A Chick-fil-A fundraiser is a popular restaurant fundraising idea, especially if your supporters love chicken sandwiches. With the chain’s strong following, it’s easy to draw people in for a meal that supports your cause.
Chick-fil-A offers three different ways to fundraise, but options vary since each restaurant is individually owned and operated. In this guide, we’ll walk through how each fundraiser type works and how to get started.
What Is a Chick-fil-A Fundraiser?
Chick-fil-A fundraising gives schools, teams, and nonprofits a way to raise money in partnership with the restaurant. The three main options are:
- Spirit Night: Dine-to-donate event where a percentage of sales go back to your cause.
- Donation Request: Apply for food, gift card, or monetary donations.
- Selling Sandwiches: Buy sandwiches in bulk at a discount and resell them for profit.
Since every Chick-fil-A is independently operated, availability depends on the location. The only way to confirm is to contact your local restaurant directly.
Who Can Run a Chick-fil-A Fundraiser?
Most community-based organizations are eligible, but the final decision is up to the restaurant owner. Typically, Chick-fil-A fundraisers support:
- K–12 schools and PTAs
- Colleges and universities
- Sports teams and booster clubs
- Libraries and community centers
- Nonprofits and churches
For-profit groups and political causes are unlikely to qualify.
How Does a Chick-fil-A Fundraiser Work?
1. Spirit Night
This is Chick-fil-A’s dine-to-donate style fundraiser. Supporters eat at the restaurant on a set date, and a percentage (usually around 15%) of their purchases is donated to your cause.
How it works:
- Contact your local restaurant to check eligibility.
- Set a date (most restaurants need at least two weeks’ notice).
- Promote the event through social media, email, and flyers.
- Collect proceeds, usually within a few weeks after the event.
2. Donation Request
You can request donations of food, gift cards, or cash from Chick-fil-A. This is especially useful if you’re hosting another type of fundraising event and want sponsorship support.
Plan ahead—requests usually need to be submitted 4–6 weeks before your event.
3. Selling Sandwiches
Some locations allow groups to buy Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a reduced bulk price. You then resell them at retail price (or higher) to earn profit. For example, one operator in Colorado offers 30%-profit Boxed Meal sales.
This option works well at sports games, school events, or community fundraisers. Some restaurants also allow pre-selling, which can reduce upfront costs.
How to Start a Chick-fil-A Fundraiser
Since there are no chain-wide fundraising rules, every location sets its own policies. To begin:
- Use the Chick-fil-A Location Finder to identify nearby restaurants.
- Contact the restaurant directly to ask about fundraising options.
- If your closest restaurant doesn’t participate, try reaching out to others nearby.
- You can also check GroupRaise to see which restaurants are currently accepting fundraisers.
If you’re aiming to raise more money than a typical restaurant night offers, fill out this form and we’ll connect you with one of our fundraising partners.
Is Chick-fil-A Fundraising Right for You?
Chick-fil-A fundraisers are easy to run and benefit from the chain’s strong reputation and customer loyalty. Whether through Spirit Nights, donation requests, or sandwich sales, these events can bring in steady support with little effort.
That said, donation percentages are modest compared to some other restaurants, and not every location participates. If you want larger fundraising returns, it may be smart to combine a Chick-fil-A fundraiser with other opportunities.
If your community loves Chick-fil-A, this can be a reliable, low-barrier option worth adding to your fundraising mix.
