Resources  >  Fundraiser Ideas
Fundraiser Ideas
Our community has come up with countless creative ideas to fund ALS research. Whether you're looking to start a simple fundraiser or plan something big, there are opportunities for everyone to fundraise for ALS TDI!
Browse through examples of successful types of fundraisers that our community has hosted to get ideas, learn tips, and get started on your own! You can also download a PDF version of our Fundraiser Ideas booklet here.
Our community has come up with countless creative ideas to fund ALS research. Whether you're looking to start a simple fundraiser or plan something big, there are opportunities for everyone to fundraise for ALS TDI!
Browse through examples of successful types of fundraisers that our community has hosted to get ideas, learn tips, and get started on your own! You can also download a PDF version of our Fundraiser Ideas booklet here.

Bar Crawls

We have many bar crawls that happen annually around the U.S. to benefit ALS TDI. One example, was the 50in1 Bar Crawl, inspired by the Get A Clue Bar Crawl series, took place in many cities in January 2020. Local organizers planned bar crawls in their cities based on what worked best for their networks. Some did full takeovers of breweries and bars where bar hopping around town was more difficult, while some cities did full crawls throughout the city. Large networks and enthusiasm for a good time and silly teams is a key for success for this event.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
50-100

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Be sure to consider what the people in your area would want to participate in and remember that logistics are key to a multiple step bar crawl.
Resources Required
Network of people aged 21+

Golf Events

Golf tournaments can raise money for ALS both through individual/team registrations as well as through potential sponsorships. Tournaments can be held throughout the year depending on your location and will generally require getting approval from a club and determining how many people can be involved. A “scramble” style tournament is sometimes preferable to keep things moving quickly. Event can be enhanced by including games and competitions throughout the day (longest drive, closest to the pin, etc). Hosting a lunch/dinner, and adding raffle and auction items. Consider soliciting sponsors for the event and/or for each hole and offering recognition.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
50-100

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Hosting at an exclusive golf club can help to attract a wider audience.
Resources Required
Champion to organize event

Polar Plunge

Through a polar plunge, a group of individuals or teams, participate in an event where they jump into an ocean or lake, during the winter months, to raise money for ALS research. Corpus Christi has been hosting an annual polar bear plunge for over five years, and has raised over $50,000 for ALS TDI. Through the Corpus Christie Polar Bear Plunge , teams and individuals register and solicit online donations in exchange for jumping into the ocean on New Year's Day.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
50-500

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Encourage costumes; have teams compete; silly awards for top fundraisers and best costume; consider where people will change and warm up; consider entertainment: a band, DJ, dance contest to warm up, cheerleaders.
Resources Required
RAISE page

Product Sales

Selling goods and products, whether in-person or online, can be a fun way to share your talents and passions while also raise funds for ALS research. Whether you want to create your own hand-made goods, or to purchase customized products from a third party, you can donate the proceeds to ALS TDI, while covering your own costs. For example, photographer Mandi Bailey creates an annual End ALS Calendar that includes her own photography on each page. She then works with a local vendor who prints the calendars for her at a discounted rate. Mandi personally pays for the cost of the calendars and then sells each for $25 through ALS TDI's Raise platform. Mandi

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Choose an item that your network would be interested in; Identify if there is a special occasion coming up that can support your item.
Resources Required
Network of people aged 21+

Fitness Classes

A workout class can be done in an indoor studio, outdoors, or virtually online. Once you identify what type of fitness class you are hosting, and confirm an instructor, you can choose the best venue. Examples of successful events that have been held for ALS TDI include Pound Out ALS, where a fitness class was hosted at a local brewery, and Dana Miller's Ride for Research, where participants were invited to B/Spoke studio to spin and raise funds for ALS. In addition to fitness instruction, successful events often include concessions and additional activities that attendees can enjoy.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
20-100

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Have a Donation Jar available for additional donations the day of the event; Include raffle items and sell tickets for additional fundraising opportunities; Recruit sponsors for the event, for example: A nutrition or supplement company could set up a table at the event in exchange for a sponsorship.
Resources Required
Fitness coach

Tug of War

Tug-of-war involves an athletic contest between two teams at opposite ends of a rope, each team trying to drag the other across a center line. Tug-of-war events are a great way to unite members of the community in friendly competition while raising funds for ALS research. Arrest and Extinguish is an example of a tug-of-war event that took place in Lenox Massachusetts and invited local first responders to form teams and compete against each other. The event was held at an outdoor venue and invited community members to donate in support of their favorite team as well as to come and attend the event in-person as spectators. Events require teams of 4-5

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
10-300

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Engage your community and create a friendly competition between community groups.
Resources Required
Network of people to participate and spread the word.

