Inside: 37 Great Fundraising Ideas for Teens (Profitable Ideas).
Seeking creative suggestions for a youth fundraising event. We have just what you need!
The costs of summer activities, like camps, events, and travel, as well as the additional funds needed for gas, can add up quickly if you aren’t saving.
With any luck, the fundraising ideas we’ve compiled will help you meet your financial goals while also giving you a chance to have some extra fun.
Most of these teen fundraising ideas don’t have a specific time of year, so you can continually raise money throughout the year.
Don’t let this long list of innovative teen fundraiser ideas scare you off; the hardest part will be choosing just one!
Let’s get to work and have them generate their own revenue this year!
Table of Contents
Ways to Motivate Your Teen
Offer them something (that’s not monetary)
Motivate your own adolescent to participate in a charity event, say, by promising a reward for their efforts. This could be anything from allowing them to stay up later on weeknights or weekends to granting them driving privileges. If you’re going to enlist the help of teenagers, give them a reason to care about what they’re doing.
Ask them for social media help
Teens are masters of marketing and word-of-mouth. Get their input on how they think your fundraiser could be promoted better on social media.
Give them responsibilities
Make them accountable for the project or a chunk of it. They are up to the challenge. By assisting them in this way, you’ll be fostering their potential as leaders and contributors to a cohesive unit. They will have gained essential skills and knowledge that will serve them well in the future.
Meet them where they are
Send a text message or connect with them on Instagram or another social network rather than calling or emailing. Discover their preferred method of contact.
Make it fun
Teens are just looking to have a good time. You’ll have the most success fundraising with teenagers if you pick an activity that they’ll be truly into and invested in. It is important to consider the interests and hobbies of your adolescent children when deciding on a project. Teens will want to continue participating in a successful fundraiser if they are given the opportunity.
Fundraising Ideas for Teens
1. Crazy Car Wash: It’s essential to regularly wash your car. There’s a good reason why car washes have been around for so long. Have your teen volunteers dress up as action heroes, members of the home team, or any other theme you can think of to make it stand out from the rest.
2. Gift Wrapping Service: During the holiday season, teens can offer to wrap presents for a donation to charity. This is a great service for the community and can be offered at your local church or academic institution.
3. Sock Fundraiser: Another option that does very well with young people is selling personalized socks. The Elite Sport Socks Fundraiser Playbook is a guide for groups looking to sell customized socks to raise money for their cause.
4. Fashion Show: Young people will have a blast showing off their fashion sense on the catwalk.
5. Bake Sale: Fundraising bake sales have been a staple of many different types of groups, including schools, churches, and clubs, for many years. They have the potential to be highly profitable despite requiring little to no initial investment.
6. Flowers: Take orders for Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day!
7. Recycling: Toner cartridges, mobile phones, and beverage cans are items that can be recycled. Get the word out to your neighbors that you’ll be collecting their “trash” on a specific day by handing out flyers advertising the event. They can be left at the mailbox, and you can walk around and pick them up.
Youth Group Fundraiser Ideas
8. Battle of the Bands: Organize a competition for young artists in your area. One-man-bands are also an option to include. Most bands would be eager to participate in a contest that draws attention to them for free. Giving away a prize to the winner is a surefire way to increase participation.
9. Art Show: A talent show with an artistic twist. Teens who are talented in the arts are given the opportunity to perform for an audience and donate the proceeds to charity. A school venue means that other students can join in the festivities leading up to the show’s official start.
10. Cinnamon Rolls: Yum! It’s hard to resist the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls! They make an excellent fundraiser idea.
11. Bowling Day: Work out a flat rate with the bowling alley for all of your guests. This should include everything from renting bowling shoes and bowling to after-game refreshments. You can decide how much more to donate to help your cause.
12. BBQ Dinners: Nobody can say no to a ready-made, hassle-free barbecue. Me too! With some fixings, BBQ chicken becomes a delicious meal.
Fundraising Ideas for Teens
13. Digital Cookbook: Create and market a cookbook of tried-and-true family recipes. There is no need for printing, and the operating expenses are minimal.
14. Craft Sale: The proceeds from the sales of student-made crafts help fund the activities for which they raise awareness.
15. Christmas Trees/Wreaths: There is a huge market for seasonal goods during the holidays. You can start your own Christmas tree stand by placing an order with a wholesaler or grower. You could also have an order taker sale with a selection of wreaths and trees in various sizes.
16. Yankee Candle: Candles with a pleasant aroma are a surefire way to boost your bottom line by forty percent. In-person orders can be taken via catalog, and online orders are also simple to process.
