Complete U.S. Holiday Fundraiser Guide: How to Get Started + Ideas & Templates

Every year, something strange happens between late November and New Year’s: People who’ve been sprinting through life suddenly slow down, look around, and remember they actually care.

It’s the season where tiny things, like warm lights, good food, nostalgia, and ridiculous sweaters, make everyone softer. And that softness turns into generosity. This season naturally nudges people toward sharing, helping, and showing up for their community.

This guide is here to show you how to plan a holiday fundraiser that feels festive, warm, and intentional. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, you’ll learn how to plan a holiday fundraiser that feels festive, warm, and intentional – something supporters love participating in and feel proud of.

Let’s walk through the strategy, the ideas, and the simple touches that make people care more.

Why do people give more during the holidays?

Holiday generosity isn’t just something people say. It’s measurable, predictable, and rooted in real human behavior.

Specific phenomena collide between Thanksgiving and New Year’s that make people more open to donating, especially through holiday giving programs and holiday gift-giving drives.

1. The “season of reflection” effect

The end of the year makes people evaluate what they’ve done, what mattered, and where they want their money or energy to go. Psychologists call this a temporal landmark or the fresh start effect, and it’s a huge reason holiday fundraising feels so natural for donors.

2. Thanksgiving literally created a global giving movement

Giving Tuesday started in 2012 as a response to the consumer rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and it sparked an entire holiday of giving mindset that now influences the whole season.

3. People have more time and attention

Between school breaks, office shutdowns, and lighter workloads, people finally stop rushing. More downtime = more mental space for generosity. That’s why December holiday giving campaigns perform far better than most other months.

4. Community cues matter

The holidays are filled with rituals around connection: family meals, neighbourhood events, gift exchanges. That “togetherness” mindset increases prosocial behaviour (aka: sharing, helping, donating), which leads to people participating in holiday gift giving.

5. Year-end giving stats

Year-end giving contributes way more than you think to nonprofits:

• Nonprofits typically receive 30% of their entire annual donations in December alone.
• The last three days of the year can bring in 10% of yearly giving.

6. Tax incentives help

In countries that follow a calendar-year tax system -like the U.S.- donations made before December 31st are deductible, so there’s a rise in holiday fundraising activities for the upcoming tax cycle. It’s not the main motivator, but it absolutely helps the last-minute generosity.

How to plan your holiday fundraiser: A step-by-step game plan

You might wonder what’s different about a holiday fundraiser. It’s more about matching the season’s energy than about changing tactics.

November and December have ample opportunities to make your fundraising campaigns more effective, but it takes a lot of planning to host continuous campaigns for two months. Here’s an execution plan so you can get started:

Step 1: Picking your main holiday(s)

Not every holiday works for every fundraiser, and forcing it makes campaigns feel random. Instead, match your cause to the moment when supporters are naturally thinking about things connected to your work.

Step 2: Define the type of fundraiser that fits your holiday window

Once you know which holiday moment you’re using, decide how you want people to engage during that window.

Ask:

• Do people want something cozy and in-person?
• Something quick and digital-friendly?
• Something giftable?
• Something reflective?
• Something community-oriented?

Match the campaign to the emotional tone of the holiday.

This keeps your fundraiser aligned with the holiday’s natural mood.

Step 3: Build a holiday story hook (your seasonal message)

According to Pride Philanthropy, empathy and emotions play a huge role in decision-making when it comes to giving. A strong holiday story hook makes your fundraiser instantly more relatable.

Pick one seasonal theme and build your messaging around it:

• “Share what we’re grateful for.”
• “Add one more light to the season.”
• “Give a gift that actually matters.”
• “Help everyone feel included in this holiday.”
• “Start the new year by uplifting someone else.”

Your hook becomes the basis for your campaign title, your social captions, your email subject lines, and your visuals. Remember, the goal isn’t invoking guilt; it’s warmth, relevance, and clarity.

