20 Fall Fundraiser Ideas That Actually Work

When the leaves begin to turn and pumpkin spice fills the air, it's not just a sign of cozy sweaters and football games, it’s peak fundraising season for everyone from fall and winter sports teams, to PTOs, high school classes, music programs, and organizations. Whether you're a school, club, nonprofit, or sports team, fall provides an ideal backdrop for events that engage your community and boost your fundraising success.

In northern U.S. states, mid-September through October is prime fundraising season. Why? Non-profit Pro, a resource for fundraisers around the country, states “The best fundraisers know that their donors will enjoy attending events because it's not bitterly cold or snowy outside, and they're likely to be in their main residences and not in second homes down in the South.” It is true. Know a grandparent that has a home in Florida or a southern state? You’re not alone.

From outdoor carnivals to virtual challenges, this list of 20 fall fundraiser ideas will help you find the right fit for your goals. Whether you're looking for fall fundraiser ideas for schools, church groups, or community causes, there's something here for everyone.

Let’s dive in, see some frequently asked questions about fundraising after you choose your favorite fundraiser.

1. Fall Festival Fundraiser

Host a full-blown fall festival featuring hayrides, apple bobbing, pumpkin bowling, caramel apple stations, and craft booths. Charge admission or offer tickets for activities. Perfect for families, and an excellent option for fall school fundraiser ideas. Local businesses may sponsor booths to help with costs.

2. Teamfi Calendar Fundraiser

One of the easiest and highest-yield options for the fall season, a Teamfi pick a date calendar fundraiser lets your team sell dates on a digital giving calendar. Each day is a donation amount, for example, $5 for day 5, $15 for day 15, and so on.

It’s mobile-friendly, takes less than 10 minutes to learn the ins and outs, and it’s coach-recommended like all of our Teamfi products. Teams often raise $250–$400 per fundraiser participant.

See how four teams altered their program with breakthrough fundraising thanks to the calendar fundraiser.

3. Pumpkin Carving Contest Fundraiser

Encourage creativity with a pumpkin carving contest and create incredible jack-o-lanterns. Divide entries by age group and offer small prizes. Charge a small entry fee and let the community vote for their favorites. A great low-cost event for schools and scout troops. Raise a couple hundred bucks and create a fun community event.

Work on getting donated gift cards from the community to be used as prizes for winning pumpkins.

4. Apple Cider Stand Fundraiser

Take the classic lemonade stand and give it a fall twist. Set up at local sporting events, fall markets, or festivals. Offer cider by the cup or sell half-gallon jugs to families. Add in homemade donuts or cinnamon rolls for bonus sales. Partnering with a local cider mill if available is a great way to include a local establishment.

Like similar fundraising types, such as the lemonade stand or bake sales, this low margin fundraiser isn’t going to make thousands of dollars without a significant amount of work.

This is great for organizations with younger participants with lower fundraising goals.

5. Costume Fall Fundraiser Run or Color Run

Combine two fall favorites, a costume contest and a fun run, into a themed fall color run fundraiser. With Teamfi, you can set up a digital fundraising page for each participant to raise money leading up to race day. Bonus: It’s great for schools or sports teams and easy to pair with local sponsors. We answer all your questions about running a color run here.

Other choices with a little less setup include “walk-a-thons” which take the color out of it, but it’s still a lot of fun and a great way to make money.

6. Haunted Hallway or Haunted House Fall Fundraiser

Convert a classroom, gym, or church basement into a haunted attraction. Charge for entry, and use volunteers as actors. Works well for middle schools and high school groups looking for something hands-on and memorable.

7. Chili Cook-Off Fall Fundraiser

Invite community members to bring their best chili recipes for a friendly competition. Attendees pay to sample and vote, with people being able to enter for free. As long as you have a space you can utilize for free, this is a no cost way to fundraise.

Offer prizes like “spiciest,” “best vegetarian,” and “most creative.” Pair this with a local fall festival for extra exposure.

Marketing is a key component of any fundraising campaign. Use your organizations social media pages, local Facebook groups, and any other outreach you can utilize such as school newsletters to get the word out about your event. The more people that know about it, the higher your odds of success.

