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Fundraising Ideas

A virtually endless number of fundraising ideas exist to support a charity or organization. However, a bake sale, silent auction, and door-to-door fundraising are all overdone. If you're looking for a unique fundraising idea for your nonprofit, sports team, school, or organization, try photo contest fundraising.

Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas

Sports Teams
Nonprofits
Schools
PTAs
Animal Rescues
Churches
Clubs
Hospitals or Medical Facilities
Museums
Nursing Homes
Community Services
Libraries

Photo contest fundraisers can work for just about any fundraising need, whether you want to raise money for a church or donate funds to a local animal rescue. People are more willing to jump in on a fundraising event idea that's fun, easy to participate in, and gives them something to work toward. With a photo contest fundraiser, participants can get you closer to your fundraising goal by paying a small entry fee to add a photo to the contest in the hope of winning a prize.

What is a Photo Contest Fundraiser?

A photo contest fundraiser is one of the best fundraising ideas for all types of causes, whether you want to ask community members for a small donation to a local school or get potential donors to fund new community services.

This type of fundraiser encourages participants to enter their favorite photos that match your theme of choice for a chance to win a prize. People vote for their favorite entries, paying a small fee per vote. The money from those votes acts as a donation toward your cause.

A photo contest fundraiser is a virtual event takes the cake for easy fundraising ideas because it requires practically no setup, and the winning prize doesn't need to be extravagant to encourage people to enter.

How Photo Contest Fundraisers Work

Do you want to know more about how a photo contest works for fundraising? Here's the general breakdown:

Set up your fundraiser on 360PhotoContest.com where people can easily enter your contest. Include a description of your fundraiser, the cause it benefits, and instructions for people to enter. You'll pay a small fee per vote or an upfront cost to the fundraising platform.
Determine the prizes you'd like to give the winner(s), like gift cards, cash, a published photo, or physical prizes.
Promote your photo fundraising event on your website, social media channels, and any other places that your audience hangs out.
Wait for each participant to submit their photos for entry. Organizations usually allow a week or two to maximize the number of entries.
Ask people to share their entries and encourage people to vote. Votes cost a specific amount, usually $1. The money for each vote goes toward your cause.

Benefits of Photo Contest Fundraisers

If you're not sure if a photo contest is the right fundraising idea for your cause, consider some of the following benefits that entice organizations to use them.

1. Easy to Set Up

A photo contest is one of the best quick fundraising ideas that requires little setup, making it easy to get started. You don't need to find a location to host an event or learn new software to get a virtual event idea moving.

With the right platform, like 360 Photo Contest, the platform does all the hard work for you. All you need to worry about is getting the word out about your photo contest to get as many entrants and voters as you can.

2. No Need to Pay for Extra Help

You don't need any extra hands to manage ticket sales, set up an event, or run a silent auction when you use a fundraising idea like a virtual photo contest. This online fundraising idea takes place on the internet, so just one person can make it happen.

If you do have other people who'd like to help, direct them toward being a supporter by voting for entrants, sharing the contest on social media, or contacting a local business or two for a donated prize.

3. Efficient Fundraising Idea

Fundraising ideas don't have to be time-consuming or break the budget. Photo contest fundraising does neither with its straightforward setup and affordable pricing for organizations.

When you need a fundraiser idea that people can get behind because it doesn’t require a lot of work or time commitments, try a photo contest fundraiser. When you have a strong community behind your organization to support a fundraiser, this idea can become especially efficient.

4. Varied, Engaging Themes

It's virtually impossible to have a cause that a photo contest doesn’t fit. Whether you need school fundraising ideas or charity fundraising ideas, there's a photo contest theme that makes sense. For instance, schools might ask parents to submit their favorite back-to-school photos, while charities might ask for photos of people volunteering.

Most importantly, with each photo contest fundraiser you do, you can create a different theme to keep supporters interested and having fun.

5. Collects Donor Contact Information Easily

When someone votes for a photo in your contest, 360 Photo Contest collects their email addresses. You'll have access to all fundraiser participants’ information, so you can easily connect with donors when necessary. This is incredibly beneficial for causes that want to build relationships with donors, which can improve fundraising efforts in the future.

