Community Event Ideas That Help Raise Money For Your Church

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I wonder if you’ve ever been in this situation before. Your church board is meeting for your monthly gathering and someone points out that the finances are weak and attendance is down. All of a sudden, board members are scrambling to figure out what to do. Some are suggesting new fundraising efforts that have been done in the past (like a Bake Sale), but someone else is constantly reminding the board that “We are about people, not money”. Not only is the church board in chaos over the current predicament of the church, but now rumblings of a potential conflict are starting to surface…

Too many churches have been in this situation before: lacking money and lacking community engagement. What if you could address both at the same time? What if we could meet community members in our town, support a good cause, and drum up some additional funds for our needed expenses? That is exactly what I want to try and help with in this article. Follow along for some great community event ideas that can help raise money for your church!

The Importance Of Getting Connected To Your Local Community

Before we get anywhere, we must understand the importance of getting connected to our local community.

Let our light shine before men in such a way that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

In order to accomplish this, we must be out among the people, not sheltered off from the world in our “safe” church buildings. If they cannot see the good works we are capable of, then how else will they learn to glorify Jesus’ Father? When the New Testament church was first starting, they were constantly in the marketplaces and areas where people regularly frequented. If we want to be faithful to the New Testament model of the church, we need to do the same thing. Go meet people where they are at. (Didn’t Jesus command us to go in the Great Commission?)

If we are faithful to showing the world what the church has to offer, rather than keeping it to ourselves, we will see the Kingdom of God filled and more people coming to glorify God. That is the ultimate purpose of the church anyway: not to maintain a bunch of buildings for a chosen few, but to draw as many people into fellowship as possible before Jesus returns (Matthew 22:1-14).

A Unique Opportunity To Do Both

How can we unite the purposes of community engagement and fundraising at the same time? I will have some suggestions below, but the biggest thing to remember is that you are there to serve the people, not the other way around. When we host any number of community outreach events, our priority should be to meet people where they are, showing them that we love them. That is the whole purpose, not money. Once people start to realize that we aren’t in it for the money (as many already think), they are much more likely to help us. 

One more key thing to remember when planning out these types of events is that people will give towards a specific cause much faster than to your church. Think about it. If you asked someone to choose to give towards your “General Fund” or a youth group project, which one do you think they would choose? If you are going to fundraise alongside these community events, be specific about what they are supporting and why it is important (if you’re unsure about why it’s important, they won’t be sure either.

Work this out with your church first). Also, be prepared to spend a little money. The old adage that in order to make money, you’ll have to spend money applies here too. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, but if you truly want your fundraising event to be successful, you must invest faithfully and trust that God will give you a return. 

Fundraisers That Specifically Help Out Local Businesses

With any fundraiser that you attempt, it is always wise to reach out to local businesses for their support. If you are already stretched thin in your church’s budget, you’ll need to access money from elsewhere to make a difference: and believe it or not, there are plenty of local businesses that would love to get involved (and access their year-end tax break)! Whether you have a local food truck run a fish fry, or contact a bank about partnering in a community event, access the resources immediately available to you through local businesses. They are eager to work with you if you’ll allow them and invite them along.

Not only should you look within local businesses, but other churches are great resources for help when it comes to fundraising. Although you may need to split profits, you both get exposure when you work together on a project. Not only that, but it shows that we are Christians determined to win people to Christ, not steal Christians from other groups. Unfortunately, we are viewed as too “territorial” sometimes by the outside world, focusing on “transfer membership” over sharing the gospel. Choose to work hand-in-hand with fellow Christians in your efforts to help a worthwhile cause in your area, and enjoy the fruits of having some extra cash to work with in the coming months.

Top 5 Community Event Ideas To Help Raise Money For Your Church

1. Ministry Concert In The Park

Materials Needed:

• A Local Band
• Food Vendors
• Rented Area Of Your Local Park
• Tables For Advertising Your Ministry/Church
• Flyers/Advertising Materials (social media is an excellent, free way to spread the word)

Our church has been blessed over the last few years to have created a foster care ministry within our community, meeting the needs of an underserved group that are very neglected. In order to help fund our new ministry, we contacted a local band to perform in the park, every foster care agency in our county (to advertise their needs), some food vendors, and local businesses to help sponsor the event. Every penny of profit went towards our foster care ministry (which now has a “Foster Closet” of free clothes for foster children), and we raised about $10,000. 

This type of event is a great way to help any ministry work that you are attempting to perform in your community, while also increasing exposure for a local band(s) and showcasing that your church is attempting to meet real needs. This has the potential to not only raise some funds, but also show the community that you exist and are ready to help them out. Remember, they have to know you are there before they are willing to attend.

2. Dressy But Messy Meal

Materials Needed:

• Tables, Chairs, And Plates For Attendees
• Food (preferably messy in nature)
• Advertising Materials (once again, social media is free and wonderful to help promote)

A small, local recovery ministry in our town that we help support called Valley of Grace hosts an annual fundraiser called “Dressy but Messy”, where those who are attending dress in their best outfits, but eat a sloppy meal (like spaghetti) with their hands instead of utensils. The purpose of this fundraiser is to show that addiction is messy, and we can’t just “dress it up” and avoid it. Every year, they raise about $150,000 which is all invested back into their ministry.