Lemonade Stand

Setting up a stand to sell food or beverages, like lemonade or cookies, is an easy way to raise funds for ALS, and can be surprisingly effective. In seventh grade, Ole Miss punter Mac Brown started selling lemonade for 25 cents, with a modest goal of raising $500 for ALS research. Over 10 years later, his Awesome Lemonade Stand has raised over $70,000 thanks to Mac and friends, who host the Awesome Lemonade Stand each year in his hometown of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Whether you want to setup a small stand outside of your home, or to setup at a popular event/location, communicating your passion for the cause is a key to success.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
10-300

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Can be easily organized in 4 weeks or less.
Resources Required
Marketing the event, volunteers

Challenge/Dare

What would you do to end ALS? Shave your head? Eat a hot pepper? Take the Ice Bucket Challenge five times in a row? Through a challenge or dare you can come up with an activity for yourself (or ask your friends to create one for you) and pledge to do it in exchange for donations to ALS Research. As a part of the Dare Me to End ALS Challenge, ALS TDI's leaders, COO, Bashar Al-Nakhala, and CSO, Fernando Vieira, offered to shaved their heads to help raise money for our mission to #EndALS. They simply created a fundraising page on RAISE and asked community members to donate by Fathers' Day to have them shave their heads. They both ended up following through on the dare and sharing the results with photos on social media. This easy event ended up raising over $2,000 for ALS research.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
N/A

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Choose a fun challenge that your network will get excited about.
Resources Required
RAISE fundraising page, engaged network

Walks/Rolls/Strolls/Runs

ALS robs individuals of their movement so we want you to celebrate your movement and do what moves you.
Whether it's walking, running, dancing, rowing, lifting, clogging, you name it! We invite you to do any activity of your choosing, from wherever you are, and help us fundraise for ALS TDI.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
50-300

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser
Try and choose an activity relevant for your network, or allow them to choose activates that mean a lot to them! Have a crew of runners? A 5k may be perfect to reach out to them and find local sponsors. Not runners? Group walks and virtual challenges are also a great option!
Resources Required
Champion to organize event, RAISE page

Fundraising Party

Hosting a party is a great way to engage your network to raise money for ALS through a live event. Parties can raise money for ALS both through ticket/table sales as well as through sponsorships, raffles/auctions, and donations. Parties can range from informal events such as cocktails or BBQs, to formal events like a seated dinner Gala. The level of planning and investment will depend largely on the type of party that you want to host and how many people you want to include. Corey’s Crusade is an example of a more formal event where the Reich family hosts a night of dinner and dancing at a local country club and attendees make donations before or during the event. An informal party might be hosted in a backyard or at a more casual venue like a public park or a local bar. Knowing what would appeal to your specific network is key when determining the type of party that you want to host.

Planning and Hosting Difficulty Rating

Easy
Difficult
Number of Attendees
50-1,000

Tips For Hosting This Fundraiser

Soliciting in-kind donations like donated food and beverages can help to reduce costs.

Invite your whole network, even if they don’t live in the immediate area. You never know who will attend and/or contribute! Soliciting in-kind donations like donated auction/raffle items, food, and beverages can help to reduce costs.

Resources Required
Champion to organize event, RAISE page

Fundraising Campaigns Accelerating ALS Research

Check out fundraisers that are making an impact in ALS research in our RAISE community.


Whether you are just starting to fundraise online or you are looking to diversify your online fundraising, RAISE has the fundraising solution you need to raise more money to advance ALS research.
Need help getting started
Need help getting started?
Email us at events@als.net.