In 2024, is Valentine’s Day about money or love?
While we associate V-day with teddy bears and rose petals, there’s no denying it’s become a commercial cash cow. In 2024, 1.5 billion pounds were spent on V-day in the UK alone.
What if you offered attendees a perfect opportunity to splurge on V-day without guilt this year? A chance to spend money and spread love for a good cause — your cause?
At Eventbrite, we believe in the power of love.
After all, it’s our love for events that drove us to build the world’s largest event marketplace and resulted in 63% more tickets being sold per event by organisers using Eventbrite’s marketing tools.
In this article, we’ll provide you with the best Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas that’ll help you bring the love back to Valentine’s Day.
Unique Valentines Day Fundraising Ideas
‘We’re locked in love’: A jewellery-making workshop
‘Please, give me a second chance’: A thrift shop, street party
‘What a love boat’: A late-night cruise Romance
‘Cupid’s culinary challenge’: A couple’s cooking competition
‘An arrow to the heart’: An archery tournament (with a twist)
‘Puppy love’: A doggy-yoga event
‘We’re locked in love’: A jewellery-making workshop
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Not to get all cliche, but nothing says love like handmade jewellery. V-day is the perfect time to embrace your inner romantic and throw a jewellery-making workshop for adults.
Create jewellery-making stations for crafting earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, and equip each with a ‘bead buffet,’ clamp tools, and exotic materials — it’ll be the Breakfast at Tiffany’s of jewel-making classes.
Then, dial up the ‘spice’ of your Valentine’s Day fundraiser to 100 by booking an intimate venue like this retro space in West Hampstead and transforming it into a 70s-inspired, hippie-loving slice of paradise.
To make the event more interesting, give attendees the chance to play with sand and fire by hosting a special ‘pre-event’ jewerly and intention setting workshop. Give attendees the option to add this experience and charge an extra $100–$200.
💡Fundraising pro tip: Encourage attendees to purchase add-ons during the event to help earn additional funds. For example, offer gourmet snacks and premium beverages, like cocktails, for an additional price.
‘Please, give me a second chance’: A thrift shop, street party
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪
Let’s be honest: Not all fundraising events for Valentine’s Day are ‘singleton’ friendly…
Stand apart from the pack by hosting a unique fundraising idea that celebrates all kinds of love, like friends, family, and pre-loved fashion.
We know what you’re thinking: planning a unique charity event takes time and effort — but for a seasoned event organiser like you? It’ll be a breeze.
Here’s the plan: Combine a thrift shop market with a block party. Think food vendors and lemonade stands mixed with rows of vibrant vintage clothes. It’ll be like a V-day country fair.
Take a page from CityMusic Promotions Ltd’s event ‘Valentine’s Moonlight Sonata’ and book a local musician to come and play some classic love songs at your event.
💡Fundraising pro tip: Bring extra donations by selling raffle tickets. To entice participants, partner with local businesses to offer top-notch romantic prizes. Then, create a pricing tier for the raffle that correlates with the value of the prize.
‘What a love boat’: A late-night cruise
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪
Need fantastic Valentines Day fundraising ideas that’ll have attendees swooning? Look no further than a late-night boat ride.
There’s something magical about cruising on a boat with that special person while the city lights up and you sip on champagne with the breeze in your hair. Maybe it’s the thought of Leonardo on the Titanic or the timeless allure of the sea, but either way — it’s romantic as hell.
Create an extra enchanting atmosphere by organising a ‘The Ritz’ theme inspired by the roaring 1920s. Encourage guests to come draped head to toe in glamour — think feathered headbands and classic winged mascara.
You can offer general admission tickets or VIP packages, with the option for an all-inclusive entry for attendees seeking a fully immersive beverage and food experience. For example, Koxmet Promotions hosts a Great Gatbsby-themed masquerade and dinner experience with tiered VIP pricing in honor of the Ghanaian Community Businesses in the UK.