Step 4: Decide on the fundraising channel

Once you know your holiday + format + story hook, choose your main playing field:

• Social-first campaign
• Website donation drive
• In-person event
• WhatsApp-group peer-to-peer campaign
• Email campaign
• Corporate collaboration
• Hybrid/virtual event

Your chosen channel should match the holiday’s energy. Take inspiration from this list:

• GivingTuesday → social + email
• Hanukkah → community events + storytelling
• Christmas week → in-person + partner stores
• Kwanzaa → community spaces, youth groups, cultural centers
• New Year’s → digital pledges + newsletters
• Solstice → workshops, reflective virtual events

Step 5: Lock in your timeline (holiday windows move fast)

Holiday fundraising runs on a clock. The season is short, attention is shorter, and you don’t get do-overs.Once you’ve chosen your main channel, lock in every key date: teaser, launch, peak push, reminders, last call, thank-you notes, and impactful holiday appeal letters. Stick to it. A holiday campaign only works if you treat the timeline like a (cheerful) deadline.

23 ideas for holiday spirit fundraisers

A. Holiday classics

1. Holiday pop-up market

What it is: A small festive market with local makers, baked goods, crafts, or handmade items – part of every sale goes to your cause.

How to host it: Works best for early December gifting or Christmas week. Set a clear gifting-focused story hook (“Give something meaningful”), recruit vendors early, and use simple QR codes for donations at each stall.

2. Festive community dinner or holiday banquet

What it is: A warm, sit-down dinner that brings people together. Tickets fund the cause, and the gathering creates natural goodwill.

How to host it: Ideal for Thanksgiving, Christmas week, or Hanukkah. Pick a “togetherness” or “gratitude” message, and keep the format simple: shared tables, one donation link, and a short impact moment before dessert.

3. Holiday raffle or silent auction

What it is: Seasonal gift baskets, experiences, hobby kits, or community-donated items auctioned off or raffled.

How to host it: Pair it with Giving Tuesday or early December. Use your chosen holiday hook (“add a little joy,” “light up the season”) and open bidding both in-person and online for more reach.

4. Seasonal bake stall/pie sale

What it is: A nostalgic, crowd-pleasing stall of pies, cookies, breads, or holiday treats made by volunteers or partner bakeries. How to host it: Great for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or early December gifting. Use a gratitude or “sweeten someone’s season” message, and keep it low-lift: one table, good signage, and a donation QR code on every box.

5. Fun run/turkey trot/jolly jog

What it is: A classic themed run or walk with holiday costumes, goofy accessories, and community participation at the center.

How to host it: Best for the Thanksgiving-to-GivingTuesday window. Lean into the community-energy hook (“start the season together”), charge a simple registration fee, and use the event to kick off your holiday campaign timeline.

B. Thanksgiving

6. Fund-a-festive-feast

What it is: Donors sponsor a holiday meal for a family, senior, or student.

How to host it: Lean into the gratitude theme. Set clear meal tiers, keep the goal participation-heavy (“40 feasts sponsored”), and share simple updates as each meal gets funded.

7. Gratitude gram station

What it is: A Thanksgiving-themed booth where people write short gratitude notes to friends, family, or community members. Each note triggers a small donation.

How to host it: Set up a simple table at a school, workplace, or community event. Use a “share your gratitude” hook, charge a small donation per note, make it a peer-to-peer challenge, and display them on a gratitude wall or tree.

8. “Thankful for You” gift bag drive

What it is: Donors fund mini care bags filled with snacks, toiletries, or warm items to be given out to shelters during Thanksgiving weekend.

How to host it: Set a participation-based goal (“50 bags funded”), offer $5-$20 donation tiers, and share a photo of the filled bags as they’re distributed.

C. GivingTuesday

9. 12 hours of impact (mini-challenge marathon)

What it is: One new micro-challenge every hour: donate, share, vote, sponsor.

How to host it: Perfect for the online rush. Create a simple schedule, use one strong digital hook, and update progress live.

10. Digital wishlist sponsorship

What it is: A scrollable list of “sponsor this” items like care kits, winter bundles, school sets.

How to host it: Make the list visually appealing, attach one-click donation buttons, and highlight items getting funded in real time.

D. Early December (gifting season)

11. Secret Santa for an orphanage/Children’s home

What it is: Supporters fund a child’s wishlist item.

How to host it: Create anonymous profiles, set up a simple digital wishlist, and keep donors updated as gifts get fulfilled.

12. Joy boxes / holiday warmth kits

What it is: Curated kits, from winter sets to art kits, to family night boxes.

How to host it: Launch with a gifting-focused hook (“Give something meaningful”) and set item-based goals like “Fund 100 kits”.

