45 Powerful Non-Profit Business Ideas That Matter

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Updated: June 18th, 2021

45 Powerful Non-Profit Business Ideas That Matter

Would you like to start your own non-profit business or earn money on the side, but still need to find the right business idea?

There will be countless exciting business ideas again in 2021. While it sounds exciting to start your own business, it's important that you run with the right idea.

Your goal should be to build a business in a niche that is not only profitable but can also ensure your long-term success.

Hopefully, all of the non-profit business ideas listed here will give you inspiration and a head start for the 2021 year.

1. Start a crafts business

How Much Can You Make?

$600/month

View all 1 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$5,500

Skills

Design Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Crafty Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful crafts business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a crafts business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a crafts business ➜

Case Study

My name is Marc Staples. I am the founder of DowhHomeModern and the Lago Luna Lakeside Studio in Virginia. With the recent introduction of my original designs of windbells and chimes, DownHomeModern is gaining attention as an educator as well as a producer of quality products. Each Frontier Bell that we sell embraces the history of the place it is named for.

In 2021 I created a collection of small bells based on American Southwest decor. I call the line our Frontier Mission Bells™. The rustic style of these products has grabbed the attention of people who like their homespun appearance. The Frontier Bells has been the primary driver of sales for DownHomeModern. The example below is called “San Gabriel”. It is named after a Spanish Mission in San Gabriel, California.

how-i-validated-my-business-on-etsy-and-launched-my-own-handcrafted-artistry-shop

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How I Validated My Business On Etsy And Launched My Own Handcrafted A... ➜

2. Start an art show business

Examples of a successful art show business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a art show business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an art show business ➜

3. Start an athletic tournament business

Examples of a successful athletic tournament business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a athletic tournament business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an athletic tournament business ➜

4. Start a recipe books business ($744K/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$26,000 — $62,000/month

View all 2 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$6,700

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Examples of a successful recipe books business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a recipe books business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a recipe books business ➜

Case Study

My name is Mason Woodruff, and I run Kinda Healthy Recipes, a food blog with around half a million sessions per month. We create recipes, guides, and resources for food-loving fitness enthusiasts.

how-i-started-a-15k-month-food-blog-for-fitness-enthusiasts

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How I Started A $15K/Month Food Blog For Fitness Enthusiasts ➜

5. Start a localympics business

Examples of a successful localympics business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a localympics business:

7 Unique Ways To Fundraise

Learn more about starting a localympics business ➜

6. Start a film fundraising business

Examples of a successful film fundraising business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a film fundraising business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a film fundraising business ➜

7. Start a dodge ball tournament business

Examples of a successful dodge ball tournament business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a dodge ball tournament business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Knights of the Lunch Table: No. 1 (The Dodgeball Chronicles): Frank Cammuso

Learn more about starting a dodge ball tournament business ➜

8. Start a dance marathon business

Examples of a successful dance marathon business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a dance marathon business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a dance marathon business ➜

9. Start a scavenger hunt business

How Much Can You Make?

$7,500/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Negotiation Skills

Examples of a successful scavenger hunt business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a scavenger hunt business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a scavenger hunt business ➜

Case Study

My name is Chris Waters, I go by “The Architect, and I started Constructed Adventures.

The most important thing for me is the freedom and flexibility. I don’t have a home and travel from one adventure location to the next. With all the money saved, I spend my downtime traveling to amazing locations or visiting friends and family!

how-i-make-a-living-constructing-the-perfect-day-for-random-strangers

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How I Make A Living Constructing 'The Perfect Day' For Random Strangers ➜

10. Start a bike relays hosting business

Examples of a successful bike relays hosting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a bike relays hosting business ➜

11. Start a master chef tv show

Examples of a successful master chef tv show:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a master chef tv show ➜

12. Start a quiz bowl business

Examples of a successful quiz bowl business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a quiz bowl business:

Learn more about starting a quiz bowl business ➜

13. Start a donation business

Examples of a successful donation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a donation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a donation business ➜

14. Start a hairless fundraising business

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a hairless fundraising business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a hairless fundraising business ➜

15. Start a charity event hosting business

Examples of a successful charity event hosting business:

D23
events

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a charity event hosting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a charity event hosting business ➜

16. Start an animal adoption organization business

Examples of a successful animal adoption organization business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a animal adoption organization business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an animal adoption organization business ➜

