Boonli is focused on helping schools in all of their fundraising activities. Boonli can help schools sell merchandise, run bake sales, reading programs, and other fundraising efforts. If your school is ready to start a fundraising campaign but hasn't decided on how to raise funds, Boonli has put together some excellent school fundraiser ideas to help finance educational and extracurricular programs.
1. Read-A-Thon
A read-a-thon fundraiser encourages literacy and gives students incentives to practice reading. Schools host a month long read-a-thon that gets students to read a certain number of age-appropriate books. Students raise money by getting friends and family to pledge money for each book read. At the end of the month, they can tally how many books were read and obtain the corresponding donations.
2. Bake Sale
A classic fundraiser event, the school bake sale, is a yummy way to raise money. Students, with help from family and friends, bake treats and sell them. It's as easy as setting up a table and selling different desserts. Some fun school bake sale ideas are chocolate chip cookies, cream-filled cupcakes, or seasonal frosted sugar cookies. This is a great ongoing fundraiser where parents and other staff can get involved by taking turns running the table at different school and community events. The baked treats are donated, and all profits go to the organization that the bake sale is promoting. Due to food allergies and intolerances, make sure to include gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options.
3. Online Auction
Consider an online auction as a school fundraiser that helps both the school and the community. The schools ask parents and community members to donate clothing and household items that they are no longer using, and the school holds an online auction to sell these items and raise money. The best way to create an online auction is to use an online auction platform to streamline the process without getting too technical. These platforms make it easy to bid on items, pay for them, and collect proceeds. An online auction is the perfect school fundraiser to put together in the spring when many families are spring cleaning and looking to get rid of clutter and unused household items. Make sure all donated items are gently used and not ready for the dump.
4. Multi-Cultural Fair
Students and the school community will benefit from putting on a multi-cultural fair. The world is diverse, and every voice and perspective is needed in the global community. A multi-cultural fair is a great way to be involved in the community and learn about your friends and neighbors. Schools charge an admission fee to the event. And the event can include food booths, art exhibits, clothing, history, maps, dances, and other culturally relevant exhibits. A multi-cultural fair fosters diversity and inclusion in the community and teaches students the value of every culture.
5. School Picnic
A school picnic is an excellent fundraising activity either at the beginning or towards the end of the school year. Take advantage of the picnic-perfect weather at these times, charge an admission fee, and grill hotdogs and hamburgers. Schools can sell these or other food items or invite a local food truck to participate. Organizers can plan games and family competitions like kickball, sack races, and obstacle courses. Community members can have arts and crafts booths for kids with face painting and interactive arts like necklace making or tie-dye demonstrations.
6. Movie Night
A quarterly movie night is a simple solution to raising school funds. Schools can use their auditorium and projector to play age-appropriate films and invite friends and family to pay a fee and enjoy a movie. Organizers can ask local companies to sponsor the event with snacks and beverages. If the school doesn't have appropriate facilities, another option is to reach out to local movie theatres and ask them to host the event to draw a larger crowd.
7. Scavenger Hunt
Plan a scavenger hunt for different classrooms or grade levels as a different kind of fundraising activity. For best results, organizers focus on an educational theme and create a scavenger hunt based on that theme. Students participate individually or in pairs to look for clues and win prizes. All participants pay a fee, and the local community donates prizes to the winners.
8. Used Book Sale
Just like the read-a-thon, a used book sale promotes literacy. Ask the community for book donations and organize the books by age, reading level, and subject . Students can make signs for the different sections. Book sale fundraising can go on indefinitely if the school has the space to devote to it. All proceeds go to the school, and profits can be divided among the different clubs and school activities. Volunteer parents take turns running the used book store.
9. Chili Cook-Off
A chili cook-off is an excellent fundraiser to hold in the cold winter months when a warm bowl of chili is enticing. Invite community members and local businesses to participate by making pots of chili. Sell tickets to community members to come and taste-test. Have a panel of judges from the school administration or local business owners. Allow participants to vote for different categories like crowd favorite, spiciest, most creative ingredient, best vegetarian chili, etc.
10. Costume Walk-a-Thon
Organizers plan a walk-a-thon where friends and family pledge money for every mile walked. Students and their families participate by walking on the determined route and raising money through pledges. But this walk-a-thon is different from the traditional walk-a-thon because walkers dress up in costumes. Organizers can choose a costume theme like superheroes or animals to add a whimsical element to the walk. Inviting local vendors to sponsor the event with food and beverages can help bring in more participants. Not only does this event raise money, but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
Whatever school fundraising idea your school decides on, Boonli can help. Through fun activities and positive interactions with the local community, schools can raise the money they need to provide students with the support they deserve.