Spring has sprung and that means it’s time to get back into the swing of fundraising! Maybe you took a bit of a break during the first few months of the year. After all, we need to catch our breath after all the year-end fundraising madness! Now you’re feeling refreshed and ready to nurture some unique fundraising ideas for your nonprofit.

Spring Fundraising Ideas for 2024

To help you dive into Spring fundraising, we’ve put together this list of easy fundraising ideas for nonprofits. Get inspired, get creative, and get ready to raise some money!

March Fundraising Ideas

1. Women's History Month (March)

Forget about history, HERstory's where it's at. Run a monthlong peer-to-peer fundraiser focused on the contributions that women have made to your cause. No gimmicks, no hooks, just acknowledgement—and donations.

2. Employee Appreciation Day (March 1)

Nonprofit staff could always use a little more love! Employee Appreciation Day is a creative fundraising opportunity to highlight the hard work your staff does each and every day. Turn the email or social spotlight on your team today and ask supporters to donate to keep making their work possible.

3. Easter Egg Hunt Fundraiser (Date varies each year)

Easter Egg hunts are a fun childhood tradition for many families. Your nonprofit can use this opportunity to host an Easter Egg hunt fundraiser and give kids a second (or maybe a third!) opportunity to hunt for Easter eggs this year.

4. International Women’s Day (March 8)

Your nonprofit probably has more than a handful of reasons to celebrate women on International Women’s Day. Use this opportunity to raise money for programs that help women or ask your supporters to make a donation in honor of a woman in their lives.

5. Daylight Savings (Date varies each year)

Daylight Savings in the Spring means we lose an hour of sleep (womp, womp), but you can turn it into an opportunity for your nonprofit to gain a donation! Although your supporters can’t magically get back an hour of their day, you can ask them to give the gift of “time” by donating to support staff time and salaries.

6. Pi Day (March 14)

Get creative with your ask amount today and ask for a donation of $3.14 to celebrate Pi Day!

7. Equal Pay Day (March 12)

It's a symbolic date, but it hits hard! Knowing that women have worked this long into the year, just to make what men earned the previous year... that stinks.

8. Purim (Dates vary each year)

On this date of Jewish celebration, tradition and history reign supreme. And if you know us, you know exactly which tradition we're going to highlight—that's right, costumes! While it's not necessarily the occasion to stock up on risqué ensembles, it could be the moment for a "Chopped"-style costume contest: give competitors a logo T-shirt, a pair of scissors, glue, and baubles, and see what they come up with!

9. St. Patrick's Day (March 17)

Raise money by selling seed packets for clover. Follow up by asking for photos on social media and reward 4-leaf clovers with a virtual "pot o' gold"!

10. Spring Equinox (March 19)

The first day of the new season brings fresh energy and gets us all excited for warmer weather! Use this day to put out a call for volunteers and supporters to “spring into action” and celebrate the new season.

11. Spring Cleaning for Good

The Spring season often inspires people to clean out their closets and garages, and in general KonMari their lives. This year ask your supporters to donate their unwanted items to your organization for an epic garage sale hosted by your nonprofit.

April Fundraising Ideas

12. Autism Awareness Month (April)

The best way to acknowledge Autism Awareness Month is to bring autistic people into the planning. With their creativity and guidance, you can come up with a fundraiser to remember!

13. Ramadan (Dates vary each year)

Encourage supporters to give something up during the month of Ramadan, like coffee, and donate the savings.

14. National Public Health Week (Dates vary. It’s always the first full week of April.)

Created by the American Public Health Association, National Public Health Week is a great opportunity for fundraising for organizations that do work that supports health and well-being. Use this week to highlight programs that connect with the theme of the week and ask supporters to make a donation to support those programs.

15. April Fools Day (April 1)

Nonprofits have executed some epic April Fools Day pranks and some have parlayed their pranks into fundraising asks. This list of epic April Fools pranks is a few years old, but it includes some great examples from corporate and nonprofit brands.

16. Siblings Day (April 10)

Ask your supporters to make a donation in honor of their sibling. This can be an especially meaningful ask if your nonprofit works with children and families.

17. Field Day

Go nuts with a day of outdoor games and races, and sell competition entries and raffle tickets as a fundraiser!

18. Passover (Dates vary each year)

By keeping in mind freedom during Passover, the Jewish holiday that celebrates freedom from slavery in Egypt, you can acknowledge the struggle and help ensure that modern day slavery and systemic oppression are stamped out.

