It’s that time of year again – the leaves are changing colors, there’s a slight chill in the air, and tiny ghosts and goblins are taking to the streets.  It’s the perfect time to plan some fun-filled Halloween fundraising!

Haunted House: Decorate your home, yard, neighborhood, or school.  Instead of charging a fee for admission, you can ask people to make a small donation to NEADS.  The amount can either be set, or you can allow people to donate an amount that works best for them.

Collection Jars:  Have a jar available as you hand out candy so people can donate as they trick or treat.  Decorate the jar for Halloween, with the NEADS logo, or with this Pennies for Pups sign.  You can also print out cards with a link to your fundraising page or a QR code, and hand them out as people come to your door.

Costume Contest:  Who doesn’t love an opportunity to dress up and win a prize?  You’ll want to ask participants to make a small donation in order to enter your contest and be sure to have a great prize available to present to the winner.  A costume contest is a fun, easy addition to any party or event.

Halloween Masks:  Masks have become a part of daily life for many of us, so why not make wearing them more fun?  Creating Halloween themed masks is simple and very economical.  Simply buy some fabric at the store and find mask-making instructions online – Pinterest has lots of good options.  Then you can sell your masks and send the proceeds to NEADS.  You can also purchase pre-made masks and sell them instead.

Cookies:  Make and decorate Halloween cookies.  Leave them at a central location in your workplace, school, church, etc. along with a donation jar.  People can leave a donation in exchange for a cookie.  Many clients have chosen this method to raise funds and it always works well.  You can even mix it up a bit and replace the cookies with doughnuts, candy, or any other treat that you think people will like.  If you prefer to sell ready-made treats that ship direct to the purchaser there are numerous options, such as Otis Spunkmeyer , The Popcorn Factory , Java Joes or even Fruit Bouquets – so many delicious choices!

For more fall themed fundraising ideas, check out the Fall Fundraising and the Fall into Fundraising posts in the Client Resource Center.