4 Effective Community Outreach Ideas for Churches and Religious Groups

Sharing your faith is at the heart of many religious traditions, making community outreach important and essential. By reaching out, you can support those in need, deepen your faith, and encourage others to walk alongside you.

Supporting your neighbors is the first step in welcoming others to your church, temple, mosque, or synagogue—which is why we’ve compiled four community outreach ideas for churches and religious groups for you to explore. 

1. Start a family program 

While youth groups are a common choice for family-oriented programs, there are many other ways to bring families together through engaging events and activities. Plus, hosting programs catering to people of all ages and interests can help you reach people beyond your congregation.

Popular ideas include: 

Childcare 

Babysitting helps parents and caregivers worry about one less responsibility, freeing them to focus on work, errands, or quality time with their loved ones. Additionally, offering tutoring programs provides valuable academic support for children in need of extra help. 

Special interest groups 

Host clubs that cater to the various interests of children, adults, and grandparents in your community. Consider holding book clubs, cooking classes, knitting circles, music groups, or children’s art or science lessons. 

Sports and exercise programs 

Sports and fitness groups are another popular way to get involved with your community. You could run a youth basketball league, hold yoga classes, or create a pickleball group for older adults. 

Support groups 

Create a safe space where people from your religious group and the broader community can find support. These sessions can focus on grief, substance use disorder, empty nest syndrome, or mental health conditions. 

2. Host entertaining or informative community events 

Aside from family programs, you can host plenty of other events that can help raise awareness of your church, mosque, or synagogue. Activities to consider include: 

Health education events 

Partner with a local health group to provide information on healthy living, host a blood drive or health screening, or offer a vaccine clinic. 

Social gatherings

Events open to the community can show your commitment to the public. Consider low-cost activities like ice cream socials, picnics, movie nights, trivia nights, and family games. 

Holiday-themed and seasonal activities 

Hold events specific to your religion—like Easter, Ramadan, or Hanukkah—or cultures, like Black History Month or Lunar New Year. General seasonal activities, such as a Super Bowl party or back-to-school supply drive, can also appeal to larger groups. 

Informational classes 

Consider what information your congregation or the wider community would like to learn. For instance, safe technology use, parenting techniques, finances, or cooking may be topics to cover. 

No matter what type of event you consider, it’s helpful to think about who you want to reach and what interests them. For families with children, a fun activity can go a long way, whereas people from marginalized communities might benefit from financial literacy or nutrition education. 

3. Volunteer for service projects 

Another powerful way to connect with the community is through service, demonstrating your commitment to supporting and uplifting others. Volunteering for community projects may involve participating in: 

• Park cleanups
• Community gardens
• Food pantries and co-ops
• Homeless or domestic violence shelters
• Prison ministry, support, and re-entry programs
• Food or toy drives
• Little free libraries
• Long-term care facility companionship

Look for upcoming service projects and encourage your religious community to get involved. You can also identify local needs and lead a new initiative with your congregation to make a meaningful impact. 

4. Launch a RaiseRight program to support local families and fund projects 

Your church, temple, synagogue, or mosque can use passive fundraising programs like RaiseRight to help with outreach in several ways. But first, here’s how it works:

1. Enroll your church or religious group in a free RaiseRight program.
2. Add participants—congregation members, family, or friends—to the program.
3. Buy gift cards or shop online for hundreds of popular brands, like Walmart, CVS, Nike, or Best Buy. Or, dine at participating local restaurants. 
4. Earn funds for your religious group with every purchase—up to 20%! 

RaiseRight is a simple, low-effort way to support your church’s mission—without asking congregation members for extra donations. By shopping and dining as they usually would, supporters automatically contribute to your church. Plus, RaiseRight offers complete flexibility—your church keeps 100% of the earnings and can use them however best serves your community. 

Here’s how you can leverage RaiseRight for community outreach: 

Give gift cards to those in need

Purchase gift cards for those in need in your congregation or the wider community. With options ranging from grocery stores to gas stations and restaurants, you can find something for everybody. 

Pay for events 

Use gift cards and online shopping to budget and pay for any expenses associated with events you hold. From decorations to crafting supplies, school items, clothes, toys, and food, RaiseRight can help you do it all. 

Use your earnings 

The funds you earn through RaiseRight can be reinvested into the community as you see fit, whether you want to use the funds to buy more gift cards for those in need, cover event expenses, or use earnings to fund a larger project or initiative, like a mission trip or building renovation. 

Regardless of how you use RaiseRight to aid in community outreach, choose the approach that best fits your group. For example, if your congregation skews older, selling physical gift cards at your services may work better than promoting the mobile app or online shopping.