19. Earth Day (April 22)

If your organization does environmental work of any kind, Earth Day is a prime fundraising opportunity. Use the day to make a case for the importance of a particular project your nonprofit is working on. You could also host an Earth Day-themed fundraising event. Many people observe “Earth Hour,” which happens around Earth Day. This is when people turn off any non-essential lights as a demonstration of their commitment to the earth. You could choose to host your fundraising event during Earth Hour by candlelight for some extra ambiance!

20. Flower or Plant Fundraisers

Springtime is a great time for gardening. Your nonprofit can partner with a local nursery or plant grower for a flower or plant fundraiser. Alternatively, you could do a flower delivery fundraiser that’s timed with Easter.

21. Laylat al-Qadr (April 6, date varies)

A holy night in a holy month, Laylat al-Qadr is the night that the Koran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad. It's a significant day of recognition to Muslim people.

22. Honesty Day (April 30)

The foil to April Fools Day at the beginning of April, your nonprofit can use this day to get real with supporters about what’s happening behind the scenes at your organization and make an ask to support an initiative. Or, get honest about the state of the problem your organization is working to solve. You don’t have to present it as doom and gloom, just honestly lay out the facts. Transparency is trending, after all.

May Fundraising Ideas

23. Asian American and Pacific American Heritage Month (May)

The contribution of Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans has has on our country, society, and the world is as varied as the different cultures they carry with them. Highlight famous Asian and Pacific Islanders, and make sure to encourage those who are currently in your donor list or staff.

24. Older Americans Month (May)

Founded by the Administration for Community Living, Older Americans Month is a time to recognize and honor the contributions and roles that older Americans play in our society. If your nonprofit works with seniors and older populations, use this awareness month as a timely fundraising opportunity.

25. National Pet Week (Dates vary. It’s always the first full week of May.)

If your organization works with animals, then you probably have a donor community full of animal lovers! National Pet Week is your time to shine and ask your supporters to make a donation in honor of their favorite furry companion.

26. Yom HaAtzmaut: Israel Independence Day (Dates vary each year)

Often celebrated following Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, Yom HaAtzmaut is marked by outdoor parties, community events, and gathering of friends and family. Jewish nonprofits may want to mirror Israeli celebrations with a group hike and ceremony—maybe even recognizing Israeli achievements with a local version of the coveted Israel Prize.

27. Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

Bring more than just tacos to the table! Plan an educational scavenger hunt that explains the historical significance of Cinco de Mayo and supports your programs at the same time.

28. Graduations

This time of year, showcase your program's "graduates" and ask for donations that commemorate their accomplishments and sponsor new participants.

29. Buddha Day (May 15)

Buddhists worldwide celebrate this day in one form or another. Keep it on your radar and help them celebrate in the ways that give them joy.

30. Mother's Day (Third Sunday of May)

You've probably got a lot of mothers and parents as donors, and you've probably got a lot of people who want to celebrate the mother figures in their lives. Run a long-distance shout-out fundraiser so people can honor their loved ones with flowers, candy, presents, or, best of all, donations to a great cause made in their name.

31. Yom Yerushalayim/Jerusalem Day (Dates vary each year)

The most recently-added holiday on the Jewish calendar, Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, honors the reunification of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty in 1967. No matter your organization's stance on the reunification of Jerusalem, studying the role this holy city has played in history would be an appropriate way to mark Yom Yerushalayim.

32. Memorial Day (May 27)

To honor our fallen military heroes, run a campaign to send care packages to active military personnel on Memorial Day. FYI, care packages can be digital or tangible—it's the care that counts!

33. Shavuot (Dates vary each year)

Shavuot is our favorite type of festival: a celebration of a sacred union; in this case, between God and Israel. Its customs are also some of our favorites: eating dairy products and staying up all night. And while traditionally Shavuot is celebrated by studying until dawn, not an all-night rave or slumber party, Jewish organizations could use Shavuot's "a-thon" mentality to put on a respectful, educational fundraiser.

34. Summertime = BBQ

Nothing says Summer like a barbecue! Gather your community for a potluck and great company.

Quick Spring Fundraising Ideas

35. Flower or Plant Delivery

Take orders for spring flowers during the week and make deliveries each weekend during the spring season.

36. Pet Walking

You can do this on an ongoing basis or just once, and even better, you can have young volunteers pick up this fundraiser and run with it—and with the dogs!

37. Plan a Surprise

Add a quick page to your website where people can buy a surprise for $5. Put up flyers in unexpected spots, get the whisper train going, and mail, email, or hand-deliver a small, happy surprise to purchasers. The best part? It doesn't have to be the same surprise every time.

