For many people, Valentine’s Day is a day for celebrating those they love. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, Valentine’s Day spending is on the rise—respondents planned to spend $25.9 billion this year, with 40% considering greeting cards as a top gift to send to loved ones.
Make the most of this special day by organizing your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts around it. Valentine’s Day provides a perfect opportunity for showing love to your donors and strengthening support for your cause. To help you create a fruitful fundraising strategy for this holiday, we’ll discuss these compelling fundraising ideas to inspire you:
- Virtual Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
- Sweet and Tasty Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
- Valentine’s Day Fundraising Event Ideas
- Competitive Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
- Bonus Tips for Valentine’s Day Fundraising
This February, give your nonprofit’s donors the chance to contribute to a cause that’s close to their hearts. From lovely eCards to romantic fundraising events, there is an abundance of Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas for your nonprofit to implement. Let’s begin!
Virtual Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
Build connections with near and distant supporters with virtual fundraising this Valentine’s Day. These engaging options not only prioritize convenience for your donors, but they reduce expenses for your organization.
Valentine’s Day eCards
As Valentine’s Day nears, cute and romantic greeting cards begin flooding stores, providing people with an easy way to bring smiles to their loved ones’ faces. Make it even easier for your donors to connect with their personal networks and make a difference in their community by creating Valentine’s Day fundraising eCards.
The process is simple and offers a lot of room for creativity. All you need is eCard software, like eCardWidget, to start. Then, with photos or graphics, design some Valentine eCards that are sweeter than candy and embed them on your website. Donors can then send these eCards to their loved ones by making a gift to your organization.
One Tail at a Time, an animal rescue, successfully implemented puppygram eCards for Valentine’s Day, asking for a $25 donation for supporters to send an adorable eCard to one or multiple recipients. They took their eCard fundraising efforts to the next level by adding extra options to engage donors alongside higher gift amounts, such as 15 minutes of snuggling with rescue puppies for a $500 donation.
Valentine Raffles
While your nonprofit can host raffles in person, a virtual Valentine’s Day raffle ensures that you reach as many supporters as possible. Aim to secure prizes related to Valentine’s Day, from chocolates to wine to date night packages.
Reach out to local businesses that might be interested in sponsoring your Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Their sponsorship may include unique and appealing in-kind donations as raffle prizes, such as local vintage wine. Then, create a page on your website to sell raffle tickets and promote them on your marketing channels leading up to February.
Matching Gifts
While matching gifts are crucial to your nonprofit’s success year-round, Valentine’s Day presents a chance for you to check in with donors and make sure they’re informed about this opportunity. 360MatchPro notes that one in three donors make a larger gift if their donation will be matched, so encourage your donors to determine their matching gift eligibility this February to maximize their support.
If you don’t already have matching gift technology to guide your efforts, take this time to look into software solutions that will help you follow up with donors about their eligibility.
Virtual Date Night Auction
Make this Valentine’s Day a memorable experience for your supporters by hosting a date night auction before the occasion. This is another opportunity for connecting with local businesses that are willing to support your cause and provide date night packages for your nonprofit to auction off. Some popular options include dinner at a fancy restaurant, spa or massage treatments, and an overnight hotel stay.
A virtual auction offers much more flexibility for both your organization and your participants. With the right fundraising tools, you can garner support for your mission and set your supporters up with lovely Valentine’s Day dates with their partners.
Virtual Rom-Com Movie Night
End Valentine’s Day on a high note by hosting a virtual rom-com movie night fundraiser. This way, your supporters have the ability to lounge in the comforts of their own homes while enjoying a romantic movie for a good cause.
To raise funds, sell tickets on a designated page for your event. You can create a more appealing experience by selling them in the form of eCards, so your supporters can easily send tickets and invite their loved ones to watch the movie with them.
Sweet and Tasty Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
On Valentine’s Day, sending a sweet treat or bottle of wine is a wonderful way to show someone that you love and appreciate them. Spread this love and raise funds for your mission with these food- and drink-related Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas.
Bake Sale
While bake sales are popular at any time of year, selling Valentine-themed treats can be especially appealing to donors in February. From heart-shaped cookies to red velvet cake, there are many ways to get creative with desserts for Valentine’s Day.
Enlist your staff and volunteers to put a Valentine’s Day twist on their favorite recipes to provide high-quality baked goods for your fundraiser. These will make for enticing options for supporters to purchase for themselves or as gifts for their Valentines.
Candy Grams
Give your supporters a sweet way to contribute to your organization’s mission and send short messages to their loved ones with Valentine’s Day candy grams. In the spirit of the holiday, you can even give your fundraiser a catchy name like “Cupid’s Candy Grams.”
