As a fraternity or sorority leader, you wear many hats to keep your operations running smoothly, including managing your chapter’s philanthropic efforts. It can feel overwhelming to dive into a new campaign, and you likely have questions if you’re just starting out. We get it, and fortunately, you don’t have to stress—we have you covered! We'll cover these topics to get you started:
Let’s dive into some profitable sorority and fraternity fundraising ideas and then answer frequently asked questions to help you boost your revenue.
17 Unique Fraternity and Sorority Fundraising Ideas
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! Here are the top eight ideas that are sure to drive big bucks to your chapter.
1. Product fundraiser
Who doesn’t love to rock some branded merchandise from an organization they’re proud to be a part of? Your chapter has the advantage of creating great branded merchandise because you’re already known by a recognizable symbol: your Greek letters.
To start producing and selling your branded merchandise, decide which items you’ll sell and their designs. Some popular branded items include:
- T-shirts
- Hats
- Stickers
- Water bottles
- Sweatshirts
After connecting with a product fundraising partner (who will produce the branded merchandise and sell it to you), ask your members to pick their top three favorite items via an online survey. Keep your chapter’s specific guidelines about who’s allowed to wear clothes with your Greek letters in mind, and, if necessary, create more general merch for donors who are outside the chapter. Then, involve your members further by asking them to submit designs for the merchandise. Once you’ve picked your favorite, you can order your merchandise and start selling to friends, family, and alumni!
2. Talent show
Your members have a vast array of interests and skills. Leverage their unique talents by hosting a talent show!
To kick off the planning process, ask your members who would be interested in showcasing their talent. Create a virtual sign-up sheet and communicate with your participants via an app like OmegaFi to organize rehearsals and show logistics. You can engage your nonparticipating members by enlisting them to market and run the event.
Another thing to keep in mind is how you’ll monetize the event and mitigate expenses. You might not have the funds to book a performance space, but don’t worry! A virtual or hybrid structure for your talent show can help keep costs low and encourage attendance at your event. You can monetize the event by only sending the meeting password to those who bought tickets online. With a little creativity and finesse, you can both entertain your target audience and raise money for your chapter.
3. Cookoff
There’s a reason that cooking competition shows are so addicting! Engage your members in some friendly competition over something everyone loves—tasty food.
You can monetize the event by charging admission for external attendees to spectate. Consider raising even more money with these added challenges:
- Buy an ingredient: Spectators can support their favorite candidate by purchasing special ingredients for them to use in their dish to edge out the competition.
- Join the judging panel: Offer your highest tier of donors a special role in the competition as a dish judge.
- Time crunch challenge: Turn up the heat in the kitchen by adding a time limit to the cookoff. Your spectators can donate money to add time to specific teams’ clocks so they can make the best dish possible.
With these creative add-ons, you can facilitate team bonding amongst your members while engaging your supporters and raising awareness for your chapter.
4. Silent auction
This fundraising idea is a staple of many nonprofit organizations, and your fraternity or sorority can adapt it for your own needs. First, decide if your auction will be held in-person, online, or in a hybrid format. Then, invest in an auction management tool that supports online and mobile bidding, item cataloging, payment processing, and data reporting.
Once you have the necessary tools, start sourcing your auction items. Ask local businesses if they would like to sponsor the event and donate in-kind gifts as auction items. You could also appeal to existing supporters to contribute items based on your auction’s theme. That being said, ensure that you only accept high-quality, useful, and compelling gifts that appeal to your audience.
Finally, it’s time to open your auction to the public! With the right tools, preparation, and items, your silent auction is sure to be a hit.
5. Car wash
Car washes are a tried-and-true fundraising event that’s low-cost and simple to plan. To begin, determine a date and venue for the car wash. All you need is a high-traffic outdoor space that has water access and can accommodate many vehicles. Then, recruit your members to be carwashers and acquire their sponges, towels, soap, buckets, and hoses.
You can monetize your event by either charging a set amount per wash or by encouraging donations of any amount. Write this information on attention-grabbing signs, as well as your chapter’s name and what you’re fundraising for, to draw customers in. If some of your members don’t want to be washers, recruit them as sign twirlers and donation collectors.
By hosting a car wash fundraiser, you’ll not only be gaining revenue for your chapter, but you’ll also be bringing your members together for a day of teambuilding and fun.
