Creative Ways to Use ClickBid for Year-Round Fundraising

For many nonprofits, the "Big Gala" is the sun that the rest of the fundraising year orbits around. But relying on a single night of revenue could be a risky strategy. To build a sustainable, resilient organization, you need a strategy that engages donors in your mission during every season.

Using ClickBid's software, you have a powerhouse of tools at your fingertips, many of which are perfect for smaller, more frequent "micro-events" and online campaigns that donors love to participate in year-round.

Here is how to leverage ClickBid's features to keep your mission funded from January through December through various and unique event ideas.

1. Online Campaigns 

• Embedded Website Campaigns

  • Don't make your donors leave your site. Use ClickBid's embeddable donation forms and text-to-give features to accept donations directly on your website homepage all year round. This also works great for a supplies drive, where donors can give a set amount for your organization to purchase a pair of socks or provide a meal to a child.

• Peer-to-Peer Power

  • Use your biggest fans to fundraise for you. Whether it's a team or individual fundraiser, let individuals use their network and the power of social media to accept donations! Create a new event and allow new peer-to-peer campaigns to be created. 

• Birthday Fundraisers

  • Allow your network to create dedicated donation pages around their birthdays in lieu of gifts. This allows the person to give back around their birthday, and your organization to receive extra revenue. Create a new event and allow new peer-to-peer campaigns to be created. 

• Photo Contests

  • Have community members submit pet photos and turn 'votes' into donations. It's friendly competition that creates massive social media engagement. Create a new event and allow new peer-to-peer campaigns to be created. Individuals submitting photos will create their own campaign and add details.

• Tuition and Testing Fees 

  • Have a routine administrative process that you need to accept payment from parents or students? Use a dedicated ticket page with customizable questions to collect the information you need, categorized by grade, subject, test, or event. 

• Dedicated Impact Funds

  • Create specific campaign pages for "Tuition Assistance" or "School Supplies" so donors can see exactly where their money is going, creating a transparent and direct connection to your mission. Donors love a "tangible" giving opportunity where $25 equals exactly one specific item. Create a donation item for each campaign or item, uploading associated pictures to help donors see where their funds are going towards.

• T-Shirt or Product Sales 

  • Selling T-shirts or branded products to raise funds for your cause is a great idea because donors support your organization both monetarily and through brand ambassadorship when they wear your products in public! Create a ticket page and add each available item with an image, then create custom questions to capture sizes and additional info. 

2. High Engagement Small Events

• Trivia and Comedy Nights 

  • Sell individual or team tickets for a night of laughs or logic. Use a ticket page with custom questions to organize team names or meal preferences in advance.

• Karaoke Nights

  • Partner with a local bar or restaurant to host a karaoke night. Supporters pay an entrance fee, which goes toward your mission, and they enjoy a night of fun and singing. Create a ticket page to accept pre-event registration fees or at-the-door admission.

• Sign Up Parties

  • Host a social event or experience, such as a themed dinner, kids' event, or lesson, where guests pay a fixed 'buy-in' fee to attend, with all the proceeds benefiting your mission. Use a dedicated ticket page to accept registration for different time slots or dates for all sign-up parties.

3. Active & Community Fundraisers 

• Golf Outings and Sports Tournaments

  • Use ticketing pages to manage registration fees, sponsorships, and tournament logistics for everything from Pickleball to 18-hole scrambles. 
• Dance-a-thons
  • Perfect for schools or colleges. Combine peer-to-peer fundraising with an all-day event where participants raise money for this all-night adventure. Allow peer-to-peer campaigns to be created, where each attendee can fundraise and allow their network to support them in supporting your mission.
• Concert, Talent Show, or Performances
  • Hosting a student concert or local talent show? Use a dedicated page to manage fixed price ticketing and even run a giving campaign for each act, so the audience can vote on their favorite performer with their dollars. 

• Raffle Fundraisers 

  • Wine Pulls, Whiskey Pulls, or even raffling off a dream vacation! Accept fixed price ticket sales from your community to enter for a chance at winning the grand prize, or prizes if you have multiple levels! 

• Reverse Raffles

  • Suspense builds as tickets are drawn to eliminate participants rather than select winners. The goal is to be the very last ticket remaining to claim the grand prize, making it a high-stakes game of survival. Use a dedicated ticket page or quantity item to accept admission into the game. 

4. Strategic Seasonal Events 

• Holiday "Pop-Up" Auctions

  • Capitalize on the spirit of Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, or even the Summer Solstice. Even a small 2-item auction can generate significant "flash" revenue. Create a new event and upload the associated items for bidding, adding key details and images for every item.
• Sports-Centric Events 
  • Ride the momentum of the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, or the World Series. Auction off themed memorabilia or "experience packages" while the hype is at its peak and time sensitive. Create a new event and upload the associated items for bidding, adding key details and images for every item.
• Art Showcases
  • From high-end to student art, auction off pieces your donors will love. ClickBid's high-resolution zoom capabilities and multiple images per item allow donors to inspect every detail online before purchasing.