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20 Spooky Halloween Fundraising Ideas

Halloween Fundraising Ideas

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Halloween is around the corner, and we’re excited about it, too. Halloween is not only a great reason to have a party but also an excellent opportunity to host a fundraising event. You can raise significant funds for your cause or organization and enjoy it simultaneously. Also, the spooky vibes make Halloween fundraising ideas much more fun. 

So whether you’re looking for budget-friendly fundraising ideas or grand ones, we’re here to help. In this blog, we’ve covered some of the most fun Halloween fundraising ideas that will help you give you goosebumps. So, let’s get started on this spooky fundraising adventure!

Halloween Fundraising Ideas

What Are Some Excellent Halloween Fundraising Ideas?

Let’s have a look at some of the best Halloween fundraiser ideas.

1. Online Fundraising Platforms

If you’re looking for a convenient way to raise funds but want to reach a wider audience, online fundraising is the best solution for you. It requires the least effort and no investment compared to the other Halloween fundraiser ideas. All you need to do is search for a fundraising platform that’s reliable, reputable, and resourceful. 

For this, we’ve solved the dilemma, too. WhyDonate is the platform ideal for your Halloween fundraiser. A 0% platform fee ensures you get what you raise with instant payouts. Customized branding allows you to give a personal touch to your Halloween fundraiser. Customer care is highly supportive, ensuring you are left with zero doubts. Read our reviews on Trustpilot.

2. A Halloween Party Cum Contest

Everyone loves Halloween parties, don’t they? What can be better than throwing an amazing Halloween party and a contest? Everyone can dress like their favorite characters this Halloween, and let’s see who wins! Charge an entry fee to all participants; the winner gets a prize. This way, you can not only raise funds for your Halloween fundraiser but also have great fun. 

3. Horror Movie Night

Halloween is incomplete without a movie night. Horror movies are scary, but let’s all agree on how fun they are, especially when watched in a group setting. You can also set up a movie night outdoors or indoors and charge an entry fee to the participants. With a minimal investment, this is one of the best Halloween fundraising ideas one can come up with. 

4. Horror Storytelling Contest

If you’re looking for budget-friendly Halloween fundraising ideas, hosting a storytelling event can be a great way to raise funds without expensive setups. People can come up with their own horror stories, and one who tells the most frightening story wins. 

It would be great if people would share real horror encounters with the crowd. This is one of the best fundraising Halloween ideas that doesn’t require too much planning and investment. 

5. Haunted Scavenger Hunt

For a haunted scavenger hunt, there can be many spine-chilling ideas that can take your Halloween fundraiser to the next level. For instance, you can choose a haunted location, like a cemetery, school, or a vacant building, and create a horror storyline.

Decide whether the participants will play in teams or as individuals, and prepare a series of riddles, clues, and hints according to your theme. Set up a registration fee for this that can go to your cause/organization. 

halloween fundraiser ideas

6. Haunted Hike

You can choose a haunted location for a haunted hike and ask the people to participate in teams. You can designate certain spots between the hiking locations for the volunteers that can surprise, scare, and entertain the team members. 

Assign knowledgeable guides or storytellers who can lead groups of hikers and share eerie tales or legends about the area. The registration fees can go to the development of your cause. 

7. Spooky-Themed Cooking Contest

Cooking fundraisers are a great way to have fun, cook some scrumptious meals, and have a great time with your loved ones. A cooking contest never leaves anyone empty-handed. Although there’s one winner, everyone gets to enjoy drool-worthy dishes prepared with love.

In a spooky-themed cooking contest, you can decide on contest categories such as ‘Spookiest Dish,’ ‘Best Halloween Dessert,’ or ‘Most Creative Pumpkin Recipe.’ This will not only add variety to your event but allow participants to create dishes perfect for Halloween. 

You can even have a Halloween party after the contest; don’t worry about the snacks because participants have already taken care of that.

8. Zombie Race

If you’re a fitness freak and want to avoid unhealthy treats, this can be the perfect Halloween fundraiser for you. Now, there can be two exciting ways to execute this idea: tell the participants to dress as zombies or have your volunteers dress up as zombies along the race route.

A hurdle race can be an excellent option for a zombie race fundraiser. You can add specific tasks between the races to make it a little challenging for the participants. This is one of the most fun Halloween fundraising ideas. 

9. Ghost Hunting Tour

Ghost hunting is a common activity done during the Halloween season. You probably know a horror place in your area; if not, a cemetery is a great place to start with. Historically significant places are also great for ghost hunting. Even if you don’t actually find a ghost, it’s always a fun group activity.

You can decide on a registration fee; consider offering different pricing tiers, such as regular admission and VIP packages that include additional experiences or merchandise.

10. Trick-Or-Treat For Charity

In this Halloween fundraiser idea, you can include cute kids who go door-to-door for trick-or-treating. You can organize a safe and fun trick-or-treat charity event. Some kids look forward to Halloween but need a safe neighborhood to play in. 