6. Dance-a-thon
Your members already love to dance the night away, so why not use them for your fundraising efforts? A dance-a-thon is an effective and exciting way to build community in your chapter and get more eyes on your fundraising campaign.
The part of the planning process that sets this event apart from the others on this list is the duration of the dance-a-thon. Will your participants be dancing for 6, 12, or even 24 hours? Offer your members flexibility by splitting the event into 6-hour segments so that they can take a break and come back later if necessary.
You can monetize this event in several ways. Consider adding a P2P element that requires a minimum donation amount per person to join the event. You can also offer prizes for the members that raise the most money or who stay on their feet for the duration of the event. To continue raising money through the dance-a-thon, encourage your attendees to share their fundraising page with their friends and family and ask for pledges for each hour they continue dancing. So put on your dancing shoes and prepare to fundraise better than ever!
7. Alumni reunion
Your alumni network is a key resource for achieving your fundraising objectives. Your alumni share a deep personal tie to your chapter, making them prime prospects. Rekindle their love for your chapter by hosting a reunion that inspires them to pay their support forward.
To generate revenue from this idea, consider charging admission, selling custom alumni merchandise, and selling food and drink tickets during the event. Take your event a step further by tying it to another element of their alma mater, such as a sports game or homecoming.
An alumni reunion allows your current members to connect with their brothers or sisters while alumni reconnect, all while raising important funds. Plus, your alumni will love being able to cement their legacy in your chapter!
8. Matching gift drive
Every donation matters, and some contributions to your sorority have the potential to be doubled with matching gifts. Matching gifts are a corporate philanthropy program some businesses offer wherein they will match their employees’ donations to charitable organizations.
For many nonprofit organizations, matching gifts are an untapped resource. In fact, 4-7 billion in matching gift revenue goes unclaimed every year since many eligible donors are unaware of matching gift programs, let alone how to apply for a match.
Fortunately, it’s easy for your sorority to get a piece of the matching gift pie by educating your donors about matching gifts. You can do this by:
- Creating a matching gift page on your website or adding “matching gifts” as a way to support your sorority on your “ways to get involved” page.
- Promoting matching gifts in your alumni newsletter and other outreach.
- Investing in matching gift software to add a matching gift search tool to your sorority’s website and donation page.
If you decide to go the extra mile and invest in software, look for matching gift vendors that cater to organizations around the same size as your sorority. For example, many vendors cater to nonprofits that bring in millions of each year. This means smaller sororities should be on the lookout for matching gift software companies with price plans that fit small organizations’ needs.
9. Raffle
Raffles are a classic fundraising staple because they are simple and inexpensive. You can host a raffle as a standalone campaign or use it as an "add-on" that runs in the background of a larger event.
To maximize revenue, consider using the 50/50 raffle model. In this format, attendees pay for raffle tickets, and those proceeds are added to the raffle cash pot. This pot functions as the prize, meaning you don't need to source a physical prize at all. The winner receives half of the cash pot collected from ticket sales, while your chapter keeps the other half—hence the 50/50 name.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to check your state and local laws regarding raffles, as they are considered gambling in some jurisdictions. Secure any necessary licenses or permits to remain compliant with local laws.
10. Charity Race
Races are high-visibility events that allow you to engage your campus and local community. While they require extensive logistical planning (including permits, route safety, water stations, etc.), the payoff in registration fees and sponsorship visibility is huge.
You don't have to be limited to a standard race. Consider choosing the format best suited to your chapter's personality, such as:
- A classic 5K or 10K. These are best for serious runners, but even more casual runners can participate in a 5K.
- Fun runs. These runs have some kind of fun twist, like a "Color Run," “Mud Run,” "Holiday Dash," or "Pajama Run." This is a great way to attract non-runners who want a social event and photo op.
- Walk-a-thons. This provides a more inclusive option that encourages participation from families and people of all fitness levels.
Because these races take significant planning and promotion, consider making them an annual event. This way, you can reuse planning resources, build strong relationships with sponsors, and lean on the hype for the event year after year.
11. Trivia Night
Trivia nights force people to form teams and stay for the entire duration of the event. You’ll generate revenue by charging entry fees and selling optional add-ons, such as hints or second chances. Keep the energy high and give everyone a chance to apply their knowledge by mixing up your rounds with a variety of categories, like:
- Chapter history: Deep cuts about your fraternity or sorority are great for alumni!
- Campus lore: Ask participants questions about university traditions, famous professors, and campus myths.
