Fundraising season is upon us, and it can be hard to get people's’ attention when every school is doing the same song and dance. Here are some ideas you might not have considered to shake up your fundraising game. Just remember in all cases to let people know what you’re raising funds for. You’re more likely to get support if you have a clear mission.
1. Local Produce
Programs like Farmraiser are making it easier than ever to pair up with local providers of goods and services for school fundraising that helps keep ALL of the money in the community. A healthy, ethical fundraising choice.
2. Homemade Goods
Similarly, you can ask local artisans and tradespeople to donate goods for sale. Great examples are art, food, handmade jewelry, candles, or knitted goods. With the resurgence in popularity of homemade items, everyone knows people who do this and would be happy to help.
3. Vote on a Teacher to Shave Their Head
Nothing excites children like a chance to publicly humiliate an authority figure. This doesn’t cost anything, and it isn’t really that embarrassing. Lots of people shave their heads anyway, but the kids always eat it up, and that’s what matters.
4. Vote on a Teacher to Kiss a Chicken/Pig
Very similar to the above point. There are lots of variations on this idea, but you get the picture.
5. Tape Your Principal to the Wall
The only capital expense here is duct tape. Sell strips of the tape to the kids for 50 cents or a dollar a pop and let each one do their part to keep the principal taped up.
6. World’s Finest Chocolate
The old standby. Chocolate bars for a dollar, the school gets 50 cents a bar (minus tax and shipping). It’s a convenient product, a good price, and people are used to it.
7. Coupon Books
Another old standby, but worth looking into if you’re stuck in a rut. Go with reliable staples like Champions Discount Card or build your own with help from local businesses.
8. Read-a-thon, Couch-a-thon, Rock-a-thon, Walk-a-thon, or Video Game-a-thon
Any time that you can get people to sponsor you on something that doesn’t cost you anything, you’ve won. With the advent of online streaming, these kinds of events are more participatory than ever. How many consecutive hours can a person stay in a rocking chair without falling asleep? Check in on them online and see how they’re doing! Make sure that your participants are charismatic and fun to watch, and this one’s a no-brainer. Online services like Twitch are perfect for this kind of thing, and again, there’s absolutely no beating the margins.
9. Giant Garage Sale
The post-post-ironic set are having kids now, and they love nothing more than dressing up in their grandparents’ clothes. There was even a massive radio single about it. Why not capitalize on that? You’ll need more than just clothing – old music, video games, and more can make the sale a bigger draw.
10. Bake Sale, Bake-off, or Speed Bake
Everyone’s had a bake sale. You could do that. Or, you could spice it up and tap into the Food Network market with a bakeoff. Have people pay an entry fee, or pay per item, and cast their votes as people wheel out new baked goods around them. Beverages are extra, of course. You could also have a speed-based competition while people pay to watch, then have them pay for the baked goods.
11. IndieGoGo.com, CrowdRise.com, and GoFundMe.com
Crowdfunding websites have become a huge thing, and it’s amazing how far simply “asking for money” can get you. Kickstarter was the original breakout crowdfunding website, and it’s still great for a lot of things, but it’s not really geared towards charitable giving or organizational fundraising – it’s more about making money for a specific product, then releasing that product. Sites like the three listed above all either allow or are built specifically for fundraising for nonprofits and organizational fundraising.
With these, remember – you can reach people and places you never dreamed of, but you want to grab attention. Have a specific goal. Have charismatic people as the face of the program. And have a quirk or hook to draw people in. The internet loves to help people, but it’s also easily bored.
12. Dress-Up Days
Lots of kids love a chance to be wacky. Theme days like 70s Day, Movie Character Day, or Crazy Hair Day give kids a chance to express their creativity. Ask for a dollar per day that a kid participates and run with different themes for a week.
13. Guess How Many Gumballs
Get a huge jar full of gumballs, cheese puffs, bouncy balls, jelly beans, or something similar. Charge kids to guess how many items are in it. The closest guess gets the jar. The more ridiculous the jar, the more exciting.
14. Talent Show
Lots of schools have talent shows. It makes sense to turn it into a fundraising opportunity. Charge a small entrance fee for parents and students spectating.
15. Raffles
Have local businesses or parents donate prizes and sell tickets to the students. You can spread the raffle out over time to build suspense – and fundraising opportunity – by giving away one prize a day over a week or two.
16. Silent Auction
The silent auction, like many of these fundraisers, does involve securing prizes, but it can also be a fun spectacle that combines well with other events.
17. Concession Stands
The concession stand can be added to any other event, and it’s a great way to get the most out of an event. Think like sports organizations do – you pay to get there, you can pay for a program, and you can pay for food if you want it. Don’t miss an opportunity to let people contribute.
18. Crossover Events
Be creative when mixing and matching. Consider a talent show where the tickets also place you into a raffle. The silent auction is a great event to roll out alongside a bake sale. If you combine these events in subtle ways, you can get the most out of your time and effort, and get multiple fundraising sources without parents feeling like you’re hitting them up more than once.
