SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS
GREAT SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS DON’T JUST RAISE AWARENESS AND MONEY FOR SCHOOL PROGRAMS; THEY BRING SCHOOL COMMUNITIES TOGETHER! HOW? BY WORKING TOWARDS A COMMON OBJECTIVE.
No matter what is happening in the economy, schools still need to upgrade their resources with new decodable readers, shade cloth, playgrounds, sports equipment and a whole lot more. The best fundraising ideas for schools are easy to engage with and enjoyable for the whole community. Great fundraising events create magical moments with lasting memories for the school community to share and raise enough profit to leave a lasting legacy at the school:
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS
Programs such as ours at schoolfundraising.com.au boast a total of four big profit school fundraising ideas. These include:
The Big Show School Fun Run
Crazy Colour Day School Fun Run
Splash & Dash School Fun Run
Classic School School Fun Run
Want to know more about our school fundraising ideas? Just click here and we'll send you out a fill information kit.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
School fundraising ideas are important because they generate critical revenue with every dollar raised going towards benefiting the school community. But school fundraising ideas are so much more than a way to raise funds alone. It's a way to get the whole school community involved and for students to learn about goal setting, families to reconnect with loved ones, and schools to boost spirit and promote student wellbeing.
People who sponsor students ensure that the likes of new education resources, uniforms, air conditioning, books, classroom materials and sporting facilities are all a possibility. Other easy school fundraising ideas for schools include raising revenue to aid students wishing to compete in local and national sporting competitions, covering the likes of kit costs, travel expenses and entrance fees.
All in all, great school fundraising ideas are an ongoing necessity for any school looking to raise enough money to be able to improve the learning environment. It not only raises money for schools but also teaches students about the importance of being charitable.
OUR SELECTION OF SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS
There are many school fundraising ideas to choose from, we cover our core programs and have brought you a list of awesome easy school fundraising ideas!
CRAZY COLOUR DAY SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
Looking to engage and boost school spirit? Rainbow explosions in the shape of a colour run, our Crazy Colour Day is one of our most popular school fundraising ideas - If you are looking for a community-based school fundraising idea a school colour run is guaranteed to do just this!
This is one of our favourite easy school fundraising ideas, it is very engaging and a whole lot of fun!
A school colour run promises smiles all around, as all students taking part will take on the form of running rainbows of cheerfulness! Because of this alone, Crazy Colour Days are one of the most prevalent school fundraising events in the calendar year to date.
When it comes to organising school fundraising ideas like this, you can pick any day that suits you. Once you've registered, you'll receive mail in the form of several bright-hued powders, as well as instant access to a School Fundraising Coach, and the Crazy Colour Day Assist Video - both of which will aid you in planning this colour-filled day.
Irrespective of where you're based in Australia, any school establishment can host a Crazy Colour Day school fundraiser. Crazy Colour Days light up the spirits of schools across the country - spreading joy to both students and the community.
THE BIG SHOW SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
Create memorable moments for your students with THE BIG SHOW School Fundraiser. Those taking part in these events can expect to raise hundreds or even thousands of dollars to support your local school. Aside from generating much-needed funds, this school fundraising idea also guarantees great memories!
When you sign up to take part in The Big Show school fundraising idea, rest assured you'll be assisted every step of the way. Our school fundraising events team will not only send you an info pack, but they'll also be on hand to help you with your school fundraising needs every step of the way.
Aside from sending staff to assist at your event, you'll receive a total of three Chase the Cheetah inflatables to run-through measuring an impressive six meters in height.
Those taking part in this school fundraising idea will enjoy feather flags, Be able to wear our Chase the Cheetah mascot, live music and so much more. In fact, this school fundraising idea is often described as a fete, just without the hard work!
Schools based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast can all apply! However, one point to note is that only one BIG SHOW can be delivered per state, per day. What does this mean? Booking early is essential, especially if you wish to raise funds for a particular date!
SPLASH & DASH SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
Who doesn't love a little H2O? Especially on a sunny day! This school fundraising idea is akin to storming through a sprinkler set-up, just like most of us would have done as children. The only difference? The entire school community takes part. This, in a nutshell, is a Splash & Dash school fundraiser!
This magical event combines fun and school fundraising. Those taking part can expect to slide and slip their way through fun-filled bubbles, whilst helping to heighten the wellbeing of your students at school.
When you sign up for this event, you'll receive an assortment of non-toxic colour concentrates (these will be used to dye the H2O), sprinklers, water blasters, bubble wands and slime. All that is required of you is water and to set a fundraising goal!
