Schools rely on the support and involvement of their community members to reach their funding goals. However, to effectively engage your school community in fundraising, you need one key ingredient: fun!
Instead of sending endless requests for donations or invitations to generic alumni mixers, incorporate a few inspirational fundraisers into your fundraising calendar. Creative, engaging fundraisers help supporters enjoy the fundraising experience, increasing the likelihood that they’ll continue supporting your efforts long-term.
To help you spark meaningful engagement with your school community, we’ve gathered the top educational, creative, and alumni-focused fundraising ideas for schools of all sizes.
Educational fundraisers
Educational fundraisers link your school’s mission with community contributions. In other words, when supporters give to these fundraisers, they can see how their donations impact your students’ education for the better. Here are a few ways to incorporate student education into your school fundraisers:
Art classes
Promote creativity and raise funds by hosting art classes for students, alumni, and family members. Your community will be excited to support your school while learning a new skill. As a bonus, you can even highlight a local artist’s talents by asking them to volunteer at your fundraiser.
Depending on the size of your art class, you can use a classroom or partner with a local art program at your community center to rent out their art studio. Buy shareable art supplies, and be sure to purchase extras that you can save for the next event; depending on the turnout, you could repeat this event annually.
Read-A-Thon
If your institution focuses on primary school education, improving student literacy is likely an important priority for your school. By hosting a Read-A-Thon, you can enlist students to help your school raise money by working on their personal and class reading goals.
Typically, Read-A-Thons should last around two weeks. During this timeframe, your school will encourage students to read as much as they can. To cheer them on and support your school, their family and friends will make donations on their individual fundraising pages. According to Read-A-Thon, a school fundraising platform that helps schools manage these unique fundraising events, “over 5,000 schools host a Read-A-Thon every year, raising a total of $22 million while promoting reading across grade levels.”
You can make participating in your Read-A-Thon easier for students, teachers, and donors by using Read-A-Thon software. Students will be able to log their reading minutes throughout the fundraiser, and administrators can monitor detailed fundraising and reading progress all on one real-time dashboard.
Trivia night
Showcase what your students are learning in the classroom and raise money to support education by hosting a trivia night fundraiser. Spark friendly competition among your school’s community by encouraging matchups between the following groups:
- Students vs. family members
- Current students vs. alumni
- Students vs. faculty/staff
You can also give your trivia night a unique theme to help market the event and attract more attendees. Consider theme ideas like:
- Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?
- Classic Books
- Pop Culture
- Jeopardy
- The Animal Kingdom
Ask for donations as an entry fee for the event. Offer prizes for the top three teams, such as a gift basket or gift card to a local restaurant.
Creative fundraisers
Tap into your supporters’ creativity and bring your community together by hosting arts-based fundraisers. You can even showcase your students’ work with some of the following creative fundraising ideas:
Art gallery event
Invite your school community to browse and purchase art by hosting an art gallery event. If your institution has advanced art classes or an art school, this is the perfect opportunity to showcase students’ and community members’ art while raising money.
Here are a few ways to raise funds with an art gallery:
- Partner with a gallery to secure an event space. You can raise funds by charging for admission or arranging for a portion of profits from sold artwork to go toward your school.
- Host it yourself. If your school has the proper event space, you can host your gallery in your cafeteria, gym, or a set of classrooms. Find artists in your local community and ask them to present their artwork in your gallery. Just like if you partner with an official gallery, you can charge for admission or arrange for a portion of the proceeds from sold artwork to be donated to your school.
- Have artists donate their work. Recruit alumni and community members to donate artwork to your school’s gallery. Then, whether you’re hosting the event yourself or partnering with another organization, all the funds can go straight to your school.
Encourage participation in your art gallery by highlighting student and alumni artists. Community members will be able to see how your school has influenced your students’ creative talents and feel inspired to contribute to your positive impact.
Auction
Raise money for your school by hosting an auction where community members can bid on unique items and experiences. Start procuring auction items early by asking your school community members and local businesses if there is anything they would like to contribute.
