In 2024, is Valentine’s Day about money or love?
While we associate V-day with teddy bears and rose petals, there’s no denying it’s become a commercial cash cow. In 2023, 25.9 billion dollars were spent on V-day in the US alone.
What if you offered attendees a perfect opportunity to splurge on V-day without guilt this year? A chance to spend money and spread love for a good cause — your cause?
At Eventbrite, we believe in the power of love.
After all, it’s our love for events that drove us to build the world’s largest event marketplace and resulted in 63% more tickets being sold per event by organizers using Eventbrite’s marketing tools.
In this article, we’ll provide you with the best Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas that’ll help you bring the love back to Valentine’s Day.
Unique Valentines Day Fundraising Ideas
‘We’re locked in love’: A jewelry-making workshop
‘Please, give me a second chance’: A thrift shop, street party
‘What a love boat’: A late-night cruise Romance
‘Cupid’s culinary challenge’: A couple’s cooking competition
‘An arrow to the heart’: An archery tournament (with a twist)
‘Puppy love’: A doggy-yoga event
‘We’re locked in love’: A jewelry-making workshop
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Not to get all cliche, but nothing says love like handmade jewelry. V-day is the perfect time to embrace your inner romantic and throw a jewelry-making workshop for adults.
Create jewelry-making stations for crafting earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, and equip each with a ‘bead buffet,’ clamp tools, and exotic materials — it’ll be the Breakfast at Tiffany’s of jewel-making classes.
Then, dial up the ‘spice’ of your Valentine’s Day fundraiser to 100 by booking an intimate venue like Bar Pendry and transforming it into a 70s-inspired, hippie-loving slice of paradise.
To make the event more interesting, give attendees the chance to play with sand and fire by hosting a special ‘pre-event’ sand casting workshop, like Chimera Arts. Give attendees the option to add this experience to their jewelry-making package and charge an extra $100–$200.
💡Fundraising pro tip: Encourage attendees to purchase add-ons during the event to help earn additional funds. For example, offer gourmet snacks and premium beverages, like cocktails, for an additional price.
‘Please, give me a second chance’: A thrift shop, street party
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪
Let’s be honest: Not all fundraising events for Valentine’s Day are ‘singleton’ friendly…
Stand apart from the pack by hosting a unique fundraising idea that celebrates all kinds of love, like friends, family, and pre-loved fashion.
We know what you’re thinking: planning a unique charity event takes time and effort — but for a seasoned event organizer like you? It’ll be a breeze.
Here’s the plan: Combine a thrift shop market with a block party. Think food vendors and lemonade stands mixed with rows of vibrant vintage clothes. It’ll be like a V-day country fair.
Take a page from River North Fests event ‘Band and Bacon Fest’ and book a local band to come and play some classic love songs (and of course some Tay Tay) at your event.
💡Fundraising pro tip: Bring extra donations by selling raffle tickets. To entice participants, partner with local businesses to offer top-notch romantic prizes. Then, create a pricing tier for the raffle that correlates with the value of the prize.
‘What a love boat’: A late-night cruise
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪
Need fantastic Valentines Day fundraising ideas that’ll have attendees swooning? Look no further than a late-night boat ride.
There’s something magical about cruising on a boat with that special person while the city lights up and you sip on champagne with the breeze in your hair. Maybe it’s the thought of Leonardo on the Titanic or the timeless allure of the sea, but either way — it’s romantic as hell.
Create an extra enchanting atmosphere by organizing a ‘The Ritz’ theme inspired by the roaring 1920s. Encourage guests to come draped head to toe in glamor — think feathered headbands and classic winged mascara.
You can offer general admission tickets or VIP packages, with the option for an all-inclusive entry for attendees seeking a fully immersive beverage and food experience. For example, VIP Nightlife hosts a Great Gatbsy-themed cruise with an open bar and a 4-course dinner — they even have fireworks!
💡Fundraising pro tip: A recent study found that charities can increase donations by 50% by allowing donors to ‘decide now to give later.’ To implement this strategy, you can incorporate an option in your event ticket registration for attendees to pledge a percentage of their choice, such as 10% or 20%, on the day of the event.
‘Cupid’s culinary challenge’: A couples cooking competition
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Have you ever heard the old wive’s tale: Couples who cook together stay together?
It may be an ancient saying, but the message still rings true because the way to our hearts will always be through our stomachs. That’s why this V-day, you’ll host a cooking class — with a creative twist.
Take inspo from Max’s Market and bring a healthy, organic vibe to your event by taking your fundraiser to the great outdoors. Picture this: you start your event early with a scenic hike up a small mountain.
When attendees reach the top, they’re met with a beautiful view of the city at sunrise and two long tables equipped with portable cooktops, baking utilities, and a mystery box with a breakfast recipe for each couple to bake.
Put on a one-hour timer, and let the cooking challenge begin! To add more value to your event, partner with a local restaurateur to give attendees a helping hand with their dishes and offer ‘pro cooking tips.’
Once the hour is up, go full ‘MasterChef’ and get attendees to bring their dish up to a tasting table to receive a rating by your ‘celebrity chef.’