8. Teamfi Crowdfunding Fall Fundraiser Campaign

Want to run a fundraiser without lifting a finger? Teamfi’s crowdfunding platform is easy to use and optimized for fall fundraising. Coaches and teachers love it because every player gets their own donation link, and built-in automation does the rest. Launch in under 10 minutes.

How much can you raise with crowdfunding? We take pride in our transparency about pricing.

9. Pie Sale Fall Fundraiser

One dessert reigns supreme in the fall. It’s pie. Newsweek’s poll of 1,000 Americans in 2024 had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and pecan pie as the top three favorite desserts during the holiday season.

So instead of having families buy pies from the store this year, have your program get the ingredients to build out a “bake sale” focused on the high margin, low effort favorite dessert.

You see pies are actually much easier to make for an organization looking to raise money.

Step 1: Preparation

• Choose your recipes: Stick to 2–3 classic fall flavors (apple, pumpkin, pecan) to simplify shopping and production.
  
• Purchase ingredients in bulk: Use wholesale stores or local farms for apples, sugar, spices, flour, butter, etc. Pre-made crusts can save time if homemade isn’t feasible.

Step 2: Make and Assemble the Pies

• Roll out crusts and fit them into disposable pie tins (or use pre-shaped frozen crusts).
  
• Fill each pie with pre-mixed, pre-measured ingredients to ensure consistency. Wrap, label, and freeze.

Now your pies are ready to go whether you chose to do a pie pre-sale (recommended) or want to sell pies after production.

10. “Fill My” Fall Fundraiser Template Ideas

Similar to the calendar fundraiser, there are a variety of similar fundraisers that can be tailored to your sport, group, or organization. “Fill my football”, “Fill my bow”, and other unique fill-based fundraisers are available to utilize.

These fundraisers are easy to follow and help provide a guide to how to run a simple fundraiser with a built in fundraising goal built in.

11. Halloween Costume Party Fundraiser

A kids’ Halloween costume party is a fun, family-friendly way to raise money while embracing the spooky spirit of the season. Charge a small entry fee and invite children to come dressed in their best costumes for an afternoon of games, music, crafts, and a costume contest with prizes. Add revenue with optional extras like face painting, a photo booth, pumpkin decorating, or themed snacks for sale.

Partner with local businesses for prize donations or sponsorships, and promote the event at nearby schools, daycares, and community centers.

Not only is it a hit with parents looking for safe Halloween fun, but it’s also a fantastic way to engage your community and generate funds for your cause.

Play favorite kids Halloween music like “Monster Mash” and make a dance out of it!

12. Corn Maze Fall Fundraiser

The most time consuming and intensive on this list, but with tremendous upside. A corn maze is a true fall favorite.

Find a field where you know the field owner who would be willing to either donate the land for the times your maze will be open, or offer them a cut of admission. It is their land, they’re well entitled to a percentage.

Once a corn field is secured, we can jump into the details.

1. Plan Your Design and Layout

• Choose your maze theme and sketch out a design.
  
• Make sure to allow for wide enough paths (at least 3–4 feet) and emergency exits.
  

2. Cut the Maze Paths

• When corn is about 6–12 inches tall (late spring to early summer), use GPS or printed grid overlays to mark your design on the field.
  
• Mow, till, or hand-cut the paths carefully following your design. Work with the farmer to help make this happen..
  

3. Prepare for Visitors

• Add signage, safety markers, and a map if needed.
  
• Open to the public when the corn is tall (usually mid-September through late October). Note liability insurance is a must when planning a corn maze, especially on private property.

13. Turkey Trot Walk-a-Thon

A Turkey Trot Walk-a-Thon is a festive and active way to raise money before Thanksgiving. Participants register in advance and commit to walking a set distance while collecting pledges from friends and family.

You can host the walk at a school track, local park, or neighborhood route. This is a great fundraiser for schools and youth sports teams, especially when paired with a digital fundraising platform to make donations easy and trackable.

Dress for the weather, but you can also add in a turkey-themed outfit for added fun.

14. Make Your Own Caramel Apple

A caramel apple bar is a delicious and interactive fundraiser that’s perfect for fall festivals, school events, or community gatherings.

Also a play on the traditional bake sale, with a unique festive flair with an in-season treat. Set up a table where supporters can dip fresh apples into warm caramel and choose from a variety of toppings like crushed Oreos, sprinkles, chopped nuts, mini M&Ms, and drizzle sauces. Charge per apple or offer a “build-your-own” station for a flat fee. You can even pre-dip some for those in a hurry. It’s easy to set up, appeals to all ages, and offers a fun, hands-on experience.

