Proven Ways To Meet Your School's Goal
The education field is constantly evolving. There are more resources than ever available to help teachers and students to grow and learn. While having so many fun learning aids to choose from can lead to a fun shopping trip, securing funding for all of these cool tools, technology, and potential field trips can prove to be a problem. Especially when you have considered all the other general school expenses, it can often feel as if there isn’t enough cash to go around.
When exploring how to raise the funds needed to provide a top-tier educational experience for your students, consider hosting an online fundraiser. They are often easier to manage than in-person events, and more accessible for people who don’t have a ton of time to donate to your worthy cause. Don’t completely write off in-person events, though. There are still quick and easy ways to host a profitable event that brings your community together. Here are three fundraising ideas for schools that can be implemented easily and successfully.
3 Fundraising Ideas For Schools
1. Virtual Auction
Auctions have always been a go-to school fundraising idea. There is just something about the excitement of bidding on desirable items! Local small businesses also love donating to auctions because they give back to their community while simultaneously marketing their businesses. In-person auctions result in everyone having a great time, but also come with many overhead costs. They require extensive planning prior to the event, as well as hours of setting up and breaking down on the day. The amount of work required to hold a live auction can be prohibitive and prevent some people from participating.
Virtual auctions eliminate the stress of planning and the overhead costs of an in-person event. They also tend to increase the level of participation among your parents, guardians, and students because they are more accessible and require less of a time commitment. They are also easier for your donors. When your auction is done online, they don’t have to worry about clearing the calendar to attend and participate. A simple click on your online fundraising website and they can check out your prize and place their bids whenever it’s convenient for them.
Create a bidding war on popular items by enabling automatic text message notifications to be sent to your donors when they are outbid. Make sure these messages invite them to come back and try again with a higher bid. Worried that the virtual aspect will take away the excitement of a live auction? Don’t be! With the help of technology, you can live stream your auction on your donation website or other social media platform. This will help your participants to feel as though they are actually at the auction, no matter where they are.
2. Online Giveaway
Another popular fundraising idea for schools is an online giveaway. Most popular giveaways will feature one high-ticket item, like a weekend vacation, a large amount of cash, or another enticing prize that is sure to turn heads and sell tickets. Turning a giveaway into a school or PTO fundraiser is pretty simple with the help of an online platform. When deciding on a platform, be sure to choose one that will allow you to feature flattering photos of your prize along with descriptive captions that will encourage people to buy a ticket.
Most platforms will also assist you in selling and tracking your tickets. Doing this with a simple website makes it more attractive to potential donors and removes all of the stress of buying, selling, and tracking paper tickets. Simply share the link with all of your friends and family. Giveaways are successful based on the number of tickets sold so keep your ticket price on the lower end. When your online fundraiser is affordable, more people will be happy to buy a raffle ticket or two to support your cause. Once you’ve sold all of your tickets, use an online raffle generator to randomly select your winner. This can often be done directly through your online fundraising platform, which will keep it as fair and automated as possible.
3. In-Person Ticketed Events
Our last surefire school fundraising idea is to hold an in-person event. Not only is this a great way to raise money for your school, but it also helps to bring your school community together. Students and families alike will love getting to know each other better outside of the classroom setting. Some popular in-person events include school carnivals, block parties, 5Ks, obstacle runs, and school dances. Each of these events offers something different but is guaranteed to raise money and be fun for families.
To help better organize your school fundraiser, take advantage of online fundraising platforms with a ticketing option. Create an easy-to-share link, or a QR code, to sell tickets in advance. Creating an electronic guest list helps you keep track of your attendees and makes it easier for them to purchase tickets. Not many people carry cash anymore, but almost everyone has a smartphone. A quick scan of your code, and they are on their way to electronically purchase their tickets.
Organizing the event will also go more smoothly when you know how many people will attend your event. Once a ticket is purchased, give your guests the option to preregister. This will cut down on time spent in line to check in on the day of the event. To make your event more fun and profitable as a school fundraiser, sell concessions, run games, or have a gift basket auction. With in-person events, the options are endless.
Find Success With School Fundraising
There are a million different fundraising ideas for schools that you could try, but these three have proven to be successful time and time again. Not only do they all provide exciting prizes for your donors, but they also raise a ton of money while being easy to host. If you’ve ever hosted a school fundraiser, you know you want one that will bring in a lot of money in the quickest and easiest way possible. The next time you are preparing to host a fundraiser, consider one of these three school fundraising options to bring in the money you need quickly and easily!
