25 Fundraising Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2024]

Updated: July 24th, 2023

Interested in starting a fundraising business in 2024?

We put together 23 of the best fundraising businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other fundraising businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a youtube channel

For anyone looking to start a successful YouTube channel, there are plenty of YouTube channel success stories that can be used as inspiration and encouragement. In addition, YouTube has an established monetization system and boasts incredible popularity, making it a potential platform for revenue generation.

In this article, we'll look at different approaches you can use to help promote your channel and grow your viewers. While there's no quick and easy way to success, you can take these tips to build your own YouTube Channel Success story. If you love content creation, you can capitalize on YouTube's popularity to earn extra income.

If you want to join the Youtube partner program to monetize your channel, you will need to reach a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.

How much you can make: $800 — $4,500,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $750 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

How This Couple Makes $5K/Month Generating Content About Ways To Make Money Online

Learn how this entrepreneurial couple made $5-7k a month by helping others find legitimate work from home jobs and creative ways to make money online through their blog and YouTube channel, as well as offering two flagship products designed to help beginner freelancers and new bloggers accelerate growth.

About
Chhavi started Mrs Daaku Studio almost 6 years ago
Revenue
Chhavi grew the business to $5K/month
Costs
It cost Chhavi $500 to start the business
Read by 13,578 founders

2. Start a fundraising consulting business

A fundraising consulting business helps organizations, non-profits, and individuals raise money for various causes or projects.

As a consultant, you would identify funding needs and develop and implement a strategy to meet them, including researching funding sources, writing grant proposals, organizing fundraising events, and managing donor relations.

To start this business, you will need a strong understanding of fundraising, a network of potential funding sources, and possibly licenses or certifications.

To be successful, you will need excellent communication and networking skills, the ability to think creatively and strategically, and an understanding of industry trends and best practices. You will also need to manage your business finances, including setting service prices and tracking income and expenses.

How much you can make: $7,000 — $166,666,666/month

How long does it take to build: 195 days (?)

How I Started A Crowdfunding-As-A-Service Platform That Helped 200K Projects Raise Over $200M

ConnectionPoint's founder and CEO, Daryl Hatton, shares his experience of launching an enterprise-class crowdfunding-as-a-service platform that has helped almost 200,000 projects in 40+ countries raise over $200 million, and offers valuable insights on taking a focused approach to growth and pivoting the business to solve customer problems.

About
Daryl started ConnectionPoint over 15 years ago
Revenue
Daryl grew the business to $150K/month
Costs
It cost Daryl $600000 to start the business
Read by 5,945 founders

3. Start a podcasting business

Podcasting businesses often start as a hobby. You publish a few episodes and posts, and soon you will start getting engagements from interested parties.

However, to earn money from your podcasting business, you need to put a lot of effort and time into producing quality shows that address your audience's concerns.

To grow your podcast business, ensure regular publishing, which brings better growth, more listeners to your channel, and a higher income.

Here is a list of steps to help you transition the podcast from a hobby to a full-time podcast business:

  • Ensure a focused effort and adjust the tone of each podcast episode
  • Make podcasting your priority
  • Focus on building
  • Grow a mailing list
  • Aim at building a trusted brand
  • Develop a long-term growth and marketing plan

How much you can make: $5,000 — $349,983/month

How much does it cost to start: $200 (?)

How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)

Empire Flippers: $20M/Year Helping People Buy And Sell Websites

Empire Flippers is a thought leader in brokering online business deals, having brokered over $50 million worth of deals and grown their pool of potential buyers by hundreds every month through a focus on content marketing and middle-of-funnel content.

About
Justin started Empire Flippers almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Justin grew the business to $350K/month
Read by 9,602 founders

4. Start a game development

A game development business involves creating and developing video games for various platforms such as PC, consoles, and mobile devices. This business involves a team of game designers, programmers, artists, and sound engineers working together to bring a game concept to life.

To start a game development business, it is essential to have a solid understanding of the game development process and be skilled in one or more areas, such as programming, art, or design. It is also essential to have strong business acumen and understand how to market and sell your games.

Some tips for running a successful game development business include:

  • Focus on a specific niche or genre of games to stand out in a crowded market.

  • Build a strong team of talented and passionate individuals who share your vision for the company.

  • Stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies in the gaming industry.

  • Build a strong online presence through social media and a website to market and sell your games.

