By the first week of November, most small nonprofits have two asks on the calendar already: a Giving Tuesday post and a year-end letter. Then somebody at the board meeting says, “Shouldn’t we do something for Christmas, too?”
That is where most lists of Christmas fundraising ideas for nonprofit groups go wrong. They hand you thirty more ways to ask for money, when your donors are about to hear from you twice in one month.
The Christmas ideas that work for a volunteer-run group are the ones that don’t feel like another appeal. People are already buying wreaths, cookies and wrapping paper. They are already walking to the tree lighting on the square. A good Christmas fundraiser puts your cause where that money and those crowds already are.
The short answer: sell something people already buy in December, like wreaths or cookie trays by pre-order, or take a table at a holiday event that is already on the calendar. This guide covers which Miami County events to approach, how much volunteer time each idea really takes, and the rules that catch small groups out every December.
Holiday Fundraising Ideas That Aren’t Another Ask
The test for any of the holiday fundraising ideas below is simple. Would this person have spent the money in December anyway? If the answer is yes, you are not asking for a gift. You are giving them a better place to buy something they already needed.
That matters more for a small group than for a big charity, and it is why the best holiday fundraising ideas for nonprofits look more like a shop than an appeal. Your list is short, and the same families will see your Giving Tuesday post and your year-end letter. A third ask in the same month spends goodwill you will need in January.
Sell what people already buy in December
- Wreaths and greenery by pre-order. Set an order deadline and one delivery weekend, then buy only what has been ordered. A Christmas wreath fundraiser done this way carries almost no leftover stock.
- Cookie trays and baked goods. Sell them by pre-order for office parties and family gatherings, so the bakers know exactly how many dozen to make.
- A gift-wrap table. Ask a local store whether you can wrap purchases by donation on its busiest Saturdays.
- A Christmas tree fundraiser, only if you have the setup. It works when a member already has a lot, a truck and helpers. Otherwise it is the heaviest idea here.
Pre-orders are the safeguard. They turn a guess into a list of names, and a list of names is worth more than the sale.
Borrow an event that’s already on the calendar
The Foundation keeps a Miami County events calendar, and the holiday stretch is already full:
- Holiday Craft Show, Saturday, November 21, Town Square Events, Paola
- Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony & Santa Visit, Friday, November 27, 6:00 PM, Park Square, Paola
- Holiday Open House at Louisburg Cider Mill, Saturdays, November 28 and December 5
- Spring Hill Hometown Holidays, Friday, December 4, 6:00 PM, Spring Hill Civic Center
- Holiday Magic on Broadway, Sunday, December 6, downtown Louisburg
- Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 12, Spring Hill
None of these events belongs to you, so before you plan a holiday fundraiser around one, start with a phone call to the organizer. Ask whether there is room for a table, a hot-chocolate stand or a donation jar, and what they would need from you.
Spring Hill’s Breakfast with Santa shows how this works. The Recreation Commission runs it, and the Spring Hill Ruritans cook the pancakes. The club brings the volunteers, and the Commission brings the crowd.
Christmas Fundraiser Ideas, Costed in Volunteer Hours
Most lists of Christmas fundraiser ideas skip the column that matters most to a group with no staff: how many people, for how long. Here is the same set of ideas, rated the way a volunteer board actually has to judge them.
| Idea | Volunteer load | Cash up front | Builds your list? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wreath or greenery pre-orders | Low | Low, if the supplier bills after orders close | Yes, every buyer leaves a name |
| Cookie trays by pre-order | Medium | Low (ingredients) | Yes |
| Gift-wrap table at a store | Medium (shifts) | Low (paper and tape) | Only if you ask for emails |
| Table or jar at a town event | Low | Little or none | Only with a sign-up sheet |
| Raffle or 50/50 drawing | Medium | Prize cost, unless donated | Yes |
| Your own breakfast with Santa | High | Medium (food and venue) | Yes |
| Holiday dinner or gala | High | High | Yes |
For most small groups, the top half of that table wins. A pre-order sale and a table at someone else’s event can both be run by three or four people who already know each other.
How to run a pre-order holiday fundraiser in four steps
- Pick one product and one price. A single wreath size or one cookie tray keeps the order form simple and the supplier bill predictable.
- Set two dates before you announce anything: the order deadline and the pickup or delivery day. Every other job hangs off those two.
- Take orders where your people already are. Your email list, your church bulletin or club newsletter, and a sign-up sheet at any town event you attend. Collect payment with the order, so nobody has to chase money later.