17. Scrip Gift Cards: By buying gift cards at a discount of 15% and reselling them at face value, you can make a 15% profit. You can direct your supporters to one of nearly 400 national retail stores. You can make up the difference by purchasing those gift cards at a discount of up to 15%. Easy!
18. Host a Video Game Tournament: Video games are a great way to unite people and raise money for a good cause. Organize teams of kids to compete, and have local businesses and organizations provide financial support for each squad. Then have a competition to see who is the best online. Whichever team ends up victorious, your charity will benefit.
Youth Auction Ideas
19. Yard Sale: You can raise as much money as possible by selling both your own personal belongings and items donated by friends and family.
20. Thanksgiving Turkeys: The holiday season provides a perfect opportunity to raise money by selling turkeys. Find a wholesaler, make a brochure and order form, and start selling.
21. Host a Special Speaker: An event’s setup costs can be kept to a minimum by recruiting a local celebrity speaker. Provide only reserved seating and charge more for the best seats. The next step is to get the word out about the fundraiser and the cause it’s benefiting.
22. Family Picture Day: Getting a good picture of the whole family can be a huge hassle. Most families just don’t bother taking family photos because of the hassle of getting everyone to sit still for the camera. You can help raise money for a good cause and provide families with treasured keepsakes by hosting a family portrait day. Invite your backers to a professional photo shoot where they can get their picture taken with you or with other supporters. Then, you can make a profit by selling them prints, wallets, mugs, and other customized products featuring their likeness.
Auction Ideas for Youth Groups
23. Art Auction: Colleges and universities often hold fundraising dinners and auction off student-created artwork.
24. Pie in the Eye: Gamble on who will be the one to throw a pie at the youth leader, principal or favorite teacher by selling chances to do so.
25. Bingo: Everyone is sure to enjoy a fun night of bingo!
26. Arrested for a Cause: Someone throws a cookout and encourages people to get “arrested” for the cause. Participants will post their own bail and solicit funds from friends and family via phone calls.
27. Adopt-A-Mile: Find a mile that needs cleaned up and adopt it. It is a great way to get others involved in caring for our environment.
28. Soup and Sandwich Luncheon: Sandwiches are provided by you, and soups and desserts are provided by church members. In the midst of the church lunch, hold an auction for the sweets.
29. Basket Auction: Gather items from local stores and auction them off. Then you are supporting local businesses and raising money for your cause.
Charity Ideas for Teenagers
30. Community Cleanup: A youth group would benefit greatly from undertaking this endeavor. Depending on how much trash is removed, workers are promised a certain amount of money.
31. Holiday Help: Holiday decorating services, both indoors and outdoors, can be sold to make some extra cash. Lend a hand with the lighting and other outdoor preparations.
32. Newspaper Recycling: Churches can benefit greatly from this cost-free method of fundraising.
33. Used Book Sale: How many books do students buy, read for class, and then put back on the shelf? For kids looking to raise money, a used book sale is a great way to recycle their old books while also providing new reading material for other youngsters. Kids should be encouraged to give away any books they no longer need or want. The next step is to resell these books to other schools for use in their classrooms. There will undoubtedly be some entertaining books and potential future textbooks that can be donated and purchased by other parents at a reduced cost.
34. Dough for Dough: Produce at least three distinct kinds of cookie dough. You have just made it incredibly convenient to eat freshly baked cookies whenever you like.
35. Basic Raffle: Splitting the cost in half is the most convenient option. The winning team gets 50%, and yours keeps the rest.
36. Opportunity Drawing Basket: Build a number of baskets and sell chances to win them as raffle tickets.
37. Ornament Sale: Choose a single unique ornament to create each year and sell those.
More Ideas for Teens + Tweens
If you like these fundraising ideas for teens then check out more fun ideas.
- Teen Travel Programs – Trying to find reliable high school student exchange programs? You’re on the cusp of adulthood, which means that even during school breaks, you have a lot on your plate, what with summer school, part-time jobs, and Netflix marathons. Don’t let that stop you from having a once-in-a-lifetime experience before you get bogged down by adult responsibilities (and college applications). Have no fear, we have compiled a list of the top 10 teen travel programs that your adolescent can visit to fulfill their travel dreams.
- Volunteer Programs for Teens – As a parent of a high school senior or soon-to-be senior, you should give serious consideration to volunteer opportunities. Your teen will gain empathy and self-esteem from their volunteer work. Many universities also require applicants to detail their community service on their application essays. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start looking for volunteer opportunities for your teen; most of these options will have something available in your area.
- Things To Do in Los Angeles for Teens – Keep in mind some of our top suggestions for Los Angeles if you’re planning a California road trip with teenagers. With all the exciting roller coasters, cool downtowns, and thrilling rides, there is no way your teenagers will get bored on this trip.
