The 24 Best Types of Fundraisers for Schools

Are you looking for new ideas for fundraisers for schools?

Coming up with ideas for a school fundraiser can be quite a task. You know how it goes --- bake sales, yard sales, rinse and repeat. It's no surprise that students can get bored with these events. After all, they're always looking for something new and exciting.

But don't worry; there's a solution. By tapping into their love for new experiences, you can come up with fundraising ideas that will capture their attention and bring in more donors.

Lucky for you, this guide has compiled a list of the best fundraisers that you can organize at your school to raise money for your educational needs.

Let's make school fundraising events more engaging for everyone involved by trying out these fun-filled ideas. Trust us; your community will thank you for it.

Event-Based Fundraisers

#1 Auctions and Silent Auctions

Hosting an auction can bring in major funds for your school fundraiser --- they can be both enjoyable and lucrative.

Ask the students and parents to offer their services and have people place bids on them until the highest bidder wins. These services can include babysitting, cooking, car washing, etc.

You can also invite your local businesses to auction off their products and services. This can include spa packages, gym membership, restaurant vouchers, etc.

It can also be a silent auction where people can walk around and offer to put their name tags along with their prices on items they are willing to buy.

#2 Fun Runs and Walkathons

Hosting fun runs and walkathons can be an excellent way to raise funds for your school. To organize an enjoyable walkathon, you can create a team comprising members who commit to walking about 8,000 steps per day over a specific period (usually a week) in return for sponsorship.

Your school can create two or three teams and assign each team different goals to achieve. Additionally, you can encourage students to walk to school for a week and donate the money that would have been used for petrol, depending on the school's location.

Another creative fundraiser you can organize is a fun run, such as a color run. Participants can wear white t-shirts and run while being splattered with colored powder or washable paint.

#3 School Carnivals and Fairs

Hosting an entertaining winter or summer carnival is an excellent strategy to encourage community participation and generate donations. By selling tickets to the carnival, families can enjoy a delightful experience while supporting a good cause.

To ensure the carnival's success, ask students from each classroom to brainstorm enjoyable outdoor activities that will attract and engage the community.

On top of that, recruit a team of enthusiastic volunteers from the local community to manage various games and attractions. To draw even more people, consider creating a fun-themed carnival, such as a Halloween extravaganza, that is sure to captivate everyone's attention.

#4 Talent Shows and Concerts

Each student holds a hidden talent inside that is just waiting to be discovered. Schools can organize a talent show for students as well as teachers to showcase their talents.

To make it more interesting for the students, invite the school staff for a talent show of their own. You can raise money by selling tickets to the talent show for family or friends to watch.

Apart from that, find local bands in your community or school and invite them for a concert and sell tickets to raise money. Many local talents perform at fundraising events just for the sake of getting exposure and fame.

#5 Movie Nights and Game Nights

Arrange game nights where the students can have fun outside of school hours as well as raise money. Map out a scavenger hunt around the school and have the participants sign up in teams for a fee. Set up prices for the winning teams to attract more people.

You can also bring onboard the school football team and arrange a game night for the families and friends to come to watch in exchange for tickets.

Along with that, the school can also arrange a movie night. Rent out a projector and arrange the set up on the school grounds along with a popcorn stall. The students can buy tickets for the movie night and this can help raise money.

Product-Based Fundraiser

#6 Candy and Chocolate Sales

The school can bring onboard students to sell candies and chocolates to raise money for the school. Make teams and set prices for the team that sells the most candies to make the event more engaging.

Selling chocolate Easter eggs can provide a convenient fundraising opportunity for schools, particularly around the Easter season. Not only can this help raise money for the school, but it can also promote a festive Easter spirit within the community.

#7 Gift Wrap and Holiday Sales

During the Christmas season, when people are frantically searching for gifts, consider setting up a gift-wrapping station at your school and ask students to help out in exchange for donations.

All you need are some colorful ribbons and wrapping paper, and you're ready to go! Encourage students to volunteer on weekends to wrap gifts for the community.