6. Ability to Go Viral

Every photo contest on the 360 Photo Contest platform receives a unique URL for sharing photo entries on social media to encourage voting. You can also share your contest's links via email, your website, or wherever else you'd like advertise it. Encourage everyone who participates to share daily, and you might just find your contest going viral.

7. Fun for All Participants

Getting people to participate in a photo contest fundraiser is a breeze. Photo contests don't feel like fundraising because they're so fun! In fact, your entrants might have so much fun with it, they might feel compelled to enter more than one photo, which can easily increase the number of photos and funds raised.

8. Virtual Fundraising Idea

Is your organization sticking to virtual fundraising ideas to keep vulnerable donors and helpers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic? A photo contest fundraiser is an excellent idea. There's no need to meet in person, as all voters participate online, and all funds are raised virtually. You can even make the winning prize digital, such as a cash prize awarded via PayPal or Venmo, to prevent anyone from having to pick up their prize in person.

9. Affordable for Nonprofits

There's nothing better than affordable fundraising ideas, especially for nonprofit organizations. A photo contest fundraiser is the epitome of budget-friendly fundraising. 360PhotoContest.com's transparent and simple pricing makes it easy to budget for your contest. Our prices start at just $100 to start plus five percent of your total funds raised, so there’s no hidden or confusing fees.

12 Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Your Cause

Not sure how your nonprofit organization, school, or other causes can benefit from online fundraising with a photo contest fundraiser? Explore the following photo contest fundraising ideas for various types of causes.

1. Sports Teams

Sports teams often come up with in-person or virtual fundraising ideas to raise money for team equipment and travel. They also sometimes assist a good cause by raising funds for charities they're passionate about. These fundraisers often include sporting events, raffle ticket sales, product sales, or fun events for families, like a trivia night.

Consider cheap fundraising ideas instead, like a photo contest fundraiser, to get more funds straight to your sports team. Sporting events can lead to lots of great pictures, making it easy for fans to find photos to enter into your contest. By making each vote affordable for most families, you can easily convince the community to support your sports fundraiser.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams

● Live-action sports shots from team members

● Best edited sports photos

● Posed team photos

● Pictures of team moms or dads

● Action shots from a specific sport, like basketball or track and field

● Favorite shots from a sporting event

2. Nonprofits

A nonprofit organization fundraising campaign’s goal is to raise funds for a specific charity or mission. Fundraisers are incredibly important for this business model, which doesn't generate a profit for owners in the traditional way.

Nonprofits can decrease their costs associated with this already affordable fundraising idea by asking their community for a donated prize for the winner or winners of the photo contest. Start a fundraising page on Facebook or your organization's website to bring attention to the contest, and ask local businesses for help with promoting it.

Consider using photo themes that align with your nonprofit's mission, such as entering pictures of wildlife for a wildlife conservation park charity.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits

● Community volunteering photos

● Employees' favorite photos

● Holiday or seasonal photo entries

● Photos that match the nonprofit's mission

● Pictures of people or places the fundraiser can help

● Photos showing a charitable spirit

3. Schools

Having enough money for activities, academics, and classroom supplies is a primary challenge for many schools across the country, making successful fundraising ideas incredibly important.

Some schools have multiple fundraisers per year, which can become costly for parents and families who want to participate. However, a photo contest fundraiser is affordable on all ends, from the school itself to its contest participants to voters. There's no cost to your families to enter their photos, and you can choose the amount they pay per vote based on what your community can generally afford.

A great thing about photo contest fundraising for schools is that there are virtually endless themes to choose from. Think about what your students, teachers, and families enjoy, and use those interests to think of fun photo contest ideas.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Schools

● Athletics and club photos

● Back-to-school photos

● Pictures of students with friends or family

● School spirit photos

● Photos of school events

4. PTAs

A Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) raises funds for schools and teachers, too. These PTA fundraisers may take place separately from fundraisers for schools to raise funds for specific activities or events hosted by the PTA.

