Before we analyze and evaluate several well-liked Thanksgiving fundraising ideas, let’s take a look at this holiday’s history and explain why the right approach could lead to a very successful fundraiser.
Every year on the fourth Thursday in November, the US celebrates Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday. In 2022, this holiday will fall on November 24. One of the oldest Thanksgiving festivities in the colonies was the autumn harvest feast that the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag held in 1621. Days of Thanksgiving were observed by many colonies and states for more than 200 years. President Abraham Lincoln didn’t officially establish a national Thanksgiving Day until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War.
Americans continue to get together to celebrate the holiday every year with a day of feasting, football, and family.
But is this holiday a good time to raise money? The short response is “Yes,” but as I always emphasize, come up with Thanksgiving fundraising ideas that benefit your supporters. Find fundraising products that your supporters generally want to purchase, then offer them. Help them help you, as Jerry Maguire may say.
1. The Cookie Dough fundraiser:
Most families will gather to celebrate by breaking bread together. This is a perfect opportunity for you to let your supporters purchase cookie dough from you. Your supporters will not only help in your fund-raising efforts but will also be able to tick one item off their shopping list thanks to you. Making cookies together as a family is usually a wonderful bonding family moment, so you should definitely add this thanksgiving fundraising idea to your schedule.
2. The Gift baskets fundraiser:
This is a fantastic thanksgiving fundraising idea for High School and elementary grade children. Make a basket from various, unique, interesting, and practical items. Kids should decorate them before being sold or put up for auction to parents. If the items in your fundraising gift basket are thoughtfully chosen, your supporters may be enticed to purchase them for their friends, family, neighbors, or even, depending on the nature of their line of work, their clients. It’s usually a good idea to include items in each basket that aren’t typically seen in stores, such as beauty products, specialty chocolate like Katydids candies or Dan’s Truffle Balls, gift cards, coffee, tea, almonds, and so forth. Zollipops lollipops and chocolate covered pretzel rods are usually a nice and inexpensive addition if you want to offer some treats for kids.
3. The Custom Calendar fundraiser:
An excellent thanksgiving fundraising idea for Clubs and sports teams to raise money. Create a custom calendar that you can sell to parents. Indicate each crucial date, such as those for meetings, reunions, presentations, rehearsals, practices, and games. You’ll not only make it easier for both parents and kids to remember important dates, but you’ll also collect money and increase visibility of your organization.
4. The Candle fundraiser:
Candles are a must-have for fall and winter home décor and certainly should be considered when reviewing your Thanksgiving fundraising ideas and options. Even though they make wonderful gifts for others, many people will purchase them for their own enjoyment. Offer candles with seasonal aromas like amber, apple cinnamon, pine, and pumpkin spice, which are all very popular at that time of year. A candle fundraiser with carefully chosen seasonal scents is a fantastic way to raise some extra money this Thanksgiving.
In the event that you didn’t choose them as your Thanksgiving fundraising idea this year but still need to raise money before the end of the year, they might also make a fantastic Christmas fundraising idea.
5. The pumpkin carving fundraiser:
This occasion is well-liked among the many annual PTA Fundraising Ideas. If you’re trying to plan an event rather than selling a fundraising product, organizing a competition for your students to carve pumpkins might be your next Thanksgiving fundraising idea. Set a fixed entry cost for the friendly competition. Asking a local farmer to sponsor the event can help you save money and will also offer you a better deal on the pumpkins. Additionally, include a variety of contest categories, such as students, parents, school personnel, etc., to maximize the number of participants and thus, the revenue from your Thanksgiving fundraising concept.
One of the biggest fundraising opportunities of the year is quickly approaching! A few weeks prior to Thanksgiving, people’s generosity soars, leading them to be more giving of their time and money to support the matters they care about. Meet with your team to evaluate which are the best fundraising ideas and initiatives for your non-profit, which ones they are most enthusiastic about, which fundraising products or events will be most well-liked by your community, and which will ultimately bring in the most profit.
