School Fundraisers: 9 Creative and Effective Ideas for 2024

Are you looking for some school fundraising ideas that can help you raise money for your school’s needs and goals? Whether you need funds for new equipment, uniforms, field trips, graduation plans, scholarships, or charity, there are plenty of school fundraising ideas that can make a difference. In this blog post, we will share with you some of the best school fundraisers that you can try in 2024. These ideas are based on the latest trends, best practices, and proven results from successful school fundraising campaigns. Let’s get started!

1. Run a Stall

Who doesn’t love fudge? A fudge fundraiser is a sweet and easy way to raise money for your school. Or is Mothers Day coming up?  Your school could run a Mothers' Day stall where the kids can buy gifts for their Mum.  You may be able to source items cheaply online (wink wink) or have items donated from the local community.  If you'd like us to provide some items, we can do so on consignment  if necessary - where you only pay for what sells.  We usually work it that each item sold raises $1 for your school.  We provide a worksheet/tally to help keep track of the stock, sales and profit.

2. Crowdfunding Campaign

Crowdfunding is a popular and effective way to raise money online for any project or cause. You can create a crowdfunding campaign on a platform like Givebutter or Classy and share your story, goals, and rewards with your potential donors. You can also use social media, email, and word-of-mouth to spread the word and attract more donations. Crowdfunding is a great way to showcase your impact and reach a wider audience.

3. Fundraising Event

Hosting a fundraising event is a classic and fun way to raise money and awareness for your school. You can organise an event that suits your budget, theme, and target audience. Some examples of fundraising events are:

• Art show: Display the artworks of your students and charge a fee for admission or sell the pieces.
• Auction: Collect donated items or services from local businesses or individuals and auction them off to the highest bidder.
• Bingo night: Set up a bingo hall with cards, prizes, and snacks and charge a fee for each game or card.
• Car wash: Set up a car wash station at a busy location and offer to wash cars for a donation.
• Movie night: Rent a projector and screen and show a popular movie in your school’s auditorium or field. Sell tickets, popcorn, drinks, and candy.

4. Local Business Sponsorship

Another way to raise money for your school is to seek sponsorship from local businesses or individuals who share your vision and values. You can offer them various benefits in exchange for their financial support, such as:

• Logo placement on your website, newsletter, social media, or merchandise.
• Recognition at your events, meetings, or ceremonies.
• Free tickets or invitations to your events or activities.
• Opportunities to network with your students or supporters.

5. School Merchandise

Selling school merchandise is a simple and profitable way to raise money and promote your brand. You can design and order customised products such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, stickers, bags, or pens with your school logo, slogan, or colours. You can sell them online through your website or social media, or offline at your events or meetings.

6. Competition with a Prize

A competition with a prize is a great way to motivate your students or supporters to participate in your school fundraising campaign. You can organise a competition that is related to your school’s cause, such as:

• Quiz: Test your participants’ knowledge on a topic of your choice and award the winner with a prize.
• Talent show: Showcase the talents of your students or supporters and let the audience vote for their favourite performer.
• Bake-off: Challenge your participants to bake the best cake, pie, or cookie and have a panel of judges or customers decide the winner.

You can charge a fee for entering or attending the competition, and offer a prize that is donated by a local business or individual.

7. Raffle

A raffle is a simple and exciting way to raise money and reward your donors. You can sell raffle tickets for a chance to win one or more prizes that are donated by local businesses or individuals. You can draw the winners at a specific date or event or use an online random number generator. You can also offer different types of raffle tickets, such as:

• Regular tickets: Sell tickets for a fixed price and draw one or more winners from the pool of tickets.
• Split-the-pot tickets: Sell tickets for a fixed price and split the total amount of money collected between the winner and your school.
• Basket tickets: Sell tickets for a fixed price and draw one winner for each basket of items that are grouped by theme, such as spa, sports, or travel.

8. Activity Sponsorship

Another way to raise money for your school is to seek sponsorship from local businesses or individuals who are willing to pay an amount per unit of an activity performed by your students or supporters. You can choose an activity that is related to your school’s cause, such as:

• Reading: Ask your sponsors to pay an amount per page or book read by your students or supporters within a certain period of time.
• Running/Skipping: Ask your sponsors to pay an amount per mile or kilometre or minute ran/skipped by your students or supporters within a certain period of time.
• Volunteering: Ask your sponsors to pay an amount per hour or day spent volunteering by your students or supporters for a local charity or organisation.

You can track the progress of your participants using online tools and share their achievements with your sponsors and donors.

9. Partnered Event

A partnered event is a creative and fun way to raise money and collaborate with a local business or venue. You can organise an event that offers an enjoyable activity for your students or supporters, such as:

• Rollerskating: Partner with a local rollerskating rink and invite your students or supporters to skate for a donation. You can also organise games, contests, or prizes to make it more exciting.
• Laser tag: Partner with a local laser tag arena and invite your students or supporters to play for a donation. You can also form teams, keep score, or offer rewards to make it more competitive.
• Bowling: Partner with a local bowling alley and invite your students or supporters to bowl for a donation. You can also arrange tournaments, challenges, or trophies to make it more fun.

You can ask the business or venue to donate a percentage of the proceeds from the event to your school, or charge a fee for each participant.

If you're looking for products to sell or provide as prizes, check our Fundraising Product Collection here.

We hope these fundraising ideas help you with your school's fundraising campaign in 2024 and beyond. Remember, the key to successful school fundraising is to plan ahead, set realistic goals, track your progress, thank your donors, and have fun! Happy fundraising! 😊