A popcorn fundraiser for churches and youth ministries

A fundraiser your congregation can say yes to

Churches and youth ministries fund a great deal with very little: summer camp and retreats, mission trips, outreach projects, worship supplies, and the youth room that always needs something. Pastors and youth leaders already care for people, plan events and lead volunteers. A fundraiser that fills the fellowship hall with boxes, and a sign-up table that needs staffing after every service, asks too much of the same few faithful people, week after week.

With Stevie G's, a youth pastor, ministry leader or church volunteer starts a free fundraiser in the app, sets a goal and a last day, and invites helpers with a code. Each helper gets a personal link to share by text, by email or in the church's social posts. Members of the congregation, friends and extended family order online and pay at checkout, and every bag ships to their door. The ministry receives its share through Stripe after the fundraiser ends, separate from tithes and offerings.

How to run a successful church popcorn fundraiser

1. Connect it to a mission. "Summer camp scholarships" or "the spring mission trip" gives the congregation a reason to order, and it belongs in the fundraiser name.

2. Announce it from the front. A short announcement during services, with the link in the bulletin or weekly email, reaches more people than a flyer on a table.

3. Recruit a few helpers. Ask small-group leaders and volunteers to join with the invite code and share their own links with the people they already know.

4. Share stories of impact. Tell the congregation what camp or the last trip meant to the people who went. People support what they can picture.

5. Pick a season with momentum. The weeks before the holidays, or before camp registration closes, give the fundraiser a natural deadline.

6. Report back. When it ends, share what was raised and how it will be used, from the front and in the bulletin. Gratitude builds trust for the next time you ask.

7. Plan next year before this one fades. The day this fundraiser ends, put next year's dates on the church calendar so the ministry team can count on them.

Make it a yearly ministry tradition

A popcorn fundraiser fits naturally into the church year when it comes at the same time every year. Many ministries choose the fall, as programs restart, or the months before a mission trip. Once a year is the right pace: the congregation welcomes an annual event, but a request that returns every few months can start to feel like a burden. Each year after the first takes less effort, because members already know how ordering works and your helpers already know the steps.