You can generate even more funds by setting up a hot chocolate or cookie booth for those waiting in line.

#8 Magazine Sales

One efficient method for raising funds for the school is through an annual magazine sale, which banks on students encouraging out-of-town peers to renew their subscriptions online.

As magazines seek to renew annual subscriptions, the salespersons provide a customer list to students and incentivize them with rewards for achieving specific sales targets.

This approach can bring greater profits as students are primarily reselling a product that already enjoys a considerable consumer base.

#9 Apparel and Merchandise Sales

Another amazing fundraising idea is to sell school spirit shirts. The schools can organize a competition for the best-designed shirt and make the students vote for their favorite one.

The schools can sell those designed apparel to bring in money for the fundraiser. The idea is to encourage the students to dig through their wardrobes to find clothes that they can resell for discounted prices.

The school can also organize a merchandise sale in the school gym and have families bring all kinds of merchandise like clothes, shoes, books, household items, etc to sell at the fundraiser.

#10 Flower and Plant Sales

To raise funds, the school may arrange a plant sale event where students and families collaborate to plant seeds and flowers in pots.

Alternatively, the plants may be acquired from a nearby wholesaler. Careful planning of the event is essential to ensure the successful growth of the flowers and plants.

Once the plants have blossomed, the students can sell them to generate income for the school.

Service-Based Fundraisers

#11 Community Service Projects

One of the many ways that schools can raise money is by holding community service projects for the students.

The school can divide volunteer students into several teams and the local organizations or community members can hire them for their services in exchange for a small fee.

These small services can include a beach/park cleanup, mowing a lawn, babysitting, or tutoring.

#12 Car Washes and Yard Sales

For this event, the key is to get the word out around the community about a car wash hosted at the school's parking lot. The students can offer to wash cars for a donation in exchange.

To raise funds, the organizers have the option to host yard sales. Often, individuals accumulate various items in their homes that go untouched for months, as they have a tendency to hold onto things.

Organizing a yard sale would provide an opportunity for students to sell these items at school.

#13 Restaurant and Food Fundraisers

One of the easiest school fundraising ideas is organizing a restaurant or food fundraiser.

To organize a restaurant fundraiser, simply reach out to willing restaurants to collaborate with your cause. Then, rally families and community members to dine at the restaurant on a specified day, and the school will receive a percentage of the proceeds from those sales.

In case you're unable to secure sponsorship from restaurants for the school, organizing a bake sale or a cook-off at the school could be a great alternative. This tried-and-tested method has proven to be effective in generating funds for schools and is likely to attract numerous food enthusiasts

#14 Tutoring and Homework Help Services

This is another educational school fundraising idea for students. Ask the parents around your community who are looking for tutors for their kids and encourage some students to give tutoring services in exchange for money which will eventually be donated to the school.

Apart from tutoring, high school students can also help middle school students with their homework in exchange for a fee.

#15 Photography and Portrait Sessions

One reason why individuals treasure photographs is to capture and commemorate meaningful moments in their lives.

This presents a unique opportunity to raise funds for the school by enlisting the services of a professional photographer to organize family photoshoot sessions on school premises.

Interested families can have their portraits taken and collect the developed photos at a later date for a nominal fee, with proceeds going towards supporting the school.

Online Fundraisers

#16 Crowdfunding Campaigns

The school can also set up an online fundraising page to hold crowdfunding campaigns. This way anyone can easily donate to the school and it will create an easy way to keep an eye on the progress of the fundraiser.

The community can also support the school on its social media handles through crowdfunding campaigns by actively sharing the page. Just keep in mind to offer some incentives to the online donors such as coupon books or t-shirts.

#17 Online Auctions and Raffle

Instead of a regular auction where people come in person, your school can hold an online auction to raise money.

You need to use special computer programs and make a good plan to make it work well. People can bid on things from their own houses, so it's really easy for them to donate.

If you use the right program, you could even have a raffle online to get more money for the school.