- Pop culture: Craft questions about trending movies, viral TikTok sounds, memes, and celebrity news.
- Music: Run “Name That Tune" rounds where you play five seconds of a song and have participants give you its name.
- Sports: Quiz athletics fans on specific sports statistics, facts, players, and history—bonus points if you can include questions about your school’s athletic programs.
12. Coin Drive
A coin drive or "Penny War" is a game that turns inter-chapter rivalry into revenue. Here’s how it works:
- Set up donation jars for every fraternity and sorority on campus in a high-traffic area like the student union.
- Share the points system with participants—it might look something like this:
- Positive Points: Pennies put in a jar count for that chapter.
- Negative Points: Silver coins (nickels, dimes, quarters) and paper bills count against that chapter.
- Collect donations—members will dump pennies in their own jar to gain points, but will drop silver coins and paper bills into rival jars to tank their scores.
At the end, the chapter with the highest "net" score wins bragging rights—but your philanthropy keeps all the money. To promote more participation, consider offering a prize to the winner.
13. Restaurant Percentage Night
This is a quick, easy, and free fundraiser—all you’ll need to do is find a restaurant to partner with and promote the fundraiser! Team up with a popular local restaurant (ideally one popular with students) to host a designated night where a certain percentage of the sales go to your cause.
Remember to spread the word about your restaurant night on social media and around campus well in advance, and include any special details attendees need to know. For example, maybe they must attend from 5:00-9:00 and mention your sorority of fraternity by name to secure the donation.
14. Moving Services
During the chaotic days of freshman move-in or senior move-out, parents likely need help hauling mini-fridges and futons up dorm stairs. Meet this need by offering moving services from your chapter.
Ask members who are willing and able to move heavy items to volunteer for the fundraiser. Promote the service ahead of time, and station members at dorms or apartment complexes. To raise money, charge a flat fee (e.g., $20–$50) to carry heavy items. Remember to promote safety by having members wear the proper shoes, educate them on proper lifting techniques, and have them sign volunteer waivers.
15. Movie Night
Transform your chapter house lawn or a lecture hall into a movie theater. A movie night is a great "low-pressure" social event for students looking for a cheap date night or a break from studying. You can monetize the event by selling:
- Tickets. Charge a small entry fee (around $5) to attend the movie night.
- Concessions. Sell popcorn, soda, and candy at a markup.
- VIP seats or add-ons. Charge an additional fee for a luxury experience. Offer "front row" seats, bean bags or cushions, blankets, etc.
Remember to consider your audience when selecting the movie—in other words, choose a movie that college students will want to attend. You might even get creative and have a themed movie night (e.g., an 80s night featuring John Hughes films) or coordinate the event with specific holidays (e.g., show horror movies around Halloween).
16. Holiday Gift Wrapping Services
During the holiday season, everyone is stressed and short on time. Students are busy studying for finals, while other members of your community are juggling holiday obligations with everything else life throws at them. Solve a problem for your community by offering gift wrapping services.
Consider setting up a gift-wrapping station in your student center or partnering with an area with high foot traffic (like a local mall). Alternatively, have supporters drop off gifts at your sorority or fraternity house and arrange a pick-up time.
Ask members to donate supplies like wrapping paper, tape, and bows to keep costs low. Then, determine pricing. You might charge a set price per box (e.g., small: $3, large: $7) or operate on a "donations appreciated" model. This is particularly effective right before winter break when students are packing to go home and don't want to travel with unwrapped gifts and rolls of wrapping paper.
17. Fitness Classes
Tap into wellness trends by hosting a yoga or HIIT class on your chapter house lawn or the campus green. This is a great way to promote fitness, mental health, and healthy habits while raising funds for your organization.
It’s best to find a certified instructor to lead the class—reach out to local studios or even alumni who might be willing to offer these services pro bono as an in-kind donation to your chapter. Set the session to be 45 minutes to an hour, and charge a small fee to attend (e.g., $10 per class). To drive more revenue, consider selling branded water bottles or health snacks after the session.
Fraternity and Sorority Fundraising FAQs
What do sororities and fraternities fundraise for?
Most fraternities and sororities fundraise to support their philanthropic partner, but every chapter is different and has unique needs. For instance, the fraternity Delta Chi fundraises for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
How do we throw a successful fundraiser?
