15 Whimsical Winter Fundraising Ideas to Heat Your Campaigns

Explore creative ideas to engage your supporters this winter season.

‘Twas the night before the winter fundraising season, when all through your organization, your staff members were stirring, hoping to come up with the right winter fundraising ideas that would put a twinkle in your supporters’ eyes!

The best winter fundraising ideas bring a bit of whimsy and warmth to the chilly winter months. In this guide, we’ll explore 15 top fundraising ideas to engage your supporters, whether you’re fundraising for a school or a community nonprofit organization. Let’s get started!

1. Winter 5K

A 5K is a fun fundraising idea for any season, including the wintertime. Even if it’s cold outside, participants won’t be chilly for long as they race their fellow competitors.

Recruit more participants by giving your event a fun theme, such as:

• Hot Chocolate Run
• Reindeer Dash
• Ugly Sweater Run
• Holiday Lights Run

Turn this event into a lucrative fundraising opportunity by requiring participants to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. For example, you can ask runners to create a personal peer-to-peer fundraising page and raise a certain amount from their family members and friends to join the race. Give participants some fundraising tips to help them reach their goals, such as making the first gift to jumpstart their fundraising efforts.

2. Polar Plunge

Jumping into a cold body of water during winter may sound crazy, but that’s precisely what a Polar Plunge fundraiser involves.

Participants will collect pledges from their family members and friends in a Polar Plunge. Then, they’ll jump into a cold lake, pond, or pool. This event can raise funds and awareness for your cause or school.

Here’s what you need to hold a successful Polar Plunge fundraiser:

• A cold body of water
• Blankets, scarves, and other clothing items to help participants warm-up
• Fire pits for participants to gather around
• Warm drinks and snacks for participants and spectators

Make sure also to have medical volunteers on site in case anyone needs assistance during the event.

3. Chili Cookoff

Winter is the best time of year for comfort food like chili! Invite local chili connoisseurs to share their best recipes in a made-from-scratch chili cookoff. Follow these steps as you plan the event:

• Recruit chili chefs. Spread the word about your competition using social media posts, email newsletters, and flyers at local businesses.
• Secure a venue. Choose a suitable location for your event, such as a local park, gymnasium, or other ample event space that can accommodate multiple tables and a large group of people.
• Determine the voting process. Provide clear voting instructions, such as how many times people can vote. To incorporate fundraising into the voting process, you could require participants to “vote” by dropping money in a box in front of their favorite recipe.

You don’t have to limit your competition to just chili—you could also have categories for soups, stews, mac and cheese, and other warm comfort foods.

4. Winter Wonderland Gala

Show appreciation to your top supporters this holiday season by hosting a Winter Wonderland gala. A gala allows donors to dress up for a special night out and support your organization simultaneously.

Consider incorporating the following elements into your winter gala:

• Live entertainment
• Refreshments or dinner
• An auction
• A speech from your principal or executive director
• A DJ or live band
• Winter-themed decor, like sparkling lights and snowflakes

You can invite all supporters to your gala, but these events are beneficial for recognizing significant donors. According to Bloomerang’s major gifts guide, events like galas allow you to “say a collective ‘thank you’ to your supporters while developing relationships with them.” Ensure your gala’s host or emcee gives a special shoutout to your top donors and all supporters throughout the event.

5. Holiday Gift Wrapping

Christmas gift wrapping can be an exhausting task. Take some of the holiday stress away from your supporters by providing gift-wrapping services.

Necessary supplies for a gift-wrapping fundraiser include:

• Wrapping paper
• Ribbons
• Stickers
• Bows
• Scissors
• Tape
• Gift bags
• Tissue paper

Supporters will expect top-quality wrapping, so train your fundraiser’s volunteers on wrapping best practices.

6. Pictures with Santa

Taking pictures with Santa is a time-honored tradition for many families. Follow these steps to set up a successful photography fundraiser:

• Recruit a Santa and some elves.
• Ask a staff member or local photographer to take photos.
• Provide props, like reindeer antlers and bells.

Provide print and digital options for families to use in their Christmas cards, social media posts, and photo albums.

7. Holiday movie marathon

Watching Christmas movies is another popular tradition around the holidays. Host a double feature at your school or nonprofit headquarters or a drive-in event where people can watch from their cars.

Here are a few family-friendly holiday movie ideas for your event:

• Elf
• A Christmas Story
• The Polar Express
• Miracle on 34th Street
• The Grinch
• The Nightmare Before Christmas

Offer refreshments such as popcorn and hot chocolate. Encourage attendees to wear their pajamas and bring pillows and blankets to be as cozy as possible.

