Halloween is the perfect season to mix fun and fundraising. From costume contests to haunted houses, there are endless ways to engage your community and collect donations. And with Cheddar Up, organizing and managing your event has never been easier. Let’s dive into some exciting Halloween fundraising ideas and explore how you can simplify the process.
Choosing the Right Halloween Fundraising Idea for Your Audience
Before you start planning, it’s essential to think about your audience. Different fundraisers work for different groups, so it’s crucial to select something that will resonate with your participants. A family-friendly event may be ideal for schools and community organizations. While nonprofits or local businesses might go for something with a bit more edge, like a haunted house or spooky-themed fun run.
Consider these factors when brainstorming your Halloween fundraising ideas:
Demographics
Are your attendees families with young kids, or are they mainly adults?
Location
Do you have access to a school, park, or community center? Or is it better to host something virtual or hybrid?
Budget
Consider how much you’ll need to spend on supplies, prizes, or venues. Can you cover costs through entry fees and/or sponsorships?
Once you’ve identified your audience, you’ll want a reliable tool to manage everything from registration to payments. Cheddar Up allows you to handle ticket sales, set up donation forms, and track everything in one convenient place. No more juggling spreadsheets or chasing down payments — everything is centralized. This gives you more time to focus on making your event unforgettable.
Top Halloween Fundraising Ideas
Here’s where the fun begins! Let’s look at these top 10 Halloween fundraising ideas, each paired with tips on how to use Cheddar Up to streamline your event.
Halloween-Themed Carnival
A classic for schools and communities, Halloween carnivals offer plenty of activities for families. Set up fun booths with games, spooky face painting, and even a mini haunted house. Charge for admission or sell tickets for specific activities like a cake walk or ghostly bowling.
Fundraiser tips:
- Pre-sell tickets: Sell tickets online before the event, so families don’t have to wait in line.
- On-site payments: Accept payments for activities or concessions at the event using Cheddar Up’s point of sale options.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Invite people to show off their pumpkin carving skills by hosting a contest. Charge an entry fee and give out prizes for the best pumpkins. Offer different categories, such as funniest, scariest, or most creative.
Fundraiser tips:
- Registration and payment: Set up a simple registration form where participants can sign up and pay their entry fee in advance.
- Voting for a cause: Let people vote for their favorite pumpkin by donating to their chosen winner.
Trunk-or-Treat Event
A fun and safe alternative to traditional trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treats are perfect for schools and community organizations. Families decorate their cars and hand out candy from the trunks in a designated parking lot. Charge an entry fee for car participants and offer fun prizes for the best-decorated trunks.
Fundraiser tips:
- Participant registration: Collect car registrations and entry fees easily through a custom Cheddar Up form.
Haunted House Experience
Transform a community space into a creepy haunted house. Charge admission for visitors to walk through and experience the spine-chilling atmosphere. Add different levels of scares depending on the audience (family-friendly for younger kids, scarier for adults).
Fundraiser tips:
- Advance ticket sales: Sell tickets ahead of time, making it easier to manage attendance and avoid overcrowding.
- VIP options: Offer a “skip the line” or “VIP” pass through Cheddar Up for participants who want to enjoy the experience with extra perks.
Costume Contest
Costume contests are a great way to get everyone — from kids and adults to pets — involved. Host one at a school, community center, or online. Include categories like best overall, scariest, funniest, and even best group costume.
Fundraiser tips:
- Easy registration: Have participants register and pay their entry fee via Cheddar Up.
- Donation-based voting: Add a fundraising twist by letting the audience vote for their favorite costumes with donations, where every dollar counts as one vote.
Pumpkin Patch Party
Partner with a local pumpkin patch and turn it into a festive fall fundraiser. Set up games, face painting, and pumpkin painting stations. Charge for entry and sell tickets for the various activities.
Fundraiser tips:
- Sell tickets in advance: Sell entry tickets and pre-sell activity passes to avoid long lines.
- Donation options: Offer additional donation opportunities during the event, like buying extra pumpkins, food, or merchandise.
Halloween Movie Night
Host a family-friendly Halloween movie night at a park, school gym, or community center. Pick a spooky (but not too scary) movie, and charge for admission, popcorn, and drinks. You can even make it a drive-in movie for an extra special touch.
Fundraiser tips:
- Ticket sales: Sell tickets online and track how many people are attending.
- Pre-order concessions: Offer pre-sale concessions like popcorn or drinks that can be paid for in advance, cutting down on lines and cash handling during the event.
Fall Festival
Combine the fun of Halloween with the warmth of a fall festival. Host activities like apple bobbing, hayrides, and fall-themed games. Include food stands, bake sales, and craft booths to create a festive, family-friendly atmosphere.
Fundraiser tips:
- Ticket sales and registration: Manage entry ticket sales, activity registrations, and even food or merchandise pre-orders with ease through Cheddar Up.
- Multi-tiered pricing: Offer all-access passes or discounted family bundles to encourage larger groups to attend.
Costume Parade
If your community loves to get creative with their costumes, host a Halloween costume parade. Participants walk through a designated route, showing off their costumes to spectators. Charge an entry fee for parade participants and make it a community-wide event.
Fundraiser tips:
- Registration and payments: Use Cheddar Up for participant registration and keeping track of who’s joining the parade.
- General Donation: Add an extra item to your collection for a general donation. Then people who can’t attend can still donate.
Spooky Glow Run or Walk
A Halloween-themed fun run or walk is a fantastic way to raise funds and encourage physical activity. Participants dress in costumes and run or walk a set distance — maybe with a few spooky surprises along the route. Charge for entry and give out prizes for the best costumes or fastest runners.
