5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools in 2022

Easy and profitable fundraising options for all grade levels.

Fundraising for school clubs, sports, and field trips can be challenging. Brainstorming ideas, asking for money, collecting donations, and delivering products take time and effort.

Fortunately, picking a great fundraiser can make the process a breeze from start to finish. Prevent donor burnout, excite kids and families, and let the fundraiser sell itself by selecting one of these five best fundraising ideas for schools.

1. Scratch Cards

Scratch cards are an excellent option for school groups, allowing participants to interact with many supporters throughout the day. Some groups can even bring donors together by hosting events, like sports teams or bands. Your school group can make as much as 90% profit using scratch cards.

Supporters scratch off a card that displays the price they need to pay from $1-5 in exchange for a special coupon sheet that entitles them to savings at restaurants, movies, and more. Personalize your scratch card with your group name and picture on the cover.

2. Field Day

With spring just approaching, now is the perfect time to plan a field day fundraiser. Raise awareness for your school group’s cause while getting students outside and active.

Remember to include some classic field day games – a three-legged race, water balloon toss, sports tournaments, freeze tag, egg race, and sack run. Add funny or unusual activities, like tie-dye or slip-and-slide, to get kids talking about the fundraiser and spreading the word.

Charge a standard entrance fee or sell tickets for various activities. Make even more money by selling concessions and merchandise.

3. Product Fundraisers

Your school group can sell over 2,000 products using just one fundraising company! With so many options, from food to home goods, you’re bound to find a product category for every one of your supporters.

Maximize profits by aligning the product brochure with the time of year or upcoming holidays. For instance, now is the perfect time of year to sell items from a large Heartland’s Spring Collection or Simply Spring variety brochure.

Sometimes, the best fundraising ideas for schools are about keeping it simple by selling just cookie dough or your personalized school tumbler.

4. Shoe Drive

Kids can help the environment while raising money for their project with a shoe drive fundraiser. This popular school fundraiser allows families to collect used shoes to be recycled for no cost.

Given its originality, this fundraising idea will surely capture students’ attention. It’s an effective way to pull in funds while helping the kids and their families declutter their closets.

Partner with a shoe drive fundraising coordinator who will provide step-by-step instructions. Then, call on students and families to donate their gently used or new shoes by placing them into the collection bins. The fundraising coordinator will then pick up the shoes and send you a check in the mail. Easy!

5. Yard Sale

It’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning! While cleaning your house from top to bottom during this annual tradition, spend a few extra minutes gathering unused or gently used items to display at a yard sale.

Kids and teens of all ages can get involved. Younger kids can participate by picking out toys and clothes from their closets or decorating signage, while teens can take the lead on planning the yard sale and spreading the word.

Maximize your earnings by organizing a group yard sale with your neighborhood, school, or faith community. Fundraise.org suggests that the best way to maximize donations from a yard sale is to ask sellers to pledge a portion of their sales to your nonprofit or offer to sell the goods they bring.

With a bit of thought and imagination, finding good fundraising ideas for school groups can be a breeze!

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.