What Are Charity Events Called? Names, Types, and When to Use Each (2025 Guide)

Most people call every charity event a fundraiser, but that word doesn’t always fit. The name you choose signals the format, the vibe, the dress code, and even the legal rules you’ll run into. Here’s the no-nonsense guide to what charity events are called, why those names matter, and how to pick one that actually works for your goals.

TL;DR

• Fundraiser is the safe umbrella term; benefit, gala, ball, appeal, drive, and auction each signal different formats and expectations.
• Pick the label based on purpose (raise money vs. raise awareness), format (dinner, run, quiz night), and how you make revenue (tickets, donations, raffle, auction).
• Names vary by region. In New Zealand, quiz night, street appeal, and sausage sizzle are common; in the US, benefit and telethon; in the UK, fête and charity ball.
• Some terms come with rules. In NZ, raffles and lotteries are regulated under the Gambling Act 2003; check DIA guidance.
• Use plain, specific names that tell people what to expect: City Gala Dinner, School Quiz Night, Benefit Concert for Youth Music.

What charity events are called: the quick answer and key meanings

You can safely call most charity events a fundraiser or fundraising event. Those are neutral and accurate across countries. But different labels carry helpful clues:

• Benefit or benefit concert: Often arts or music-led. Signals entertainment with donations or ticket revenue. Common in the US and with performers.
• Gala or charity ball: Formal evening, tables, dinner, often with an auction and a short program. Guests expect a dress code and higher ticket prices.
• Luncheon or breakfast: Daytime event for donors or corporate supporters; short program, clear call to donate or pledge.
• Appeal: Usually a time-bound campaign rather than a one-off event. You also see street appeal for public collections in NZ.
• Drive: Collection-focused (food drive, coat drive, school supplies drive). Money may be secondary.
• Walkathon, fun run, swimathon, cycle challenge: Peer-to-peer events where participants fundraise from friends and whānau.
• Auction (live or silent): Bidding event often paired with a dinner or gala. Silent auction can stand alone or live alongside another format.
• Raffle or lottery: Prize-based fundraising with tickets and a draw. Regulated in many places, including NZ.
• Telethon or radiothon: Broadcast-led appeal with live donations. Still used for big national causes or community radio days.
• Fair, fête, gala day: Family-friendly community events with stalls, games, food. Fête and gala day are more UK/Australasian.
• Quiz night or trivia night: Pub-style team quiz with entry fees, raffles, and auctions. Hugely popular in NZ and Australia.
• Sausage sizzle: Simple grill fundraiser at a store or community spot. Very NZ and Aussie.

The pattern here is simple: the label should tell people what will happen, who should come, and how giving will work. If your event is a black-tie dinner with a paddle-raise, call it a gala or charity ball. If it’s a run where people collect pledges, call it a run, walkathon, or challenge. If it’s a public collection day in the CBD, call it a street appeal. Clear is kind.

One more thing for searchers: if you’re trying to brainstorm charity events names, start with the format, audience, and cause, then plug into the naming formulas below.

How to pick the right name: a step-by-step filter

Use this quick filter to land on an accurate, compelling event label and name.

