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18 Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits (Schools, Churches & More)
June 23, 2026
⚡TL;DR — The Short Answer
Verdict: Most small nonprofits overcomplicate December. Pick one christmas tradition that fits your volunteer count, pair it with a quiet "donate in someone's name" gift form, and run both on a platform that keeps every dollar.
What works: Low-lift digital ideas (gift form, raffle, storytelling campaign, card contest) that a 1–3 volunteer team can stand up in under 4 weeks.
What doesn't: Galas, Santa's village, and other large-venue events for teams without prior experience, a 4-month runway, and 15+ volunteers.
Worth considering if: You have a built-in audience (school parents, congregation, sorority chapter) — the in-person ideas in this list scale fast when you already have a crowd.
By mid-December, your donors are getting five "urgent" emails a day from organizations that look just like yours. Every small nonprofit is asking the same people for money in the same week. One Zeffy user told us a heavy Giving Tuesday push cost her about a quarter of her email subscribers. That is the real Christmas problem for a small nonprofit: saturation, not ideas.
The orgs that actually win Christmas don't pile on five campaigns. They pick one christmas tradition that fits their volunteer count and donor base, plus one always-on "donate in someone's name as a christmas gift" form. Then they run both on a platform that doesn't skim the proceeds.
Below are 18 christmas fundraising ideas, sorted into four buckets: schools, churches, themed events, and easy-and-creative. Each idea carries a quick rating so you can tell in 10 seconds whether a 3-volunteer org can pull it off in 4 weeks. Zeffy is used by 100K+ nonprofits that have raised $2B+ combined — all on a platform with no platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
12. Donate in someone's name (christmas gift form)
13. Online christmas raffle
14. Christmas online auction
15. Cookie-a-thon
16. Ugly sweater competition
17. Holiday sale
18. Christmas tree disposal service
Christmas fundraising ideas for schools
If you're a PTA, PTO, or school booster, you have built-in volunteer parents and an audience that shows up for kids. These ideas lean into that. For more year-round options, see our school fundraising ideas guide.
1. Gingerbread house decoration contest
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$ to $$
5 to 10
$2,000 to $40,000+
6 to 8 weeks
✅ realistic for school PTAs
Categories for individuals, teams, kids, and families. Revenue comes from three streams: entry fees, sponsorship from local businesses, and sales of pre-built gingerbread kits. Display the finished houses at a public event and let attendees vote with small donations.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Thomas-Elgin ran their Bake for Kid's Sake gingerbread house competition on Zeffy and raised $35,835 while saving $1,791 in fees. Read the case study.
For a small nonprofit: high-yield if you have a school venue and parent volunteers. The kit-sales stream alone often covers your costs before contest day.
Students submit christmas card designs. Supporters vote for their favorites in exchange for a small donation. Print the winning designs and sell them as physical cards or ecards. Parents will buy a pack featuring their kid's drawing without even being asked.
For a small nonprofit: tiny budget, real revenue, and a built-in viral loop through proud parents.
3. Christmas ornament decorating day
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
3 to 5
$500 to $3,000
2 to 3 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
Charge a small fee per ornament. Provide blanks and supplies. Participants take their ornament home or hang it on a community tree. For a second revenue stream, sell pre-decorated ornaments online through a small store.
Charge an entry fee. Award prizes for Most Creative, Tallest, and Best Family-Built. Run hot cocoa sales on the side. The whole thing happens in a park or schoolyard.
For a small nonprofit: only worth it in reliably snowy regions. Have a rain-date plan in writing.
Christmas fundraising ideas for churches
Churches have something most nonprofits don't: a congregation that shows up weekly. Lean into that. For more year-round church-specific ideas, see our church fundraising ideas guide.
5. Christmas caroling
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
6 to 15 (singers)
$500 to $5,000
2 to 3 weeks
✅ realistic for churches
Carolers sing at neighborhood stops, shopping districts, or assisted-living facilities. Each caroler can run their own peer-to-peer fundraising page with a goal tied to songs sung or homes visited. Friends and family pledge per stop.
If you want a low-tech version that works for older donor bases, sell "carol-grams": for $20, a small group of carolers visits a recipient's home and sings two songs. The booking page is online; everything else is people in person.
Three or four short stories from people your mission has reached this year, posted across email and social media in the two weeks before Christmas. Each post ends with one clear donation link. This is your December email plan, not a separate event.
Two well-timed reminders beat ten clever ones. One Zeffy user told us she lost about a quarter of her email subscribers after a heavy Giving Tuesday push. Send fewer, send better.
