Generating support and revenue through low-effort fundraising ideas—aka passive fundraising—is a great way to impact your organization, whether you’re raising money for your school, sports team, or nonprofit.
Additionally, recent research projects that charitable giving will increase by 3.4% in 2025, with individual donations making up 62.8% of philanthropic efforts. By making giving effortless through passive fundraising, you can encourage even more supporters to rally behind your cause.
Inspired to try passive fundraising? No sweat—we’ll walk you through 10 easy-to-manage passive fundraising ideas that actually live up to the name:
- Gift card and shopping-based fundraisers
- Corporate gift matching
- Local business partnerships
- Restaurant or dine-to-donate partnerships
- Incentive-based fundraising
- Online merchandise storefront
- Parking spot sales
- Giving societies or recurring donations
- Text-to-donate campaigns
- Change round-ups
1. Gift card and shopping-based fundraisers
Gift card fundraising is the most effortless way to raise funds for your cause, and programs like RaiseRight make it stress-free and convenient.
RaiseRight program participants can buy gift cards across hundreds of popular brands they're already shopping from, like Nike, DoorDash, Amazon, or Walmart. Your organization earns up to 20% back with every gift card purchase, and participants get the full value of the card. This takes the pressure off your supporters to purchase fundraiser products, since they can contribute through what they’re already buying.
Organizations can also earn money via RaiseRight affiliate shopping links. Over 550 brands offer online earnings, which means participants can earn a percentage back every time they check out with brands like Lululemon, The North Face, and more.
Even better? Your group can also use RaiseRight to earn money on restaurant dining, hotel reservations, car rentals, and more.
A RaiseRight program means no more knocking on your neighbor’s door asking for money or taking time out of your schedule to plan an event.
Managing a RaiseRight program requires little time—no more than a couple of hours per week. It also integrates well into your daily, weekly, or monthly to-do list.
You can choose your level of involvement, whether minimal or extensive. Just take a look at these insights about the personal experience of RaiseRight coordinators*:
- 50% of coordinators manage their RaiseRight fundraiser just once a week for up to 2 hours
- Of those who manage their RaiseRight program weekly, 50% don’t spend more than 2 hours per week
- Of those who manage their RaiseRight program daily, 70% don’t spend more than 2 hours per day
*Based on survey data from December 2023
Ready to get started? RaiseRight is FREE to join. Try it out for yourself and see how much you can passively earn—just by doing what you're already doing.
2. Corporate gift matching
Want more bang for your fundraising buck? Consider corporate gift matching. With this type of fundraising, corporations match donations made by employees or campaign participants.
Each corporation’s giving program is unique to its core values. To double down on the impact of this passive fundraiser, prioritize companies and corporations that share an affinity for your cause.
3. Local business partnerships
Broaden your network and uplift your reputation by partnering with local businesses.
Even if businesses can’t make or match a donation, they can offer a donation-in-kind of their goods or services to make a difference. For instance, if you’re hosting a bake sale, ask your local bakery to provide a plate or two of a new treat they’re testing for their menu.
4. Restaurant or dine-to-donate partnerships
Imagine turning a regular dinner date or family outing into a donation. By partnering with local establishments or chains for restaurant night fundraising, you can set a date and time for you and your supporters to do just that.
Most restaurants contribute anywhere from 10–30% of proceeds to your fundraiser. Some restaurants might even be willing to work with you regularly, minimizing your effort. All you have to do is send invites to your friends, family, co-workers, and community members and promote your restaurant night on social media.
RaiseRight Tip
RaiseRight pairs perfectly with restaurant fundraisers. RaiseRight offers nearly 200 restaurant gift cards, many of which also offer fundraising programs. Work with your preferred restaurant to host a fundraiser, then encourage friends and family to use RaiseRight gift cards to pay for their meals. You'll earn both ways at once!Or, earn 5% back every time you or your families dine at a participating restaurant with RaiseRight’s local dining program. Just link a credit or debit card to your RaiseRight account, and you’ll automatically earn—tax and tip included.