8. Gingerbread Decorating Contest

Engage supporters in a friendly competition by hosting a gingerbread decorating contest. Keep these tips in mind when preparing for the contest:

• Provide a signup sheet for participants.
• Require an entry fee or a fee to vote on your favorite gingerbread house.
• Provide materials like gingerbread, icing, gumdrops, and other decorations.
• Share photos of each house on your Facebook page to open the voting to a broader group.

This is a perfect fundraising idea for kids; the whole family can get involved.

9. Candle Fundraiser

During the cold winter, there’s no better feeling than curling up with your favorite book or watching a movie under a fuzzy blanket, especially with a fragrant candle burning!

For a successful fundraiser, offering suitable types of candles for the season is essential. Popular winter candle scents include:

• Pine/fresh balsam
• Peppermint
• Hot cocoa
• Gingerbread
• Cranberry
• Cinnamon

Partner with a candle fundraising provider to gain access to brochures or online platforms to sell your candles.

10. Silent Auction

A silent auction event involves attendees browsing available auction items and making bids using bid sheets or mobile bidding apps. By hosting a winter silent auction, you can allow participants to bid on items they can give as Christmas presents.

Ask significant donors or local businesses to donate winter-themed items to your auction, such as:

• Outdoor winter experiences, like ski lodge passes or ice skating tickets
• Christmas baskets, complete with hot cocoa, stockings, and other Christmassy items
• Winter-themed artwork
• Winter sports gear, such as snowboards or sleds

Make sure to thank donors and sponsors who provided the auction items during your event to give them some publicity and show appreciation.

11. Year-end Crowdfunding Campaign

The winter months include the all-important year-end fundraising season. 30% of annual giving happens in December, with around 10% of all annual donations coming in the last three days of the year.

Take advantage of this opportunity by creating a year-end online crowdfunding campaign. Follow these steps as you build your campaign:

• Create a streamlined donation form. Ensure your giving form provides a compelling reason for donors to support your cause. Also, simplify your page by only asking necessary questions so donors can complete it quickly.
• Share your giving form on social media. Share links to your crowdfunding page on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
• Share a fundraising thermometer to inspire more giving. Use a fundraising thermometer graphic to show how much further you must go to reach your year-end fundraising goal.

As your campaign concludes, thank all donors with a personalized thank you message that includes their name and donation amount.

12. January Challenge

In January, many people set New Year’s Resolutions. Help supporters reach their New Year’s goals by offering a January challenge. Here are a few challenging ideas:

• Gratefulness challenge, where participants share one social media post per day with a photo that makes them feel grateful
• 10,000 steps per day challenge, where participants aim to walk at least 10,000 steps each day of the month
• Give Something Up challenge, where participants pledge not to do an activity for the entire month of January, such as eating sugar or drinking coffee

Ask participants to gather pledges from family members and friends and then cash in on the donations once they’ve completed the challenge.

13. Super Bowl Watch Party

Taking place in February each year, the Super Bowl is the most-watched annual event, making it the perfect opportunity to bring supporters together for a fun watch party.

Set up your Super Bowl watch party with the following supplies:

• A large screen
• Seating
• Snacks and refreshments

No matter which team attendees are rooting for, they can watch the game on a big screen and support your worthy cause.

14. Valentine’s Day Date Night

Creating romantic Valentine’s Day plans can be a hassle, so help your supporters by offering a Valentine’s date night event. Invite participants to dress up and attend a fancy dinner complete with:

• Flowers
• Chocolate
• Live entertainment
• Balloons

Encourage attendees to share photos from your event on social media and tag your organization to increase awareness of your fundraising efforts.

15. Christmas or Valentine’s Chocolate Fundraiser

Chocolate is a classic gift for winter holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Make the most of this opportunity by hosting a chocolate fundraiser for your organization or school. Take these steps to plan your chocolate fundraiser:

• Choose a chocolate fundraising supplier.
• Determine which type of chocolate you will sell, whether chocolate bars, boxes of chocolate, chocolate pretzels, etc.
• Choose your sales methods, including door-to-door, online, via phone or text, etc.

Engage your school or nonprofit supporters to spread the word about your chocolate fundraiser or help you sell items. Be sure to thank every supporter for their hard work after the campaign ends!

Remember that winter fundraising is much easier with the right fundraising software solutions. A fundraising platform, email marketing tool, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools can provide much-needed assistance to take your campaigns to the next level. Consider whether a new fundraising solution could support your efforts as you incorporate the ideas in this guide!

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.