School Fundraiser Engagement Ideas: 3 Incentive Types That Cost Little or Nothing

Several schools have seen dramatic results from attaching a genuinely memorable incentive to their campaign. A Wisconsin elementary school principal who promised to kiss a goat and sing karaoke if her students raised $60,000 saw her school bring in $68,000, nearly three times the prior year's total. A Delaware elementary school principal who agreed to let students duct tape him to a wall raised over $40,000 from a gift wrap sale after making the same kind of offer. These are not isolated stories. Silly, creative, and slightly embarrassing incentives consistently outperform a standard ask, because they give a campaign something worth remembering.

Big Fundraising Ideas has supported school fundraising programs since 1999. This guide covers all three incentive types, with real examples of each and guidance on which fits which age group.

1. Principal and Staff Stunts

Kiss an Animal

Several schools have used this exact incentive with real success. Beyond the Wisconsin goat-kissing story above, one elementary school principal kissed a potbellied pig when her PTA met its fundraising goal, and other schools have reported principals kissing cows, donkeys, and even fish under similar arrangements.

Sleep on the Roof

A school in Washington state smashed its $10,000 fun run goal, raising over $22,000, after the principal agreed to spend a night on the school roof in a tent and sleeping bag. Students got to watch him emerge the next morning during the Pledge of Allegiance, still in pajamas and carrying a giant stuffed animal.

Staff Costume Challenge

A lower-key version of the same idea: the principal or a group of teachers agrees to wear a themed costume, dye their hair a wild color for a week, or take on some other visible, good-natured challenge if the goal is met. This works well for schools that want the fun-incentive effect without an outdoor stunt or a live animal. See our guide to running a great school fundraising incentive for more on setting one of these up.

2. Individual Student Rewards

Homework Pass

A coupon from a teacher good for one or two nights without homework is a reliably popular reward across nearly every age group. This is essentially free to offer, since it costs the school nothing and defers a single assignment. The main coordination challenge is in middle and high schools, where students have multiple teachers throughout the day. Confirm in advance how the pass will be honored consistently across every class period, rather than leaving it to individual teacher discretion after the fact.

3. Structured Prize Catalogs

High school students in particular tend to respond better to traditional fundraising prizes, cash, cookie dough, technology, and sports gear, than to the kind of principal stunt that works well in elementary school. Big Fundraising Ideas offers several prize catalog options and cash prize programs at no cost to the school, since the fundraiser itself funds the incentive rather than a separate school expense.

Matching the Incentive to the Age Group

Frequently Asked Questions About School Fundraiser Engagement Ideas

What are good low-cost incentives to get students excited about a fundraiser?

Principal or staff stunts, an animal kiss, a night camped on the roof, a silly costume worn for a week, cost little or nothing and consistently generate genuine student excitement. A homework pass for top sellers works the same way at no cost. Structured prize catalogs are the other main option, where a fundraising partner supplies the reward at no cost to the school.

Do principal incentive stunts actually increase fundraising totals?

Multiple schools have reported significantly exceeding their fundraising goal after attaching a memorable principal incentive to the campaign, sometimes nearly tripling the prior year total. The incentive doesn't replace a good product or a clear goal, but it gives students and families a reason to talk about the campaign that a standard ask doesn't generate on its own.

What incentive works best for high school students?

High schoolers generally respond better to traditional prize catalogs and cash incentives than to the kind of principal stunts that work well in elementary school. Cash prizes, technology, and sports gear are common choices for this age group.

Are prize incentive programs free for schools to offer?

Structured prize catalog programs through a fundraising partner are typically free for schools, funded through the fundraiser itself rather than as a separate school expense. Principal and staff student incentives are inherently low or no-cost since they require no purchased reward.

How do you coordinate a homework pass incentive across multiple classes?

For middle and high schools where students have several teachers, coordinate in advance so each qualifying student's pass is honored consistently across every class period, rather than leaving it to individual teachers' discretion after the fact.

Where can I find more fundraiser incentive ideas?

See our guide to additional fundraising incentive ideas for more options beyond the three categories covered here.

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.