4 Summer Fundraising Ideas To Get You Started

Well, I don’t know about the weather where you live, but Vancouver is finally coming out of one the most brutal winters in recent memory. The cherry blossoms are blooming, sails boats are back plying the waves of English Bay, and hacky sack circles can be seen everywhere from Olympic Village to Dude Chilling Park. But summer isn’t just a great time to be outside, it’s also the perfect season to raise some money for a cause that matters to you. Pairing fundraising with an event is a great summer strategy since people are always looking for something fun to do. Here are a few great ideas that you can easily adapt to any cause.

Sports! Sports! Sports!

Sporting events are the perfect way to fundraise for your cause since they capitalize on something people like to do in the summer anyway. Pick your favourite sport and ask teams to fundraise instead of paying an entry fee. Make it a casual event at the park for a quick fundraiser, or take it official with prizes, spectators, unique uniforms and Gatorade to dump on the winning coach. Maybe skip the Gatorade. The Brenna Innes Memorial Soccer Tournament has had amazing success for the last 10 years with this model.

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Or just a regular walk. A walkathon is a slick summer fundraiser because it’s accessible to so many people. Grandparents love a summer stroll. Little kids can do a sunny skip. Even the family dog can get in on the action. Do laps at the local track or a circuit route through your neighbourhood. Even plan pit stops at local coffee shops, breweries, wineries, or whatever else is fun in your area. A simple donated entry fee can be huge for your cause, or maximize your donations by challenging walkers to collect pledges from friends, family, coworkers and everyone else. Sacred Heart Elementary hosted a walkathon this year and raised over $16,000!

You Say Party, We Say Fundraiser!

For the last seven years, CHIMP all star alumnus Brady Josephson has turned his birthday celebration into a fundraiser to help kids in Rwanda. We think it’s a pretty excellent and selfless act to turn your own birthday party into something that does some good half a world away. And you can do it too! Start a Giving Group on CHIMP, plan a party, and tell your partygoers that you’d rather help the world out than get gifts this year. Easy. Plus you still get cake.

Start Practising

I think we can all agree that in 1987, Dirty Dancing taught us that the greatest summer event of all is the talent show. This year the Vancouver tech community is raising thousands for charity at Tech’s Got Talent, the city’s premier lip sync battle. But your event doesn’t have to be lip sync: it could be juggling, tap dancing, playing the drums, or all three at the same time! Ask competitors to raise money as their entry fee, give prizes for most money raised, and put ticket proceeds toward the cause that matters to you.