Elementary schools always need more funding. Running elementary school fundraisers is a great way to give back to the community. Whether you’re a member of the PTA, a coach for a school sports team, a parent helping out a club, or just a community member wanting to take action, raising money for schools is always very much appreciated.
A great advantage of fundraising for elementary schools is the population involved. You will rarely encounter a group of people who get more excited about fundraising than elementary school administrators, teachers, and students. That is if you run your fundraising event well.
When you run unique school fundraisers, you get your community excited. Typically community members love to help children. The most profitable fundraisers for schools are fundraisers that get communities involved (Read-a-Thon).
There are also online fundraising platforms for schools that help you run easy, effective fundraisers. Get started with the right online fundraising platform to organize things to sell for a school fundraiser (99pledges).
Here are a few ideas for running an elementary school fundraiser.
Product Fundraising
When it comes to product fundraising, you have two options: product catalogs or online fundraising.
Typically you’ll work with a company that does product fundraising as a regular practice. Selling cookies is the most famous example, but there are many other options (DoubletheDonations).
Product fundraising can be extremely profitable. You want to focus on products that people enjoy buying or meet their day-to-day product needs. There are many types of products that students sell. While typical products include candy, tee shirts, and wrapping paper, there are a few companies out there that connect organizations with better products in high demand.
Product fundraising is effective. However, when you send children around with catalogs, most of them don’t reach very far beyond their parent’s offices. That’s why online product fundraising typically raises more money. The products can be shared on social media to reach friends and acquaintances that don’t live nearby and then they can share it with their circles, expanding the reach. It also saves children from needing to go door-to-door. Instead, it can be shared in online neighborhood groups.
Community-Sponsored Bike-a-Thons or Run-a-Thons
Kids like riding their bikes, running, etc. Sponsoring a bike-a-thon or run-a-thon is a great fundraising tool for elementary schools (RallyUp). It has a relatively low startup cost. Participating students seek sponsorship from members of their community based on the distances they ride or run.
The students of the school get the chance to share their excitement for helping their school. Then members of the community get to cheer on the students and get excited about their success.
Car Washes and Bake Sales
Many clubs and sports teams use car washes or bake sales to raise money. They are cheap to implement because all you need are a few supplies and some volunteers. However, you typically won’t find a huge return on this. If you only need to raise a couple hundred dollars this may be the way to go but if you are hoping for thousands, you might want to go in another direction.
farmRaiser and Your Elementary School Fundraisers
If you’re raising funds for your elementary school, odds are you care about your local community. farmRaiser is an online product fundraising platform that PTA members, parents, or after school clubs can set up with ease. While running your fundraiser, you are simultaneously supporting local businesses.
We work with you and businesses in your community to create product fundraisers selling artisan foods, coffees, teas, seeds for gardening, pet supplies, and other healthy, sustainable options. Your donors will be able to browse products from local businesses online.
We handle many aspects of your fundraiser, which makes it easier for you. We process all the orders from donors and provide the tools you need to manage and track your fundraiser. For more information on how farmRaiser can help you with your next elementary school fundraiser, click here.
For other types of fundraising, such as online donation drives, crowdfunding, and more browse other RaiserHQ fundraising platforms.