This school fundraiser is our newest event offering. Naturally, it's a massive hit in the summer months and a great alternative for those wishing to swap the traditional coloured powder style colour run for a coloured water fun run with even lower risk for everyone in the school community.
Any school community can hold a Splash & Dash school fundraiser alongside other School Fundraising ideas. It's not only a great way to raise money, but these fundraisers are also a great way to raise awareness, whilst inviting students, teachers, parents and the entire school community to take part in a fun-filled, action-packed, colourful day!
CLASSIC FUN RUN SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
How can I increase participation in the School's Cross Country? We get that question a lot, and a Classic Fun Run could be just the ticket! In essence, this school fundraising idea comprises an easily customisable version of the standard event day, yet still boasts so much fun and excitement, a high level of team support, and donations.
The Classic School Fun Run fundraiser is one of our most popular school fundraising ideas and the perfect option for educational institutions looking to heighten student participation in ‘significant' events, such as Sports Days, Swimming Galas and of course School Cross Countries.
It is also great for school fundraising idea for sporting clubs!
A fine example of this? St Patrick's College in Strathfield encouraged a huge number of students to participate in their Cross Country run to raise money for the school, raising the bar from 30 individuals to a massive 365 students. And that's not all! They have raised over $250,000 whilst doing so in just five fundraising events! This money was put towards sports equipment and charitable endeavours like a School Bus for a school in India.
The Classic Fun Run school fundraiser is an extremely effective and easy way to transform the likes of a Cross Country event or another fixed day in the school calendar into a hugely successful school fundraising extravaganza.
SCHOOL FANG RUN
Here at School Fun Run, we’ve noticed that Halloween-themed events are becoming increasingly popular. So, get ready to ‘run like Zombies are chasing you’ because we’ve built a Halloween themed School Fundraising idea just for you; welcome to the School Fang Run!
It’s a school fundraising idea with a Halloween twist. Your invited to hold a School Fang Run between late October and early November.
To ensure you have a spooky good time:
To raise school spirits, we’ll send you the below to use on the event day itself:
Black, Red and Yellow Colour Powder.
Red and Green Slime.
Slime Blasters.
You’ll also get spiderwebs and plastic spiders to theme the school.
Your school fundraising committee will be looking the part too, as we’ll give you free face paint, vampire capes and fangs to set the scene.
Plus, if you let the kids come to school dressed as ghosts, vampires, zombies, pirates, pumpkins, witches or anything else Halloween inspired, we’ll provide you with prizes for your best dressed students.
If you are looking for help with your next fundraiser or coming up with school fundraising ideas, contact us today!
HOW OUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS WORK
Whichever of our school fundraising ideas you choose, our school fundraisers are easy to set up, you are provided full support from start to finish and we encourage you to follow a few simple tips, which we have listed below...
DECIDE ON A SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEA AND DATE
First things first, choose one of our school fundraising ideas and, most importantly, a date that works for all fundraisers involved! Once you've picked the perfect date, you'll need to register your educational institute or primary school for a School Fun Run. Registration must be completed at least eight weeks before the official school fundraiser date.
If you wish, you can combine a School Fun Run school fundraising idea with an existing school date, such as a swimming gala or Cross Country run. Alternatively, run a School Spirit Building Day that stands alone.
Despite what many think, no funding or budget is required to start a school fundraising idea - it is completely self-funded. What does this mean? There are zero expenses to consider, and zero financial risks involved in a fundraiser.
In fact, it's a winner for all involved. Once registered for one of our school fundraising ideas, you'll receive a school fundraising events package, and you will be assigned a School Fundraising Coach. Your School Fundraising Coach will ensure your event is tailored to your needs and to your school to ensure the utmost engagement from your community.
You'll receive all the materials required to ensure your next school fundraising idea is a success, we'll send you this assortment of support materials in what we call our ‘Ready Set Go' pack.
These will be delivered by your assigned School Fundraising Coach post-registration. Your School Fundraising Coach will then help you to sign up for Online Fundraising, which will in turn help you to top any former school fundraising records.
PROMOTE YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEA
To kick start your school fundraising idea, you'll need to use our prewritten support documents wisely. For best results, it's important to customise your school fundraising plan to your exact needs. This should be initiated at least four weeks in advance of your event day.
When it comes to promoting your event, there is really no need to worry! We'll ensure you have the tools you need to engage students, teachers and parents.
To ensure this is a fun experience, your personal School Fundraising Coach will walk you through each step of fundraising for your school. You'll also be given access to our state of the art online school fundraising platform, which will allow you to monitor your school’s fundraising efforts with tools like our live funds tracker.
