Younger generations are changing the rules of fundraising, and fundraising events are evolving with them.
Today, Gen Z and Millennials supporters expect to do more than simply donate; they want to be actively involved.
New generations are driving more interactive formats such as livestreams, community fundraising events, and challenge-based campaigns.
In the UK, large-scale initiatives like Jingle Jam or GameBlast show how streaming and gaming communities can mobilise thousands of supporters around a cause.
Across Europe, similar formats are emerging, from creator-led livestreams to community-driven fundraising challenges.
These formats are becoming powerful entry points into how people discover and support causes.
In this article, we will explore why these formats are reshaping online fundraising, how they work in practice, and examples of event fundraising formats that successfully engage younger communities.
The new role of fundraising events in online fundraising
Streaming fundraising events: a new driver of online fundraising
Challenge-based fundraising: turning participation into momentum
Key takeaways
FAQ: Engaging younger generations in fundraising
For a long time, fundraising followed a fairly linear path: a supporter received a message, clicked on a donation form, and made a contribution.
Today, supporters want to take part, interact, and contribute in more visible ways.
This shift reflects broader transformations in online charity fundraising. Donor journeys are becoming more gradual and trust-driven, shaped by multiple touchpoints rather than a single interaction.
We are seeing:
a stronger need for personal connection,
a rise in community-led giving,
and increasing expectations around trust and transparency.
Digital platforms like Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have turned fundraising into a social and visible activity. Donations are now often shared and amplified in real time.
At the same time, creators and ambassadors are becoming key drivers of fundraising efforts. They bring engaged communities, trust, and an authentic voice.
As a result, fundraising is no longer only organisation-led: it’s increasingly community-driven, creator-led, and built around shared experiences. Communities, creators, and supporters become active participants, shaping and spreading the campaign themselves.
A great example of a successful community-driven campaign is the fundraiser led by creator Irena (@Healthy Omnomnom) in support of Polish Humanitarian Action.
By offering her ebook in exchange for a micro-donation (around €1), she mobilised her community and raised over €18,000 (reaching 816% of her goal).
Micro-donations are small (often impulsive) donations that allow supporters to contribute without financial stress. Other examples include round-up donations for transactions or small monthly donations. They are a good entry-point for a long term donor relationship, and their cumulative effect helps campaigns grow.
These new formats and fundraising events for charities work particularly well with younger audiences because they correspond to how they behave online, and match their expectations regarding online giving.
These formats offer:
Gamification through challenges, goals, and milestones that make participation engaging
Instant feedback, with live donation counters and visible progress
Real-time interaction, through comments, reactions, and shared moments
A clear sense of impact, where supporters can immediately see the difference they’re helping to make
This last point is key: younger supporters want to feel useful and see that their action, no matter how small, contributes to something real.
A streaming fundraising event is a digital-first format combining content, interaction, and real-time donations.
Common formats include:
gaming streams
live challenges
Q&A sessions or talk shows
hybrid formats combining online and offline elements
More and more organisations are integrating streaming into their charity fundraising strategy, as a way to engage supporters in a more dynamic and interactive way.
Events like Jingle Jam or GameBlast show how powerful this format can be when engagement and community come together.
Livestreams create a highly interactive and time-sensitive environment, where participants can engage, react, and contribute instantly.
They also bring a strong sense of authenticity and transparency, as audiences can see the campaign unfold in real time and feel directly connected to the cause.
Combined with visible fundraising goals and live donation moments, this creates a powerful sense of urgency and momentum, encouraging people to donate “in the moment” rather than later.
A great example of this is Stream for Humanity, a creator-led initiative that raised over €5 million across two editions, in support of Doctors Without Borders France.
The campaign brought together over 30 streamers and creators. Supporters could give instantly through a dedicated donation form, with real-time tracking of the fundraising goal.
Challenge-based campaigns are becoming powerful fundraising levers. Most successful challenges rely on a few core principles:
a clear and simple objective
an action that is easy to replicate
a strong social dimension (invite, nominate, share)
a defined timeframe that creates urgency
A well-known example is WWF Earth Hour. What started as a symbolic “lights off” moment has evolved into a global movement encouraging people to “Give an hour for Earth.”
At their core, successful challenge campaigns follow a simple formula: make it easy to join, easy to share, and rewarding to complete.
Challenge campaigns work because they encourage people to get involved, not just to donate.
These campaigns rely on strong peer dynamics:
peer-to-peer fundraising creates a network effect
snowball dynamics encourage each participant to involve others
low barriers to entry make it easy for anyone to join
and a mix of fun and emotional engagement keeps people motivated
Challenge campaigns have evolved a lot over time. From early viral campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, we now see a wide variety of formats, from social media challenges to gaming marathons.
These campaigns are increasingly combined with digital fundraising tools to simplify the giving process and maximise their impact.
For example:
a physical challenge (like a run or marathon) is often paired with personal fundraising pages.
a social media challenge can drive traffic to an online donation form or a charity crowdfunding platform.
A good hybrid approach example is Aktiv mot kreft. This Norwegian charity partnered with an influencer during the NYC Marathon. By combining a physical challenge with digital mobilisation, the campaign raised €18,000 and reached a wider audience online.
Streaming events, peer to peer campaigns, and challenge-based initiatives are not just new formats in online fundraising. They reflect a deeper shift in how people connect with causes.
Younger generations are not less engaged, they simply engage differently. They expect to participate, interact, and feel part of something meaningful before they consider donating.
For charities, this means rethinking the role of fundraising events: not only as moments to collect donations, but as opportunities to create experiences, build communities, and foster long-term engagement.
These formats open up new ways to attract, engage, and mobilise supporters, especially in a digital-first environment where interaction and authenticity matter more than ever.
Looking to put these ideas into practice and leverage new fundraising opportunities for your charity? Discover our 6 tips to improve your event fundraising campaigns and better engage younger supporters.
Here are some of the most common questions nonprofits ask when trying to engage Gen Z and Millennials in fundraising campaigns:
Livestream fundraising works because it combines entertainment, interaction, and real-time impact. Younger audiences don’t just want to donate: they want to participate, react, and feel part of a shared moment.
Features like live chat, donation counters, and interactive challenges create a sense of immediacy and community, which can significantly increase engagement and spontaneous giving.
Nonprofits should approach creators as partners rather than simple amplifiers. The most effective campaigns are co-created, allowing creators to adapt messaging to their audience and communication style.
Creators bring three key advantages: an engaged audience, existing trust, and a more authentic way of communicating, especially important when targeting younger generations.
A successful challenge is simple, social, and time-bound. It should be easy to participate in, easy to share, and built around a clear and motivating goal.
Adding elements like peer nomination, progress tracking on your fundraising platform, and a defined timeframe helps create momentum and encourages participants to involve others.
Micro-donations reduce the barrier to entry by allowing people to contribute small amounts quickly and without friction. This is particularly effective with younger audiences who are used to fast, mobile-first interactions.
When combined with real-time feedback and social engagement, micro-donations can significantly increase participation and serve as a first step toward deeper involvement.
Engagement is often the starting point, not the end goal. Participating in a livestream or challenge can lead to stronger involvement over time.
To build long-term relationships, nonprofits should follow up with participants, personalise communication, and recognise all forms of engagement, not just financial contributions.