Spooktacular Fundraising Ideas For October
October is the perfect time to tap into the Halloween spirit for your nonprofit or school with creative and themed fall fundraising ideas. From costume contests and haunted houses to pumpkin decorating and spooky bake sales, ideas for your fundraiser are endless. Check out these spooktacular fundraising ideas that will engage your audience, create memorable experiences, and raise those much-needed funds.
Haunted House Fundraiser
A haunted house is a classic Halloween favorite, and it’s a fantastic way to raise funds. Community members love the excitement of wandering through a creepy, spooky space filled with surprises around every corner.
Event tips:
Recruit Volunteers⎯Assign roles like scarers, tour guides, and set designers. High school drama clubs or local theater groups are good places to start for volunteers.
Sell Tickets⎯Offer discounted pre-sale tickets online, otherwise attendees pay the full price at the door.
Boost Profits⎯Increase your fundraisers profits even more by selling concessions like hot apple cider and Halloween-themed snacks at the event.
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Pumpkin carving is fun for all ages and a fantastic way for everyone to show their creativity. Hosting a contest can turn this family-friendly activity into a major fundraiser.
Event tips:
Entry Fees⎯Charge a small fee for participants to enter the contest.
Provide Supplies⎯Consider offering carving kits and pumpkins for an additional donation, or allow participants to bring their own.
Judging Categories⎯Add categories like “Spookiest Pumpkin,” “Most Creative Design,” or “Best Cartoon Character.”
Add extra ways people can donate to your fundraiser like face painting, a bake sale, or fall-themed photo booths.
Costume Party
Encourage participants to dress up and show off their love of Halloween at a costume party. You get built-in entertainment (everyone’s outfits!), contest fun, and the opportunity to add additional ways to raise funds.
Party planning tips:
Tiered ticket pricing⎯Early bird discount, VIP access (includes drink tickets or swag), and group rates for families.
Costume contest⎯Encourage attendees to go all out and offer small prizes for winners. Categories can be: Best DIY costume, funniest costume. scariest costume, best group costume, etc.
Sell food & drinks⎯Partner with local vendors and sell themed drinks (like “Zombie Punch” or “Witch’s Brew”) and snacks.
Trunk-or-Treat Fundraiser
A trunk-or-treat is a creative, safe, and family-friendly event that combines costumes, candy, and cars—all while raising money for your cause! Instead of going door-to-door, kids go car-to-car collecting candy from decorated trunks in a parking lot. It’s fun, easy to organize, and is a fun environment for everyone.
How to organize:
Charge A Participation Fee⎯Ask families or organizations to reserve decorated spots for a donation fee.
Sponsorship⎯Offer local businesses the chance to sponsor trunks in exchange for advertising space.
Activities⎯Have a small pumpkin patch, a bounce house, or arts and crafts for extra revenue streams.
Halloween-Themed Bake Sale
Nothing says fall like sweet treats, and a Halloween-themed bake sale is the perfect way to combine festive food with fundraising! A spooky bake sale is a fun way to bring people together and raise money for your cause.
Event tips:
Put together bundles⎯Offer treat bundles at a discount to boost sales volume.
Set-up a table where kids (or adults!) can decorate cupcakes or cookies. Charge a small fee for participation.
Host a bake-off⎯Invite attendees to enter their best spooky dessert and charge a donation fee to enter.
Zombie Run Or Haunted Walk
Organize a 5K where participants dress as zombies or survivors. Add “infection zones” or themed obstacles for more fun. Create a shorter haunted trail for younger participants with less scare and more fun.
Halloween Movie Night
Stream a classic Halloween film and charge an admission fee. Add a trivia component about the movie, and the person that gets the most questions right after the movie, wins a prize. Get extra funds by selling snack boxes and drinks.
Murder Mystery Dinner
Want to host a fundraiser that’s thrilling, interactive, and unforgettable? A murder mystery dinner is the perfect Halloween-season event that combines dining, drama, and donations—all in one spooky night. Whether your audience loves solving puzzles, dressing up in character, or loves dinner entertainment, this spooky experience will raise funds and generate fun!
Halloween Raffle Or Silent Auction
A raffle or silent auction is easy to organize, you don’t need a huge venue, and you can host them in-person or online. Some spooktacular prize ideas:
Fall-themed gift baskets (cozy socks, candles, cider, treats).
Fright night movie night basket (popcorn, candy, classic Halloween movies, cozy blanket).
Wellness basket (herbal tea, bath salts, essential oils).
Raffle ideas:
Sell individual tickets and as a bundle where the more the purchase, they get a little bit of discount.
Offer tiered raffle prizes or one grand prize.
Do a live drawing at your Halloween event and/or stream it online.
Silent auction ideas:
Display prizes in a themed setup (think cobwebs, pumpkins, potion bottles).
Set minimum bids and bid increments.
Include descriptions and value estimates for each item.
Use bid sheets or host the auction with an online platform like: BetterWorld, GalaBid, and Givegy.
Host A Successful Fall Fundraiser This October
October is the perfect time to blend creativity, community, and a little Halloween magic into your fundraising strategy. Making sure you have trending auction items to bid on or prizes to giveaway, will help leave a lasting impression for your fundraiser. Maybe this will become an annual tradition your supporters look forward to every fall!
Consignment Silent Auction Items
At BlueTree, we make it easy for you to auction items with our curated packages, marketing and customer services support so you have less things on your to-do list. Contact us today to learn how we can partner for an amazing spooktacular fundraiser!