Fundraise with us
The holiday season is a time for joy, generosity and coming together.
Yet while many of us gather with family and friends, millions of refugees around the world are facing unimaginable challenges—displacement, hunger and uncertainty about the future. This holiday season, you can make a real difference by turning seasonal cheer into life-changing support.
Below are five creative and impactful fundraising ideas to help you create hope this season.
1. Host a festive bake sale
Nothing says the holidays like the smell of freshly baked treats. Why not organize a bake sale featuring seasonal favorites, from gingerbread cookies and spiced pastries to pies and savory snacks? Invite friends, colleagues or your local community to enjoy sweet and savory treats while contributing to a cause that matters. Every slice, portion or pie sold helps provide food and shelter for families in crisis.
Start your own fundraiser to support people in crisis.
Raise some dough. IRC ambassador Romola Garai visits a school where teachers have adopted the IRC’s Healing Classrooms. The program provides free training to schools to help support refugee and asylum-seeking students.
2. Set up a charity gift-wrapping station
Holiday shopping can be stressful, and wrapping gifts takes time. Offer a solution by setting up a gift-wrapping station at a local shopping center, school or community hall. For a small donation, shoppers can have their presents beautifully wrapped while supporting refugees around the world. It’s a simple way to turn convenience into compassion.
3. Organize an ugly sweater or festive spirit day
Bring seasonal fun to your workplace or school by hosting an ugly sweater or festive spirit day. Encourage everyone to wear a holiday-themed sweater or fun seasonal outfit and ask for a donation to participate. You can even add a contest for “best outfit” to make it more engaging. It’s a great way to spread cheer—and raise funds at the same time.
Deck the halls. The IRC supports children—many of them refugees from Ukraine—who are living with their mothers in the collective shelters in Warsaw, Poland. Here they are visiting a Christmas decoration factory and learned to make their own ornaments.
4. Host a virtual holiday quiz night
Looking for a way to connect with friends and family near and far? Organize a virtual quiz night with a holiday or winter theme. Charge a small entry fee and offer a prize for the winner. It’s a fun, interactive way to celebrate together while supporting refugees who need urgent assistance.
5. Donate in lieu of gifts
Instead of exchanging gifts this year, ask loved ones to donate to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in your name. Share your personal fundraising page and explain how their contribution will help provide food, clean water and safety for families in need. It’s a meaningful alternative that truly reflects the spirit of the season.
Making memories. Children make their own ornaments as part of a holiday day trip organized by the IRC for displaced families living in Poland.
Photo: Karolina Jonderko for IRC
Make the holidays count by supporting the IRC
Every dollar raised helps the IRC deliver emergency aid and long-term support to refugees worldwide. Whether you bake, wrap, quiz or simply give, your efforts can bring hope to those who need it most.
Visit our page to start your IRC fundraiser.
Top tips to make your fundraiser a success
Set a target
A clear fundraising target helps to motivate people to support your campaign. Be realistic but ambitious.
Show the impact
Highlight the impact donations will have and clearly explain the cause you are fundraising for.
For example, $742 can help the IRC purchase an incubator to support babies born prematurely in crisis zones.
In Kenya, Rozan’s three-week-old twins, both born prematurely, are receiving care in the neonatal unit operated by the International Rescue Committee.
Photo: Marion Chepngeit for the IRC
Promote it
You likely have a larger network ready to support your fundraiser than you realize. Whether on social media, in your local community, at school or at work, you may be surprised how many people want to help.
Set up your fundraising page today and support the IRC.
Why support the IRC?
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people affected by humanitarian crises survive, recover and rebuild their lives. We deliver lasting impact by providing health care, helping children learn and empowering individuals and communities to become self-reliant—always with a focus on the unique needs of women and girls. Our work spans more than 40 crisis-affected countries, and we provide resettlement, asylum and integration services across the United States and Europe, helping refugees rebuild their lives and futures.
More from the IRC
Our ratings: We consistently earn top marks from charity watchdog groups for our efficient use of donor contributions and the effectiveness of our work.
Get connected: Follow the IRC on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky and X.
Volunteer: Join one of the IRC’s 29 offices across the U.S.
Stay informed: Learn more about the world’s most pressing crises and what the IRC is doing to help.
