5 School Fundraising Ideas Plus 10 Reasons Schools Fundraise

Put these ideas to work on your next school fundraiser.

Schools raise funds for many reasons, and there is an excellent variety of ways to do so. If you are wondering if it is appropriate for your school to raise funds, the answer is likely yes. This article shares five school fundraising ideas plus ten reasons schools raise funds.

5 School Fundraising Ideas

Below, we share five ways to earn funds for your school. Use these for inspiration and build off of them to launch a fundraiser fitting your school's culture, needs, and capabilities.

1. Product Fundraisers: Examples of product fundraisers include selling food, art, discount cards, or school spirit wear. Your profit is a percentage of sales, usually between 20 and 40%.

2. Fundraising Events: Events are a channel for earning funds for your school's needs and bringing together the community and student body. Charge admission to make money on your event.

3. Virtual Fundraisers: Hosting a virtual fundraiser is cheap, quick, and accessible. You can sell items, host an auction, or launch a donation page.

4. Crowdfunding: Use crowdfunding to reach a larger market of potential donors. Participants will launch their fundraising page and share it with their network. All donations filter back to the school's campaign.

5. Direct Solicitation: Directly ask for donations by phone, letter, or meeting. Ask parents, alums, partners, and community figures.

10 Reasons Why Schools Raise Funds

Below are ten reasons schools raise funds, which is not an exhaustive list, but a few of the more common reasons schools need to fundraise.

1. Field Trips: Examples of field trips schools may take are visits to museums, art galleries, plays, amusement parks, and more. Schools need to pay for transportation, admission, and often a meal.

2. School Dance: School dances create lasting student memories. DJs, decorations, snacks, and refreshments cost money. Schools may fundraise to earn funds for the school dance and recruit volunteers to chaperone and work tables.

3. Away Games: When your sports teams do well, they often participate in a championship or major game. Sometimes, this requires significant travel. Transportation and possibly accommodation are costs schools may fundraise to cover.

4. Extracurricular Groups: Extracurricular groups require materials and a faculty member to work overtime to chaperone. These groups include art clubs, dance teams, and wood shops.

5. Gym Equipment: Updating gym equipment is a possible reason a school will fundraise. Weights, balls, rackets, ropes, nets, and more are examples of gym equipment a school may need to spend funds on.

6. New Books: Our knowledge is constantly progressing, making books outdated. Schools need to buy new books every few years. Books can be costly, and fundraising is a significant help.

7. Laptops or Tablets: Kids must learn and be proficient with technology. Schools use laptops and tablets to research, do homework, and more.

8. Guest Speaker: Hiring a guest speaker for an assembly can be pricey but valuable to student's educational experience. Speakers can present on a variety of topics.

9. School or Community Event: Your school may plan to host a community or school-wide event. Fundraising is an excellent option to raise the funds needed to launch your event smoothly.

10. Help a Student in Need: Sometimes, when a student is in dire circumstances, schools will help. An example is after a parent's death or if a student's house burns down. Community members can donate to assist the child in getting them and their families back on their feet.

School Fundraising FAQ

Many people have questions about school fundraising. Below, we answer a few more common questions and provide a way to learn more.

Do Schools Commonly Fundraise?

Yes, most schools raise funds and do so many times a year.

Why Do Schools Need to Fundraise?

Schools don't sell a product or service, making fundraising the only way to acquire funds needed to support children's education and extracurricular experiences.

When Should Schools Fundraise?

Schools can fundraise at any time. Many schools find it beneficial to fundraise with the seasons- winter, spring, summer, and fall- providing easy themes for fundraisers, adding to the campaign's fun.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.