For a small nonprofit: the cheapest, highest-leverage thing you can do in December. Stories are the asset that compounds; the donation form is the conversion point.
7. Christmas present auction
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$$
4 to 8
$3,000 to $30,000
5 to 8 weeks
✅ realistic for churches
Like an online auction but in-person, often paired with a christmas service or congregation event. Curated christmas gifts, getaways, and experiences. A skilled auctioneer keeps energy up. Wrap items in branded paper so winners can take a finished christmas gift straight home.
Zeffy's free auction feature means no cut comes out of your winning bids.
For a small nonprofit: works when you have a built-in audience already gathering for another reason. Don't try to draw a fresh crowd just for the auction.
8. Holiday gala
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$$$
15 to 25
$10,000 to $250,000+
4 to 6 months
❌ skip unless you already run galas
Venue, catering, live entertainment, silent auction, dress code. Galas can clear six figures, but they punish small orgs without infrastructure: deposits, insurance, sponsorship deck, ticket pricing, table sales, day-of logistics.
For a small nonprofit: only viable if you have prior gala experience, a board willing to sell tables, and a 4-month runway. A 3-volunteer team in November cannot pull off a gala in 4 weeks. The gingerbread contest or auction will earn more per hour of effort.
Christmas-themed event ideas
These are larger in-person events with bigger payoff and bigger lift. Pick one only if you already have the venue or volunteer base.
9. Breakfast with Santa
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$$
6 to 12
$2,000 to $25,000
6 to 8 weeks
✅ realistic for schools and churches
Families pay per ticket. You provide pancakes or waffles (or partner with a local restaurant). A volunteer in a Santa suit greets each table. A photographer captures every kid-with-Santa moment and sells the prints as an upsell.
The photo upsell is the part most orgs forget. It often doubles the revenue per family.
For a small nonprofit: the most reliable family-event fundraiser on this list if you have a venue with a commercial kitchen (church, school cafeteria, community hall).
A multi-station event: Santa photos, elf workshop crafts, christmas market stalls, holiday karaoke, lights. Each station is a small revenue point that adds up. The lift is real: setup, teardown, station staffing, weather contingency, insurance.
If you do run it, collect at each booth with Tap to Pay so visitors don't need cash.
For a small nonprofit: ❌ for a 3-volunteer team. If you're a school PTA with parent volunteers across multiple grades, it can work as a single annual flagship.
11. Hot chocolate station
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
2 to 4
$200 to $2,000
1 to 2 weeks
✅ realistic add-on, not a standalone
Tables, cups, two or three flavors (classic, peppermint, gingerbread). Park it next to a tree lot, christmas market, or shopping street. Sell merchandise like branded mugs as upsells.
For a small nonprofit: works best as a revenue add-on to a bigger event, not a fundraiser on its own. The margins are thin; the value is foot traffic and visibility.
Easy and creative Christmas fundraisers (start here if you have under 5 volunteers)
If you have a small team and a 4-week runway, this is your bucket. These ideas are cheap, fast, and don't require a venue.
12. Donate in someone's name as a christmas gift
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
1
$500 to $5,000+
1 to 2 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
The highest-yield-per-volunteer-hour christmas idea, and the one most small nonprofits skip. Set up a simple donation form with an "in honor of" field. A donor gives in their aunt's name, your form emails the aunt a branded christmas notice, and you keep 100% of the gift. It runs in the background while you focus on one other event.
This is also the right play if your donor base skews older or tech-resistant. It's email and a card, not a QR code at a venue.
Raffle off christmas-themed prizes: wreaths, gift baskets, ornament sets, a dinner-for-two at a local restaurant. Ask 4 or 5 local businesses to donate a prize each. Sell tickets through a dedicated online page so you're not chasing cash or paper stubs.
Check your state and provincial raffle rules before you sell tickets. Some states require a license for nonprofit raffles, and most cap ticket prices.
For a small nonprofit: the easiest revenue lift on this list if you already have a few local business relationships. Run your christmas raffle 100% free on Zeffy so every ticket dollar reaches your mission.
14. Christmas online auction
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
2 to 4
$2,000 to $25,000
4 to 6 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
Online auctions reach more bidders than an in-person night and you don't need a venue. Include 15 to 30 items: christmas merchandise, vacation packages, holiday experiences, gift cards. Bids run for 7 to 10 days leading into Christmas.
The work front-loads. Once items are listed and the page is live, you mostly send reminder emails.
For a small nonprofit: better revenue-per-volunteer-hour than a gala, with none of the venue risk. Host a free christmas auction on Zeffy on a platform that takes no cut.