By creating an event similar to this, and giving most of the proceeds over to a ministry in need that you help support, you create some fun exposure for some serious issues that need to be addressed in your community, while also raising a little funding for your church (if you host it). 

3. Back-To-School Drive

Materials Needed:

• School Supplies
• Tables
• Advertising Materials

More people than ever are struggling financially in our communities, but your church can make an immediate impact by helping provide some school supplies to children who need them. In order to make this happen, contact your local school(s) in the area, get their annual school material list, and gather donations based on that list. This is also a great opportunity to invite the teachers to participate in handing out the donations.

Not only are you giving needy families some relief from the financial burden of school supplies, but you are also exposing your church to other people who are under-appreciated and underpaid: teachers. And if you’d like to raise some funds during this event, this would be a perfect time to ask for donations towards something youth-related in your church (VBS, youth camps, etc.). 

4. Praise In The Park

Materials Needed:

• Local Church Bands
• Food Vendors
• Rented Facility At The Park
• Advertising Materials

Similar to the Ministry Concert idea above, this idea has other churches getting involved as well. By joining hand-in-hand with other local congregations to promote the name of Jesus, we are showing our community that we aren’t “territorial” when it comes to the gospel, but are willing to work with our brothers and sisters in other groups. Jesus desired unity amongst His followers, and this can be a wonderful attempt at bringing us all together.

In order to make this a fundraising idea, you can take up an offering at the end of the concert (or charge for tickets) and split the profits with the other churches who are helping. While you won’t receive very much money since you’re sharing, it’s better than what you were receiving before (i.e. none).

5. Car Smash 

Materials Needed:

• Local Junkyard Vehicle
• Sledgehammers
• Safety Goggles
• Liability Waivers
• Advertising Materials

I have to say that this is my pet idea, having been raised around junkyards my whole life with my dad’s business (I haven’t attempted this idea yet, so I am not guaranteeing any results). However, we all understand that people have some “aggression” in their lives, and sometimes just need to let it out in a safe way (remember Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:26?).

In order to provide an outlet for our community to “blow off some steam”, you can ask a local junkyard to deliver a vehicle with the windows pre-smashed out, and charge people to hit it with a sledgehammer after signing a liability waiver to protect yourselves ($1 a swing?). This may sound silly, but there’s been a recent interest in things called “Rage Rooms”, where a similar thing happens. People blow off steam by smashing things and will pay money to do so. 

This fundraiser will grant exposure for the local junkyard (who isn’t losing any money since they will receive the car back), and show that your church can be unique in serving the community in a fun way. One intended consequence of this event is that those who attend wouldn’t let out their aggression in other harmful ways, such as against each other in their homes. You will be promoting peace among households by allowing this to be handled in a safe manner.

The Best Ways To Get Everyone Involved

It is an unfortunate reality that most communities have thought of churches as only interested in serving their own needs, rather than the needs of those around them. What’s even more unfortunate is that sometimes they are correct. We often get wrapped up in paying our bills, taking care of our church community, and worrying about the curriculum for our small groups. However, this perception can be changed, but it is going to take deliberate action on our part to address it.

We can be viewed by the community in a new, positive way if we take care of the real needs around us in effective ways. By looking for ministry opportunities outside our four walls, we are able to meet local businesses and community members who want to help (and raise a little cash while we are at it). Never forget, people will give towards what they feel is important, not your general fund. So, let’s work towards a common goal of serving people right in our backyard, and invite others along for the ride.

Your Church And Ministries Matter

Never forget that your church and ministries matter. Jesus has placed you exactly where you are supposed to be, to fulfill the Great Commission in a way that only your church can. It will take some effort on our part to identify our purpose within our local community, but I promise that there is a purpose for you. Jesus is the one ultimately responsible for His church, and through the Holy Spirit is trying to draw people to Himself in your town. We need only to be faithful in listening to Him, and act on the directions that He gives us. 

So what needs are around you in your local community? And how are you equipped right now to help? Even a small church can do mighty works with the power of God behind them. Find the need, meet the people already involved in helping with it, and bring your church people and community members along to solve the problem together.

I am reminded that churches (including yours) have the tremendous potential to fix most of the world’s problems: for example, if every church in the United States were to commit to adopting one child out of foster care, there would be no more foster children (check the statistics: it’s true!). If we all get behind a good cause right in our backyards, we can do incredible things for the Kingdom of God now, while we wait for Paradise to come when Jesus returns. Let’s make a difference like only we can, and show the world how glorious our God is!

Read More:

Host A Community Yard Sale To Serve Your Neighbors – Small Church Ministry

A Community Outreach Idea From Marysville, Washington – Small Church Ministry

10 Ways Children Can Help You Impact Your Community