15. “Pumpkin Smash” Fall Fundraiser

What do you do with leftover carved pumpkins after Halloween? A pumpkin smash fundraiser is a wildly fun and unexpected way to raise money after Halloween. Collect leftover or donated pumpkins from community members, then let participants pay to smash them using bats, mallets, or even slingshots in a safe, designated area.

It’s a stress-relieving, crowd-pleasing event that works great for teens and families alike.

It's eco-friendly too, just compost the pumpkin remains afterward or partner with a local farm to use the scraps as animal feed.

16. Fall Photo Booth Fundraiser

Partner with a local photographer on a photography fundraiser.

Set up an autumn-themed photo backdrop with hay bales, pumpkins, and flannel props. Work with the photographer on a price for them for their work per session, and a percentage back to your program.

A sure fire hit at a school event or fall festival.

Want to pair a simple in-person fundraiser with an online fundraiser? Here’s seven reasons why teams love using online fundraising.

17. Raking Leaves for a Cause Fundraiser

Offer yard cleanup and raking services in exchange for donations. Best run by student groups or sports teams, you’ll definitely earn this, but with groups taking on yards you can knock out houses and even neighborhoods in just a few hours.

Raking will require your team or organization to have rakes, as well as bags to collect leaves and leave out for collection.

If you need a digital way to collect funds, consider one of our Teamfi donation pages.

18. Thanksgiving Meal Kit Fundraiser

Build a 20 ingredient Thanksgiving kit and sell it to families around the community. It’s convenient for families and offers great returns with minimal effort.

For example, bundling turkey, butter, salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage, russet potatoes, heavy cream, garlic, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, crispy fried onions, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, marshmallows, cranberries, orange juice, bread cubes, and onions into a basic 20 ingredient thanksgiving dinner package for four. Total from the grocery store, you’re looking at about $75. You’ve done the work for people though, and if you can get ingredients in bulk you can save even more money. Charge double what it cost you to get, and you’ll be on the way to a successful fundraiser.

Have leftovers? Make a statement by donating your remaining kits, after your volunteers get some of course, to the needy.

Americans have a positive attitude on giving, and in turn, to organizations that give back. Making it known that you’ve given back to the community, without sounding boisterous, is a great way for people to feel good about themselves and your organization.

19. Fall Trivia Night Fundraiser

Get your supporters in the spooky spirit with a Halloween-themed trivia night. Host the event at a local school, church, or community center. Teams pay an entry fee to compete in rounds of eerie and autumn-inspired trivia: horror films, candy history, spooky songs, and urban legends.

Entry fee should include a dinner, and you can pair the trivia night with other fundraiser ideas like the apple cider stand or merchandise sales to increase the effectiveness of the trivia night.

Encourage participants to dress up and offer prizes for best costume, best team name, and top score. You can even add bonus rounds or themed drinks and snacks for extra fundraising opportunities. It’s a fun, social, and seasonal way to raise money while bringing the community together.

20. Fall-Themed Silent Auction and Expo Fundraiser

Set up a cozy fall marketplace featuring handmade arts, crafts, and baked goods from local creators, students, or volunteers.

Pair it with a silent auction full of autumn-themed baskets, experiences, or donated items, think scented candles, quilts, fall decor, and more.

Charge a small entry fee or offer concessions like cider and donuts to add to the atmosphere. This type of event works well at schools, community halls, or even outdoors at a fall festival. It’s especially effective around Thanksgiving when people are already in a giving mood, looking for Christmas gifts, or are looking for seasonal touches for their homes.

Final Fall Fundraiser Idea Thoughts: Make This Your Best Fundraising Season Yet

Fall is more than just the changing of the seasons, it’s the perfect time to connect with your supporters and rally your community. From fun runs to festivals, these fall fundraiser ideas offer a blend of creativity, tradition, and adaptability to fit your needs.

Ready to get started? If you want to skip the heavy lifting and get your fundraiser live in minutes, consider using Teamfi’s 100% free tools to launch a calendar, color run, or crowdfunding fundraiser today. We’re here to help if you need us!