You can organize this event and give collection boxes to kids to get donations. Trust us on this: you’ll raise more money than you think you can with this fundraising idea. All you have to do is have an open space, like a big hall or a car park, and gather all the participating kids. 

halloween fundraiser

11. Pumpkin Carving Party

Organize a fun and creative pumpkin carving party where each participant can display their art. Have an entrance fee and give pumpkins, tools, and templates to every participant. Everyone is allowed to take their artwork back home, or they can opt to join the competition for the best-dressed pumpkin-decorated designs, with the winners getting prizes for the best and funniest designs. 

12. Halloween Decoration Contest

Encourage your neighbors to integrate creepy decorations inside as well as outside their homes. Announce entry fees for the participants and state that the judges or the neighbors would vote on the best-decorated house. Provide interesting awards like the scariest, most creative, or best overall, and request support from local businesses to oorganizethe competition.

13. Witches Night Out

Plan a witches’ night out where participants wear witch costumes and have fun for the evening, playing games, eating, and drinking. It is advisable to set a ticket charge and conduct activities like a ‘witchy’ fashion parade or tarot card reading sessions. This is among the best Halloween fundraising ideas to host as a girls’ night out fundraising activity.

14. Haunted Trivia

Examine the participants’ mastery of Halloween-themed films, traditional tales, and other horrifying trivia by organizing a haunted trivia night fundraiser. Collect an entrance fee from teams and award prizes to the victors. The activity can be conducted offline or online. Through in-person activities, one can include extra drinks and snacks according to the theme of the event.

15. Halloween Makeup Contest

Encourage contestants to come up with the best Halloween makeup looks, from spooky to glamorous. Collect an entry fee and organize the competition either online or offline. Award prizes for the scariest, most artistic, best figure change, and so on. This event suits passionate artists and is also a good way of raising funds.

16. Halloween Art Competition

Organize a Halloween-themed art contest where people will submit terrifying or imaginative illustrations. You will also charge a minimal entry fee and have the artwork exhibited in a local gallery or on the web. Create prizes for the various categories and sell the art pieces after the event to help raise more money for your cause.

17. Halloween Craft Night

Plan out a Halloween-themed craft night where everyone can create some decorations or crafts related to the holiday. Charge money to cover the expenses incurred on materials and give guidelines on how to make simple projects, such as models of haunted houses, bat strings, and ghost lamps. It is an enjoyable event for all ages and can even feature a selling crafts section.

18. Murder Mystery Games

Organize an engaging murder mystery and invite your friends to help you solve a “whodunit” that will be quite spooky. Make a charge on the ticket or entry fee so that all the participants are encouraged to be in the fundraising games. Serve some Halloween-themed food and drinks to make the place a bit creepy. This can be delivered with a customized approach to focus on Halloween or other kinds suitable for intimate or even large gatherings.

19. Scarecrow Building Contest

Encourage people to test out their creativity by making the best scarecrow possible. Charge an entry fee and offer enticing prizes for the best in various categories, such as the scariest arrival, funniest, or most impressive-looking scarecrow. Collect the submissions in an exhibition as part of a local activity or festival to attract more crowds and collect funds via voting or sponsorship.

20. Monster Dance Party

Organize a monster dance party, wherein everyone can display their outfits and dance to some eerie music. Ensure that there are ticket fees and prizes for the best costumes in a costume competition. Provide Halloween-themed decorations for the place, serve appropriate foods and drinks, and organize enjoyable activities to raise money for a cause.

halloween fundraising


Final Spell

So these are the top Halloween fundraising ideas that will not only help you to raise significant funds for your organization/cause but also allow you to have the best time of the year. Many of these Halloween fundraiser ideas are budget-friendly and don’t require a lot of planning. 

You can raise funds to meet your financial obligations with little to no investment. If you’re looking for an idea with zero investment and fast results, we suggest you create an online fundraising campaign today!


FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How can I raise money for Halloween?

To raise money for Halloween, you can leverage the above-mentioned fundraising ideas for Halloween, like online fundraising campaigns, horror movie nights, spooky-themed cooking contests, etc.

How to do a holiday fundraiser?

If you want to organize a holiday fundraiser, start by selecting a compelling cause. You can leverage online fundraising platforms such as WhyDonate and spread the word about your campaign among its robust donor network. If you’re conducting a fundraising event, proper planning, execution, and marketing are the keys to your fundraising success.

Is Halloween more profitable than Christmas?

The profitability of Halloween vs. Christmas fundraisers depends on factors like your target audience, the appeal of your event or initiative, and local traditions. Christmas fundraisers often benefit from the spirit of giving, but Halloween events can be profitable due to the holiday’s creativity and excitement.

Excited about Halloween fun already? Start a fundraiser today to ensure you enjoy it to the fullest!

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