The Perfect Thanksgiving Fundraiser 2022

Thanksgiving 2022 is just around the corner! As a day of thankfulness that starts off the season of giving, the Thanksgiving holiday is the perfect time to organize a charity event or Thanksgiving fundraiser and support a nonprofit that you care about.

There are hundreds of nonprofit organizations carrying out important work in the community to help others, and a Thanksgiving charity event is a wonderful way to donate and show support. 

For the best Thanksgiving fundraiser ideas for 2022, read on! We’ve also included information on different nonprofit organizations as well as some ideas for where to donate for Thanksgiving if you still want to support a cause but can’t organize a Thanksgiving fundraiser.

Thanksgiving 2022

Thanksgiving falls annually on the fourth Thursday in November. This year, Thanksgiving 2022 is Thursday November 24th.

Thanksgiving is of course all about giving thanks and giving back! The holiday dates back to 1621 and the Harvest celebration in Massachusetts, Boston. Harvest is a time to give thanks for the abundance of the crop, and so Thanksgiving is equally recognised as a holiday of thankfulness, centred around charitable goodwill and doing acts of kindness to show your gratitude and love for others. 

In recognition of this, the Thanksgiving weekend is followed by Giving Tuesday, a day which people recognize as the start of the giving season and are encouraged to make a charitable donation. A Thanksgiving fundraiser or charity event is perfect for this time of year to show this thankfulness and support charities who give up their time to help others.

Check out this article about Giving Tuesday for more information!

There are thousands of charities and nonprofits that all deserve our support and recognition.These Thanksgiving fundraiser ideas are all super easy to organize and a great way to celebrate the holiday. Whether you’re part of a community group, PTO, nonprofit, or just an individual looking to do some good this Thanksgiving, these Thanksgiving fundraisers are suitable for all, and they’re great fun too!

Fun Thanksgiving fundraising ideas

If you want to get involved with local Thanksgiving fundraising events, you can search ‘Thanksgiving charity events near me’ to find all the volunteering opportunities, challenges, and fundraisers going on in your local area.

There are often many volunteering opportunities, such doing a shift at a local food kitchen for the homeless, or sending a meal – a great way to share the Thanksgiving experience by donating Thanksgiving charity meals!

For groups and nonprofits looking to organize Thanksgiving charity events for others, there are a lot of great ideas you could choose from. We’ve listed just a few of our favourites here. 

Charity Thanksgiving Meals

Charity Thanksgiving meals can take many forms. You could organize a potluck event in your local community or for your group, inviting people to cook their favourite Thanksgiving dish and share together. 

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.

If you don’t fancy cooking, book a restaurant fundraiser and enjoy delicious food from your favourite restaurant while fundraising. A restaurant fundraiser is a great Thanksgiving fundraiser event for groups and organizations of all sizes.

You can invite friends and family to dine out together, or encourage supporters to “eat out to help out”, raising money for your charity while enjoying great food!

Simply choose from one of GroupRaise’s many restaurants, book the day, and invite people from your community.

Thanksgiving Donation Box ideas

A donation box is one of the easiest Thanksgiving charity ideas. There are many Thanksgiving donation box ideas to choose from, so think about who you want to help and what you can give!

Popular Thanksgiving donation box ideas include food, clothing collections, or collecting monetary donations. Get children involved with designing posters or decorating a donation box to display in your local corner shop, church, or community centre, and collect all the donations to distribute to your chosen charity at Thanksgiving!

Turkey Trot fundraiser 

One of the most popular Thanksgiving charity events is the Turkey Trot where people dress up in a Thanksgiving costume to run a set distance and raise money through sponsorship. It’s a chance to have a bit of fun and also get moving, and you can unlock your creative side with a fabulous costume too!

Find your local Turkey Trot or set one up yourself, encouraging friends and family to take part and raise for your chosen cause. Create a donation page for the event or raise funds through entry costs.

Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.

Thanksgiving Pie fundraiser

A Thanksgiving pie fundraiser is another delicious and incredibly popular way to fundraise at Thanksgiving! Who can say no to a pumpkin pie in November?!

A Thanksgiving pie fundraiser is a great fundraiser event for schools and community groups who can call on their local community, friends, and parents to sell pies to! Plan your event for the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving when people are beginning to get excited for that delicious pumpkin taste…

Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.

There are also lots of great online resources to help with your Thanksgiving pie fundraiser, such as posters and flyers you can use to publicize your event, and companies where you can even source your pies from.

Zoom Thanksgiving ideas

If you live away from your family or are unable to get together with loved ones this year, take your Thanksgiving celebrations online and raise funds at the same time! Invite friends and family to a zoom Thanksgiving quiz or games night, or simply share your meal with each other over zoom.

You could even set up a zoom Thanksgiving fundraiser and bring volunteers together to zoom with people by themselves in your community this season, such as the elderly or those unable to travel to their loved ones.

Where to donate for Thanksgiving 

So you’re keen to organize a Thanksgiving fundraiser but not sure which charity to support?  

Perhaps you are not able to organize your own Thanksgiving charity event this year but still want to donate to a cause and share love and gratitude this holiday. There are hundreds of charities that need our support daily, so it’s not surprising if you’re having a hard time knowing which to choose for your Thanksgiving charity event! 

Whichever you are, here are some of our recommendations for where to donate for Thanksgiving 2022.

Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels.

• • Feeding America: Feeding America is the national Hunger Relief Organization, working to support those without access to sufficient food across the country.
  • No Kid Hungry: a nonprofit dedicated to ending child hunger in America through work with schools, food banks, and other charities.
  • World Central Kitchen: WCK responds to natural disasters across the globe providing meals to those affected and without access to food and water. 
  • Meals on Wheels (America): Meals on Wheels operates in every community in America, delivering meals to the older population and those living in isolation. The nonprofit provides vital food resources, as well as an opportunity to combat loneliness in the elderly with its ‘Let’s do Lunch’ initiative. 
  • Relief International: Relief International is a nonprofit that works globally to provide emergency relief and humanitarian support in the wake of natural disasters, including food, clean water, medical attention, and rebuilding efforts in areas affected.
  • UNICEF: UNICEF is a children’s charity working for children in danger, be that from natural disaster, crisis, poverty, or other social conditions. 

If you want to find local nonprofits and organizations that need your support, search ‘Thanksgiving charity near me’.

Giving thanks and giving back

Thanksgiving truly is the perfect time to host a fundraiser event for your nonprofit or a local organization. As a time of thankfulness and gratitude, it makes sense to share the feeling of goodwill with those around us and those in need. This article should give you everything you need to host your own Thanksgiving fundraiser or to know where to donate for Thanksgiving this year. 

Even if you are just one person, you can still make a difference! A restaurant fundraiser is the perfect Thanksgiving charity event to organize for a small group or for close friends and family members. It continues in the theme of sharing food around the Thanksgiving table, and you can raise a good amount of funds for your chosen cause.

For more Thanksgiving fundraiser ideas and tips on how to have the most successful Thanksgiving fundraiser 2022, be sure to check out some of the other great articles on the GroupRaise blog!