Like schools, PTAs have lots of possible photo contest ideas to use for their fundraisers. An easy path to take would be entering pictures from past PTA-hosted events or activities the PTA raised funds for. Ask school families, teachers, or community businesses and organizations for a donated prize to gift the winners. Or, school families might make a small donation in cash to fund the prizes.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for PTAs

● Community service photos

● PTA volunteering photos

● Pictures of the school campus

● Photos of school activities or events

● School family photos

● Students with their favorite teachers or in their favorite classes

5. Animal Rescues

Animal rescues are often in need of easy fundraising ideas that are simple to set up and affordable to run. In fact, 360 Photo Contest specializes in helping animal rescues run successful animal fundraising events with photo contests. This fundraising idea works well for animal rescues because of the viral popularity of pet photos.

Whether you want to have a fun theme where people dress up their pets or let adoptive families show off their most recent rescues, there are numerous possible themes to work with for a photo contest. And, because most people love a good pet photo, these fundraisers have the potential for lots of social media shares.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Animal Rescues

● Current adoptable pets

● Furry friends who have found their forever homes

● Seasonal or holiday pet photos

● Families with their pets

● Puppy or kitten photos

● Dressed-up pets

6. Churches

Is your church considering starting a fundraising campaign to ask potential donors for money to put toward a church remodel or expansion, a church mission, or church-related kids' activities? Churches can almost always use more money to either fund activities within the church or help community members. Having cheap fundraiser ideas that don't require a lot of assistance from church members can be a great way for churches to raise more money.

Before service begins, ask church members for photo contest theme ideas your church could host. You might hand out papers and pencils for people to write down their ideas to help inspire your next photo contest. Below are a few ideas to get you started.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Churches

● Photos of church families

● Pictures representing favorite sermons

● Vacation/Bible School pictures

● Photos of church events or activities

● Pictures from church camps or missions

7. Clubs

Community or school clubs, like the YMCA or a multicultural club, might also partake in fundraisers to encourage donations for upcoming events, daily activities, or community help. Clubs often participate in money-matching fundraisers, t-shirt or bake sales, or dinner fundraisers, but a photo contest fundraising event can be an excellent fit for this type of nonprofit.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Clubs

● Silly photos from club members

● Action shots from club activities

● Photos of favorite club events or activities

● Club-hosted community volunteering event pictures

● Pictures of subjects relevant to the club, like photos captured in different countries for a multicultural club

8. Hospitals or Medical Facilities

Hospitals and medical facilities raise funds for many reasons, including building new health centers, expanding departments, targeting community health education, and hosting fundraising events for local charities. Having a unique fundraising idea that draws attention to a good cause and doesn't require a lot of spending and time can help these organizations reach their fundraising goal.

Forego traditional fundraising ideas, like a bake sale or raffle ticket sales and try a photo contest fundraiser. This virtual fundraising idea can especially align with the mission of medical facilities to keep the public safe in the midst of the pandemic.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Hospitals or Medical Facilities

● Pictures of first-line workers

● Photos from community members showing what gives them hope

● Action shots from past facility-hosted fundraising or community events

● Pictures of hospital or medical facility staff acting silly

● Photos showing what health means to participants

9. Museums

Some museums charge no entry fees to the public, but even those that do may rely on museum memberships and fundraising to get the money they need to operate and expand. Museums don't often make a lot of money, but they still need to hire staff to sell tickets and keep their facilities secure and clean. Museums may also need money to purchase items to display or run special events, like educational movies, shows, and expert talks.

