Are you a school principal looking to take advantage of the local community’s generosity to fundraise for your school? Of course, you are! Your fundraising needs change with seasons and different holidays present opportunities to achieve your school’s fundraising goals.
Fundraisers are a fantastic way of helping your school offer scholarships to less privileged students, introduce new programs, buy important school supplies, and complete vital school projects to maintain academic and non-academic excellence.
Do not underestimate the power of a well-planned and executed fundraiser in helping your school achieve its objectives. Fundraisers can be the difference between your school surviving chronic underfunding and thriving amidst the financial chaos. It is also an opportunity to have students, teachers, and parents unite towards a common goal that fosters teamwork and leadership among your students. Parents also get involved in their children’s school lives while the school benefits from the extra funds, which is a win for everyone involved.
In this article, we take a look at some of the seasonal school funding ideas you can implement to supplement your school budget and tap into your community’s philanthropic spirit. Let’s get to it, shall we?
School pajama day
This is a wonderful idea that can work perfectly in the summer. Get your students (and teachers!) to donate a small amount, maybe $1 or $2, to come to school in their pajamas. The kids and teachers will enjoy showing off their fun pajamas all while raising money for a good cause.
Treasure hunt or scavenger hunt
This is yet another crowd-pleaser that could work wonders, especially with the younger students under the bright summer sunshine. How to go about it? Hide some treasures (like chocolates, eggs, and other treats) and have the students make a small donation to participate in looking for them. They could do this individually or in groups and have awards for teams that discover the most ‘treasures’. You could also spice it up by rewarding teams with the best treasure hunter outfits.
Carol singing exhibition
This perfectly fits the festive Christmas mood. Few ideas are as infectious as students spreading the joy of the Christmas spirit by singing Christmas carols. Have your students practice carols for weeks before Christmas, and then have them sing for the community as you collect donations. You can partner with local businesses for guaranteed traffic as the students perform.
Snowman Building Competition
This is another simple yet perfect winter idea. Here you organize your students into teams tasked with building the best snowman. The teams pay a small amount to participate while the winning team gets rewarded. This can easily be done in the schoolyard on a snowy day. If you live in an area where snow is rare, you could have kids decorate each other like snowmen using household items like toilet paper, cardboard, etc.
Organize a school picnic
This is a wonderful idea for the warmer spring or summer days. It is a perfect time for students and their parents to spend time outdoors. Again, this can be done in the schoolyard. Appeal for food and drink donations, set up a participation fee, and probably line up a raffle to ramp up the fundraiser’s money-raising potential. You will be amazed by the number of parents willing to participate as it is their opportunity to spend some fun time with their children away from their otherwise hectic schedules.
Age-appropriate theater play
Parents love to see their children express their talents. And what better way to have them supporting your school’s fundraiser than by organizing a theater play? All you have to do is get the school’s most talented actors, prepare a play, and have their friends and families come over to watch them play (at a fee, of course). Make sure you let everyone know the money will be used for a worthy cause, for instance, upgrading the school’s science labs. Be sure to sell drinks and snacks to increase your fundraiser’s earnings.
Obstacle Course Event
Another brilliant idea that can work perfectly in the warmer months is an obstacle course. Plan a race with mildly challenging obstacles like wall climbing, jumping through tires, and dodging water balloons with paint, among others. Students can participate individually, but preferably in teams, and pay a participation fee. You can easily solicit material donations from the community. This is an exciting opportunity to test teamwork for everyone involved, not forgetting its money-raising potential.
Organize a family fun day
This is another idea that parents would gladly participate in. Preferably host it on the weekend to allow as many parents as possible to participate. The event should be fun with music and other fun activities like face painting, rope tug of wars, etc. Have participants pay a small participation fee and watch as plenty of funds pour in.
Valentines disco
Take advantage of the love season by organizing a valentine’s disco where parents and students participate in dance and singing competitions for a fee. Alternatively, you could have students and teachers pay a small fee to ditch their normal school-going attire for Valentine’s red. Spice up the event with themed refreshments for more revenue streams.
Movie night
Movie nights can be used to fundraise for elementary schools, middle schools, and colleges. All you have to do is organize the viewing of a new, age-appropriate movie in your school’s cafeteria or gym. Alternatively, you can organize with the local cinema and have them charge a family-friendly fee for students and their parents to watch a new release. All the money raised goes to your school’s fundraiser.
Play hostage
Why not get in on the fun for the sake of your school? It’s simple; have your students and teachers donate a certain amount of money to hold you ‘hostage’ inside the school for a specific period. This means the students and teachers will be freed from your attention, and the school benefits from the donation. Win-win for everyone except the principal, in this case, you!
Conclusion
School fundraising can be challenging to organize and execute, but who says it has to cost an arm and a leg? You can take advantage of the seasons and have the community, teachers, and students come together to benefit your school.
At LeanStream, we are ready to partner with you in your fundraising endeavors and help your school achieve its fundraising goals. Visit us today and be amazed by our solutions.