  • Focus on building a loyal customer base by releasing regular updates and engaging with your community.

  • Don't be afraid to seek partnerships or sponsorships to help fund your projects.

  • Always be open to learning and improving your skills and processes to stay competitive.

How much you can make: $16,500 — $1,725,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 365 days (?)

How I Started A $40M-Revenue Business Creating Tabletop Games

How one founder turned a successful Kickstarter campaign into a $40 million tabletop game company with a focus on crafting a few special products each year and using social media to build community and relationships with customers.

About
Jamey started Stonemaier Games over 11 years ago
Revenue
Jamey grew the business to $1.73M/month
Costs
It cost Jamey $2400 to start the business
Read by 12,301 founders

5. Start a social media marketing service

How much you can make: $3,000 — $6,358,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

How I Bootstrapped A Social Media Automation Tool To $2MM/Year

MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.

About
Chris started MeetEdgar over 10 years ago
Revenue
Chris grew the business to $333K/month
Read by 14,149 founders

6. Start a crowdfunding platform

Raising money for your project can be difficult. Crowdfunding is one way to get funding through a large number of smaller investments. If you have some expertise in a particular area that may be useful to other people, there's no better time to take action. The crowdfunding revolution is happening right at your fingertips.

Crowdfunding has exploded over the past year, and you need to be a part of it. The Worldwide crowdfunding market share is expected to increase by $240B from 2021 to 2026. Crowdfunding is one of the quickest ways to get funding and build your brand.

How much you can make: $5,000 — $400,000/month

How long does it take to build: 272 days (?)

How We Built And Launched A $100M Equity Crowdfunding Platform

StartEngine has helped over 265 companies raise capital from a community of 190,000 users on their equity crowdfunding platform, and has raised almost $100M to date, offering equity, debt, convertible note, and other types of securities to investors.

About
Howard started Kosmos Innovation Centre over 11 years ago
Revenue
Howard grew the business to $400K/month
Read by 8,320 founders

7. Start a campaign promoting business

8. Start a trick-or-treating event hosting business

9. Start a gold exchange-traded funds business

10. Start a non-profit fundraiser

A nonprofit fundraiser is an ongoing process of soliciting donations or voluntary funds to help organizations grow and to meet the community's needs. The faith-based fundraiser focus on helping the members of the community. Within which the organization serves.

To start a not-for-profit fundraiser, you must register the nonprofit organization and show the causes you intend to support. Popular causes supported through nonprofit fundraisers include:

  • Animals
  • Children & Youth
  • Cultural & Education
  • Disabilities
  • Disaster Relief
  • Elderly
  • Environment
  • Global – Locale Based

How long does it take to build: 272 days (?)

11. Start a peer to peer lending business

12. Start a live contest hosting business

How much you can make: $30,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

I Went From Making Extra Income With Affiliate Websites To Building A $360K/Year Business

Case study on SEO consultancy and affiliate marketing business generating over $360k per year with over 700k monthly visitors, with insights on building valuable content, conducting extensive research, and working with a skilled and dedicated team.

About
Jerry started WebRevenue over 17 years ago
Revenue
Jerry grew the business to $30K/month
Costs
It cost Jerry $500 to start the business
Read by 6,339 founders

13. Start a temporary help agency

14. Start a side-project business

How much you can make: $1,200 — $1,766,666/month

How much does it cost to start: $25 (?)

How long does it take to build: 5 days (?)

Empire Flippers: $20M/Year Helping People Buy And Sell Websites

Empire Flippers is a thought leader in brokering online business deals, having brokered over $50 million worth of deals and grown their pool of potential buyers by hundreds every month through a focus on content marketing and middle-of-funnel content.

About
Justin started Empire Flippers almost 12 years ago
Revenue
Justin grew the business to $350K/month
Read by 9,602 founders

15. Start a donation business

16. Start a contest marketing business

17. Start a charity auction service business

18. Start a mutual fund investing business

19. Start a cause awareness raising podcast business

20. Start a real estate auctions business

21. Start a car flipping business

22. Start a paid online surveys business

23. Start an apartment rental business

An apartment is a private residence divided into several separate dwellings. If you are interested in starting an accommodation and housing-related business, apartment rental can be a good fit. Your target customers can be business executives, dignitaries, travelers, etc.

To start your business, look for a strategic location and build or buy a ready property. When purchasing an apartment, you may need to renovate the property to be suitable for rental.

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.