Raising money for a great cause isn’t necessarily hard; raising large amounts of money is, however. One way to raise substantial funds is to offer your stakeholders something unique. The following nine unique fundraising ideas aren’t all huge moneymakers. Instead, I’ve presented a wide array of unique fundraising ideas in order to whet your appetite for atypical fundraising events.

1. Take a celebrity “prisoner.” One of the absolute best unique fundraising ideas is to take a local celebrity “prisoner” for a day. The celebrity is given a cell phone and only released (usually kept in a faux cage in a public place) when he or she has raised enough money from friends, family and the crowd that gathers in front of the cage. It’s all in good fun and can attract public attention for your cause.
2. Family game nights with prizes. Offering a game night in return for donations can provide entertainment for local families and revenue for your group. These nights can also help you raise awareness for your organization within your community. Small prizes can be awarded to winners of the various games.
3. School supply packages. While selling school supplies, isn’t unique, your group can make it easy on parents by getting the school supply lists from the local schools, buying the supplies, organizing them into packages (e.g. “Everything you need for Ms. Frizzle’s 2nd Grade Class) and charging a premium.
4. Crazy cake auction. Track down the best local bakers. Get them each to bake, decorate and donate a wild and crazy cake in exchange for publicity. Auction the cakes in your local community.
5. Origami and silk flower sales. Decorative origami and silk flower arrangements can be sold to raise funds for your group. These beautiful items are always in demand and cost very little to produce, especially if you have artistically talented volunteers or staff members.
6. Social networking campaigns with GoFundMe. No list of unique fundraising ideas would be complete without mentioning the impact social networking sites have had on charitable giving. By creating an engaging and attractive presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, your organization can often boost donations and increase public awareness of your mission. Better yet, you can direct your Facebook friends, Twitter followers and email contacts to a free donation page on GoFundMe, a simple platform used to collect donations online for great causes.
7. Lunch with the boss. Some local businesses may be willing to allow your group to offer a lunch with the boss to the employee making the largest donation to your cause. This can provide a chance for the employee to discuss the work situation frankly and can add money to your organization’s coffers. There are many variations of this event, like “Lunch with the Principal.”
8. Niche tour guides. Providing niche tours of local attractions or neighborhoods, like “The Haunted Houses of Main Street,” can be an engaging and financially rewarding way to raise funds for your organization. This is especially effective during the summer months.
9. Gold for cash. Gold for cash campaigns typically involve soliciting donations of old jewelry and other items in order to obtain the cash value of the gold in these items. For some donors, this may be easier and more convenient than making monetary contributions directly.