17. Become a race organizer ($1.14M/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$95,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Examples of a successful race organizer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a race organizer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a race organizer ➜

Case Study

I am Angie Webb and I created Virtual Run Events powered by Moon Joggers at the start of 2013. It first started as Moon Joggers and was a fun running and walking community for people to join. When we decided to start doing virtual races, my best friend, Darnell, gave me $1,000 to get started and became my business partner. The first virtual race we did was to help raise money for one of our Moon Joggers. Her son had been diagnosed with cancer and they did not have insurance, so we hosted a virtual race and raised $2,500 to help them pay their medical bills.

After that initial virtual race, we decided that we could really make a difference by hosting virtual races and donating to charities with each race. Eight years later and we have hosted hundreds of virtual races and donated more than $860,000 to charities around the world. We set a goal of donating $1 million to charity and will reach that goal by the end of 2021! It’s amazing to see our participants from all over the planet come together and participate in our races.

how-i-started-a-95k-month-business-organizing-virtual-races

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How I Started A $95K/Month Business Organizing Virtual Races ➜

18. Start a house party organizing business

Examples of a successful house party organizing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a house party organizing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a house party organizing business ➜

19. Start a tie dye party business

Examples of a successful tie dye party business:

Stay Open Stay Free

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a tie dye party business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a tie dye party business ➜

20. Start a roller race business

Examples of a successful roller race business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a roller race business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a roller race business ➜

21. Start a trash art auction business

Examples of a successful trash art auction business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a trash art auction business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a trash art auction business ➜

22. Start an upcycled furniture business

Examples of a successful upcycled furniture business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a upcycled furniture business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an upcycled furniture business ➜

23. Start a roller race business

Examples of a successful roller race business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a roller race business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a roller race business ➜

24. Start an under-privileged school business

Examples of a successful under-privileged school business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a under-privileged school business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an under-privileged school business ➜

25. Start a tree planting service

How Much Can You Make?

$10,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Negotiation Skills

Examples of a successful tree planting service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a tree planting service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a tree planting service ➜

Case Study

Raffaele Di Lallo is the founder of the houseplant blog website Ohio Tropicswhich he started around five years ago in 2017.

In 2021 his blog generated over 300,000 page views per month, translating into around $10,000 in revenue. About 80 to 90% of the revenue comes from display ads, and a small portion is generated from affiliate commissions.

As he managed to draw a six-figure income from his blog Raffaele has finally decided to leave his day job and work full-time on Ohio Tropics. He has also written a book on houseplant care tips named Houseplant Warrior, which is available both in hardback & eBook.

Raffaele is using Mediavine to display advertisements on his website. Raffaele stated that he has increased his ad revenue by utilizing some of the tools and analytics provided by Mediavine.

His blog’s RPM (revenue per thousand impressions) varies throughout the year. On a good month, his RPM is in the $50-$60 range, though a $40 RPM is closer to his average.

Raffaele includes links to Amazon products that he has personally used and recommends on his blogs, but this is not his primary focus.

He is responsible for all of OhioTropics' content production. Once he tried to hire a content writer, he was not 100% satisfied with the outcome and decided to manage things independently.

Raffaele likes to share his experiences with cultivating and caring for houseplants, which is challenging to outsource.

The founder has 165k followers on Instagram, and last year, one of his posts drew the interest of a significant plant company. Along with expanding his blog's content, Raffaele wants to expand his YouTube channel, Ohio Tropics Houseplant Care.

Best Strategies Raffaele Used To Grow His Blog

Writing informative content that answers people's questions
Updating old posts & creating new content
SEO
Using Ahrefs for keyword research (low competition, high volume search terms)
Google Search Console to grab new keyword ideas
Focusing on what generating revenue

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The 6-Figure Houseplant Blogger ➜

26. Start an alcohol free club business

Examples of a successful alcohol free club business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a alcohol free club business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an alcohol free club business ➜

27. Start a graffiti removal business

Examples of a successful graffiti removal business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a graffiti removal business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a graffiti removal business ➜

28. Start an animal saving business

Examples of a successful animal saving business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a animal saving business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an animal saving business ➜

29. Start a vices campaign business

Examples of a successful vices campaign business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a vices campaign business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a vices campaign business ➜

30. Start a green living business

Examples of a successful green living business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a green living business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a green living business ➜

31. Start a pawn brokerage business

Examples of a successful pawn brokerage business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a pawn brokerage business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a pawn brokerage business ➜

32. Start an in-home senior care business

How Much Can You Make?

