If you want to enhance your money-raising efforts to give your charity a boost in 2022, then you’ll want to consider virtual fundraising. This method of raising money is becoming an increasingly popular and attractive option for charities all around the globe.

Creative Ideas for Online Fundraising Events

Coming up with your own online fundraising ideas might not be as simple as it first sounds.

You’ll need to brainstorm a list of interesting options that people will find fun and engaging. But, most importantly, it’s essential that these ideas have the potential to raise beneficial amounts of money.

If you want to maximise your charity fundraising through online events but are struggling to come up with your own concepts, then read on for 14 fantastic online fundraising ideas.

1. Online Live Auctions

Hosting an in-person live auction is a popular way for charities to fundraise, but did you know this model can also be very successful online?

When you organise a live auction as an online event, you open up your potential audience to global possibilities. With so many more people being able to tune into the live stream and place bids, the amount of money that you raise can naturally be more significant.

When hosting a live auction, you’ll want to offer a diverse range of auction lots to attract the most interest. Also, offering variety will enable you to appeal to all kinds of different people.

2. Online Silent Auctions

Similarly to hosting a live auction online, a virtual silent auction is a fantastic way to increase the number of attendees and the amount of money raised. This is partly because a silent auction can go on for several days when organised online as bids aren’t being placed in real-time. This means more people can get involved at a time that suits them and are therefore less likely to miss out.

A great way to increase the amount of money raised is to obtain multiple lots for the same item. This will allow you to accept more bids and increase your final fundraising amount.

3. Online Raffles

An online raffle can be a lucrative event option as well as simply being a lot of fun!

This is something you can host through a dedicated raffle website or on your own social media channels. You could also live stream yourself doing the raffle, with the option for ticket holders to tune in and interact in real-time.

A raffle is a fantastic way to raise money for your charity online because there’s no set limit to the prizes you can offer or the number of tickets you can sell.

4. Virtual Dance Parties

A virtual dance party is not only great fun but is also a wonderful way to raise money in an exciting way!

These events usually work by guests purchasing tickets so that they can join the dance party online at home. The party might be led by a professional dancer with all guests being able to follow along and learn new moves, or it might simply be a collection of people all doing their own thing to the same music.

Online dance parties will usually take place for one to two hours and are suitable for all ages to get involved.

5. Online Movie Nights

Movie nights are a cosy way for individuals to raise money for charity without even leaving the sofa.

With the help of online software that allows different households to watch the same movie at the same time, an event can be created and invites sent out to friends and family members. This kind of software will generally offer a live chat function, so everyone can discuss the film with each other if they want.

The addition of a fundraising page will mean everyone in will be encouraged to make a donation.

6. Online Quizzes

Hosting a virtual quiz is an exciting way for people to show their support for your charitable organisation while also showing off their knowledge!

To organise an online quiz, all you need to do is create the event and sell tickets to supporters who will form their own teams. Unlike an in-person event, an online quiz doesn’t have a limit on how many teams can participate. You can then hire someone to host the quiz and come up with a selection of interesting and challenging questions.

The quiz master will read the questions to everyone tuning in from home with the winners announced at the end. Offering an attractive prize to the winning team can encourage a large number of people to sign up and take part. It’s a great idea to reach out to businesses to see if they’ll sponsor your event by donating prizes.

7. Virtual Concerts

A virtual charity concert is an incredible way to raise a lot of money in one go.

By asking musicians and bands to donate their time, or offering them a fee if you’re able, you can put together an amazing show. This show can then be live-streamed to audiences all around the world who have bought a ticket.

It’s also a great idea to set up a dedicated fundraising page so that you can continue to collect donations during the event.

8. Games Tournaments

Countless people absolutely love playing games online. It’s a great way to connect with other people with similar interests while having fun. It’s also a wonderful way to make money for your organisation.

By charging gamers a fee to participate in an online games tournament, it’s simple to raise money in this way.

As it’s so easy to play all kinds of different games online these days, this kind of event isn’t difficult to organise. This also means that there are a lot of different options for the kinds of games tournaments you can invite people to join.

9. Virtual Tours

A virtual tour can take place absolutely anywhere and is a great opportunity for participants to discover something new.

When you’re organising a tour online, the host can be the key to success. This person should be knowledgeable and engaging so that everyone tuning in can have an enjoyable experience.

Great ideas for virtual tours include visiting historic sites, such as castles or royal estates, or visiting areas of outstanding natural beauty, such as mountains or woodlands. City tours are also a fun way for people from all around the world to visit a new destination together.

This is a fundraising method that has so much potential for imagination and creativity, so try to come up with something exciting and unique.

10. Virtual Race Events

A virtual race is a fantastic way to drum up support for your charitable cause while also encouraging people to get active and have fun.

These events usually require participants to download an app that will track the time and distance that they run for. This can either be for a specific chosen route or people can make up their own routes. Once everyone has completed their run, winners might be announced based on their speed or distance, or it could simply be for fun with everyone receiving a medal.

This is such a great way to raise money because each participant will create their very own fundraising page. They can then ask their friends, family and colleagues to sponsor their efforts.

11. Online Cooking Classes

Learning from home is a great way to make skill-sharing more accessible and it’s also great as a fundraising model. This is especially the case with virtual cooking classes as it’s something that a lot of people would love to do!

To host a virtual cooking class for charity, all you need to do is hire a chef who will guide the lesson online for everyone who is participating from home. Instructions can be sent out in advance so participants know what they’ll need to purchase for the class, as well as what equipment is required.

You can tailor these classes to specific audiences to help increase interest in each event, such as a cooking class for vegan cuisine or a gluten-free baking lesson.

12. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

This kind of fundraising is easily organised by individuals who are passionate about your charity.

Anyone can register their interest in running their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, which can then be approved and supported by you. The fundraiser will create their own online fundraising page that they’ll share with people to ask for donations.

This type of fundraising can be used for practically any activity, so let your supporters know they can be as creative as they like!

13. Social Media Takeover

A social media takeover is a brilliant way to raise money while also increasing awareness of your charity.

All you have to do is choose a celebrity or influencer who is relevant to your cause. This person will then take over your social media accounts for a set amount of time (usually a day or half a day) to talk about your mission and encourage donations.

You’ll often find that your social media following will increase after a takeover as the followers of the celebrity or influencer find out about you. This naturally gives you a bigger pool of people to continue engaging with and earning donations from!

14. Online Pledge Drive

A pledge is a promise to make a donation to charity. This could be a one-off future donation or could also be a recurring contribution to the cause.

Raising funds through pledging can be used for any reason, but often tends to be the most effective when there is a limited time to raise funds for a specific reason. This helps to create a sense of urgency and therefore encourages people to make a pledge.

Pledges can be made via an online platform which can be shared widely on your social media pages and other online channels, such as your website and newsletter.

How to Raise Money Online for Charity

You’ll surely find that one or more of these options is a perfect fit for your charity fundraising goals. However, there’s no reason to limit yourself and you might want to experiment with different options!

Prefer to host an in-person event? Check out our guide — How to Plan a Successful Charity Fundraiser Event.