No matter your school’s size, it needs funding to fuel the various programs and initiatives that support your students. Along with looking for easy and budget-friendly fundraising ideas, you must also plan events that engage your community.
Choosing optimal school fundraiser timing is key to maximizing student and family engagement. Ultimately, while your school should provide year-round opportunities for families to support student education, you can boost excitement and momentum by planning fundraisers around the best times to give.
Let’s review the best times of the year for hosting school fundraisers and which ideas will be most successful.
1. Back-to-School Season (July to August)
Imagine this: Summer break is coming to a close. Kids are excited to see their friends at school again, and families are shopping for school supplies. Everyone is eager to tackle the new school year and dive into school activities.
This fresh enthusiasm will easily translate into engagement with your fundraiser, especially when families see how they’ll support school-year activities and supplies. For example, are you fundraising for your library? Share a list of the books you plan to purchase or an image of your library’s empty bookshelves to get your community excited about donating funds for new books.
Here are some effective school fundraising ideas for the back-to-school season:
- Read-A-Thon: Students read books of their choosing, tracking their minutes while friends and family members make donations to cheer them on. This event is perfect for raising funds for your school and getting students back in a reading mindset.
- Golf tournament: Invite families to participate in a golf tournament for a small entry fee. This fun event can help families with kids in the same class get to know each other, and local businesses may even be interested in sponsoring holes. All you’ll need is a golf course and tournament management software to facilitate registration.
- Ice cream social: The summer break may be coming to an end, but the heat isn’t going anywhere quite yet. Sell tickets to an ice cream social on your school’s campus, where families can mingle with each other and their children’s teachers.
2. Sports Seasons (Year-Round)
All throughout the year, different sports teams start practicing and competing in games against other schools. As anticipation builds for an upcoming sports season, school families will be excited to support the team’s efforts through different fundraising activities. Typically, you can split your fundraising efforts into three seasons:
- Fall (August to November): Football, soccer, cross country, volleyball, etc.
- Winter (November to March): Basketball, wrestling, swimming, ice hockey, etc.
- Spring (March to June): Baseball, softball, track and field, tennis, etc.
Although excitement for each sports season can greatly motivate families to give, keep in mind how busy these seasons can get. Adding after-school practices and out-of-town games to kids’ already full school schedules can leave families with little time to attend a fundraising event.
For this reason, online fundraisers are most likely to appeal to students and families due to their convenience. As Read-A-Thon explains, online fundraisers allow school families and other community members to participate from wherever they are, on whichever device they prefer. This also means that students’ loved ones who live far away can get involved, expanding the reach of your fundraising efforts.
3. Holiday Season (October to December)
It’s a well-known fact that people become more generous during the holiday season. In fact, charitable giving statistics from Nonprofits Source reveal that 30% of all donations happen in December!
There are a couple of reasons for this spike in giving. Students and their families are excited about holiday activities and extended school breaks. Also, the holiday spirit encourages giving, and urgent deadlines can grab your community’s attention. As a result, it’s easy for your school to tap into the end-of-year giving hype.
Here are some holiday-centric fundraising ideas that are perfect for this season:
- GivingTuesday: This global day of giving occurs on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and encourages people to donate to their favorite causes within 24 hours. Your school can market this opportunity with text messages and urge families to donate before the time is up.
- Holiday eCards: Sell eCards on your school’s website that are themed to specific holidays. For example, you could create a digital greeting card that reads, “Happy Turkey Day!” and shows an animated turkey running across the card. Then, students and families can send the eCard to loved ones in exchange for a small donation.
- Pumpkin carving contest: Host a contest where students, families, and community members compete to carve the best pumpkin. Consider hosting the event live and on campus so you can decorate the school with all the entries once the contest has finished.
4. End-of-School-Year Season (April to May)
As the school year comes to a close, students and families are excited to celebrate their accomplishments and take a well-deserved summer vacation. This is a season of reflection, where families will likely be grateful for your school and the opportunities you provided their children. As a result, they’ll likely be more willing to give during this time.
Profitable fundraising ideas for this season include:
- Appreciation gift sales: Set up a small shop where students and their families can order thank-you gifts for their teachers. By purchasing materials at wholesale prices, your school can turn a profit on these sales.
- Food fundraisers: Sell tasty treats, like popcorn, cookie dough, or candy, in the school’s front office or cafeteria.
- Merchandise sales: Encourage kids to represent their school wherever they go over the summer break by selling t-shirts, hoodies, and other branded goods.
- Gift basket raffle: Sell raffle tickets for enticing gift baskets and announce the winner on the last day of school.
Additionally, the end-of-year season is an opportune time to receive support from community establishments, like recreation centers that want students to spend the summer using their facilities or local businesses looking to hire part-time help from your high school. Consider how your school can formulate mutually beneficial partnerships with these organizations so everyone wins!
While there are many promising school fundraising ideas to choose from, you must plan thoroughly to maximize your fundraising success. For inspiration, browse school fundraisers to find ideas that best fit your school’s goals and resources. Then, create a fundraising calendar that aligns with your overall school calendar and outline all the activities you’ll need to complete to host your chosen fundraising events.
When your team can balance well-planned fundraising events with the rest of your school’s administrative tasks, you’re sure to reach your fundraising goals!