With the right fundraising ideas for nonprofits, like a photo contest, museums can get donations easily, even from people who may not be regular patrons.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Museums

● Pictures from patrons when visiting the museum

● Favorite items or displays at the museum

● Pieces of art created by each participant

● Pictures taken by children (especially for a children's museum)

● Generational photos (this would work well for a history museum)

10. Nursing Homes

The increasing costs of healthcare can leave families and nursing homes footing the financial burden. Nursing homes typically host community events to help raise money for families and patients in need. However, hosting a photo contest fundraiser could make their event more accessible to the general public as a virtual fundraiser, reaching more potential donors who may not be able to attend an activity in person.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Nursing Homes

● Pictures of nursing home residents and their families

● Pictures of residents' favorite things

● Families share their favorite photos from past facility-hosted events

● Resident-created artwork uploaded as photos

● Photos displaying what family means to each participant

11. Community Services

Community free clinics, social services, and other programs need lots of support from potential donors to keep their programs moving. However, it can be a challenge to find people to volunteer for fundraising assistance, whether it be through time or money.

A photo contest fundraiser takes care of both aspects, allowing community programs to raise funds without spending a lot of money or looking to community members for help.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Community Services

● Photos showing hometown pride

● Pictures of past volunteering events or community activities

● Best landscape photos from areas in or around the community

● Photos of local businesses and activities

● Photos of families within the community

12. Libraries

State and local governments fund libraries differently. It's up to each government to create a budget for library systems, and some libraries are left to raise funds on their own. With a photo contest fundraiser, libraries can seek the help of community members for a quick and easy fundraiser that people have fun with.

Possible Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Libraries

● Children take photos based on their favorite books

● Pictures of library patrons dressed as their favorite book characters

● Photos from library-hosted events and activities

● Volunteerism in the community photos

● Holidays or seasonal photos

Try Photo Contest Fundraising Ideas for Your Cause

If you're in the market for fundraising ideas that are affordable and engaging, try a photo contest for your next fundraiser. 360PhotoContest.com offers easy-to-use software that guides you through the process of setting up a fundraiser in just a few easy steps.

If you don't believe us, check out our many success stories from organizations that have used photo contest fundraisers. Although we work with many animal rescue organizations, our software is 100% customizable to the unique needs of your organization to make your photo contest your own. When you're ready, reach out to 360 Photo Contest to request a demo.

Contest Theme Ideas

How To Create A Calendar Contest

The top thirteen entries with the most votes will be added to the calendar with the top vote getter being on the front of the calendar. Calendars can be created in bulk online at CafePress, big-name pharmacies, or any other local print shop. You might want to go with local businesses first if you can. Calendar pricing and quality may vary by vendor so you might want to shop around. If you plan to mail out your calendars you might want to budget for postage and communicate when you will receive and send out your prizes.

You can market the fundraiser as a great opportunity to help a great cause and gain exposure as an amateur photographer or to just have fun taking photos. The barrier to entering is low since a majority of people use a smartphone or are able to upload photos from a digital camera.

1. Look locally or at a larger level for sponsorship
2. Organize price quotes and gather info (quality, look for online reviews) about calendar vendors
3. Start your fundraising contest (don’t forget the basics)
4. Share your contest with your audience and community
5. Thank your donors and sponsors after the fundraiser
6. Print your calendars and send them out to winners and sponsors (as a thank you)
7. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on social media! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

View a basic fundraiser process outline

How to create a best t-shirt design contest

The top voted entry or top three entries will get printed on a t-shirt. T-shirts can be printed in bulk online at CafePress, Custom Ink, or any other local signage shop. You will want to go with local businesses first if you can to build rapport.

There’s a lot of flexibility with this contest. You can provide the printed t-shirt as a prize to the winner(s) and you can sell the t-shirt on your website (with the winner’s permission). The shirts can also have your non-profit’s name and website URL on it and you can hand it out at public events.

Things to consider

1. You might want to ask local print or signage shops to see if they would like to be a sponsor.
2. Offer a t-shirt to your sponsors as a thank you.
3. You may have to pay a designer (at the print/signage shop, freelance, or nothing if you have a designer on staff) to recreate the winning design into a printable format.
4. Postage costs for mailing t-shirts might need to be budgeted for.
5. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on social media! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

View a basic fundraiser process outline

Create a hashtag themed contest

Entrants can create a “hashtag” theme involving something related to your cause or non-profit. For instance, if your non-profit involves animals you could do a “#petfunnyfaces” theme and entrants can upload photos of pets.