13. Holiday star or ornament sponsorship

What it is: Donors claim a star, ornament, or lantern that gets displayed with their dedication. Larger donors can even sponsor the full decor for a church, community center, or children’s home.

How to host it: Use a “light up the season” story hook. Create a visual display that fills up as ornaments get sponsored, and offer a special tier for full-space sponsorship with a dedication plaque or personalized thank-you message.

E. Mid-December (reflection + nostalgia)

14. Kindness countdown calendar

What it is: A 7- or 12-day micro-kindness challenge with optional donations.

How to host it: Share one small action per day. Keep it reflective (“end the year with small bright moments”), and let donors log progress or share stories.

15. Holiday storytelling week

What it is: A series of short stories from volunteers, donors, or beneficiaries.

How to host it: Use soft, emotional content for the campaign. Pair each story with a small donation prompt and use it to build momentum toward your main Christmas campaign.

16. Gingerbread house contest

What it is: A fun, festive competition where teams build gingerbread houses and supporters vote with donations.

How to host it: Perfect for mid-December or Christmas week. Charge an entry fee, set up voting jars or digital votes during a livestream, and announce winners with a warm holiday hook.

17. Ugly sweater party

What it is: A holiday party where everyone shows up in their most ridiculous Christmas (or otherwise) sweaters, with tickets or votes raising funds.

How to host it: Sell simple tickets, add a donation-based “Best Sweater” vote, and keep the vibe cozy and playful.

F. Christmas

18. Christmas morning gifts

What it is: Donors fund curated “morning kits”: hot cocoa, snacks, small gifts, activity sheets, delivered to families or children’s homes for Christmas Day.

How to host it: Use a “help create a Christmas miracle” hook. Offer tiered kits ($10, $25, $50) and share a simple progress tracker as kits get funded.

19. Christmas cheer delivery squad

What it is: Volunteers or school kids deliver small holiday packs like cards, cookies, and tiny gifts funded by donors to seniors, students, or friends and families.

How to host it: Use a “spread a little cheer” angle. Donors choose how many cheer packs they want to fund, and volunteers handle the delivery on Christmas week.

20. Holiday pop-up market (festive edition)

What it is: A community market with baked goods, crafts, and handmade gifts.

How to host it: Ideal for last-minute gift shoppers. Include “this gift helped a good cause” cards for each purchase. Add instant QR donation signs and small “pay what you can” items.

21. Holiday wreath fundraising

What it is: Supporters buy handcrafted or locally made wreaths, with proceeds going to your cause.

How to host it: Great for early December gifting. Offer 2-3 styles, take pre-orders through a donation page, and frame it with a simple “decorate with purpose” holiday hook.

G. New Year’s

22. Resolution pledge drive

What it is: Supporters commit to monthly giving as part of their new-year goals.

How to host it: Use a “start the year with purpose” message. Set a recurring-donation goal like “25 new monthly supporters.”

23. Vision board workshop or community reset night

What it is: A reflective, creative night focused on goal-setting. Ticket revenue supports your cause.

How to host it: Tie it directly to renewal themes. Offer optional donation add-ons during the workshop.

Holiday fundraising calendar: A ready-to-use template for the whole season

Your week-by-week roadmap from Thanksgiving → New Year’s. Just plug in your dates and go.

Holiday fundraising happens in a tight window where attention spans shrink, emotions run high, and timelines move fast. This calendar gives your team a dependable structure. Follow it as-is, or adjust based on the holiday window you chose in Step 1.Holiday fundraising calendar: A ready-to-use template for the whole season

Conclusion: The small things that make a holiday fundraiser hit home

Holiday fundraising can get overwhelming. The pressure of running a big holiday giving campaign or squeezing in ten different campaigns might throw off your entire year-end fundraising opportunity.

Choose the right moment, tell a clear seasonal story, and give people an easy way to show up. If there’s one thing to take away, it’s this: the holidays already give you the emotional lift,  your job is just to shape it into something people can act on.

Even a small team can pull off a meaningful fundraiser if the idea matches the holiday, the messaging feels warm, and the timeline is tight.

If you want to take pressure off the logistics part, RallyUp – an end-to-end fundraising platform helps with the ticketing, crowdfunding, wishlists, raffles, peer-to-peer, or whatever format you choose.