My youngest brother is about to take off to Dallas, Texas for a soccer tournament. This lucky punk is 16 and has been on like 7 trips now. This trip is going to be the tournament of a life time. Teams from all over the world are going to be there. This is going to separate the men from the boys. But enough of that.

Where am I going with this? As you can imagine, going from Toronto to Dallas isn’t cheap by any means. As a result, the boys had to think of fundraising. While they ultimately went with selling meat (they got discounted meat) and a casino night, we had some fun brewing up plans to raise money for this trip.

Let’s look at some super-creative fundraising ideas to help you raise money for your cause…

Dollar per embarrassment.

This is a really funny one. You find willing (and I mean totally willing) participants to do embarrassing things for money. The goal is to raise enough money so that this person will do something funny and well, embarrassing.

I was at fundraiser where they raised enough money for two guys to have a dance-off on stage. Doesn’t sound funny? Both guys were HORRIBLE dancers and the crowd was packed with friends/family. Once enough money was raised, the guys had their once-in-a-lifetime dance-off.

This is a really fun way to bring everyone together and make some money.

Throw a party.

You can always throw a party where you sell tickets for admission  My church always does this. Food and entertainment are donated. Volunteers serve the food. The church sells tickets. Everyone involved has fun all night. Most of us have heard of this one at some point.

Lemonade stand.

To this day I go out of my way to support these. Whenever I see kids selling lemonade, smoothies, or any beverage, I stop to pay. I love it. I love the hustle. I love the idea. You can easily raise money by selling lemonade or even smoothies on the corner of a busy intersection.

Skip a meal, donate the money.

Those involved will agree to skip a meal and donate the money. I remember my friend did this in high school and he was starving! Looking back now I’m sure that he can laugh it off. In the moment it was awesome to see him give up his meal (he enjoyed his food this guy).

Casual dress day.

My high school did this every single term. Since I was in a catholic high school, we had to wear a uniform. However, once per term, if you donated $2, you were allowed to wear casual clothing.

You could try this out at your school or your office. Pick a day next month where it’s casual day and everyone can wear whatever they want. Collect a few bucks for the participants and you got yourself a fundraiser.

A few honourable mentions that we missed for fundraising:

  • Car wash.
  • Dunk tank.
  • Birthday pledges.
  • Talent show.

That’s how you can raise money for your cause. It doesn’t matter if you’re raising money for a trip, research, or just for fun. Be honest with everyone about what the money is for and have some fun along the way.

Good luck with your fundraising goals!

Martin Dasko

Martin Dasko