11 Good Fundraising Ideas for Church Youth Groups

Fundraising is an integral part of belonging to a church youth group. While there are tried-and-true ways to raise money, being creative with your fundraising ideas will help get the community interested in your cause. Below are some unique fundraising ideas for church youth groups.

Sell Refreshments

Selling refreshments and food is a great way to raise money for your youth group. You can sell boxed lunches after church or host a chili cook-off. Sell refreshments at your church’s socials or host a bake sale on Sunday morning. Food is something that everyone loves – and needs. Choose your time wisely and select appropriate foods for the occasion.

Candy Sales

Candy sales are always a popular way to raise money and are most effective during the holidays – especially Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day. Candy can be purchased in bulk from a club, such as Sam’s Club or Costco. You may also purchase candy from a vendor that specializes in fundraiser candy. You can choose to sell the candy as-is, or you can create candy gifts. Candies can be sold after church or in town.

Sell Friendship/Love Notes

Sell friendship/love notes and deliver them to the recipient during retreats. This idea may not be a huge money maker, but it’s a simple idea that is easy to organize and can raise some extra money for your youth group.

Dances

Dances are another great way to raise money for your youth group. These are fun to organize, but will require a dedicated group of volunteers to make it a success. Some dance ideas include:

• A Valentine’s Day dance.
• Barn or square dance.
• 50’s dance.
• 80’s dance.
• 20’s dance.

Decade-themed dances are really popular and so much fun. Encourage everyone to dress according to the decade of the dance, and sell tickets after church.

Pranks

Pranks are a fun way to raise money, but how successful they are will depend on your church community’s sense of humor. Many youth groups have had success with the Flamingo Project. Members of the group are paid to place a plastic flamingo in a person’s front yard. The group then has to be paid to have the flamingo removed. Victims can also choose to purchase insurance that will prevent them from being “flamingo-ed” for 6 months.

Christmas Play with Dinner

Have your youth group put on a Christmas play during the holiday season and offer dinner with the show. Charge for each plate. To raise the most money, choose a meal that is inexpensive. Spaghetti dinners are a great option.

Weekly Bagel or Donut Sales

After Sunday church service, sell donuts and bagels. This idea can easily generate quite a bit of money for your youth group as church-goers often leave service feeling hungry. Use this to your advantage. Make sure that you set up a table in a visible spot and charge a reasonable price for the bagels and donuts. You can also sell coffee, or throw in a cup for free if they purchase a bagel and a donut. Reach out to local bakeries to see if they would be willing to give you a discounted rate on weekly purchases.

Dodge Ball Tournament

Charge $10 for each entry into the tournament. In addition to the entry fee, you can also sell some snacks and refreshments on the side. Offer a prize to the winner of the tournament. The prize doesn’t have to be extravagant. Look for something inexpensive, but useful.

Golf Tournament

Golf tournaments can easily raise a thousand dollars or more. Charge an entry fee into the tournament and sell concessions. Get in touch with a local golf course and ask if they would be willing to offer a discounted rate or donate time on the course. In addition, you can also host a silent auction. Ask the community for donations to make the silent auction a success.

Car Wash

Have the youth group members get others in the community to pledge a donation per car. Youth group members will wash cars for free. Each car that they wash will raise money from their sponsors. If a person sponsors $1 for each car washed and the group member washes 50 cars, that sponsor will donate $50. This can easily raise quite a bit of money if each member can get multiple sponsors.

Money Wall

Hang envelopes on the wall with varying dollar amounts ranging from $1 all the way up to $100. Ask members of the church to take one of the envelopes on the wall and donate the amount written on the envelope. Inside, they can include a prayer request or needs. The envelope can be returned to the youth minister. The person who donates will become a prayer partner with the youth group member. This is a quick and simple way to raise a lot of money.