Other than a “best fit” for a hashtag you can also have entrants come up with a tasteful hashtag and upload a photo. The photo itself can be of an artistic representation of a hashtag, such as a painting or caligraphy, or a photo with a hashtag as an entry title (as long it’s tasteful).

You might have to look for quite a bit more sponsorship for the first idea but the second has different options. Since the first contest idea doesn’t produce anything that can be a prize outside vendors will have to pitch in. With the second idea, the winning photo can be printed as a poster, t-shirt, or calendar and used as a prize.

Things to consider

1. Be sure to communicate that entries should be tasteful for the photo, photo title, and photo description.
2. If you choose to use the winning entry as a prize be sure you have a vendor lined up to create the intended prize.
3. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on social media! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

View a basic fundraiser process outline

Start an online bake sale

Baked goods can be donated to your cause or non-profit and posted to your contest and the item with the most votes wins. This works well with sharing the contest as donors can ask their friends/followers to vote for them. Donated items can be uploaded during an entry period and voted on within a small window of time.

This fundraiser works well within a local area since the post office doesn’t really allow food to be sent by mail. The drawbacks involve when the baked items can be delivered and still be safe to eat.

Things to consider

1. Make sure to line up donors for baked goods to deliver items on time before contest voting begins.
2. Email the contest URL to every donor so they can help share on social media.
3. Thank your donors and volunteers after the contest is over.
4. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on social media! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

Set up a "jail a person" contest

Enter local business owners or personalities into a photo contest to let the community vote on who should be “jailed”. The top entry would have to dress up in an outfit and be staged in a photo shoot in a fake jail.

This is a fun idea to help boost your social presence and build an audience locally. You may want to partner with a photographer to help with the photo shoot and any image editing.

Remember to keep the photo shoot tasteful and respectful to the person who is being “jailed”. Keep the experience light-hearted and fun. It wouldn’t hurt to have the “jailed” person approve of any photos or text-based posts regarding the photo shoot.

Things to consider:

1. Make sure the people you plan to use as entries are on-board for being in the fundraiser.
2. The people who could be “jailed” may have schedules to work around. Ask them if they can block off a certain amount of time for the fundraiser in case they are “jailed”.
3. Have the “jailed” person approve of any social media posts to avoid any damage to reputation.
4. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on social media! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

Trail of Lights Fundraiser

Generate excitement in your community this holiday season with a Trail of Lights Photo Contest hosted by your local Chamber of Commerce or non-profit organization. Photo entries can by submitted by the entrant or by the host. Get the word out and raise funds for charity or other purposes.

As with all of our contests, there can be an entry fee or no fee, but regardless, you have to donate to vote. Some contests will allow the donor to select from a group of charitable organizations as to where the funds will go. Prizes could be provided by local businesses to add excitement.

There are many variations to this contest. Some cities run a business trail of lights to get the general public to visit the local stores. Other communities residential contests with prizes from local businesses. Some run both contests.

Things to consider

1. Make sure to line up donors for prizes before contest voting begins.
2. Email the contest URL to every donor so they can help share on social media.
3. Thank your donors and volunteers after the contest is over.
4. Be sure to share the URL for the fundraiser on your social media and create a buzz! Likes, retweets, and shares help spread the word!

Extend Your Fundraiser

Don't forget to thank your donors and sponsors

The final item in any fundraiser is thanking the people who made it a success: the donors and sponsors. Showing gratitude toward your donors and sponsors lets them know they are appreciated in helping with your cause. There are a number of ways to show your appreciation.

Send a hand-written thank you

Hand-written "thank you's" might apply mostly to sponsors but it can apply to donors in some cases. People enjoy getting hand-written thank you notes because it took someone time to physically write down their appreciation.

Post on social media

Using social channels for gratitude will help to give mention to specific people and businesses who have assisted with your fundraiser

Post an ad in the local newspaper

If your fundraiser was held within a local area you can thank everyone who participated with an ad in the newspaper. The ad itself just needs to be seen and doesn’t need to be a large-scale item since the space will cost money.