38. Beach Day!

Host the first beach day or community outdoors meal of the season. Bring blankets, snacks, water, sunscreen, tunes, and soak up the sun! When the sun goes down, get the bonfire going.

39. Donor Raffle

Do a raffle that donors don't need to purchase anything to enter. Every donation a donor has made in the last 12 months counts as one entry. You can do this every month and promote it year-round or do offer a big prize when you drop your sweet annual report.

40. Match the Temperature

Try to get as many donors each day as the thermometer shows. Keep a running graph and show off when you hit your target—but be forewarned, it'll only get harder as summer approaches!

41. Opposite Day

Ask all of your supporters to sport the opposite of your nonprofit's colors to emphasize that your mission is still ongoing. If your colors are blue and purple, call on everyone to wear orange. Sell Opposite Day shirts ahead of time, if you like!

42. Spring Clean-Up

Do a big clean up of a beach, park, street, or building. It's a win-win-win when trash goes in its place and your nonprofit gets donations and awareness.

43. Secret Handshake

Come up with a secret handshake for your donors. Send them an instructions when they make their next donation and greet them appropriately when you see them in person.

44. Googly Eyes Night

Gather a boat load of googly eyes and sell 'em to your supporters, near and far. Get everyone to slap those shakey eyeballs in hilarious spots around town and take pictures or video for social media sharing. (Just be reasonable about where you put them. You don't want to get busted for littering or to upset locals.)

45. A <Insert Thing Here> Drive

Yep, cash is king, but most organizations need at least one... thing regularly. Socks for shelters, toys for kids, food for animals, that kind of thing.  If it's a perishable item, ask donors to pledge to purchase that... thing later in the year. Maybe you can collect enough pledges so that you don't have to worry about your... thing for the rest of the year.

Fresh Spring Fundraising Ideas

46. The Egg Baby

Forget hunting for eggs, treat your eggs with care. Remember that school assignment that had you treat an egg like a baby? Bring it into the 2020's and make it a fundraiser.

47. Plant A... Plant!

You thought we were gonna tell you to plant a tree, right? Maybe this time, research native plants to your area and go for something that deserves a bit of the spotlight.

48. Spring Home Decorating

Get people to sign up for your home-decorating service! Offer wreaths, mailbox decorations, yard signs, and pastel fabric swags. If you don't want to do the decorating, run a contest and provide a prize for the best-dressed-residence!

49. Egg Hunt Coordination

Take over the egg hunt setup for different neighborhoods, churches, or community groups. Decorate eggs (with a sticker sporting your nonprofit's logo!), hide them, and provide a few small swaggy prizes for the winners.

50. Farm-Fresh Feast

Partner with a local farm or community garden and host a popup dinner featuring food fresh from the field. Introduce your community to the joys of local produce, livestock, and even beauty products.

51. Stream Your Own Series

Find documentaries and series like The Innocence Files fascinating? Start your own! Write a script, recruit a few theater-minded supporters, and pull out your smartphone to start filming!

52. Vintage Cookbook Cook-off

Get supporters to join in, provide a different vintage cookbook to each competitor, and have them cook something to contribute. You can even tell 'em that dishes must have a gelatin component to be considered.

53. Zoo Animal Baby Bingo

Lots of animals give birth in the springtime. If there's an animal at your local zoo (or even a not-local zoo) that has a bun in the oven, raffle off potential birth dates with the one who guesses closest to the actual date the stork comes.

54. Build-A-Budget

Especially with tax time around the corner, donors may be interested in building a budget. Help them out by hiring a financial consultant to provide a template or have one-on-one sessions. Don't forget to build in room for donations!

55. Gift Baskets

As Michael Scott says, gift baskets are "the essence of class and fanciness. They are the ultimate present a person can receive." So dig in and deliver baskets for donations!

56. DIY Mud Run

What says "Spring" more clearly than lots and lots of mud? If you can find a field, dirt road, or trail that's already muddy, you're one step ahead. Maybe your local community garden needs to rip out the old stuff so they can plant a spring crop? Or you could basically plow a local farmer's land for them with your mud-runnin' supporters.

Spring Fundraising Ideas: Key takeaways

• Not too hot; not too cold. Spring brings a breath of fresh air, literally, so take advantage and breathe deep!
• Keep the fundraisers active—kids of all ages have been cooped up for months, so parents of all stripes will want to take part in anything that lets them leave that excess energy behind.
• Spring is the season of birth and newness. Go with fresh ideas and themes, and go hard on the veggies.
• Forget being sensible. Shake out the wrinkles and just go for your goals!

Let’s spring into action, Fundraiser! Good luck with your Spring fundraisers!