Charity Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Schools often hold charity fundraising drives to raise money for either themselves or for a cause that the school believes in. Raising money for charity is never an easy task. Getting people to simply donate money, with nothing to benefit them has always been difficult. So, you need to think out of the box and get them to spend money on things that they like and enjoy and then use the proceeds for the cause that you've organized the event for. In this Buzzle article, you will find some such ideas that you can use to attract people to spend their money for a worthwhile cause.
Easy Fundraising Ideas and Events for Your School Charity
In this section, we have some ideas on how you can raise some good money for your school, and at the same time give the people something in return. It could be a material show of gratitude or simple mental satisfaction that their money is being put to good use. Let us see what these ideas are.
Art by Students
A good way to raise money, without spending too much money on the organization of an elaborate fundraising drive is to conduct an exhibition of the various artworks that the students of the school create. During art class, inform the students about the aim of the art work, and instruct them to work accordingly. If you want, you can also offer a prize to the person with the best piece. Encourage the students to produce different artworks like paintings, drawings, sketches, sculptures, pottery, embossed work, handicrafts, candles, etc. It does not have to be limited to creative handicrafts. You can also have exceptional literary works like poems, short stories, essays, etc by the students collected and readied for the exhibition. Charge the visitors an entry fee and also price the various artwork appropriately according to the category that it falls in. People will love to buy the art and more so because it's for charity. Alternatively, you can hold an auction of the items and sell the items to the highest bidder.
Drama or Dance
One of the most popularly used fundraising idea is to organize a stage performance by the students for the parents. What you can do is help the students pick an important issue that is prevalent today and stage a drama about it. Or you can have different dance performances using different styles and a live band. A good idea would be to combine the three and have a glorious musical which can involve a large number of students as well. Stage 2 or 3 performances for the parents and also outsiders if your school permits it. An entry fee and some reasonably priced refreshments during the show and after it are sure to bring in a decent amount of money. You can also keep a donation box at the sign-in counter for the people who wish to make extra donations.
Funfair
Organizing a fte or a fair at your school can be one of the best ways to raise money. You can have an entry fee and then various activities at different booths within the funfair. You can have games that people can play and win small prizes at. Food and drinks are the highest earning booths at funfairs because people love to eat when they're having fun. You can also have a music booth that will play songs on request. So if people want to give messages to their friends or family or special someones, they can simply dedicate a song to them at the fair. All the booths should operate only on coupons to avoid confusion. So keep a couple of booths that will sell only coupons too. The number of coupons for each booth can vary according to your wish and the product or service it offers. Just make sure it's reasonable or no one will visit your booth. Also, if you tell the students to organize it as a competition to see which booth collects the maximum amount of money, they are sure to put in more efforts towards making their stall more attractive and inviting.
Food Festival
This is one of the best fundraising ideas that your school can use. If your school has students from different ethnicities and backgrounds, you can organize a food festival to sell different food items from the different places that they come from. You can advertise it in a big way and invite everyone in the city or town to visit it. Involve the students' parents in this fundraising event too. Ask them to help with the preparation and execution of this unique fundraising idea. Divide the venue into sections and have students holding booths with delectable authentic cuisines from different parts of the country and the world. Food always attracts people. So people are bound to be ready to pay a minimal entry fee and some decent money for the delicious food that you'll serve them. Just make sure the food you serve is hot, hygienic and genuinely authentic. You can also have a donation box at each booth for generous donors.
Fundraising can be a fun activity for students, teachers and parents alike, if taken in the right spirit. You need to really have a passion for the cause that you're raising the money for. Else it will be a halfhearted effort which will reflect in the way you conduct the fundraising drive at your school. So, use the ideas mentioned above or share with us some creative ideas of your own.