💡Pro tip: Remember that millennials and ‘Gen Zer’s’ are passionate about climate change — excellent news. Promote sustainable cooking tips on social, only use organic ingredients, and follow eco-friendly practices.
Consider leveraging an event discovery platform, such as Eventbrite, to find the right audience for your event and reach your fundraising goals. You can target individuals interested in health, cooking, and Valentine’s Day events in their local area and use ads to appear at the top of their search results.
Find the right people for your event.
‘An arrow to the heart’: An archery tournament (with a twist)
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Look, we know there are plenty of Valentine’s Day party ideas out there. But do they offer fun and danger?
If you’re looking for a V-day idea that’s a bit out of the box, we’ve got the perfect suggestion: an archery tournament with a twist.
Swap out the traditional archery board for a paintball-style experience. For the day, attendees can channel their inner Katniss Everdin and run around a hayfield and shoot each other with rubber darts.
Take inspo from Dynamic Paintball, organize attendees into teams of 3, and set up obstacles, like boulders, mud, and rope on the ‘lovers battlefield’ to add an extra layer of excitement to the event.
To add an extra dose of humor, have attendees dress up in oversized heart costumes, complete with cheesy slogans, like ‘I can’t outrun my love for you’ and red ‘war face paint.’ This way, when attendees get ‘struck’ by an arrow, they literally take an arrow to the heart.
💡Pro tip: With the average household disposable income in the US being only 1.7%, attendees might find it difficult to contribute a large sum of money at your event.
In fact, in 2022, charitable giving dropped by 10.5%. So, consider using a ‘pay as you feel’ pricing system to take the pressure off attendees and appeal to a wider audience.
‘Puppy love’: A doggy-yoga event
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪
There’s no love stronger than the love a pet parent has for their fur baby.
So, this year, host a V-day yoga event that welcomes singletons, couples, and furry friends.
Encourage attendees to bring their best pal, whether human or canine, provide soft yoga mats, calming music, and water bowls for the pups, and lead a guided yoga session.
Once your attendees are fully ‘zen-ed,’ hand out healthy treats for your human guests, such as house-made granola bars and green juices, as well as your dog attendees, like a puppa-chino, or meat-cookie and lactose-free cream ice cream.
💡Fundraising pro tip: In 2023, 65% of American donors reported they’d give more to charity if they knew the impact of their donations. So, for event organizers raising money for an animal-related cause, consider incorporating animals into the event to show attendees the impact that their donations make.
For example, Pamela Robins hosts a ‘meditating with animals’ session where attendees can get a hug from a piglet, goat, and donkey that lives on her property.
@pamela_robins MEDITATING WITH ANIMALS 📕 🐷🐴🐐🦚🫏 Yesterday, I saw my vision fully come to life as I hosted my first animal therapy and sound healing at the ranch! In 2016 I wrote a book entitled “Meditating with Animals : How to Create More Conscious Connections with the Healers and Teachers Among Us.” Our animals are our most loyal companions, constantly navigating our energy to support our needs. This is something I experienced on a profound level when I was faced with a relentless series of major life challenges in a very short period of time in 2014. My mother passed away after a long battle with breast cancer and at her funeral, I received a call from my doctor with my own thyroid cancer diagnosis. Fresh out of surgery I discovered my husband making life choices that were not aligned with mine and I left my marriage, my businesses and my dream home to face the great unknown and begin the journey of self-discovery. My animals were instrumental in getting me through it all. I recognized how hard they were working to comfort and heal me and I worried that their efforts could be depleting them of their own health and vitality. When I was strong again, I wanted to return to them the extraordinary gifts that they had given to me. And so it was that The Animal Method was born, a practice graciously given to me by my beloved animal companions that is based on the idea of consciously recycling positive, healing energy between humans and animals. It involves mindfully observing and learning from your animal, taking cues from their natural state of being and applying that wisdom to your own way of being. This method is described in this book and you’ll read inspiring animal stories, and learn about the countless health and life benefits that result from having a deeper, more compassionate connection with an animal. And each chapter offers a meditation exercise that is specifically designed to help you embrace a different aspect of The Animal Method. Meditating with Animals was written with the hope of helping you see more clearly, the teacher, the healer, the magical being who is right there at your side — and also within you. 💓🐾 10/22 (sold out) 11/5 just added! https://www.eventbrite.com/o/pamela-robins-16452677163 #animals #therapy #soundbath #ranch #selfcare #mentalhealth ♬ original sound – Pamela Robins
Celebrate love with the best Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas
Some people love V-day, others hate it, and a handful of sneaky people wait all year for V-day to roll around and then pretend to be impartial about it (if you don’t know who we’re talking about, then it’s probably you).
But there’s one thing we can all agree on — the importance of fundraising campaigns for a good cause.
Whichever fundraising idea you choose, Eventbrite will be here to help bring it to the people. With our marketing tools, you can spread love across multiple platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, with the push of a button and utilize AI to streamline how you do ‘eventing’.