This Valentine’s Day fundraising idea is cost-effective, too, making it a popular choice for schools. All you need is some candy, messaging material, and ribbon to get started. Donors can then support your nonprofit by purchasing these candy grams to surprise their partners, friends, or family with a little treat.
Chocolate-Making Class
For a more interactive way to raise funds this February, consider organizing a chocolate-making class for your supporters. All they need to do is pay a small fee to become amateur chocolatiers for an hour or two.
Whether you have a chocolate-making expert in the midst of your nonprofit staff or choose to partner with a guest confectioner to run the class, this Valentine’s Day fundraising idea is a win-win for your nonprofit and supporters, who get the chance to make their own Valentine’s Day gifts.
Wine Tasting Fundraiser
Hosting a wine tasting fundraiser for Valentine’s Day presents the perfect opportunity for supporters to gather with their loved ones in support of your organization’s cause. To set your event up for success, you’ll need to secure sponsorships from local wine companies.
Remember that corporate sponsorships are mutually beneficial partnerships—in exchange for businesses allowing you to host your wine tasting event at their locations, you’ll provide them with extra marketing in your promotional materials. Don’t forget to thank them for their support in order to cultivate a long-lasting relationship that will benefit both you and the business moving forward.
Pancake Breakfast
Level up a traditional pancake breakfast fundraiser by hosting a Valentine’s Day-themed one in February. Send supporters flocking to your event by offering heart-shaped pancakes at the breakfast, along with popular morning drinks such as juice and coffee.
This Valentine’s Day fundraising idea is a low-cost way to gather your nonprofit’s supporters and strengthen their sense of shared community over a warm meal. Sell event tickets ahead of the event and reach out to local businesses that may be interested in providing food and dining supplies to assist with your fundraising efforts.
Valentine’s Day Fundraising Event Ideas
For this Valentine’s Day, take the time to review your priorities and supporters’ interests to determine which fundraising event will work best for your nonprofit.
Couples’ Costume Party
Halloween doesn’t have to be the only holiday for dressing up in costumes! This Valentine’s Day, host a couples’ costume party, inviting your supporters to attend wearing the attire of their favorite duos. In addition to charging for admission tickets, generate additional revenue by allowing guests to vote on the best costumes in exchange for a small fee donated to your nonprofit.
Flower Sale Fundraiser
Like greeting cards and candy, flowers are well-loved gifts for Valentine’s Day. This February, help donors share their love with their partners, friends, and family by hosting a flower sale fundraiser. You can create a page on your nonprofit’s website to sell roses online and set up a physical booth in a populated area to catch the attention of potential new supporters. In addition, consider selling flower bulbs for those who are interested in growing some themselves.
5K Run
This Valentine’s Day fundraising idea will get your supporters’ hearts racing—in the name of a good cause. Empower your dedicated supporters to take up the fundraising mantle on your organization’s behalf with this peer-to-peer campaign. Your fundraising software should be capable of equipping participants with individual fundraising pages to which they can direct their personal networks for donations and pledges.
Make it easy for your peer fundraisers to engage their friends and family by offering eCards they can send alongside links to their fundraising pages. A well-designed message can make a significant difference in motivating recipients to support your nonprofit.
Parents’ Night Out Fundraiser
For Valentine’s Day, give supporters a chance to enjoy a stress-free night out with their partners by organizing a parents’ night out fundraiser. Parents will pay a fee for your volunteers to watch their children for the evening, giving them the opportunity to support your mission and enjoy some quality time together on this holiday.
Depending on your purpose and resources, there are many ways to tailor this Valentine’s Day fundraising idea to suit your nonprofit. Determine cost-effective ways for your volunteers to engage the children they’re watching, from arts and crafts related to your cause to sports activities.
Singing Telegrams
To raise funds and help your donors express their affection to loved ones, sell singing telegrams for Valentine’s Day. Gather your most musically-inclined staff members and volunteers to deliver personalized romantic or humorous ballads to a supporter’s chosen recipient. To extend your fundraising reach, consider offering a virtual or recorded option as well.
Add extra value to your virtual singing telegrams by allowing each donor to send their personalized video link in an eCard to their loved one. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating appealing Valentine’s Day designs—bonus points if you can relate them back to the heart of your organization’s purpose, like Teremana’s animated eCards:
Competitive Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas
A little incentive of branded merchandise or bragging rights can go a long way toward generating financial support for your organization. Stir up the competitive spirit in your supporters this February with these Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas.
