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4 Fundraising Ideas For Churches That Work

by Christy Gilbertson

In churches, the word fundraising may sometimes be seen in a bad light. More often than not, fundraising becomes a chore. People don’t want to beg for money or knock on doors of random strangers. No one wants to fundraise. But it is necessary. Luckily, we have some proven fundraising ideas for churches.

What better way but through a mission trip can we genuinely show teenage students the world from a different angle? Because mission trips are so important in the growth and maturity of believers, fundraising is essential. But fundraisers are not only for churches going on mission trips. They are beneficial to every aspect of ministry, whether that means covering the costs of new Bibles or covering ticket costs for a worship concert.

The fundraising ideas gathered below are simple, while at the same time, they raise great sums of money. With an open heart, you may even find them fun. We also suggest using software to help your church track giving along the way.

The Top Fundraising Ideas For Churches

1. Wall-O-Money

The Wall-O-Money has become very popular among many churches. It is easy to accomplish, takes little time to arrange, set up, and participate in, and it is cheap! For this idea to take shape, you need to label 200 envelopes from 1 to 200. Other leaders or youth group members (depending on who the fundraising will benefit) can help you decorate the envelopes and write out the numbers. The next step is to take each envelope and tape it to a popular or well-seen wall in your church building. Then encourage members of your congregation to take an envelope.

Whatever number is on their envelope is how much money they fill the envelope with. Then people turn their envelope into the church office. One of the reasons why churches enjoy this fundraiser is because it can be tailored to the needs of the church. You may only want to label 150 envelopes instead of 200. You may also want to fill each envelope with prayer requests or include a thank you note in each one. If you label 200 envelopes, and every one is filled, you will raise $20,100.

2. Stocks And Bonds

This fundraiser may be best when fundraising for mission trips. However, with some creative thinking it can be adjusted to other money needs of your church. For this fundraiser, you need to create certifications (or “stocks”) for each student attending the mission trip. On each sheet, include their name, mission trip name and/or youth group name, the amount of money someone is investing, and a note of appreciation. Each student should have a stack of “stocks” to give to church members, family, neighbors, and friends.

Depending on how much the trip will cost, each student should have many certifications to hand out, with various amounts on each. Some people may choose to invest $20 dollars while others may want to invest $50. Students should exchange the “stock” for the money and record who invested in them. After the mission trip, hold an appreciation dinner for investors so students can share their individual stories and how they saw God working throughout the trip.

3. Noisy Sunday

The goal of Noisy Sunday is to encourage members to empty their pockets and purses of coins, and place them into coffee cans passed around sometime during the church service. This fundraiser may easily be done monthly for a year’s time (or for however long is needed). Place cans in a well-attended area of the church during the other three weeks of the month. Because it is simple and requires very little effort, it can be done during the heavily attended services during the holidays and the lightly attended services in the summer months. An additional bonus is it constantly reminds the church family to be in prayer for the mission trip and for those who will be attending. It can be an effective fundraising idea for any church.

4. Crowdfunding

You can start fundraising online using mobile giving, online giving, Facebook giving, etc. This can be a great tool for people who do not bring cash and checks to weekly services because you can take advantage of the fact almost everyone has a credit or debit card.

It is the responsibility of ministry leaders to guide and encourage growth in the church body they’re in. There are several ways to inspire the church to do so, including prayer, teaching, discipleship, small groups, Bible studies, and worship. But mission trips require that you put your faith into action. There is something to be said about taking the faith beyond the church walls through evangelizing on mission trips or raising money for other church needs.

The church requires funding to keep providing community services and share the gospel. And although it still may not be the most treasured part of planning, fundraising can become a less dreaded task with the examples listed above.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out more fundraising ideas for churches.

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2 comments

Creating a Stewardship Plan - Church Financial Leadership Email Course - Aplos Academy March 21, 2018 - 9:47 am

[…] Enhancing your church’s stewardship strategy takes time. It’s not just about raising money. It’s about changing people’s mindsets. Want some other fundraising ideas for your church? Check this out this article on Aplos Academy. […]

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Creating a Stewardship Plan - Aplos Academy March 30, 2018 - 7:59 am

[…] Enhancing your church’s stewardship strategy takes time. It’s not just about raising money. It’s about changing people’s mindsets. Want some other fundraising ideas for your church? Check this out this article on Aplos Academy. […]

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