Halloween Fundraiser Ideas 

Posted by Ella Jacques on 10 August 2022

If there’s one event that the US celebrates better than any other nation it’s Halloween. For decades we have brought together the best parties, costumes and in more recent years, fundraisers.

The spooky season is the perfect opportunity to raise more funds, and we want to make sure you’re making the most of it. Everyone loves a fun Halloween and it is one of the events in the year when you can raise the most money. From trick or treating, pumpkin sales or a big Halloween party, there are plenty of options to raise money. 

Take a look at these Halloween fundraiser ideas and add them to your list of events this fall.

Hosting a Halloween Fundraiser

A big event is a great way to cram many smaller ideas into one day or evening. There of course needs to be a headline event, it might be a concert, auction or perhaps a talent show. We know what you’re thinking. How are these related to Halloween? Well, that’s the best thing about Halloween, you can adapt almost any type of fundraising activity to be spooky-themed.

Say for example you’re hosting a big fundraising event. Whatever you would typically have going on, spook it up a little bit. If your football fundraising event involved auctioning off players to the community for some manual labor, why not have one of the activities involve putting up decorations in someone’s front yard? Perhaps the football players can be the ‘actors’ in a haunted house for middle schoolers. Do you see where we’re going with this?

If your big event includes a wine pull, disguise the bottles in spooky cobwebs or store them in carved pumpkins. You might have an area to go apple bobbing in or you could even have a costume contest to see who is the best dressed. Any efforts you’re currently making in the fundraising world, just need to be tweaked slightly – they still work at getting the dollars rolling in!

Pumpkin carving competition

If you’re looking for a traditional Halloween fundraiser, this is perfect. It’s an event that you can host virtually or in person. Pumpkins are relatively inexpensive and anybody can get involved (although we suggest younger children have some supervision). Check out how we’d host this event in person and online to see which idea works best for you and your team.

An online pumpkin fundraiser allows you to reduce your costs and have maximum engagement. You can create a live event online in a shared video forum where you can get everyone carving pumpkins together at the same time, or you can send out the invitations and get people carving whenever suits them. You could say they have a week to carve or even a month! It means parents with busy schedules can still get involved as often these types of events clash with others. Then, all they need to do is send in a photo.

Alternatively, you could carve in person. While you would need a venue to host this in, there is the opportunity to sell tickets and make more profit. While an online donation would be just to enter the competition, an in-person event ticket could cover the cost of the pumpkin and utensils, allowing you the chance for increasing your profit margins. Plus, there’s the chance to have food and drinks stands nearby for even more cash opportunities. Set a time and date, get your participants through the door and give them 1 hour to carve. You might even set them a challenge on what to carve too. Don’t be shy about getting creative!

Even more exciting Halloween fundraiser ideas

From all the ideas we’ve seen, tested, and enjoyed over the years we’ve mentioned our favorites in a lot of detail. Why? Because it gives you the best chance for success in getting the most amount of money. However, there are loads of ideas out there just waiting to be created with a personal touch from you. If you’re part of a baseball or soccer team, you could get your team’s colors involved. Perhaps it’s a school fundraising event and the gym is available for use. See how you can spin these quick ideas into something more unique to your audience.

1. Halloween dance/ball

Get your guests to rock their best ball gowns but tear them up a little to create the night of the walking dead.

2. Haunted school/house

Transform whatever venue to have and charge people to walk through it. This is great for sports teams as they can get involved and be the actors.

3. Spook-a-thon (costume sporting events like a run)

For any active communities get them involved in spooky sporting events. Night runs are very popular.

4. Spooky movie night at school

A horror film in the school auditorium sounds great! Alternatively, you could read spooky stories around a campfire to each other.

5. Gooey bake sale

A bake sale with a spooky twist. Expect fake eyeballs in the jelly, witches’ fingers as cupcake toppings, and don’t forget the edible brain cake!

6. Pumpkin rage event (pay to smash a pumpkin)

Have you heard of rage events? Charge people a fee, give them a baseball bat and they can smash the night away. Do this after Halloween by collecting any unwanted/donated pumpkins from the community.

Hopefully you have enjoyed our Halloween Fundraiser idea page and found it useful for your organization or charity. Trick or treating is loved around the world so there is a great opportunity to raise funds. Find out how Givergy can support you in setting up your next fundraising campaign. 

Ella Jacques

Global Client Services Manager at Givergy

Ella heads up the global Fundraising & Events team. A key part of Givergy’s growth for four years, Ella has a passion for event planning and ensuring her and her teams’ clients exceed their fundraising targets. Furthermore, Ella’s exposure to some of the highest-profile fundraising events gives her a unique insight into the newest and most innovative way in which charities are engaging with their audiences.