Call sponsors directly

It doesn’t hurt to call your sponsors directly and personally thank them for their help with your fundraiser. If the sponsor is busy on a regular basis you might want to go with the hand-written thank you note instead.

Offer free items to your sponsors

If the goal of your fundraiser is to create some sort of item to sell (t-shirts, calendars, etc.) offer a few to your sponsor for free as a token of gratitude.

There are also a few items to consider when expressing your gratitude. Be brief with your message when writing thank you notes and include how the sponsor’s or donor’s help with assist your cause. Add a means of directing traffic to a sign up page for your newsletter to your thank you email or social media post. Remember to be in communication with your donors.

Ask for regular donorship

Asking previous donors for regular donations is very difficult. On their side of things they have a budget to work within and business overhead. However, they may be interested in giving regularly if you just ask in the right manner.

Preparation for donor meeting

The best way to get closer to a “yes” answer is to prepare for your meeting. Do some research on your donors beyond what you already know about them. Practice your pitch in front of a mirror and record yourself making your pitch. Tell a story about how your your cause is beneficial to give donors a perspective of how regular funding assists your cause.

Asking for regular donations

It’s time to put your practice into action in your donor meeting. Remember that the donation is about their needs whether it’s a personal connection to your cause, a need to be connected to the community, or tax reasons. Be sure to let them know that their past contrubutions have been appreciated. A “no” answer doesn’t mean that they won’t be a regular donor in the future as they may need to make room in the budget or run things by an accountant first.

Sponsor Advice

Finding sponsors

Finding fundraiser sponsorship can be tricky at times. You need to do quite a bit of networking and navigating through social circles to find interested parties. If you’re new to finding sponsors it may take some time. You’ll probably want to do this before starting your fundraiser.

You’ll also want to identify where you can use help in your fundraiser. Prizes and funding may be what you’re after but volunteers can be a great help as well. This will help when meeting with people or even asking around.

1. Ask your audience

It never hurts to reach out and ask a few select individuals if they know of someone or a certain business that might be interested in donating time or prizes. If you have a good social following someone might know a person that can help volunteer time or services.

2. Ask local businesses

Asking to meet with local businesses can help you determine if the business can help you now and in the future. The meeting can tell you if they might be need more time, budget, or if they need to see how much exposure they will get with your fundraiser.

3. Ask local individuals

This is similar to the first step only you’re looking for face-to-face or phone conversations. This method is also good for just getting the word out to people that you’re looking for sponsorship or volunteers.

Lend a hand locally

Even if you’re not currently working on getting sponsors lined up for a fundraiser you’ll always want to be doing the following things to make sure you have good rapport in your area or within your online social network.

1. Network

Get out in the community and talk and get to know people. You’ll be able to get an idea of how you can help others in the community and get a better idea of how things operate in different businesses, local government, and social circles.

2. Lend a hand

If they need assistance with certain things and it meets the strengths of your non-profit offer to lend a hand. This is part of building a strong community and lets others know about your non-profit.

3. Ask if help is needed

It never hurts to directly ask others if they need help with events or other items. Sometimes it serves as a reminder for individuals who may have an event or service project coming up and may need a hand.

If you’re willing to help others they will also be likely to assist you with your fundraisers later on. Just be sure to be genuine when offering help, dispensing it, and asking for help later on.

After landing a sponsor

If you have one of your first sponsors, or if you’ve had a few previously, you know how much work it takes to get them on board in the first place. You’ll need to be in communication and agreement with what your sponsor will be providing, provide some sort of advertising (if applicable), and thank them when the fundraiser is over.

Communication is key

Always be positively communicating with your sponsors as well as your donors. If you need to set a weekly or bi-weekly meeting take a moment to do so. If the sponsor is less formal about things you could just schedule a call to touch base every week or two.

