Charities use fund-raising events not only to increase donations, but also to raise awareness of their cause. Donors have the chance to enjoy their philanthropy at fund-raising events and to publicly align themselves with their chosen charity. Fund-raising events can incur costs that may vary according to the type of event, the level of volunteers involved, and the number of participants.

Fund-raising events take all kinds of forms from entertaining evenings, challenge events and bucket collections. Although they may be organized to raise funds, these sorts of fund-raising event ideas tend to have other objectives as well such as raising awareness of the cause and building support networks and contacts for the organizations involved.

Dinners or Galas; Fund-raising events are hosted by the organization that offers the opportunity for supporters to meet members of the staff, volunteers, and even those individuals who have been benefiting from the work of the organization. There is usually an entrance fee or price per plate charged to attendees at these events to cover the cost of hosting it by the charity.

Challenge Events; Fund-raising events where teams compete such as tug-of-war or individual challenges such as parachuting, abseiling, bungee jumping, and overseas treks.

Celebrity Appearances; Donors get the chance to meet national and international celebrities, sometimes there are celebrity auctions with the proceeds going to the charity. Although some celebrities will make appearances for free, there is normally a cost involved in celebrity appearances. More awareness is raised in different audiences when a charity is lent the support of someone in the public eye.

Organizing fund-raising events for a huge number of people can take a great deal of effort and time on the part of the organization, even small events can take several months to organize properly. There is always a risk of failure when organising a fund-raising event. However with great fund-raising techniques and event ideas, they can attract new supporters and generate publicity for the cause including profitability.