Children’s ministries run on dedication and prayer. But logistically, these programs also require resources, and your ministry leaders may struggle to balance their passion for teaching biblical truths with the practical need to fund their programs.
The good news is that the right fundraising ideas can help you raise the funding your ministry needs while reinforcing the lessons you’re trying to teach and engaging the community.
There are many different fundraisers you could launch, and the perfect idea depends on what your ministry is looking for. The type of fundraiser you choose will also determine what you need to get started, like volunteer training resources or a specific marketing tool.
Let’s walk through some of the best children’s church fundraising ideas and some tips for selecting the right ones for your ministry.
Top Fundraising Ideas for Your Ministry
1. Scripture-Based Scavenger Hunt
What it is: A Scripture-based scavenger hunt challenges kids to hunt down clues using Bible verses to lead them to a final prize.
What you’ll need:
- Clue cards with Bible verse-hints that lead kids to the next clue
- Bibles for participants to reference when deciphering hints
- Volunteers to set up stations and guide participants
- Small prizes for the winners
How it works: Create a set of clue cards that use Bible verses to guide kids from one hint to the next. Pull verses from your Bible-based children’s curriculum to make this fundraiser relevant to learning. For example, if you’ve recently covered the story of Jonah in children’s church, you could write “Jonah’s ride to Nineveh” and the reference Jonah 1:17 on a clue card, which leads kids to a whale mural in the park.
Determine a route participants should follow, and disperse the clue cards throughout the route according to the hints. Be sure to number the clue cards to help kids stay on track and follow the clues in order.
Charge a small registration fee for participating in the scavenger hunt—this is how you’ll raise funds for your ministry through the event.
2. Bible-Themed Quiz Night
What it is: A Bible-themed quiz night is a trivia-style event in which kids compete to be the first to correctly answer questions that test their Bible knowledge.
What you’ll need:
- Question sets tailored to your curriculum’s children’s church lessons
- A host or quizmaster
- Buzzers for participants to signal their readiness to answer a question
- Volunteers for setting up, keeping score, and cleaning up after the event
- Venue setup, including tables, chairs, and decorations
How it works: Create a set of questions separated into rounds of lesson-relevant categories. For example, you might plan for a round of Bible story questions, another round of memory verses, and a final round of “fun fact” questions.
Invite families to register their kids for the event, and charge each participant a small entry fee. You can also raise funds through this event by selling snacks, beverages, and even merchandise branded to your ministry!
Separate registrants into groups, ensuring fairness with your grade-level distribution, and offer a small prize to the winning team!
3. Talent Show
What it is: A talent show fundraiser is an event in which participants perform various acts in front of an audience, such as singing or playing instruments.
What you’ll need:
- Stage or performance space
- Sound and lighting equipment
- Volunteers to manage check-in and backstage support
- Event management tools to handle ticketing and promotion
How it works: Choose a venue and date for your talent show, and create a registration form for kids interested in performing. Open registration to the kids in your ministry, and encourage them to invite their friends and families to be in the audience.
Selling tickets to audience members and concessions throughout the event will probably be your main revenue streams here. You could also ask performers to pay a small entry fee to raise more money.
If you want to make the talent show even more interesting, consider recruiting a team of volunteers to serve as judges. At the end, the panel of judges selects a winner, who will receive a first-place prize from your ministry.
4. Service-a-Thon
What it is: A service-a-thon is an organized day of community service. In this event, participants receive pledged support from family members and friends for completing service projects.
What you’ll need:
- Service project ideas and locations
- Volunteer coordinators
- Pledge tracking system
- Marketing materials to recruit participants and sponsors
How it works: Work with local nonprofit organizations to develop a list of potential service projects for the event. Invite kids in your ministry to sign up, then offer age-appropriate service activities that they can choose from to complete.
For example, younger children may want to care for a community garden, while older kids might be willing to wash graffiti from a local storefront. If necessary, pair younger kids with adult volunteer coordinators who can guide them through the activity and watch out for their safety.
Recruit sponsors, such as participants’ family members and friends, to pledge donations based on the number of hours served or projects completed. Community involvement can also generate awareness for your ministry, which may yield partnerships with other organizations or corporate support for your cause.
How to Choose a Fundraising Idea That Works
The above ideas are all great options for ministries looking to fundraise. So, how do you decide which one best suits your needs? Here are a few tips:
- Take stock of your resources. Even a virtual peer-to-peer fundraiser can quickly become expensive and time-consuming if your ministry lacks the tools to host it. Consider what resources are already available to you, and go from there.
- Think about size. Tailor your event to your audience, no matter its size. For example, while smaller churches may have sparse budgets, Wonder Ink explains they have a unique opportunity to create relational programs. Use size to your advantage to host an event that resonates with your church’s families.
- Gather input. When in doubt, ask the kids in your ministry what types of events excite them most! You can also gather inspiration from other people involved in the process. For example, a local nonprofit may know of service projects that could work for your service-a-thon event.
When the event is over, work to build relationships with those who showed up and contributed. For example, send handwritten thank-you notes to those who participated and contributed, or host an appreciation event a few weeks later where you thank participants and share your fundraising results.
As Insightful Philanthropy explains, stewardship tactics help you send supporters back into the cycle, getting them excited for your next fundraiser and deepening their commitment to your cause.
Fundraising may be a financial necessity for your children’s ministry, but the campaigns you choose can also support your mission in non-monetary ways. When your fundraising events reflect the ministry’s teachings and values, they’ll ultimately reinforce your efforts to share the gospel with young kids and the surrounding community.