Volunteers are the essence of nonprofit organizations. The energy, dedication, and time they devote to your cause is irreplaceable. When it comes to fundraising events, volunteers can be extremely valuable team members. They can ease some of the burden on your fundraising or development team, attract people from their networks to attend or sponsor the event, and help the event go off without a hitch.

As your team creates your yearly fundraising development plan and considers various fundraising events, think through how you can best use your volunteers’ skills and abilities. Tap into the power of your organization’s volunteers with these event ideas that lend themselves to leveraging volunteer support.

1. Sporting Event or Tournament

Sports allow people to come together to raise money for a good cause. They leverage friendly competition and activities donors and supporters enjoy to make fundraising more fun and engaging. They’re also versatile, giving you the option to focus on different sports based on your supporters’ preferences. Some popular charity sporting events or tournaments include a charity golf tournament, basketball tournament, softball tournament, pickleball tournament, and more.

How Volunteers Can Help

Let’s say your nonprofit is hosting a golf tournament. Volunteers can be utilized to help you:

• Tap into their networks if they have a contact at a local golf club to see if they can secure any reduced pricing
• Set up the course, such as placing pin flags or sponsor hole signage
• Reach out to prospective sponsors and golfers
• Assemble golfer gift bags
• Run on-course challenges or games
• Check in attendees
• Sell raffle tickets or mulligans
• Set up any raffle prizes or auction items
• Distribute food and beverages
• Set up any awards or post-golf banquet
• Clean up after the tournament
• Serve as a witness or help facilitate a hole-in-one contest

2. Charity Walks or Fun Runs

These type of events appeal to many of your current and potential donor base. After all, a run or walk doesn’t require supporters to be skilled at or interested in a specific sport, such as golf, softball, or pickleball, to participate in the event.

How Volunteers Can Help

Depending on the size and scope of the run or walk, you’ll need several volunteers to assist before, during, and after the event to:

• Mark the run or walk’s route before the start and clear it after it’s over
• Assemble participant packets
• Set up and run water and refreshment stations
• Check in participants and hand out packets
• Coordinate the finish line area by handing out medals, water, snacks, sweat towels, and other items
• Serve on a “cheer squad” to keep the energy up among participants and spectators and encourage pledges and donations
• Collect pledges and donations from the crowd

3. Community Festival

Festivals attract attendees and families across your community and allow your organization to test and incorporate new elements into fundraising events. They can be held at any time of the year and based on the current season or happenings, such as a “School’s Out” summer event or a “Winter Wonderland.”

How Volunteers Can Help

Your volunteer base is invaluable for a large-scale event like a community festival. They’ll help the festival go off without a hitch by:

• Staffing booths or coordinating booth set up and tear down
• Coordinating a call for vendors and exhibitors to be at the festival
• Being in charge of set-up and clean-up crews
• Directing traffic and managing parking areas
• Managing concession stands
• Selling and collecting festival tickets
• Managing the stage for any performances
• Serving as the festival’s emcee

4. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is a fun way to make your fundraising efforts interactive and boost community engagement. While the previously mentioned fundraising events are fairly standard and more common, a scavenger hunt will require some unique planning and volunteer roles (which can help motivate volunteers to sign up!).

How Volunteers Can Help

A scavenger hunt fundraiser may require some specific volunteer training, particularly since the event takes place over a large area in multiple locations throughout your community. Volunteers can help:

• Design clues and determine hunt locations
• Source prizes or other materials needed for the scavenger hunt
• Reach out to the appropriate parties to secure permission to use community spots, if needed
• Serve as a liaison for scavenger hunt teams and answer questions in real-time during the event
• Capture photos and videos to use in future digital marketing campaigns

Final Thoughts

Fundraising events give your nonprofit the chance to not only raise funds, but to further engage volunteers in your work. Once you’ve determined which type of event will best utilize your volunteers, determine how you’ll train them to ensure they’re prepared to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.

After the event concludes, there’s still work to be done! Communicate the event's impact to your volunteers so they understand, in tangible terms, how their work helped your mission. Remember to send thank-you messages to volunteers—it’s crucial to retain them over the long term and ensure they remain committed to your nonprofit into the future.

Logan Foote has been around the game of golf nearly his entire life. He first picked up a club at the age of four, and despite thousands of attempts, he’s never had a hole-in-one. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and pursued a career in sales. Logan came to GolfStatus in 2017, where he channels his passion for golf to help nonprofits raise money through the game. As Sales and Education Director, Logan oversees a team that works with thousands of nonprofit clients to maximize their golf fundraisers with the GolfStatus platform, and shares his golf fundraising expertise through GolfStatus’ free educational webinars. He lives and golfs in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife and three sons.