Valentine’s Day Trivia Contest
Allow supporters to showcase their love-related knowledge and learn more about Valentine’s Day by hosting a trivia contest. Charge a fee for individual or team entries and assemble questions of varying difficulty, such as “Who is the Greek goddess of love?” and “What are Cupid’s arrows made out of?”
Furthermore, your nonprofit can boost your fundraising results by adding raffles between trivia rounds, securing corporate sponsors, or selling snacks and refreshments at the event.
Valentine Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt fundraiser is a wonderful way to engage supporters looking to bond with their loved ones and make a positive contribution to their community. This event attracts individuals of all ages to follow clues and find Valentine’s Day objects designated by your nonprofit.
Get creative! You can either choose physical objects or landmarks for individuals in your local community to hunt for, or engage supporters remotely by having them take pictures of the listed items they find from wherever they’re located. Simply have them pay a small entry fee to take part in the fun.
Themed Photo Contest
Photos can serve as fantastic mementos for any cherished moment or event. This Valentine’s Day, encourage your supporters to get artistic by holding a themed photo contest. You can hold this event completely online to maximize participation. To raise funds, you’ll either charge a small fee for entry, ask for a small donation per vote, or both.
Additionally, with the winners’ permission, you can feature the top photos as eCards on your nonprofit’s website. That way, participants and supporters can purchase these Valentine’s Day-themed eCards to send to their loved ones.
Dance Contest
Host a Valentine’s Day dance contest and encourage singles, couples, and teams to pay an entry fee to compete. When you promote this entertaining opportunity, emphasize that no dance experience is necessary to do well and have fun at the contest. Similar to other fundraising contests, you can either enlist judges from the community to decide on winners or allow attendees to cast votes in exchange for a small donation.
If many of your nonprofit’s supporters are located outside of your local area, you can make the dance contest virtual to maximize participation. This way, anyone can participate regardless of location and time.
Cooking Contest
Take a basic cooking contest to the next level by making it Valentine’s Day-themed. Invite cooking enthusiasts from all over your local community to pay an entry fee to register and put together a themed meal for a prize. To add interest and excitement to the event, you can pre-determine the ingredients contestants are allowed to use and designate criteria such as presentation and creativity for judging.
For this contest and other fundraising events, make it easy for attendees to invite their friends and family to join in the fun by offering free eCards for them to send on your website. Vineyard Church North Phoenix, for example, used eCardWidget to design e-vites that people can share through email or social media.
Bonus Tips for Valentine’s Day Fundraising
With all of these ideas at your disposal, your nonprofit is ready to start planning a successful and memorable Valentine’s Day fundraiser. In order to make the most of the opportunity, let’s walk through some essential tips to keep in mind:
- Create a page on your website for Valentine’s Day fundraising. Make sure all of your supporters are aware of your upcoming fundraiser by adding a designated page to your website with details and registration links. Empower your attendees to spread the word by adding invitation eCards they can send to their friends and family.
- Personalize your Valentine’s Day communications. When you reach out to your existing donors, use segmentation to send messages tailored to the interests and preferences of each individual recipient. And don’t forget to wish them a happy Valentine’s Day!
- Promote your fundraiser on multiple channels. Reach as many current and prospective donors as possible by sharing your upcoming fundraiser through channels such as email, social media, and direct mail. Since Valentine’s Day has very recognizable visuals, include some themed images or graphics to cultivate interest.
- Thank your donors after Valentine’s Day. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, remember to show some love to your donors. Send a thank-you letter after your fundraiser to share reports of their impact, clearly illustrating how each gift made a tangible difference.
Keep these tips in mind as you start planning to create a Valentine’s Day fundraising strategy that your whole team will fall in love with. Additionally, you can easily adapt many of these engaging Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas to other holidays or times of the year, so feel free to get creative.
Make the most of your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts in February with these exciting ideas and continue cultivating close relationships with your supporters throughout the year. Remember to collect fundraising data and donor feedback to find insights for improving your Valentine’s Day fundraising year after year.
For more tips and best practices that are worthy of Cupid’s arrow, take a look at these additional resources:
- Birthday Fundraisers: How to Secure Year-Round Support. Your supporters’ birthdays are just as celebration-worthy as Valentine’s Day. Learn how to reach out about these special occasions in this guide.
- 24 Nonprofit Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Holiday Giving. Discover how to make the most of year-end giving with these 24 engaging Christmas fundraising ideas.
- Donation eCard Examples that Share the Joy of Giving. Get inspired with these effective donation eCard examples for nonprofits.