1. Define the main goal.
   • Money now: Use fundraiser, gala, benefit, auction, raffle.
   • Participation and reach: Use challenge, walkathon, fun run, community day.
   • In-kind support: Use drive or collection (food drive, winter coat drive).
2. Match the format to the audience.
   • Corporate and major donors: Gala, luncheon, breakfast, salon (small hosted event).
   • Families and community: Fair, gala day, fête, open day, whānau day.
   • Young adults and peers: Trivia night, gig, benefit concert, challenge event.
3. Be honest about the revenue engine.
   • Tickets and tables: Gala, dinner, luncheon.
   • Peer-to-peer pages: Walkathon, ride, challenge.
   • Draw or game of chance: Raffle or lottery (check rules).
   • Bidding: Auction (live, silent, or online).
   • Straight donations: Appeal, telethon, giving day.
4. Set the tone.
   • Formal: Gala, ball.
   • Smart-casual: Benefit dinner, luncheon.
   • Casual: Quiz night, barbecue, sausage sizzle, community fair.
5. Check legal and regulatory requirements (important in NZ).
   • Raffles and lotteries: Gambling Act 2003, Department of Internal Affairs guidance. Small raffles often do not need a licence but still must follow class rules.
   • Street appeals and bucket collections: Get council permissions and site approvals; many cities manage calendars for CBD collections.
   • Use of the word charity: If you are not a registered charity, be very clear about who benefits. Misleading claims can breach the Fair Trading Act.
   • Receipting and tax: In NZ, donations to approved donee organisations may qualify for a 33.33% donation tax credit (IRD). Tickets, auction purchases, and raffle tickets usually do not qualify because the donor receives a benefit.
6. Write the name using a simple formula.
   • Format + cause + place or time: City Gala for Youth Mental Health.
   • Verb + cause: Walk for Water, Ride for Refugees.
   • Hook + format: Battle of the Brains Quiz Night, Big Hearts Breakfast.
   • Audience + benefit: Builders’ Benefit for Housing First.
   • Keep it under 8-10 words. Avoid insider acronyms.

Pro tip from the Wellington trenches: run your shortlist past three people who match your audience. If they cannot picture the event from the name, you need a clearer label.

Examples and regional nuances you should know

Different countries lean on different labels. If your audience is international, choose the simplest term. If you’re local, speak the local language.

• New Zealand and Australia
  • Quiz night or trivia night: Most school and sports club committees can run these in their sleep. Include a raffle and a heads-or-tails game.
  • Street appeal: Think volunteers with buckets on Lambton Quay or Queen Street. Clear signage and brand matters.
  • Sausage sizzle: Low-cost, high-visibility. Pair with tap-to-donate if you can; fewer people carry cash now.
  • Gala day or fair: Community stalls, games, secondhand goods, food. Great for schools and early childhood centres.
  • Charity breakfast or luncheon: Corporate-friendly, easier than a gala night.
• United Kingdom
  • Charity ball, gala, or dinner: Formal or semi-formal evenings.
  • Fête: Community day with stalls and games; often outdoors in summer.
  • Tombola: A raffle-like game at fairs. If you are communicating with UK donors, tombola will make sense; raffle will still be understood.
  • Sponsored walk: Like a walkathon; people pledge per mile or a flat amount.
• United States
  • Benefit or benefit concert: Strong arts and culture association.
  • Gala: Black-tie, tables, auctions, paddle-raise (live ask).
  • Telethon: Live broadcast appeals, sometimes for hospitals or disaster relief.
  • Giving Day: A 24-hour digital appeal (Giving Tuesday is the big one).

Digital formats blur borders. Livestream fundraisers, online auctions, and peer-to-peer challenges are common everywhere now. But even online, the label you choose guides expectations: online auction signals bidding windows and item pages; livestream benefit signals entertainment plus a donate button; giving day signals urgency.

One naming trap: avoid fancy, vague names that hide the point. If your event raises money for neonatal care, Neon Nights is cute, but Neon Nights Benefit for NICU Care actually tells people why they should show up.

Naming cheat-sheet, formulas, and a handy comparison table

Here are quick formulas and do’s and don’ts to keep naming easy.

• Formulas
  • [Format] for [Cause]: Gala for Youth Housing
  • [Verb] for [Cause]: Run for Rescues
  • [Place] [Format] for [Program]: Wellington Breakfast for Animal Therapy
  • [Hook] + [Format]: Battle of the Badges Charity Match
  • [Audience] + [Format]: Builders’ Quiz Night for Habitat
• Do’s
  • Lead with the format if people need clarity fast: Quiz Night for the Library.
  • Say who benefits: for KidsCan, for the NICU, for the Community Pantry.
  • Keep it readable on a poster. Eight words is a good ceiling.
  • Check for confusing acronyms or brand collisions.
• Don’ts
  • Don’t call it a gala if it’s not seated and formal.
  • Don’t say raffle if you’re doing a spot prize draw without tickets. Different rules apply.
  • Don’t use charity if you’re a business passing on proceeds; say fundraiser for or supporting.
  • Don’t hide the cause behind a pun no one gets.

