For many schools, fundraising is crucial to building a strong school culture and fostering a sense of community. From new sports equipment to a class trip, there are many reasons why students and teachers may need to look to the local community to raise money for a school-related cause.
Fundraising is also a great lesson in itself – it teaches kids about finances, budgeting, and communicating their needs in a professional and impactful way. If you’re a faculty member, student, or parent thinking of raising money with your school community, read our list of school fundraising ideas for inspiration.
Elementary school fundraising ideas
Many elementary schools across Canada host fundraisers that focus on meeting a school’s financial needs – in Ontario alone, 99% of elementary schools held a fundraiser in 2018.
Launching a charitable fundraiser can help your school achieve its goals while also engaging students along the way. Teachers can use online fundraising as an opportunity to encourage kids to cultivate compassion inside and outside the classroom.
1. Fundraise for endangered animals
Whether your classroom is full of animal lovers or your school is concerned about the environment surrounding your community, you can teach kids how to support wildlife by setting up a fundraiser for animals.
Start by finding a worthy cause – look for local organizations or set your sights further from home by partnering with the World Wildlife Fund, which has plenty of classroom-ready resources that you can use.
Find ways to involve the community – ask an animal shelter or petting zoo for access to a space you can use for a fundraising event where children and donors can interact with animals or learn about the wildlife they’re supporting.
2. Hold a mock game show night
If your school needs to raise funds for a class trip or new equipment, consider inviting parents or families to participate in a quiz-show contest. This is a great way to challenge kids to be creative while teaching them about the logistics of planning and running a fundraising event.
Prior to the event, form teams and assign responsibilities to each team, such as:
- Organizing prizes
- Working with teachers to develop games and questions
- Planning snacks and refreshments
- Creating donation stations
- Running your crowdfunding page
- Publicizing the event on social media
3. Host a recycling-themed fundraiser
Climate change is an important topic that most schools are examining, both in terms of education and looking at their own footprint. A waste reduction project is a great way to make a positive difference in your school while teaching kids about the benefits of fundraising.
This could take place in your school or your local area. You could collect pledges for distance covered in a park or beach clean-up, or pledges for a certain amount of energy or water saved within a certain timeframe. To double the impact, expand your crowdfunding efforts and donate funds to an organization that works to address the effects of climate change.
4. Host a performance for charity night
Combine fundraising with performance! Whether your school has a proud choir, theater club, or dance team, there’s plenty of fun to be had by running a talent show-themed fundraising event.
Encourage kids to put themselves out there and express themselves creatively, while also teaching them about the strategic aspects of event planning and fundraising. Find ways to raise money before, during, and after the show, such as by selling tickets beforehand, offering snacks and drinks at the event, and asking for donations from the audience.
5. Organize a read-a-thon
Combine fundraising with education and ask your class to gather pledges in a read-a-thon fundraising event. Whether you use the funds to improve your library or donate to an organization that promotes child literacy, it’s a great way to get students involved while also building important skills.
For every page read by a student, sponsors agree to donate a certain amount of money to the crowdfunding fundraiser. Have them record the number of pages they read, as well as the names of the books and a short synopsis of each. You can even collect some of their summaries and post them as updates to your fundraiser.
Middle school fundraising ideas
It can be challenging to come up with fresh fundraising ideas that excite both students and parents. The start of the school year can be an incredibly busy time, and parents who have spent money on school supplies and clothes may be reluctant to spend even more on a fundraiser—but raising money early on can give you resources to last throughout your academic year.
1. Hold a pancake breakfast
Put your chef’s hat on and bring out the maple syrup! Pancakes are easy to make and delicious to eat, and a pancake breakfast is a fun way to engage your school and community to get behind a cause.
- Publicize your pancake breakfast in advance via email, school newsletters, and social media.
- Invite members of the community to support your crowdfunding fundraiser.
- Charge a flat fee per breakfast in the form of a donation to your fundraiser (you can take donations with a mobile device).
- Solicit parent volunteers to help prepare the food in your cafeteria, like pancakes and other breakfast foods.
- Recruit students to serve meals and refill coffee.
- Encourage parents to bring extended family, friends, or members of the school community.
2. Host a dance
Dances are popular among students of all ages – a fun way for everyone to get together outside of the classroom, they also provide an opportunity to teach teenagers about event planning and organization while benefiting a cause.
- Ask the student government to take on an active role in planning and publicizing the dance.
- Recruit parent and teacher volunteers to chaperone.
- Offer alternative activities for kids who aren’t comfortable dancing.
- Ask families to make a donation to your crowdfunding fundraiser in lieu of buying a ticket.
- Involve the community by asking a trusted community member to DJ, or recruit a local band to perform.