#18 Virtual Events and Challenges

Organize a virtual concert by reaching out to local musicians to ask if they'd be willing to support the cause. You can even ask the school band/choir to take part in the virtual concert. The viewers have to pay for the tickets beforehand.

The school can come up with various virtual challenges for the fundraiser. These challenges could include a virtual bake-off, weekly fitness goals, or even a virtual art contest. People who want to take part in these challenges can donate a small fee to join the virtual streams.

#19 Social Media Campaigns and Contests

Using social media can help your school raise major donations as well as attract many donors. Just create awareness about the school's educational cause for the fundraiser in a social media campaign and feature your school's donation page or text-to-give number.

Students spend multiple hours scrolling on social media, therefore they can use that time to share and engage with the campaign so it can reach as many people as possible.

Also hold small contests through social media to engage the students and the community members. Make sure to be creative about the challenge rules to attract more donors.

Hybrid Fundraisers

#20 Online and Offline Event Combos

With the ever-growing world, hybrid fundraisers have become a norm. It's a great way to engage both live and virtual audiences.

The school can hold fundraising events which are a combo of both virtual and live audiences. These events can be talent shows, concerts, open mic nights, auctions, etc.

#21 Product and Service Bundles

Gather the local startups who are willing to volunteer and create a bundle of their products and services for the school fundraiser.

The community members can purchase these bundles online or from the school and a percentage of the sales would be donated to the school. This is a great way to support local small businesses and startups.

#22 Partnership and Sponsorship Opportunities

Always keep an eye out for partnership and sponsorship opportunities for the school fundraisers. Sponsors are vital to the fundraising event since they bring the most incentives that attract people to them.

You can attract more sponsors if you're clear about the fundraising cause and the school's educational initiatives.

#23 Year-Round Fundraising Programs

You can create a way for your school to get donations all year long without too much effort. You can team up with nearby stores and make a special card for the people in your community. Whenever someone signs up for the card using a link from your school, the school will get a donation.

You can do this with many stores at once! It's a good chance to help out the stores and also get donations for your school all the time.

#24 Custom and Creative Fundraisers

Brainstorm creative ideas for the fundraiser to attract more potential donors. An 80's themed party will attract many people to get dressed up and dance to old music in exchange for an entry fee.

Another creative idea would be a karaoke night. These are, however, most ideal for high school students.

Lastly, you can even hold a pet show in the school parking lot where people can bring their pets to make them walk on the ramp.

All these event ideas can attract people to your school's fundraiser and keep them engaged.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Fundraiser

School Demographics and Interests

Before holding a fundraiser ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the fundraiser provide a product or service that the local community would purchase?
• Is the price of these products or services within their financial reach?

To gain more from the fundraiser, research what products or services would sell faster, and put market-competitive prices on them to raise donations.

Considering the demographics and interests of the school and local community is important since these will be potential donors at the fundraiser.

Time and Resources Available

Another important factor to consider is the resources of the school. These resources include:

• the budget of the school
• the venue it has access to
• volunteers.

One more thing to keep in mind is the time, the season, and the current trends since they play a big role in making or breaking your fundraiser. Therefore plan according to when the event or campaign will take place.

Potential Profits and Return On Investment

The main concern about the fundraiser is the donations or the profits the school is making so keep the initial goal in mind. After planning out your budget, calculate the possible return on investment. Only go ahead with a fundraiser when you're sure that it will earn profits.

Otherwise, start planning a low-cost fundraiser which doesn't require too many supplies or expensive venues.

Conclusion

Coming up with ideas for a successful school fundraiser can be a daunting task, especially when trying to appeal to a diverse mix of students, teachers, and community members.

Researching what attracts potential supporters and donors is crucial in order to make the fundraiser a success. Fortunately, there are several proven fundraising ideas that can satisfy and engage each member of the community.

By exploring these tried and tested school fundraising ideas, schools can plan events that are engaging and inclusive for all members of the community.

Ready to put these fundraising ideas into action and make a difference for your school? BetterWorld's online fundraising platform can help you streamline the process and make it easier than ever to raise money for your educational needs.