raffle, fundraiser, or special event. You will receive a random series of numbers with no duplicates when you purchase multiple rolls.
Keep supplies simple
A games night needs little more than a few classic board games and enough tables. St. Jude names board games as a fundraising game option, but no particular product is better or necessary. Borrowing from members often works just as well as buying.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- MULTIPURPOSE EVENT TICKETS – These raffle tickets can be used for all types of events including fundraising, baby showers, voting, trade shows, and other fun and engaging ideas.
- RAFFLE OPTIONS – Each pack contains 250 raffle cards that can support small, medium, and large events. Easy to write for collection of name, phone number and email address. Each ticket is 3.5” x 2”.
- BRIGHT AND VIBRANT COLORS – Tacticai premium, colored raffle ticket cards come in a wide variety of brilliant colors including blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow. All to match your individual event, event date, or party theme.
- WRITABLE TICKET SURFACE – You’ll find the ticket has a place where guests or attendees can write their contact information, so you can reach out to them if they’ve won a prize or require follow-up information.
- SIMPLE & MODERN DESIGN – Everyone will love the fun, minimalistic design. Your selected colors will create memorable events.
Rank #4
- Each Raffle Tickets Roll has 1000 Pairs(2000 pcs) double stub raffle tickets with consecutive numbering, designed with perforated lines for easy separation, saving you time and effort.
- Each double stub raffle tickets measures 2x2 inches and split Into 2 X 1 inch halves.
- The back of the "ticket" part has a place for Name/Address/City/Phone
- With a deposit ticket and keep ticket
- Perfect for a wide range of events including carnivals, school fundraisers, class rewards, and prize drawings.
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