Better School Fundraising Ideas: Big Events vs. Personal Prizes

Learn the difference between a traditional and a big event incentive.

School fundraisers are a rewarding way to earn incredible prizes. At Big Fundraising Ideas, we’re particularly keen on ensuring that fundraising experiences are feel-good moments and that all participating students have incentives to maximize school success.

As you think about new ways to energize your school fundraiser, or perhaps you are just curious about programs that might motivate students to participate, we want to break down our two main offerings regarding the incredible rewards students can receive: Big Events and traditional prizes.

We understand that different things motivate different people—and you’ve probably seen this play out in diverse ways as a parent or teacher. Check out how each prize offering motivates your students so that you can make informed decisions about what incentives might work best in your educational environment.

School Fundraising with Traditional Prizes

The best school fundraising ideas motivate students to participate.

The traditional prize approach focuses on the healthy competitive spirit that fundraising can foster, and it offers students the chance to excel on the merits of their tenacity in raising money. It directly ties their participation level to what they can earn. Fundraising sponsors can select from any of our appealing prize brochures that provide students with many options.

We like that traditional prizes give students a sense of personal achievement when they receive the items they’ve earned. It helps reinforce the good habits of hard work and commitment to a goal while keeping fundraising rewarding for the student and the school.

School Fundraising with Big Events

School fundraising with Big Events is our bread and butter. The Big Event prize program is a novel way to emphasize the unifying qualities of a school fundraiser and expand the accessibility and excitement during your school’s fundraiser.

With a Big Event, students are invited to participate in an exciting event celebrating their accomplishment—often with a much lower sales requirement than some appealing, big-ticket traditional prizes. Big Fundraising Ideas can help you bring a Big Event fundraiser to your school with one of four exciting experiences the school can enjoy together.

Students appreciate the chance to make memories in their educational environment with their friends. More students are encouraged to participate because the prospect of an experiential prize in exchange for reaching a lower sales goal opens the door for many students who may not have extensive networks to fundraise. For many schools, engaging more students is a powerful strategy to increase how much money is raised, ultimately leading to better outcomes in the classroom.

If you have questions about either or both of these options, feel free to contact us. We’re here for you to make the school fundraising experience an excellent one!

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.