15. Cookie-a-thon
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
3 to 5 (plus bakers)
$1,500 to $15,000
4 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
Each baker creates a personal fundraising page linked to your main campaign. They share it with friends and family, collecting pledges per dozen cookies baked. Twenty bakers with modest networks beat one staff member emailing the whole list.
This is peer-to-peer fundraising in a christmas wrapper. Each baker brings in their own circle, which is how you reach donors who never opened your last appeal. See our peer-to-peer fundraising guide for the playbook.
For a small nonprofit: the multiplier you need when your own list is tapped out. Turn every cookie-baker into a fundraiser with free peer-to-peer pages on Zeffy.
16. Ugly sweater competition
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$ to $$
3 to 6
$2,000 to $50,000+
4 to 6 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
Charge an entry fee, hand out prizes for Most Creative, Best On-Theme, and Worst-in-the-Best-Way. Pair it with a community-room venue and you have a full evening for under $500 in costs. Or run it virtually with photo submissions and votes.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority ran an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party on Zeffy, raised $51,000, and saved $1,708 in fees that would have come out of the take on a fee-charging platform.
For a small nonprofit: low risk, high cultural-fit. Works for community groups, sororities, workplaces, and church youth groups.
17. Holiday sale
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$$
4 to 8
$1,500 to $20,000
6 to 8 weeks
✅ realistic for small teams
A pop-up shop at a community center or partner business, stocked with christmas merchandise: branded ornaments, candles, christmas cards, small craft items. Local artisans take a small commission, your cause takes the rest.
If you're collecting in person, use Tap to Pay on a volunteer's phone instead of renting card readers. If you want the store to keep running online after the event, open a free shop and sell year-round.
For a small nonprofit: works best when you already have a venue partner. Skip it if you're starting from zero on retail logistics. Collect at the booth with Tap to Pay (your volunteer's phone is the card reader) and open a free online store for christmas merch and ornaments — both free on Zeffy.
18. Christmas tree disposal service
Cost
Volunteers
Revenue range
Lead time
Fit for small teams
$
4 to 8
$500 to $5,000
2 to 3 weeks
✅ realistic if you have a truck
Households pay $20 to $40 for January tree pickup. You collect, deliver to a recycling facility, and donors get curbside convenience for a small contribution. Schedule pickups online so volunteers route efficiently on one or two Saturdays.
For a small nonprofit: ✅ if you have access to a pickup truck and a recycling partner. ❌ skip unless both are confirmed before you start selling pickup slots.
The small-nonprofit Christmas plan
Pick one idea from the list above that matches your volunteer count, donor base, and the venues you already have access to. Pair it with the donate-in-someone's-name christmas gift form running quietly in the background from November 15 through December 31.
If your donor base skews older or tech-resistant, lean low-tech: volunteer-written christmas cards, a printed raffle book, in-person collection with Tap to Pay at a church or school market. One Zeffy user told us her older donor base responds far better to hand-written cards than to any digital ask.
Segment your year-end email list so you're not blasting the same donors who already gave on Giving Tuesday. Send two well-timed reminders, not ten. For a full December email and promotion plan, see our 6-tip holiday fundraising campaign guide.
The idea matters. The platform underneath it decides how much of the idea reaches your mission. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
Use a small set of channels well rather than every channel poorly. A short email sequence (a stories-based email mid-December, one reminder 48 hours before your event or close date, one final-day email), one social post per channel per week, and a banner on your donation page is plenty. Don't email daily in December. Subscriber-loss from over-emailing is the number-one complaint we hear from small-nonprofit operators after the holidays.
The donate-in-someone's-name christmas gift form, the holiday card design contest, the christmas storytelling campaign, and christmas caroling all cost under $200 to run and can clear $1,000 to $5,000 for a small team. Skip the gala and Santa's village if you have a 4-week runway.
Students create christmas-themed artwork. The school prints the winning designs as cards or ecards and sells them, often to the students' own families first. Revenue comes from card sales plus optional voting fees during the contest. It's one of the cheapest, most reliable school fundraisers on this list.
For an easy-and-creative idea (raffle, auction, gift form, card contest): 3 to 4 weeks. For a school or church event (gingerbread contest, Breakfast with Santa, caroling): 6 to 8 weeks. For a gala or Santa's village: 4 to 6 months. If you're reading this in mid-November, your realistic options are in the first two buckets only.
Don't run five campaigns at once. Pick one event plus the always-on gift form. Segment your email list so donors who already gave on Giving Tuesday don't get the same December asks as everyone else. Tell stories more than you ask. Send two reminders, not ten.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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