- Order only what was ordered, then thank every buyer. Send a short note after delivery saying what the money will do. That note is what makes next year’s sale easier than this one.
The best Christmas fundraising events for a small group are often someone else’s. Your job is to show up with something to sell and a clipboard.
The bottom of the table is where big events live. They can work, but they earn their cost by happening every year. The Veterans Outdoors Foundation’s end-of-year gala at Town Square Events in Paola on December 6 is in its third year, and that repetition is the point.
One more idea needs a warning label: the giving tree, where donors buy gifts for a named family. It is a good thing to do, but tell donors plainly that it is not tax-deductible. IRS Publication 526 says contributions earmarked for a particular individual or family can’t be deducted, even through a qualified organization.
Whichever you choose, plan the thank-you before the sale. A simple thank-you plan for new donors is what turns a December wreath buyer into a March supporter.
Before Your Christmas Fundraiser: The Rules That Catch Small Nonprofits
Raffles turn up in almost every list of Christmas fundraising ideas for nonprofit groups, yet few of those lists mention that Kansas regulates them.
Raffles in Kansas. Here is what the Kansas Department of Revenue’s raffle rules say:
- Only a qualified nonprofit may hold a raffle. A business cannot run one and donate the money to you.
- A license is needed only if your raffle receipts top $25,000 in the July–June year. If you will cross that line, you need the license at least 30 days before you sell a ticket.
- A 50/50 drawing counts as a raffle.
- You can’t hire a professional raffle company to run it for you.
Your buyers should also know that raffle tickets are not deductible. IRS Publication 526 lists the cost of raffle tickets among the things a donor can’t deduct.
Dinner and gala tickets. When someone pays more than $75 and gets a meal or a gift back, you owe them a written statement. It must say the deductible amount is limited to what they paid above the value of what they received, with a good-faith estimate of that value.
The IRS sets the penalty for skipping that statement at $10 per contribution, up to $5,000 per event or mailing. Receipts and the $250 rule are covered in the guide to nonprofit fundraising ideas for groups with no staff.
Checks mailed near December 31. Publication 526 treats a check as delivered on the date it is mailed. But the postmark is now less reliable as proof.
In December 2025 the Postal Service began applying machine postmarks at regional processing centers, so the date stamped can be several days after the drop-off, as CPA Practice Advisor reported. Tell donors who want a 2026 deduction to mail early or hand-deliver.
Where the Foundation Fits After the Season
Most of what a December fundraiser raises goes straight into next year’s budget. Sometimes, though, the season shows you a project that needs more than a bake sale can cover.
If that project is in Miami County, the Miami County Community Foundation is worth an email. There is no application form, and that is deliberate. As Executive Director Tammy Booe puts it, “That is a feature, not a gap. We do not have a form.”
The email is the application. Say what the project is and what it will do in Miami County, how much you are asking for, whether your organization is a 501(c)(3), and who is asking. Applications are accepted year-round, and a decision comes about a month after the email arrives.
The project has to take place in Miami County. The people running it don’t have to live there. Three programs are published, and beyond those the board will consider other projects case by case. Read the Foundation’s grant programs before you write, so the email lands against something real.
If your group is still informal, the guide to how to start a nonprofit in Miami County walks through the 501(c)(3) steps first.
FAQ: Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits
Do we need a license to hold a Christmas raffle in Kansas?
Only if your raffle receipts will top $25,000 in the July–June year. Below that, a qualified nonprofit can hold one without a license. A 50/50 drawing counts as a raffle, and only a nonprofit may run either.
Can a local business run a raffle for our nonprofit?
No. The Kansas Department of Revenue says only a nonprofit may hold a raffle. A business can donate the prize instead, or give you a share of its holiday sales.
When should we start planning a Christmas fundraiser?
Now. Call any event organizer first, because their answer decides everything else. Then work back from the event date to set a pre-order deadline that leaves time to buy supplies.
What is the easiest Christmas fundraiser for a small nonprofit?
A pre-order sale of something people already buy in December, such as wreaths or cookie trays. It needs few volunteers, little cash up front, and it leaves you with a list of names.
Conclusion
The best Christmas fundraising ideas for nonprofit groups don’t add a third ask to an already crowded month. They sell something people were going to buy anyway, or they show up where the town is already gathering.
Pick one idea, not five. Check the rules before you sell a raffle ticket, and plan the thank-you before you plan the sale.
Ready to start? Check the events calendar for the holiday dates, call one organizer this week, and if a bigger Miami County project comes out of the season, email the Foundation at info@micocf.org or call (913) 404-7287.