Consider these “dos” and “don’ts” to execute a successful fundraising campaign:
Do:
- Ensure your tax-exempt status is valid: Did you know that your chapter can save thousands each year by renewing your tax-exempt status? Fraternities and sororities fall under the 501(c)(7) IRS category, meaning that they don’t have to pay federal income tax on income received that’s related to their purposes, such as membership dues and fundraising revenue. Work with your local and national leadership teams to get registered and adhere to the reporting requirements to save big.
- Set S.M.A.R.T goals: Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Following this framework helps you set expectations for your campaign and provides the bones for your fundraising strategy.
- Create a robust fundraising plan: Once you’ve set your goals, detail how you’re going to achieve them in a thorough fundraising plan. In this plan, you should include your budget, timeline, fundraising methods, target audience analysis, marketing plan, and key performance indicators (KPIs) so you can gauge success.
- Start planning in advance: Fundraising campaigns have lots of moving parts, especially for an organization as big as a fraternity or sorority. Ideally, you should start your goal-setting and planning processes at the end of the previous school year, once your new executive board has been trained.
- Keep accurate and detailed financial records: Using powerful digital tools such as OmegaFi’s fraternity and sorority management software is the best way to keep your finances organized. You can store donation information (as well as other fees) and easily pull it for approaching reporting deadlines.
- Take a data-driven fundraising approach: You can’t see the future, but you can plan for it with your previous fundraising and donor data. As your executive board meets throughout the year, compare your current analytics with those from last year. This can help guide your approach (and pivots if necessary).
Don’t:
- Take on too many jobs: It’s better to be fully focused on a few tasks than to be scatterbrained trying to tackle many tasks. Use your resources, such as your software, executive board members, advisors, and chapter members to help manage your fundraisers.
- Host too many fundraising campaigns: Don’t fatigue yourself and your target audience by bombarding them with campaigns and appeals. In this case, less is more and you should value quality over quantity!
- Rely too heavily on a single revenue source: It’s important to have a diverse stream of fundraising revenue so that if something falls through, you can still count on other sources. For example, don’t focus only on acquiring sponsorships for fundraising revenue.
- Overlook your marketing influence: Your chapter is uniquely situated to raise awareness of your cause due to your vast network of members and alumni, as well as their friends and families. Strategically plan your outreach efforts to leverage this web of connections.
- Neglect transparency: Building trust with your donors is critical to secure their future support. Be transparent about your fundraising campaign’s progress, including your total revenue raised and what the funds are going towards. Another way to boost accountability is to publish your IRS forms. These aren’t publicly available for 501(c)(7) organizations, but by posting them on your website, you can prove that your chapter is trustworthy.
How can we get members excited about fundraising?
Boost participation by making getting involved easy, offering comprehensive training, and recognizing members for their efforts. Here’s how to put each of these strategies into practice:
- Offer involvement tiers: Your members care about your chapter’s success, but the truth is that they’re likely extremely busy with schoolwork and other extracurricular activities. Appeal to your busier members by offering them more relaxed roles, such as being a peer-to-peer fundraiser or posting about your fundraisers on their social media.
- Train your members: Some of your members might be interested in fundraising for your chapter, but don’t have the confidence or experience. Empower them to become fundraising superstars by providing training and support. Host a few brief classes at the beginning of the year to teach them techniques. Then, as they get more comfortable with fundraising on their own, scale down to a drop-in hour each week for members to ask questions.
- Create a culture of recognition and appreciation: Your fundraisers will perform better when they’re encouraged and recognized by your chapter’s leadership and each other. Consider offering recognition programs, such as random social media shoutouts or a “fundraiser of the month” initiative, to thank your fundraisers and motivate them to perform even better.
How can we add value to our fundraiser?
There are always ways you can enhance your campaign to generate more donations, such as:
- Create and sell campaign-specific products: Hosting a charity 5K? Sell a custom dri-FIT athletic shirt for the race. What about a cooking class for charity? Offer special plates with your chapter’s branding. Selling distinctive branded items helps your donors remember your chapter and could spur future gifts.
- Incorporate a virtual element: Your chapter likely already has experience with hybrid or virtual learning and meeting environments. Leverage virtual conferencing software like Zoom to invite participants from near and far to participate in your fundraiser. Just ensure that you password-protect your meeting and only send the password to pre-registered participants to prevent bad actors from joining.
- Target supporter groups: During your audience targeting stage, you'll likely find that two of your most dedicated supporter groups are your chapter’s alumni and parents. Both have a deep personal connection to your chapter and want to pay their support forward. Leverage this by creating specific fundraising campaigns for them. For instance, you could create exclusive “chapter parent/alumni” shirts for them to purchase through your product fundraiser.
