Fall is officially here! Fall is one of the most exciting times in the philanthropic world, jump-starting the charitable season and bringing people together through fall festivities, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Although this autumn may look a little different than the rest, Givsum can help you make these events still happen by quickly creating an online event without any cost to your organization. In the spirit of all things autumnal, now is the time to come together and start planning your fall event. Here are 12 fall fundraising ideas that are COVID-19 friendly:
Pumpkin Carving Contest
A classic fall event, a pumpkin carving contest fits right into the spirit of Halloween. Make this event COVID-19 friendly by requiring masks if held in person, or make it a virtual event by setting up an event page on Givsum. When creating your event page you can easily include a Zoom link and bring in donations through a registration fee to enter the contest, or quickly share the event and bring in donations through outside sources. To make this event even more fun, build a survey through the Givsum platform and let attendees vote on the best jack-o-lantern design, awarding the winner with a fun prize!
Turkey Trot
Host a turkey trot 5k run or walk to get participants active and donating to a great cause! That delicious Thanksgiving dinner will taste even better after you get moving. Sell themed shirts for the event that attendees can wear while running/walking. To make this event virtual, have runners screenshot their results using a fitness tracker of your choice. Remind participants to stay hydrated and wear sunblock if they’re running in the heat, or wear layers if they’re running in the cold.
Harvest Gathering
Apple cider, pumpkin pie eating contests, and caramel apples galore! Sell tickets to an outdoor harvest festival including food and drink with activities such as potato sack races, face-painting, and pumpkin carving, all while wearing masks, of course. Play Halloween and autumn-themed songs to get everyone in the spirit of the season. Your event page can include tickets to purchase items before-hand and encourage donations for those unable to attend the event.
Chili Cookoff
On a chilly autumn day, nothing sounds better than a warm bowl of chili (pun intended). Hold a chili cookoff competition and have participants bust out their best recipes, or team up with local vendors. Sell tickets to the event so that attendees can get a taste of each delicious bowl made. Have a panel of judges vote on their favorite or have ticket purchasers vote by answering an online survey. Make the event COVID-19 friendly by doing a drive-thru, with each attendee receiving each type of chili through their window or by stopping and opening the trunk of their cars.
Apple Picking
Partner up with your local orchard with another fall favorite activity: apple picking. Split the donations with the orchard and sell tickets to participate for a win-win situation. This event can be especially compliant with COVID-19 regulations as it is outdoors and attendees can wear masks during the event.
Spooky/Fall Trivia Night
Spooky season is among us! Host a Halloween or fall-themed trivia night and sell tickets to participate. Have participants form teams ahead of time and whichever team answers the most questions correctly, wins! Quiz attendees about Halloween movie favorites, topics like the history of All Hallows’ Eve, the history of Thanksgiving, etc. This event can easily be held virtually through a video conferencing site such as Zoom or Skype that can be linked on your event page through Givsum.
Giving Tuesday
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, “Giving Tuesday”, is one of the largest fundraising days of the year. Create a capital campaign for your philanthropic cause of choice within minutes on Givsum and easily boost the event through your social media platforms or email.
Pie Eating Contest
It goes without saying that baking a traditional pie during the autumn season is something special. Whether it be pumpkin, apple, pecan, or sweet potato pie, they’re all delicious! Contact your local bakeries to sponsor or donate to the event, or round up volunteers to bake their best pies for a pie eating contest. Participants can vote on their favorite pie overall or by flavor by including an easy-to-make survey on your event page. Make sure this event is held outside to follow COVID-19 regulations.
Fantasy Football
Fall means football season. For all the football fans out there, fantasy football is a great way to fundraise while complying with COVID-19 regulations. You can use no-cost platforms like NFL or ESPN to run your fundraiser. Before creating the event, however, make sure that daily fantasy sports are allowed in your state.
#EradicatePovertyDay
October 17th is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Just as much as the fall season is a time of coming together as a community, it is also a time of giving back. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2018 there were 38.1 million Americans living in poverty.
To help support this day, create an event that helps those suffering from poverty in your local community (while wearing masks of course), organize a clothes and household items donation drive, or host a food drive to donate to your local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Individuals can find an organization of Givsum that focuses on helping those in need and create their own capital campaign to raise funds that will go straight to said organization.
Outdoor Movie Night
Halloween movies are some of the best parts of the fall season. Create an event page and host an outdoor movie night. Sell admission tickets to attend the event, or sell tickets for food items such as warm apple cider, trick-or-treat kettle corn with candy corn or pieces of chocolate, or any type of pumpkin flavored pastry. Movie watchers can bring blankets and chairs to the event and cozy on up as they watch a spooky motion picture on the big screen.
Fall Hike
November 17th marks National Take a Hike Day. Soak in the view of those autumn leaves and crisp air while it lasts. Organize a hiking fundraiser event and encourage people to get outside and explore your beautiful, local trails. If you live in a state that is still warmer during the beginning fall months, hikers can get their final taste of enjoying the nice weather.
To make this event COVID-19 friendly, organize hikers into smaller groups beforehand and require/provide masks.