Most schools in the United States will hold at least one fundraiser per year, with some conducting several. Wouldn’t you like to be able to get the most out of events? While holding a car wash or bake sale are classic examples, there are endless options and ones that could be much more effective.
It is important to make sure the program will be something that the students and parents will get behind. Make sure to identify a clear purpose for the fundraiser and make sure as many students and families care about what you are raising money for.
The fact is families might be more motivated to raise money for new playground equipment than they would for new office computers. Many schools try to come up with prize programs or other incentives for the top selling students. But more and more it turns out it is the parents who do the selling. You might consider creating a second incentive program designed for the parents! We will outline a couple of school fundraising ideas will raise money, increase interest, and be fun for those involved!
Penny wars is one of the most fun fundraising games there are, and is applicable to elementary students all the way up to high school students. This school fundraising idea is awesome for many reasons, but the best is that it can be set up for virtually no cost to your school.
How it works:
Here is where it gets interesting… The goal here, and the part that will raise the most money, is to sabotage the other participants jars. This is done by putting coins and bills other than pennies in the jars. A dime would cancel out 10 pennies, and a dollar would cancel out 100. As students and faculty get involved in the game they will be more and more motivated to sabotage others, which is more funds. Essentially every cent made on this fundraiser is profit and requires minimal set-up/coordination, but is extremely effective!
Flower bulb sales are a favorite during the spring term and especially around Mother’s Day. All your school must do is buy flower bulbs in bulk and have your students (and let’s be honest, parents) sell them! You can choose a wide variety of flowers or stick with classics, like roses or tulips. Many companies offer competitive prices which can become especially cheap when ordering in a large amount.
Students can sell the bulbs to their family members, friends, neighbors, and other members of their community. Just like discussed earlier, be sure to incentivize a program dealing with sales like this one. Having a stellar prize or reward motivating students to sell can make a gigantic difference.
This last one is a quick and simple way to raise money, students get a little break from classes, and teachers can catch up on grading and planning. The premise is simple: classes pay a certain amount to have their teacher thrown in “jail” for that class period. The students get to hang out in the gym or on the playground or in another communal area. The teacher obviously doesn’t really go to jail. He or she simply stays in the classroom and works on planning, grading, or other tasks. Even if you just have a few class periods in the day, your school stands to raise hundreds or even thousands of dollars!
Fundraising is something that can be extremely helpful for a school and bring along a plethora of benefits. All the methods I outlined above can be catered and adjusted to your personal needs. Now that you have the ideas, it’s time to take action! Start a fundraiser this week!
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