$250,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$200,000

Skills

Customer Service Skills

Crafty Skills

Examples of a successful in-home senior care business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a in-home senior care business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an in-home senior care business ➜

Case Study

My name is Gareth Mahon. I’m the co-founder and CEO of The CareSide, a home care and nursing service provider for elderly individuals in Australia. We are based in Perth, Australia.

We launched our company in 2017. Over the past 3 years, we have scaled to $5 million in revenue.

how-i-started-a-250k-month-a-home-care-and-nursing-service-provider

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How I Started A $250K/Month A Home Care And Nursing Service Provider ➜

33. Start a fundraising consulting business ($1.8M/year)

How Much Can You Make?

$150,000 — $166,666,666/month

View all 2 case studies

Average Initial Investment

$300,075

Skills

Writing & Research Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Customer Service Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Design Skills

Examples of a successful fundraising consulting business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a fundraising consulting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a fundraising consulting business ➜

Case Study

My name is Daryl Hatton. I am a founder, CEO, and lead investor of a team that created ConnectionPoint in 2009 as an early entrant and innovative pioneer in the crowdfunding industry.

To date, we have helped almost 200,000 projects in 40+ countries raise over $200 million using our platform.

how-i-started-a-crowdfunding-as-a-service-platform-that-helped-200k-projects-raise-over-200m

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How I Started A Crowdfunding-As-A-Service Platform That Helped 200K P... ➜

34. Start a first aid kits business

Examples of a successful first aid kits business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a first aid kits business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a first aid kits business ➜

35. Start a health care campaign business

Examples of a successful health care campaign business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a health care campaign business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a health care campaign business ➜

36. Start a storage facility

How Much Can You Make?

$150,000/month

View all 1 case studies

Skills

Business Savvy Skills

Self Motivation Skills

Customer Service Skills

Examples of a successful storage facility :

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a storage facility :

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a storage facility ➜

Case Study

My name is Ben Elizer, and I am the Founder and President of Velocity International Group, a full-scale logistics company, offering SameDay delivery, Expediting, Distribution, Fulfillment, andmany Warehousing Services. We offer to consult and some other services as well to help our customers succeed in an ultra-competitive environment. Velocity started with 2 vans and many faces to face conversations. We now have 10+ vehicles, including trucks, and have grown to 25k+ square feet of warehouse space as well to best serve our customers.

Over the past 2 years, our revenue has grown over 300%, which has completely contributed to the great people and culture we have at Velocity. After having to move out of my apartment (because I put everything financially I had into this company), and move back into my mom’s house in my mid 20’s, it was difficult, but just 6 months later we had our first small office and warehouse space. I’m fortunate I had a support system to move back into, or else Velocity might not be here today. The business has grown ever since because of hard work, trust, and relationships. We focus on what is important.

how-i-started-a-100k-month-logistics-and-delivery-service-company

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How I Started A $100K/Month Logistics And Delivery Service Company ➜

37. Start a charity auction service business

Examples of a successful charity auction service business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a charity auction service business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a charity auction service business ➜

38. Start a stress/anxiety coaching business

Examples of a successful stress/anxiety coaching business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a stress/anxiety coaching business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a stress/anxiety coaching business ➜

39. Start a charity casino organizing business

Examples of a successful charity casino organizing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a charity casino organizing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a charity casino organizing business ➜

40. Start a disabled people foundation

Examples of a successful disabled people foundation:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a disabled people foundation:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a disabled people foundation ➜

41. Start a thrifty resale business

Examples of a successful thrifty resale business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a thrifty resale business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a thrifty resale business ➜

42. Start a refitting houses business

Examples of a successful refitting houses business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a refitting houses business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a refitting houses business ➜

43. Start a charitable information business

Examples of a successful charitable information business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a charitable information business:

Starting A Non Profit Or Charitable Organization Within Canada

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a charitable information business ➜

44. Start a first aid training business

Examples of a successful first aid training business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a first aid training business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a first aid training business ➜

Pat Walls, Founder of Starter Story

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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.

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