You’ll want to touch on a few items regarding what your sponsor will be providing. This could involve lining up volunteers for certain things leading up to or during the fundraiser or arranging for funds to go to certain areas of the fundraiser. Meetings can also involve communicating deadlines and making sure items get from your sponsors over to prize vendors; for example, getting sponsor logos over to a local printer.

Advertising for the sponsor

This is the unwritten rule of sponsorship: most sponsors will usually expect to get some kind of exposure in return. Usually this exposure comes in the form of advertising within your fundraiser somehow.

There are different ways you can help advertise for your sponsor. There is an area in your photo contest to provide logos and links to sponsor websites. If you’re doing a contest that involves some kind of created item (calendar, t-shirt) you could have your print company add the sponsor’s logo or name and phone number to the item.

Expressing gratitude

After the fundraiser has ended and prizes have been sent out be sure to thank your sponsors. Usually a mention of the sponsor and contact person in a social post is a great way of thanking the sponsor and possibly driving more traffic to them. A handwritten thank you note is always a good sign of gratitude.

Motivate With Prizes

Communicating about your prizes

Offering prizes for your fundraiser is a great incentive for individuals to participate. Keeping everyone informed about what they can win and how to win is important for building momentum for your fundraiser.

At the beginning of your fundraiser you’ll want to establish what your prizes are as well as some ground rules. On the prizes page of your fundraising contest list out all the prizes you plan to give out including any for placing in the contest. Also be detailed in what guidelines get set forth on the rules page of your site.

Sometimes things come up and certain prizes may not be available or need to be substituted. Immediately, upon knowing what needs to happen with prizes, make any needed changes to the prizes and rules pages. Update the contest description on the main page of the website and send out a post on social media to update anyone who is interested in the contest.

At the end of the fundraiser be sure to thank all your participants and get prizes out to winners. Reach out via email to winners and let them know of any wait times for vendors or sponsors to produce the prizes and get mailing information if necessary.

Sweetening the contest

There may be times where you may want to either enhance your prize offerings or offer alternatives. There may be scenarios for going either way: no sponsor commitment, sponsor dropping out, and so forth. There are creative alternates to overcoming prize shortcomings and it comes down to knowing the strengths of your non-profit and the theme of your contest.

Offer a created item for the fundraiser as a prize
It can be a t-shirt, calendar, or other item that will result from your contest.
Consider “off the wall” prize
Something as simple as medals created using candy bars and ribbon could be a fun prize. However, it will have to fit into the theme of your fundraiser.
Offer a prize in trade
You could organize a 1-2 hour workshop on a topic of strength within your non-profit. For example, if social marketing is a strength of your non-profit you can pass along that expertise to a winner as a prize.
Give photographers/designers exposure
Extra exposure is a great way to incentivize photographers or designers if they are winners in your fundraiser. However, this works well if you have a well-built audience and social presence.
Supply gift cards
Gift cards and community business backed coupons are also good ways to offer some kind of a prize to winners. This might have to come out of any funds raised for the fundraiser but it could help boost the number of entries.

Prize Ideas Based on Previous Campaigns

The top 13 winners are placed in a calendar, with the first place winner on the cover of the calendar. The calendars can then be sold for additional fundraising revenue. Some of our organizations use the services of a professional photographer for the calendar photos (with the photo shoot offered as part of prize package). Otherwise, you can have the contest winners re-submit the original photo to you after the contest is over. Factor 360 can lend their design services to make your calendar memorable! We can handle everything from the design to obtaining competitive quotes on the production. Contact us for your options.

Mascot

Offer the chance of being your organization's mascot for a year. Feature the mascot prominently on the front page of your website and promotional campaign materials throughout the year.

This mascot might appear at other fundraising events. They could also be mentioned in local public awareness segments, especially if they are an adopted pet placed through a local association.

Prize Packages

Offer a lucrative prize package to the top winners. Solicit local businesses for prize donations. These businesses can also be mentioned on your website and promotional materials as a corporate sponsor.

More Fundraising Ideas

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Top 8 Soccer Fundraising Ideas Using Photo Contests
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Get tips & ideas for how you can launch your very own photo contest!