If you're unsure of anything, fear not; on-demand support is at hand. You'll also receive a ton of materials in the shape of social media templates, communication plans and more to ensure you're able to successfully promote your school fundraising idea online.
CARRY OUT THE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY
Now you've done the hard work, it's time to host your event! You can hold it anywhere at any time. To encourage high engagement rates, most will hold their event during school hours. Your School Fundraising Coach will be able to help you with times and dates, ensuring you hold your event at the optimal time.
REWARD YOUR STUDENTS
Every student that raises an amount over $10 will be rewarded - irrespective of whether they're primary school students or high school students in regional, rural or city schools. Everyone raising over $10 will get a reward for their effort.
A twist? There's no need for you to manage these incentive prizes, school students can log onto their profile page after the event and order their own prizes from the website.
The custom school fundraising website will track everything for you! Once prizes have been ordered, they'll be boxed up and sent directly to your school for the families that participated in the School Fun Run.
No matter which of our school fundraising ideas you choose, following our tips is a sure-fire way for them to do well!
HOW TO MARKET & PROMOTE YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS
Marketing and promoting your school's fundraising ideas shouldn't be a daunting experience! Simply follow our handy tips and you'll have no problems! Bear in mind that all the documents below have already been prewritten for you... you just update your key details (like the event date).
WRITE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER IN THE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Ensure the entire school community, including staff, students and parents, know about the event you intend to launch! A great way to inform others is to feature it in your next school newsletter with a link to the event's page. Teachers can then share this with both participants and supporters.
POST ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Another great way to get the word out? Social media! It's likely your school has their own social account. When you post details on this, students and parents can share event details and links with a wider audience.
SEND OUT PARENT LETTERS ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
Another important tool when it comes to promoting your school fundraising idea? Letters. Not everyone is tech-savvy and supporters who aren’t online will certainly appreciate a physical letter coming home with their child.
ANNOUNCE YOUR SCHOOL FUNDRAISER IN ASSEMBLY
Whether you hold a daily, weekly or monthly assembly, the more times you announce your upcoming event, the more the word will be spread. You'll likely have more information to share as the weeks go on and an assembly is a perfect place to share this information with participants and supporters. Our goal is to give you fun and engaging ways to promote the event from start to finish. That way more people will want to participate, and you’ll raise more money towards your legacy items.
PUT UP SCHOOL FUN RUN POSTERS AND GIVE OUT FLYERS
Flyers and posters are other forms of marketing collateral popular with those wishing to spread this word. These can be positioned on school premises in high traffic areas like the Admin Block, Canteen Area and the School Library. You can even get students, participants and community members involved when it comes to distributing these.
OTHER SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS & WAYS YOU CAN MAKE MONEY FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Aside from the school fundraising ideas we've listed above, there are numerous other ways to raise awareness and money for your school. We have put together a list of other school fundraising ideas for schools below...
SCHOOL FUN RUNS
School Fun Runs have been one of the most popular fundraising ideas for schools in Australia since the 1980s. You don't need a budget to hold one as there is no upfront cost. They are also parent-pleasing because there are no products to sell. The students simply seek donations online for taking part… yep, this is one of those cashless fundraising ideas for schools! The event day itself really boosts school spirit and after the school Fun Run, all students who raised the most money through online donations will get a reward for their effort. Our version is called School Fun Run and you can discover more by calling 1800 FUN RUN.
SCHOOL FUN READ
Reading-based fundraising ideas similar to a Read-A-Thon style fundraiser are a great way to get students excited about reading, whilst raising money for a good cause at the same time. So how does a reading-based fundraising idea work for schools? With no products to buy and sell this school fundraising idea can be completely COVID Safe when linked to online fundraising. Collecting money this way also means you can see donations in live time. Having access to fundraising dashboards only adds to the excitement! We offer a modern take on this proven idea. Our version is called School Fun Read and you can check it out here.
SCHOOL FETES & CARNIVALS
Another one of our great fundraising ideas comes in the shape of a termly school fete. These are fun-filled days, perfectly suited to students, friends and family. From inviting external sellers to money-spinning summer fete stalls, fete themes, incentive prizes, refreshments, games, and more, many fete fundraising ideas are available - suited to schools of all sizes and every fundraising goal.
The challenge with school fetes isn't down to what's on offer, it's getting support from the committee, school families and members of your local community. Ensuring you have a list of volunteers to hand will secure enough staff for the day. These volunteers will help to run stalls, with the set-up, and clearing away. For best results, request cover for time slots as opposed to the entire day.