💡Fundraising pro tip: A recent study found that charities can increase donations by 50% by allowing donors to ‘decide now to give later.’ To implement this strategy, you can incorporate an option in your event ticket registration for attendees to pledge a percentage of their choice, such as 10% or 20%, on the day of the event.
‘Cupid’s culinary challenge’: A couples cooking competition
Romance: 💕💕💕
Profitability: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Have you ever heard the old wive’s tale: Couples who cook together stay together?
It may be an ancient saying, but the message still rings true because the way to our hearts will always be through our stomachs. That’s why this V-day, you’ll host a cooking class — with a creative twist.
Take inspo from The Great Game Treasure Hunts and bring a fun, adventurous vibe to your event by organising an outdoor treasure hunt. Picture this: you start your event and allow couples to explore the city looking for romantic clues.
When attendees reach the treasure, they’re met with a beautiful view of the city at sunset and two long tables equipped with portable cooktops, cooking utilities, and a mystery box with a dinner recipe for each couple to cook.
💡Pro tip: Remember that millennials and ‘Gen Zer’s’ are passionate about climate change — excellent news. Promote sustainable treasure hunts on social and follow eco-friendly practices.
Consider leveraging an event discovery platform, such as Eventbrite, to find the right audience for your event and reach your fundraising goals. You can target individuals interested in health, cooking, and Valentine’s Day events in their local area and use ads to appear at the top of their search results.
Find the right people for your event
‘Hit me with your best shot’: A paintball tournament (with a twist)
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Look, we know there are plenty of Valentine’s Day party ideas out there. But do they offer fun and danger?
If you’re looking for a V-day idea that’s a bit out of the box, we’ve got the perfect suggestion: a paintball tournament with a twist.
Swap out the traditional archery board for a paintball-style experience. For the day, attendees can channel their inner Katniss Everdin and run around a hayfield and shoot each other with rubber darts.
Take inspo from Skirmish Paintball Nottingham, organise attendees into teams of heroes and villains, and set up obstacles, like boulders, mud, and rope on the ‘lovers battlefield’ to add an extra layer of excitement to the event.
To add an extra dose of humour, have attendees dress up in oversized heart costumes, complete with cheesy slogans, like ‘I can’t outrun my love for you’ and red ‘war face paint.’ This way, when attendees get ‘struck’ by a paintball, they literally get hit with your best shot.
💡Pro tip: With the average household disposable income in the UK being only £224 per week, attendees might find it difficult to contribute a large sum of money at your event.
In fact, in the last 10 years, charitable giving dropped by 16%. So, consider using a ‘pay as you feel’ pricing system to take the pressure off attendees and appeal to a wider audience.
‘Puppy love’: A doggy-yoga event
Romance: 💕
Profitability: 💸💸
Effort: 💪
There’s no love stronger than the love a pet parent has for their fur baby.
So, this year, host a V-day yoga event that welcomes singletons, couples, and furry friends.
Encourage attendees to bring their best pal, whether human or canine, provide soft yoga mats, calming music, and water bowls for the pups, and lead a guided yoga session.
Once your attendees are fully ‘zen-ed,’ hand out healthy treats for your human guests, such as house-made granola bars and green juices, as well as your dog attendees, like a puppa-chino, or meat-cookie and lactose-free cream ice cream.
💡Fundraising pro tip: In 2023, 27% of all UK donations reportedly went to animal welfare. So, for event organisers raising money for an animal-related cause, consider incorporating animals into the event to show attendees the impact that their donations make.
For example, Goat Yoga Warwickshire hosts a ‘goat yoga’ session where attendees can get a hug from a goat, while practising yoga.
Celebrate love with the best Valentine’s Day fundraising ideas
Some people love V-day, others hate it, and a handful of sneaky people wait all year for V-day to roll around and then pretend to be impartial about it (if you don’t know who we’re talking about, then it’s probably you).
But there’s one thing we can all agree on — the importance of fundraising campaigns for a good cause.
Whichever fundraising idea you choose, Eventbrite will be here to help bring it to the people. With our marketing tools, you can spread love across multiple platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, with the push of a button and utilise AI to streamline how you do ‘eventing’.
