How to organise a school fun run
A fun run is an excellent way of raising money for a worthy cause while keeping people fit and active. In a school environment, this particular activity can be even more rewarding, helping to increase student wellbeing, promote inclusion, and build school spirit.
However, organising a school fun run does come with its own set of unique challenges, and motivating students to participate can be tricky. Here, we share a step-by-step guide to kick-start your fun run, with ideas and advice on how to make it a roaring success.
On your marks, get set, go!
1. Planning and preparation
As a school fun run organiser, it’s your responsibility to ensure the when, where, and how of the fundraiser is planned in advance and everybody involved is fully prepared.
Here are some things that need to be thought about during the planning process:
- Pick a suitable date and time
- Choose a location
- Obtain any necessary permits or permissions
- Get a team of volunteers together to help organise the event and support on the day
- Think about the “fun” element of the run and how to get students engaged
- Promote and advertise the event
- Start a fundraising page
2. Promoting the fun run
Once all the key details of your school fun run have been confirmed and your fundraising page is live, it’s time to promote the event. The best way of doing this is to utilise social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X), so you can spread the word across your various networks and share your fundraising link to a wider audience.
Try to come up with fun and quirky ways of promoting the fun run online, using videos and other multimedia where appropriate. This will help to get your fundraiser recognised and boost engagement. It’s also important that all the details you share online are accurate and all the relevant fun run information is available to your audience.
For a tried and tested, old-school method for event promotion, why not engage with the school community through newsletters and emails? It’s useful to remember that not everybody is active on social media. Posters and adverts in local newspapers can also help to spread awareness.
3. Fundraising strategies
School fun runs are an excellent opportunity to fundraise, but it’s important for you to understand how to maximise the amount of money you can raise and implement some key strategies.
Here are some of our top suggestions on how to use the event to fundraise effectively:
- Set a registration fee for participants
- Approach local businesses for sponsorships
- Organise additional fundraising activities during the event
- Use GoFundMe to receive online donations
- Collect in-person donations on the day
- Match donations
Remember, your fundraising goal on GoFundMe is flexible, and if you meet the goal early you can increase it. This means there is no cap on the amount of money you can raise for your chosen cause!
4. Event logistics
There is plenty you need to think about when organising and hosting a school fun run. While it can seem daunting at first, you shouldn’t let this deter you from getting involved.
To make your life easier, here is a list of some of the logistical requirements you need to consider:
- Choose a safe and accessible location
- Plan a route that is appropriate for different abilities
- Use signs, cones, tape, and barriers to guide participants along the course
- Make sure volunteers are briefed and fully prepared
- Ensure you have first aiders available and water stations set up
- Make sure spectators know where to go to watch the run (including the finish line)
- Prepare race packs with event information
This may seem like a lot, but if you have an excellent team of helpful volunteers around you then it makes managing the event a lot easier.
5. Fun run activities
Making a school fun run more interesting involves adding elements that enhance the overall experience for participants, volunteers, and spectators.
Here are several fun run ideas to make the event more engaging and enjoyable:
- Choose a fun theme, such as superheroes, colour run, or animals
- Hold a costume contest with a prize for the best-dressed student
- Incorporate safe obstacles along the course, such as inflatable hurdles or crawling tunnels
- Set up stations where volunteers throw coloured powder at students
- Play music or hire a DJ
- Offer medals, trophies, or certificates for those who finish the run
- Set up photo booths with themed props
- Offer food trucks, snack stands, or a picnic area
6. Post-event
After a school fun run, several tasks need to be completed to wrap up the event successfully. Most importantly, you need to ensure you send out thanks to participants, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and spectators. Especially if you want to turn the fun run into an annual event and rely on their generosity again.
It’s also a good idea to share the results and impact of your fundraising efforts with the whole school community, so you can demonstrate the massive impact you’ve had on your cause of choice.
Share event highlights, photos, and videos on the school’s website, social media channels, and newsletters to celebrate the event and recognise the students’ efforts.
See how others are using fun runs to fundraise on GoFundMe
Eager to organise your school fun run and get started? Before you do, take a look at how people have used GoFundMe to fundraise for fun runs in the past.
This should give you all the inspiration you need to make your event a success.
OLN Colour Fun Run
The OLN School Council held a colour fun run in 2022, where children were sprayed with colour powder as they ran laps and did obstacles on the school oval.
Using GoFundMe, the money they raised went towards school events, classroom resources, and improvements to the school playground. In total, they raised $8,184.
St Michael’s Daceyville – COLOUR RUN FUN!
St Michael’s Catholic Primary School in Daceyville started a fundraiser to raise money for their new playground, which was part of the school’s wider renovation work.
Most of their initial budget went on new buildings, furniture, and renovating existing classrooms, so all of the money they raised using GoFundMe ($6,705) went towards the installation of a new playground.
TMSS Playground Development
Tamborine Mountain State School P&C organised a school fun run to raise funds and seek support for their playground development. This included new equipment, markings, and learning opportunities to create a more fun playing environment for their students.
They managed to raise $3,441 using GoFundMe, which all went towards the new playground improvements.
Start fundraising today
Now you’re equipped with a whole host of fun run ideas, it’s time to get your school fun run plans off the ground. The best way to race towards the finishing line is to create a fundraiser using GoFundMe.
As Australia’s leading crowdfunding platform, our team of trusted experts are on hand to help you every step of the way. Raise money for your school fun run with peace of mind and maximise the amount of donations you receive today.