3. Organize a tie-dye event
Involving students in a hands-on event where they can walk away with their own creation is a great way to engage them in fundraising. A tie-dye booth is an easy and impactful activation that can be hosted in any school field or parking lot.
- Buy a low-cost fabric dye in a variety of colors.
- Invite students to bring their white t-shirts, socks, or sweatshirts to dye in exchange for a donation.
- Have them write their name in Sharpie somewhere inside each article of clothing.
- Fill buckets with cold water and a few dye packets to ensure bold colors.
- Teach students how to tie up their clothes for a bullseye or swirl pattern.
4. Host a cake-decorating contest
Raise the fundraising stakes with cake! A cake-decorating contest is a fun event that will draw lots of attention and allow you to bring your student body together for a good cause. Participants can donate a set amount to your crowdfunding fundraiser to participate.
- Consider asking a local bakery or grocery store to donate plain, unfrosted cakes, and see if any other businesses are willing to donate gift cards or goods for a winning prize.
- Have contestants make their own frosting and decorate the cakes however they like, then bring the cakes to school on the day of the event.
- Gather a panel of judges to choose the winning cake, then auction off all of the cakes to benefit your fundraiser.
5. Get together for a game night
Game nights are a great fundraising activity as they’re easy, accessible, and engaging. From Scrabble to Catchphrase to Jeopardy!, there are dozens of options for group games that promise to keep students entertained.
- Encourage families or groups to sign up for the game night as teams, making a minimum donation as an entrance fee.
- Host the event in a gym or auditorium. It can be tournament style, or groups can choose from different board games or interactive games.
- Provide snacks and ask for parent volunteers to keep the evening running smoothly.
- This can provide an opportunity for students to socialize in a low-pressure atmosphere and connect with peers outside their immediate friend groups.
- If you want to foster some fun competition, offer a prize to the first team to complete certain speed games.
High school fundraising ideas
It isn’t uncommon for high schools to have large and active philanthropic programs. Service learning builds community, encourages compassion, and helps instill a sense of ownership and pride. As part of these efforts, students and parents can use crowdfunding to help finance clubs, sports, community service projects, or add to the school’s endowment or the general fund.
1. Support refugee relief efforts
Encourage students to be citizens of the world. Climate change and regional conflicts have created huge waves of refugees globally.
One way for students to showcase compassion is to start a fundraiser and raise funds to keep refugees safe and ease their suffering. Find a reputable charity aimed at helping refugees and raise funds for it.
2. Fundraise as a team
Depending on your school’s extracurricular budget, participating in a school sport may require fundraising for things like uniforms, field maintenance and repair, coaches’ salaries, travel to tournaments, equipment, and more.
Fundraising together as a team is a great way of raising money and awareness of your school’s needs and it will also help strengthen the bond between teammates. You could organize a charity game – students vs faculty is always a popular spectacle – or take on a challenge as a group.
3. Host a cook-off
To start a friendly competition between students, faculty, and parents, organize a cook-off to display cooking or baking skills.
- You can either charge an entrance fee (via a donation to your campaign) or require tasting fees from participants (in the form of a contribution).
- Find a venue such as your school’s dining hall or auditorium to host this event.
- The winner is awarded bragging rights as the best chef at your school.
4. Organize a fun run
Fun runs and walks are among the simplest and most accessible fundraising activities. Get together with the school community to run, walk, or cover a certain distance in any way you’re able, and raise money along the way.
- Participants can either pay a registration fee (which contributes to your fundraising goal) or gather pledges from friends and family for each kilometer they complete.
- Choose a location like the school grounds or a local park to host the event, and ensure the route is safe and accessible for all ages, abilities, and fitness levels.
- The run fosters community spirit, promotes fitness, and gives everyone a chance to contribute to a great cause.
5. Host an outdoor movie night
Host a social gathering for parents and their children by organizing an outdoor movie fundraising event.
- Pick a famous movie (or vote on one) and invite everyone to enjoy the film together from the comfort of lawn chairs and blankets.
- Find an outdoor space, a powerful projector, a screen (or sheet, or flat white wall), and speakers that can fill the space with the right level of sound.
- Take donations with a mobile device. Whip up some popcorn and sell it for a small price.
Get your school fundraiser off the ground
No need to waste time figuring out how to go about raising funds for your school event, class trip, program, club, or worthy cause. Get the ball rolling with a crowdfunding fundraiser on GoFundMe—since it has a 0% platform fee for organizers, you get to keep more of the funds you raise. We also offer a wealth of resources and unique fundraising ideas. If you haven’t already launched your school fundraiser, find out how it works and create one today.
Note: To create a GoFundMe account, you must be at least 13 years old and have your parent or guardian’s permission.