3 Free Tech Tools to Help Your School Fundraiser Grow

Learn about apps and sites that can make school fundraising easier.

Remember when Apple first came out with iPhones and the "App Store"? An entire generation didn't know life before "an app for that." This innovation's genius was allowing people to find efficiencies by making everyday tasks easier through a mobile device.

Today, technology—from apps to internet-based solutions—has permeated virtually every industry, including fundraising. Of course, hundreds of paid software packages are out there, but for the shoestring budget of school fundraisers, we have some free finds to simplify your school fundraising experience. Check out these mobile and web-based software solutions to lighten the load of sponsoring a school fundraising program.

Eventbrite

School fundraising programs often incorporate kickoff or celebratory events, especially when selecting a Big Event prize program. Evenbrite is a simple way to manage event attendance, share information and promote your event in a quickly shareable way.

Check out these apps and sites that can make school fundraising more accessible than ever. With a simple user interface, Evenbrite offers robust options for describing your event. Eventbrite gives participants everything they need to know to join in the fun, such as fees for admission (including a donation option), where the event is being hosted (with a clickable map link), and an option to RSVP.

Since many parents aren't active social media users, this offers a platform-neutral solution that doesn't require a Facebook or Twitter account to engage with the event. It saves you the trouble of keeping up with paper invitations or numerous emails, and you can easily reach a large audience through school listservs.

WhatsApp

Fundraising teams are diverse in age, race, income, gender, and experience. There's also likely to be a pretty even split between Android and iOS users, which might mean that text-based group communication can be a hurdle.

Enter WhatsApp. It's a wildly popular app amongst teens because it lets groups communicate in a messaging environment without breaking up text messages into different threads depending on users' mobile operating systems. That means your fundraising teams and committees can message easily in real time, no matter what kind of smartphone they have. WhatsApp even lets you see who has received and viewed your messages.

In addition to messages, WhatsApp lets you share photos and documents (smaller in size is better) in the same environment, which can eliminate the headache of sharing fundraising materials, spreadsheets, and updates via email. Use it on your phone and your computer for maximum accessibility.

Canva

The last thing school fundraisers have the budget for is professional artwork and fancy fliers. With Canva, gone are the days when you have to farm out your graphic design work for a hefty sum. Canva puts the digital paintbrush in your hand with a clean drag-and-drop workstation with many customization options.

Creativity and curb appeal can go a long way in creating energy and excitement around your school fundraiser. You can have a cohesive and eye-catching set of marketing materials in minutes, including Facebook graphics, fliers, posters, and email images. And, if the artsier side of fundraising is a little intimidating, consider enlisting a "creative type" on your team. They'll have a blast working with the Canva studio and add serious value to your fundraiser by creating quality marketing materials…for free!

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.