Fundraiser tips:
- Easy sign-ups: Collect participant registrations and entry fees online through Cheddar Up.
- Sell event swag: Sell event T-shirts, medals, or other merchandise to boost your fundraising efforts.
Extra Halloween Fundraising Ideas to Boost Funds
Including a variety of add-on activities can make your fundraiser even more engaging and profitable. Here are some more popular Halloween fundraising ideas to consider adding to your events. And don’t forget to charge for them!
Face Painting
Kids love getting their faces painted, especially with spooky designs like pumpkins, bats, and skeletons.
Costume Contests
Whether it’s for pets, kids, or adults, a costume contest is always a hit. Offer prizes for different categories to encourage participation.
Pumpkin Carving Stations
Set up a station where people can carve their own pumpkins. Provide tools and stencils, and charge a fee for participation.
Carnival Games
Classic carnival games like ring toss, bean bag toss, and fishing for prizes can be given a Halloween twist and used to raise extra funds.
Silent Auction
Gather donated items, like local business gift cards or Halloween-themed baskets, and host a silent auction during your event to raise extra funds.
Bake Sale with Spooky Treats
Sell Halloween-themed baked goods like ghost-shaped cookies, pumpkin cupcakes, and candy corn brownies. People love festive treats, especially for kids and families.
Fortune Teller Booth
Set up a fortune-telling station where attendees can get their fortune read for a small fee. This adds a fun, mystical element to the event.
Witch’s Brew Drink Stand
Set up a drink stand with Halloween-themed beverages like “witch’s brew” punch or hot apple cider. Charge for drinks and offer reusable cups for an additional fee.
Raffle with Themed Prizes
Sell raffle tickets throughout your event for the chance to win Halloween-themed prizes like decorations, costumes, or party supplies.
Spooky Craft Station
Set up a crafting table where attendees can make their own Halloween-themed crafts, like decorating trick-or-treat bags or creating spooky masks. Charge a fee for supplies.
Once you’ve identified your audience, you’ll want a reliable tool to manage everything from registration to payments. Cheddar Up allows you to handle ticket sales, set up donation forms, and track everything in one convenient place. No more juggling spreadsheets or chasing down payments — everything is centralized. This gives you more time to focus on making your event unforgettable.
Promoting Your Halloween Fundraising Ideas
Promotion is key to the success of any event. Share your event’s Cheddar Up link widely so people can register, buy tickets, and donate online with ease. Leverage Facebook, Instagram, and community groups to share the details of your event. Or share with existing mailing lists to re-engage people who have participated in the past.
Share links
Once you’ve set up your event in Cheddar Up, share the custom link with your audience. Make it easy for them to buy tickets or donate with just a click.
Showcase QR codes
If you’re creating flyers, a QR code is an easy way to get people to go directly to your event page.
Send reminders
Cheddar Up’s platform allows you to send reminders to those who have registered, ensuring nobody forgets the event.
Managing Halloween Fundraiser Donations and Payments
One of the biggest challenges in fundraising is managing payments and donations. Between collecting cash, checks, and digital payments, it can get overwhelming fast.
With Cheddar Up, all payments are centralized and you can collect donations in various ways. Whether it’s through ticket sales or general donations, everything is tracked in one place. Plus, you can:
Offer multiple payment options
Participants can pay using credit cards, eChecks, or even cash, making it convenient for everyone.
Track payments in real-time
Keep tabs on how much you’ve raised with Cheddar Up’s real-time tracking and reporting tools.
Simplify refunds and receipts
Cheddar Up automatically sends receipts for payments, and if you need to process refunds, it’s all managed from one dashboard.
Reporting for Your Halloween Fundraisers
Transparency is crucial in any fundraiser. Donors and participants want to know where their money is going and how it’s being used. Cheddar Up makes it easy to provide that level of transparency through its robust reporting tools.
Detailed reports
Generate detailed reports on payments, donations, and participation with just a few clicks.
Track fundraising goals
Set specific fundraising goals and track progress in real-time, showing your donors and participants exactly how close you are to hitting your target.
Share updates
Use your reports to send updates to donors and participants, building trust and encouraging future donations or participation.
Including Sponsors in Your Halloween Fundraising Ideas
Sponsors are a fantastic way to boost your Halloween fundraising efforts. You can offer sponsorship packages for various aspects of your event. For example, sponsoring booths at a carnival, providing costume contest prizes, or funding the decorations for your haunted house.
How Cheddar Up Helps:
- Set up custom sponsor forms: Create specific sponsorship levels on Cheddar Up and allow businesses to choose how they’d like to contribute. Offer different levels like “Gold Sponsor” or “Trick-or-Treat Sponsor,” each with its own price point and perks.
- Collect sponsor payments: Cheddar Up makes it easy to collect sponsorship fees directly online, so there’s no hassle with checks or manual tracking.
- Provide receipts and thank-yous: After the event, use Cheddar Up to send personalized thank-you messages and provide receipts for tax purposes.
Turning Halloween Fundraising Ideas into Reality
Using one of Cheddar Up’s event templates saves you time and ensures your event is set up professionally. Here are a few templates to help you get your Halloween event started on the right foot:
Cheddar Up takes the stress out of event planning, so you can focus on hosting memorable Halloween fundraisers. With these Halloween fundraising ideas and the right tools, your Halloween events are sure to be a smash hit!
Before you go
Ready to bring your Halloween fundraising ideas to life? Don’t wait — start planning your most memorable Halloween fundraiser now!