Use this comparison to choose the right term and set expectations.

Rules of thumb when you price and project income:

• Paid meals (breakfast, lunch, gala) need a strong live ask or auction to net well.
• Peer-to-peer challenges scale with team captains and workplace hubs; spend your time recruiting leaders, not making posters.
• Raffles work best when prizes are relevant and valued; publish odds and draw details clearly.
• Street appeals are stronger with card readers. Cash is shrinking.

Mini‑FAQ, risks, and practical next steps

Quick answers to the questions people ask me the most.

• Is a fundraiser the same as a charity event?
  • Fundraiser is a broad label for events that raise money. Charity event can include awareness or volunteering too. If you’re collecting money, fundraiser is clearer.
• Can my business run a charity event?
  • Yes, but be transparent. Say fundraiser for or supporting [Charity], and publish the proportion or amount donated. Misleading claims can breach consumer law.
• Do raffle tickets need a licence in NZ?
  • Depends on prize value and structure. Small raffles can be class 1 (no licence) with strict rules; larger raffles may be class 2 (no licence but rules) or class 3 (licence required). Check the Department of Internal Affairs guidance and the Gambling Act 2003.
• What’s the difference between a gala and a benefit?
  • Gala implies a seated, formal night with tables and a program. Benefit suggests entertainment-led. Both can include auctions and a live ask.
• Are ticket purchases tax-deductible in NZ?
  • Usually not. In NZ, the 33.33 percent donation tax credit applies to gifts where the donor receives no material benefit, to approved donee organisations. Tickets, auction items, and raffle tickets generally don’t qualify.
• What if only part of the proceeds go to charity?
  • Say so clearly: 50 percent of ticket price supports [Charity], or $10 per ticket donated. Clarity builds trust and keeps you on the right side of the Fair Trading Act.

Pitfalls to avoid:

• Calling something a raffle when it’s actually a door prize. If people didn’t buy tickets to enter, it’s not a raffle.
• Promising tax receipts for gala tickets or auction wins. Those are usually not eligible in NZ.
• Using charity casually if you are not registered. You can be a community group running a fundraiser; just be upfront.
• Copying overseas labels that don’t fit your audience. In Wellington, quiz night lands better than black-tie ball for most grassroots causes.

Next steps if you’re naming an event this week:

1. Write your one-sentence event purpose: We will raise $X for [program] by [format] with [audience].
2. Circle the format. That’s your label: gala, quiz night, walkathon, benefit concert, street appeal.
3. Pick a name using a formula and test with three audience members. If they get the format and cause in three seconds, you’re there.
4. Check compliance: raffle class, collection permits, venue licences, receipting plan.
5. Draft a one-line value proposition: Join us to [impact] while enjoying [experience].

Troubleshooting quickies:

• Low budget, small team: Choose quiz night, community fair, or sausage sizzle. These scale with volunteers and donated prizes.
• Corporate audience, limited time: Go for a breakfast or luncheon with a tight 60-minute program and a clear pledge moment.
• Big awareness plus fundraising: A challenge event with peer-to-peer pages beats spending months on a gala.
• No permit for street collecting this month: Switch to a pop-up at a partner venue with a tap-to-donate unit and QR codes.
• Concerned about compliance: If in doubt, skip the raffle and add a silent auction or pledge cards. Simpler, fewer rules.

Naming is not branding theatre. It’s a practical tool to get the right people to the right format with the right expectations. When you choose the label well, costs drop, giving rises, and your supporters feel respected. That’s the point.