8 fun and inexpensive fundraising ideas
Looking for low-cost, fun and effective ways to fundraise? We’ve compiled a list of our most affordable fundraising ideas to help jumpstart your fundraising efforts and start making a difference for St. Jude today.
St. Jude patient Camila
Affordable fundraising ideas for nonprofits
Fundraising for nonprofits and charities allows those organizations to do what they do best: make a positive impact for people in need. By supporting St. Jude, you can help make cures possible for kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Low-cost fundraising ideas
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a great, low-cost tool that you can use to make a large impact for your chosen cause. Once you’ve created your messaging and set your fundraising goals, you can use crowdfunding platforms to start fundraising. Don’t forget to advertise your fundraiser within your community and in online spaces.
St. Jude patient Elani and her mom
St. Jude patient Ella and her mom
Social media fundraising
Whether it be on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, social media fundraising is one of the most inexpensive ways to fundraise for St. Jude. With no virtual overhead costs and an ever-expanding potential donor base, this fundraising method allows you to make even more of an impact than traditional fundraising!
Virtual events
Virtual fundraising events allows you to lean into the interests of your audience without having to spend a lot of money. With no need to book a venue or provide refreshments, you can focus on selecting an event that will lead to high engagement from potential donors. Consider events like a virtual concert or talent show. Participants make a donation to log in and enjoy.
St. Jude patient Micah and his nurse
St. Jude patient Kenadie and her mom
Text and email fundraising
Another option with little overhead cost is text and email fundraising. This type of fundraising simply requires you to create a donation page for your network to land on and some engaging messaging. Once you have this established, send out your fundraiser message and link and encourage recipients to share the message with their networks.
In-person inexpensive fundraising ideas
Car washes
Car washes can be a fun and family-friendly way to raise money for St. Jude. Consider reaching out to local businesses to see if anyone is interested in partnering with you or would allow you to run your car wash in a safe part of their parking lot. Pick up washing supplies, create some signage about your cause and the car wash, and get ready to wash. Don’t forget to advertise your car wash fundraiser ahead of time to boost engagement.
St. Jude patient Ty and his dad
St. Jude patient Adalyn and her mom
Garage sales
Garage sale fundraisers allow you to raise money for a great cause, like St. Jude, all while clearing out gently used items from their homes. Consider reaching out to your neighbors to see if they'd like to join you in support of your cause. Larger-scale garage sales can bring in additional customers and revenue.
Trivia nights
Get community members involved in some light-hearted competition while raising funds and awareness for your favorite causes. Reach out to local businesses to see who might be interested in partnering with you or who might be willing to rent you a public space to host your trivia night. Choose popular topics of interest such as particular sports, TV shows, celebrities and more to keep the fun going all night long.
St. Jude patient Kaleb and his mom
St. Jude patient Logan and her mom
Donation-based classes
Are you a good singer or cook? Do you have a skill set that you enjoy sharing with others? Consider hosting a donation-based class that allows you to lean into your passions while raising money for important causes. Participants can make a donation to enter the class, then let the learning begin.
Need more information about fundraising?
Our fundraising guide is full of helpful tips and ideas to help get you started!
St. Jude patient Adriana
Fundraising helps support patients like Adriana
Adriana was 5 years old when she was diagnosed in 2023 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer that affects the white blood cells. At first, her mom, Laura, thought it was a result of a fall at school.
Adriana was referred to St. Jude and arrived by ambulance to Memphis from Louisiana. Laura said she immediately felt relief and hope. “St. Jude makes me feel part of something bigger. We are not just a number,” she said.
At St. Jude, Adriana’s treatment has included chemotherapy, CAR T–cell therapy and a bone marrow transplant. Adriana continues treatment. She attends classes at St. Jude Imagine Academy and enjoys reading.
Why support St. Jude kids?
Families never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food — so they can focus on helping their child live.
When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won't stop until no child dies from cancer.
Every child deserves a chance to live their best life and celebrate every moment. When you support St. Jude, you help give kids with cancer around the world that chance. Together, we can save more lives.
St. Jude patient Alana
Your support helps us find cures for childhood cancer
Because of your support, we can provide children with cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families. Unlike other hospitals, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from generous donors. Join us and be part of our mission to save more lives.
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Ways to give
Find ways to give to St. Jude. Make a donation, memorialize a loved one, give through work or include St. Jude in your will.
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How does St. Jude use donations?
Learn more about St. Jude, how we use donations and our lifesaving mission. Join us by donating today.
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Get involved with St. Jude
Learn about all the ways you can get involved with St. Jude and help support our lifesaving mission