- Try a peer-to-peer format: Taking advantage of personal connections is the best way to spread awareness of your fundraiser and acquire new supporters. A peer-to-peer (P2P) format empowers your members to raise money through their own mini-campaigns. Plus, software solutions like OmegaFi make it simple and safe with a P2P campaign platform that syncs with your CRM and member management system.
These are just a few of the possibilities that you can repurpose for your chapter’s needs. Ultimately, the best revenue-generating ideas are aligned with your fundraising campaign’s focus, so be creative!
How can we use technology to streamline our fundraising efforts?
For every problem, there’s a software solution. If you’re new to fundraising or simply want to overhaul your tech, consider adding these types of solutions to your repertoire:
- Alumni engagement software
- Fundraising feasibility software
- Member management software
- Internal communications software
- Budgeting and financial reporting software
- Online payment processing software
Lots of options, huh? Don’t worry about juggling many different platforms. Look for a comprehensive fraternity and sorority management platform, such as OmegaFi, that includes all of these essential capabilities and more. Ultimately, search for a user-friendly product that has features that align with your goals.
How do we decide on the perfect fundraising idea for our chapter?
You can do the following to help you choose the best sorority and fraternity fundraising ideas for your chapter:
- Ask your chapter members. Your members care about the success of your chapter and they’re in tune with what college students love to do. At the beginning of the school year, ask your members via survey which fundraising ideas they recommend for your chapter and why. Then, evaluate them to see if there are any promising options.
- Research recent trends. Remember the smashing success of the ALS ice bucket challenge? Your chapter can hop on popular viral challenges and trends as peer-to-peer fraternity and sorority fundraising ideas. Just ensure you and your fellow members act fast once trends crop up because viral challenges can fade quickly.
- Theme them to align with your philanthropic partner. If you’re having trouble choosing a fundraising idea, consider picking one that aligns with your philanthropic partner’s cause. For example, if your philanthropic partner is a food bank, a Cookout for the Cause lines up with your partner’s focus on food security. By doing this, you’ll show your partner that you truly care about their initiatives by spreading awareness of their work while raising money for their cause.
- Calculate the potential return on investment. Will you need to significantly invest in the idea to get it off the ground? If the answer is yes, this fundraising idea probably isn’t a good fit for your chapter. While you’ll inevitably have to spend money to make money, it’s best to take on sorority and fraternity fundraising ideas that can yield a high return on your investment.
- Gauge how donors can get involved. The most successful fraternity and sorority fundraising ideas are those that support donor interaction with your chapter because it encourages them to donate again in the future. Consider how your donors will be engaging with your chapter with every fundraising idea. For instance, donors will interact with your chapter differently during a silent auction than they would with a dance-a-thon. There isn’t a right or wrong way to engage donors—the most important thing is to pick ideas that encourage future donor engagement.
Wrapping Up & Additional Resources
As your fundraising campaign winds down, your work isn’t done yet! Take the time to express how much your donors’ and members’ support means to you and the specific impact that their contributions had on your chapter. For instance, you could send a thank-you message updating donors about the scholarship their gift funded. Showing your love for supporters lays the groundwork for their long-term involvement with your chapter.
Want to learn more about fraternity and sorority fundraising? Check out these additional resources:
- Alumni Giving: A Guide to the Basics & Top 6 Strategies. Alumni giving is an incredibly lucrative way to earn revenue for your chapter. Learn how to engage them with this guide.
- Fraternity & Sorority Management: The Essential Guide. As a fraternity or sorority leader, you have a lot on your plate. Never fear—this guide is here to help.
- Top 10 Sorority and Fraternity Management Software. Looking for a tech renaissance to streamline your operations? Explore your options in this guide.
About the Author: Dain Lewis
Marketing Manager at OmegaFi
Dain Lewis is the newest member of the OmegaFi team, bringing a unique blend of Higher Education and Marketing expertise. With over a decade of experience in both fields, he previously served as a Director of Housing and Residence Life for 10 years before transitioning into marketing, where he has worked for more than 10 years.
Now based in Northern Virginia with his family, when he’s not working, he can often be found playing chess and sharpening his strategic thinking. He is excited to bring his expertise to OmegaFi, bridging the gap between Higher Education and Marketing to create a meaningful impact.
