Fifteen More Ideas for Fundraising Fun
 Last
month we offered Fifteen Ideas for Fundraising Fun in your school. This
month we offer 15 more new ideas. Included: Rock-a-Thon, Turkey Legs Contest, Goat Insurance…
Several years ago, an informal study of members of the National Association
of Elementary School Principals revealed that 83 percent of principals said they had seen an increased need for
raising outside cash to conduct school programs.
Education World has been surveying the methods used by schools to raise bucks to fund their needs. Last month we
offered Fifteen Ideas for Fundraising Fun. Today we offer fifteen more!
PUT SOME FUN INTO FUNDRAISING
Rock-a-Thon. Rock for cash! For this fundraising activity, students gather pledges from neighbors, friends,
and family. Then they bring their own rocking chairs to school. The chairs are set up in the gym or cafeteria and
the students rock away. Special events -- such as movies and story readings -- might be set up in different parts
of the facility so students don't get bored. Students who choose not to rock might pass out food or fill a chair
when a participant needs to take a bathroom break. The event can last just a few hours or it can be an all-nighter.
Local businesses might donate prizes for the most money raised, the best decorated chair, and other previously announced
superlatives.
Guess-timation. Fill a container with beans, pennies, paper clips, or some other item. Have
students guess how many are in the container. They pay a nickel for each guess-timate. The container might be displayed
in a local business so the entire community can participate in the guessing. Solicit local businesses for prizes
that will be awarded to those who guess closest to the actual number of items in the container.
Recycling for Cash. Companies such as Advantage Cartridge offer cash for recycled ink and
toner cartridges as well as cell phones. Parents and students collect used cartridges from their homes and places
of business and earn cash for them. Learn more about Advantage's program, Recycling
for Kids.
Turkey Legs Contest. Have art students paint a large cartoony turkey on a sheet of plywood
or canvas. Hang the turkey so that teachers can stand behind it; all that can be seen is their "turkey legs." Participants
can wear their favorite socks or funny shoes and have their picture taken. Students then pay 25 cents to vote for
the "best turkey legs." They might pay 25 cents more to fill out a sheet in which they match each photo to the name
of the teacher whose legs they think they see in that photo. Solicit community businesses for prizes for the teacher
with the most votes and the student who correctly matches the most teachers with their turkey-leg photos.
Lip Sync Contest. Invite students and staff alike to be part of this serious -- or hilarious
-- fundraising event. Maybe parents want to get involved too. Participants lip sync to their favorite popular or
novelty songs. They might even dress up as the singers who sang the songs. How many Elvis's will show up on contest
night?
MORE FUNDRAISING FUN!
Join the Conversation
What's the best -- most profitable or most fun -- fundraising idea you've used or seen used to raise money
for school programs? It can be a "homemade" idea or one that involves a vendor or third party. Join
the conversation and share your idea and to read others.
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Tag Sale Saturday. Arrange a community-wide tag sale. "Rent" spaces in the school parking lot on a first-come,
first-served basis. Advertise the special tag sale throughout the community. Seek student volunteers for cleanup duty.
Raise additional money by selling cold drinks and snack or food items.
Sell Tupperware. Want to sell something practical? Many schools have earned money selling Tupperwareâ.
Learn more by contacting a local Tupperware representative -- perhaps one of your students' parents -- or go to
the Tupperware Web site.
Photo Greetings. Plan a day -- a school day, a Saturday, or a weekday evening -- when parents and children
can come to school to have their family photos taken. Arrange with a local photo shop to produce the photos for
a cut-rate price in quantities of 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50. Purchase holiday photo-holder greeting card frames with
envelopes in bulk. Prepare the cards for delivery to families right after Thanksgiving.
Car Wash. One of the most popular fundraisers is a car wash. Enlist a local business to provide its high-visibility
location or have the car wash on the school grounds. Car washes are great fun, and excellent opportunities for student
and family bonding.
Team Up with Local Stores. Check with local retailers, fast-food restaurants, and movie theaters in your
community. Many of them offer ways to raise money for local school. For example, many schools participate in Target
Stores' Take
Charge of Education program. Many local fast-food restaurants offer ways
for schools to raise money. If you aren't aware of the fundraising opportunities offered by businesses in your
community, then you probably have not asked.
THE FINAL FIVE
Plant Sale. Make arrangements with a local grower or supplier to sell plants for a profit.
Christmas time is a great time for selling poinsettias. Mothers Day is another perfect holiday for plant sales.
Box Tops for Education. General Mills offers their popular Box
Tops for Education program. The program includes several ways for schools to profit. You can read some schools'
success stories on the Boxtops for Education Web Site. Maybe your school will soon be one of those success stories.
Goat Insurance. This fun activity might not work in schools as well as in other community organizations,
but it is so much fun that we just had to share it. In this fundraiser, a goat is the bait. The goat is to be raffled
off. For $10, a community member can send in three names. Letters are mailed to those three people. The letter explains
that the goat will be raffled off to one person who receives the letter. Those who receive the letter can opt to
buy "goat insurance" for $10. That $10 donation ensures the donator that he or she will not end up with the goat.
Names of those who do not buy insurance are entered into the drawing. Of course, the "winner" is awarded the goat,
which -- because this event is all about fun and community spirit -- can then be returned to its original owner.
Your-Town Monopoly. Create a MONOPOLYâ game for your own community. The Make
Your Own Monopoly Game software makes that easy. Sell the game in your community and donate the profits to a
school program or a community organization of the students' choice.
Fingerprint-a-Thon. The Kid Safe Child ID Network offers a
Kid Safe Fingerprint-a-Thon community event idea. Find businesses willing to sponsor the event and 100 percent
of the profit goes to your school. The biggest benefit is the peace of mind an event like this can provide for parents.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World
Originally published 11/09/2004
Links last updated 03/07/2006
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