According to Handbid’s guide to silent auction items, these are a few of the most popular auction items you can include at your event:
- Exclusive sports game tickets
- Signed instruments
- Extra graduation tickets
- Commissioned paintings
- Class baskets
- Museum tickets
- Seasonal experiences
Highlight alumni and supporter businesses that contribute. That way, you can simultaneously provide them with some positive promotion and shed light on the success of your school’s alumni.
Silent auctions are also a great addition to other events like orchestra concerts, dance performances, or theater productions. Encourage guests to show up early to your event to browse items and make their initial bids, then allow them to check in on their items and increase their bids during breaks and intermissions.
Literature reading
Spark imagination by inviting community members to participate in or attend a literature reading. Whether in the school library, a classroom, or a local coffee shop or bar, a night of literature can bring many supporters together.
Reach out to any alumni who may be writing books or are already published authors. They will be glad for the publicity, and it will demonstrate your continued investment in your community. You can also invite current students and community members to read writing they’ve been working on like:
- Novels
- Short stories
- Poetry
- Songs
Partnering with your school’s English department can help you showcase current student work and demonstrate the opportunities you provide for your students.
Charge an admission fee, include a donation booth, and sell concessions to help raise money for your school at the reading.
Craft fair
Allow community members to browse for gifts or unique goods at a craft fair. You can invite students to host booths to sell craft items they’ve made. You can also ask local artisans from around your community to participate.
Appeal to varying community interests by including a wide variety of crafts, such as:
- Jewelry
- Accessories
- Handmade clothing
- Candles
- Home decor
Ask attendees to pay an entry fee to the event that will act as a donation to your educational institution.
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands is a musical contest where multiple bands compete to win the title of “best band.” Attendees watch bands perform and vote on their favorite act afterward.
Partner with your school’s performing arts program or a nearby community music program to recruit bands to participate. This can be a great way to give publicity to up-and-coming bands in your community while raising funds for your school.
Alumni fundraisers
Alumni are a key component of your school’s fundraising network, and you can strengthen relationships with them through your fundraisers. Take your alumni engagement beyond the occasional reunion with these fulfilling fundraising ideas:
Matching gifts
Matching gifts are the perfect opportunity to show supporters how impactful their contributions truly are. Many companies offer to match annual donations that their employees make to educational institutions of their choice. Consider launching a matching gift fundraiser to encourage supporters to check if their companies have a matching gift program.
To maximize the potential for this fundraiser, leverage a database of matching gift companies to help supporters verify their matching gift eligibility. Post on your social channels reminding supporters and donors to check their status even if they’ve already given this year; some companies will continue to match gifts even months after the initial donation.
Peer-to-peer fundraising
Encourage your students, alumni, and staff to share their favorite experiences at your school with a peer-to-peer fundraiser. These fundraisers raise money by having other supporters reach out to their family and friends to fundraise on your behalf. This can help humanize your institution as donors will be more inclined to support someone they know personally who was helped by your school.
During your peer-to-peer fundraiser, help participants put their stories into words to share them with friends and family. Here are some ideas for stories supporters can share:
- Funny anecdote about their time at school
- Favorite location or club on campus
- Story of their favorite class or teacher
- How their education has changed their life
Have your supporters share their fundraising page with their network to raise awareness and inspire other community members to remember and appreciate their experience at your school.
Brick fundraiser
In a brick fundraiser, community members (often students’ families, school alumni, or faculty/staff) will purchase a brick to support your school. They have the option to engrave the brick with a message; this could be their name, a message of support for their student, or the name of a loved one.
Schools typically use these bricks to build a commemorative structure, such as a:
- Walkway
- Patio
- Donor wall
These structures are tangible reminders of your community members’ love for your school. Each time alumni and other community members visit, they’ll see a physical representation of your community’s commitment to your school’s success.
When fundraising for your school, don’t forget to harness the power of your supporters’ social networks. Promote your fundraising successes on social media to reach more potential donors. Also, show appreciation for your school community members who contribute and participate in your fundraisers. They’re the foundation of your success, so celebrate them with thank-you messages and small tokens of gratitude.