It's likely parents and teachers will have a few hours to spare on the day if unable to commit to the length of the event. Incentives such as free refreshments, food and raffle tickets are great ways to encourage volunteers to help.
SCHOOL FUNDRAISING TALENT SHOWS
Unlike cookie sales and car washes, talent show fundraisers require a little more commitment and a lot of organisation. This style of fundraiser is fun for students, friends, family members and the community. The best part? It’s a great way to raise funds.
Factors to consider include deciding whether there will be a key competition, auditions, a committee, venue, budget, a date, backstage assistance, wardrobe, music programs and more. Then there is the decor and lighting to consider and rehearsals. Despite taking up a lot of time and effort, talent fundraisers (when organised correctly) certainly pay off.
SCHOOL SPELLING BEE COMPETITIONS
This is a great way to heighten students' spelling skills and raise funds for a great initiative, such as revenue for books and learning equipment. A spelling fundraising idea involves battling it out between two teams - a fun, friendly competition idea that involves attempting to spell numerous (often tricky) words. This can easily be incorporated as a fun and rewarding challenge during our School Fun Read and you can check it out here.
ANNUAL TREASURE HUNTS FOR SCHOOLS!
When organising an annual charity treasure hunt, you’ll need to first think of a location, then write up a list of items to find. On top of this, you’ll need to consider a designated starting and endpoint and enlist the services of a team of judges.
WALK-A-THON SCHOOL FUNDRAISER
Not only will this keep you (and anyone taking part) fit, it’s another great fundraising event. Pick the route and get local businesses and parents to sponsor those taking part. T-shirts can be provided to all children on the day to raise awareness.
PARENT/STUDENT SPORTS DAY
This is not only a great way to ensure some quality time with parents and children, it's a great way to motivate students to embrace sporting activities. Sports fundraising events can span from fun egg and spoon races to a 100-metre run and more. It is always great to come up with fundraising ideas that get people moving and by incorporating it with a School Fun Run or Crazy Colour Day you will be able to raise much needed funds for sporting equipment everyone in the school can enjoy!
MONTHLY SCHOOL MOVIE NIGHTS
Gather students, family and friends together for a fun-filled evening of action-packed movies. You may even wish to host one per week or month, choosing a different genre every time. As with all school fundraising ideas, the key is to have support on the eve, especially if hosting the event on school premises.
SCHOOL COSTUME CONTESTS
If you are looking for more artsy school fundraising ideas, a costume contest could be just the thing! A little like a talent contest but a lot less effort, costume contests are fun for all involved. To ensure funds are achieved, most will sell tickets to the judging event showcase.
PUT ON A CHARITY AUCTION FOR YOUR SCHOOL
Whether you auction off services, products or prizes, charity auctions are popular and effective school fundraising ideas. In most cases, schools will approach local businesses and parents to donate the prizes.
CHILDREN’S ART WORK FOR SCHOOLS
Everyone loves getting a permanent copy of children's artwork. Embedding personalised artwork into fundraising products is a winning formula. Grandparents, Uncles and Aunties, family friends etc... all love these lasting memories and special gifts. Plus, the students love it too! What kids would not be proud to see their creations made into something special. There are a number of other groups of specialty fundraising companies that can make this happen for you.
ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDRAISERS FOR SCHOOLS
You will know that there is a growing trend to make everything ‘greener'. School fundraising ideas are no exception.
Some environmentally friendly ideas for school fundraising include a no-waste lunchbox (or drink bottle) fundraiser, or you might consider a tree-planting fundraiser.
These are great fundraising ideas that your school will be sure to love, that also make a difference. If you are looking for more information or fundraising ideas for your school, contact us today!
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS FAQ
HOW MUCH DO THESE SCHOOL FUNDRAISER IDEAS COST?
There are no upfront costs involved in getting started; you don't even need a budget! All our school fundraising ideas are entirely self-funding and because we split the profit with you, we work extra hard to ensure your success!
HOW MUCH PROFIT CAN YOU MAKE FROM THESE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS?
This depends on the event being held and how many people you promote it to. The more promotion you do, the higher the returns and, therefore, the likelihood of profitable school fundraising! Call us on 1800 FUN RUN to see how schools in your area have gone.
WHAT SCHOOL FUNDRAISING IDEAS CAN YOU HELP WITH?
Our team primarily focuses on four key fundraising events; crazy colour day, the big show, splash & dash and classic fun run. We’re always happy to provide advice and tips for any school fundraising ideas you run alongside the main event.
Additionally, we have another easy school fundraising idea that we can help with, School Fun Read! If you are looking for help with your next big fundraiser, or you would like more school fundraising ideas, contact us today!