5. Incentive-based fundraising
According to former CEOs and current nonprofit planners on Quora, incentive-based giving is a powerful passive fundraising tool for nonprofits and community organizations.
With this strategy, you can ask supporters to make a small donation to participate in a raffle or casino night, for example. In exchange for their support, they’ll receive prizes and perks.
However, knowing what motivates your target audience is key to this campaign’s success. Take a poll to pinpoint what supporters want to win and ensure your offerings don’t outweigh your earnings. Popular goodies that entice supporters typically include:
- Concert tickets
- Gift baskets
- Movie tickets
- Cash prize draw
6. Online merchandise storefront
Selling branded merchandise through an online storefront is a clever passive fundraising strategy that diversifies contributions and raises money with minimal effort. For most supporters, wearing branded merchandise extends their commitment to their community.
Several online services offer quick and low-cost logo printing on anything from stickers to koozies. Here are a few suggestions:
- T-shirts
- Tote bags
- Sweatshirts
- Socks
- Hats
A bonus? When supporters wear or carry merchandise that displays your logo, they automatically boost curiosity and community awareness for your organization.
7. Parking spot sales
If you have access to a parking lot, this real estate can become a reliable, low-effort source of fundraising.
Schools can sell annual parking spots that families or students can reserve, personalize, or even paint for the school year—a fun way to build school spirit while raising money.
Churches and community groups can raise money by charging for parking at their facilities during high-traffic times, such as festivals or other local events.
If your organization doesn’t own a parking lot, consider partnering with a nearby business or church to share profits during sports games, concerts, or community gatherings.
There are endless ways to get creative with this passive fundraising idea. And once a system is in place, there’s minimal ongoing work—just fill in the spaces and collect the funds.
8. Giving societies or recurring donations
With this type of passive fundraising, your donors and supporters can opt into groups or clubs with corresponding benefits based on their annual giving level—think free admissions to events, facility tours, or first looks at new products or services as perks for their participation.
Building mutually beneficial relationships with donors can foster lifetime loyalty to your cause.
Alternatively, if giving societies aren't your organization's thing, you can keep it simple by setting up recurring donations for your supporters. By encouraging donors to schedule a monthly, quarterly, or annual gift, you create a steady, predictable revenue stream that can add up to significant impact over time.
Recurring giving also lowers friction for supporters, as they only need to set up their donation once. Highlighting the convenience and the power of their ongoing contributions to motivate supporters to remain engaged for the long haul.
9. Text-to-donate campaigns
Set up a text-to-donate campaign to make giving as easy as sending a message. Your supporters can text a keyword to a designated mobile number and receive a secure link to donate in seconds.
This passive fundraising idea is ideal for live events and community gatherings, or for reaching busy people and younger, mobile-first audiences. You can also trigger SMS-based donation appeals during peak giving moments (think Giving Tuesday or the start of your sports season, for example).
10. Change round-ups
Consider partnering with popular local businesses to establish a change round-up program, or add a change donation box at their registers.
Customers can round their totals to the nearest dollar, and the spare change will be automatically donated to your organization. Or, customers can drop their extra change in a secure box on their way out.
While individual contributions are small, they can add up quickly. For businesses, this passive fundraising technique is an easy, low-cost way to show community commitment and strengthen customer loyalty while your organization benefits from a stream of micro-donations.
RaiseRight: The best always-on, passive fundraiser
Passive fundraising is an effective way to generate continual support for your cause with little effort. But with so many options, how do you choose the right one for your organization?
RaiseRight is free to join and makes fundraising appealing and simple for everyone. With hundreds of brands available, there's something for everyone on RaiseRight. Unlike other fundraisers, RaiseRight fits seamlessly into anyone’s lifestyle, no matter how they shop or spend their money.
Plus, you can earn year-round with no limits or caps, and many families earn $1,000+ annually!
Wondering how much you could earn with RaiseRight? Try our free calculator to estimate your household’s annual earnings, and imagine the multiplied impact when more families join in!
