Rubber duck race fundraisers for nonprofits

Turning Ducks Into Dollars For Good

The fundraiser your whole community shows up for. We run the ducks, the website, and the marketing. You take the credit on race day.

Build My Free Race Plan

Or start with who you are:

Service club School or PTA Human services Animal rescue Church or faith group Community org
  • Free, no obligation
  • A real person replies within one business day
  • Built from 37+ years of race experience
Two smiling kids in green shirts give a thumbs up beside a long lane of yellow rubber ducks at a community duck race.
$280M+ raised for good
2,000+ organizations served
37+ years of duck races
1M+ racers and supporters
As seen in
Los Angeles Times USA Today Forbes CBS People

Simpler than you think

How a Duck Race Works

  1. Adopt a Duck

    Supporters adopt ducks on your race website. Each duck races under its adopter’s number.

  2. Ducks Hit the Water

    On race day, thousands of ducks splash in and the whole town lines the banks to watch.

  3. Winners Are Crowned

    First ducks across the line win prizes. Every adoption funds your mission.

Free race plan

See what your duck race could raise

Answer four quick questions. We'll sketch a first-year planning range and the playbook that fits your organization.

Question 1 of 4

What kind of organization are you?

The proof

Real races. Real words. Real money.

“Most successful fundraiser we’ve ever had.”

Julie H. Sertoma Clubs of Topeka

“We could not have done it without them.”

Paula D. NCYI Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition

“They are SO QUICK to respond with kind assistance.”

Chelsie H. The Alpha Group

“Their support, guidance, and professionalism are invaluable.”

Tami R. Partners for Quality

Trusted by nonprofits & service clubs coast to coast

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region Special Olympics Illinois Merryman House Harbor House Rotary Kiwanis PACE Center for Girls KinderMourn
A boy wears duck sunglasses and squeezes a rubber duck.
$52,860 raised
A volunteer in a yellow shirt celebrates beside a river of yellow rubber ducks.
$302,356 raised
A young girl smiles in front of a pile of rubber ducks.
$22,415 raised
A supporter lies happily among thousands of rubber ducks.
$105,000 raised
A volunteer guides rubber ducks down the water with a pool noodle.
$49,370 raised
Two smiling volunteers staff a duck-race registration table.
$120,312 raised

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

Hey there,

There’s a good chance we know why you’re here.

You need a fundraiser that feels fresh, gets your sponsors excited, and brings the community out.

One that does not bury your staff in another complicated event, or lean on the same handful of donors you already asked last year.

That is a hard thing to find.

Most fundraisers fall into one of a few traps. The gala that costs about as much as it raises. The auction that runs on the same twenty supporters. The event your team quietly rebuilds from scratch every single year.

We built Derby Duck Races for a different kind of fundraiser.

It is public, sponsor-friendly, family-friendly, and simple enough that anyone gets it in one sentence: adopt a duck, watch it race, win a prize, support a cause.

For more than 37 years, nonprofits across the country have partnered with us to turn duck races into real money and real excitement for their mission.

If you are wondering whether this could actually work in your town, we’d love to talk.

Talk soon,

Josh Borders

Derby Duck Races

An honest comparison

How a duck race stacks up

Every fundraiser has trade-offs. Here is how the usual formats compare, from 37 years of race days.

Duck race Gala Auction Golf outing
Upfront cost & risk Lowsponsors cover costs before race day Highvenue, catering, decor Mediumitems, software, staging Highcourse fees, prizes
Load on your team Lightwe run the ducks, website, and marketing Heavymonths of planning Heavyprocurement grind Mediumcourse does some lifting
Cost to join in $5 a duckanyone in town can play $100+ a seatlimits who attends Variesbidders with budgets $150+ a playergolfers only
Who shows up The whole townfamilies, schools, new donors Your donor listthe same tables Your existing listfew new faces A niche crowdcapped foursomes
Year two and beyond Compoundsbecomes a town tradition that grows Plateausdonor fatigue sets in Plateaussame items, same bidders Flatcapped by the course

Galas, auctions, and golf outings all raise real money, and many partners keep them. A duck race is what you add when you want the whole community in, without burying your team.

You won’t start from scratch

You bring the community. We bring the system.

A duck race comes down to three things: the ducks, the software that sells them, and the marketing that fills the water. We run all three.

Ducks & logistics

The whole race shows up at your door

Thousands of numbered ducks, palletized and ready to run.

  • Numbered ducks, shipped on pallets, nothing to store
  • Tagging that links each duck to its adopter
  • Finish-line trap to crown one winner
  • Freight both ways, plus a tagging kit

eQuack software

A race website built to sell out

Branded to your cause, with three-tap adoptions and Apple Pay.

  • Custom website for your sponsors and cause
  • Express checkout, Apple Pay, QR codes, and links
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising for schools, churches, and clubs
  • One clean check, no reconciliation

Marketing

We fill the water with your whole town

Custom branding, print, and managed local ads that pack the banks.

  • Custom race logo and event branding
  • Tickets, posters, yard signs, and stickers, shipped
  • Managed Meta and Google ads, locally targeted
  • Branded merch: tees, hats, and duck keepsakes

What stays yours: your cause, your community, your sponsors, and the local crew that makes race day feel like your town’s event. We hand you a proven playbook and coach you through it. You run the day with your people.

Good questions

Frequently Asked Questions

The Derby Duck mascot shares a hug at a community duck race.

Our partners have raised over $280 million since 1988. First-year races typically bring in $20,000+ and grow year over year.

We handle the ducks, logistics, your custom adoption website, marketing, print materials, and reporting. You focus on your community and sponsors. Plan on a 3-4 month timeline with a dedicated point of contact from our team.

Less than you'd think. Most partners line up local sponsors first, so the race is funded before the first duck is adopted. First-year hosts start on a lighter launch package sized for a first race. Your free race plan spells out the real numbers for your goal and community.

Most of our 2,000+ partners started with zero duck race experience. You get a proven playbook, a custom website, and hands-on coaching from kickoff to race day.

No. Rivers are the classic setup, but lazy rivers, pools, fountains, and man-made courses all work great. If there's water, there's a race. We'll help you design a setup that fits your venue.

Supporters visit your custom race website and adopt one or more ducks, typically starting at $5 each. Each duck gets a unique number. On race day, the first ducks across the finish line win prizes for their adopters.

Let’s talk

Wondering if this could work for your org?

Four quick questions, one free race plan built for your community. A real person follows up within one business day.

Build My Free Race Plan

Most partners start planning 6 to 9 months before race day, and spring dates go first.