School Fundraising Ideas Through Crowdfunding

From our experience, school fundraising excites people the most. Primarily because it involves energetic students. A typical school fundraising campaign aims to provide support to the school’s various programs. These programs ultimately help students improve themselves as they learn life skills like leadership, negotiation and confidence. A successful crowdfunding campaign requires close interaction between students, teachers, and parents. Crowdfunding is a great way to achieve your school’s fundraising needs.

It is best to brainstorm with students and see what ideas they are most passionate about. This will ensure you meet your target fast. That said, we at Ketto want to further simplify it for you. Below, we have shortlisted our top 10 go-to strategies for school fundraising:

1. Schoolyard sale
2. Selling your school merchandise
3. Organizing sponsored sports meet 
4. Reach out to alumni
5. Online auction of student-made products
6. Target in-kind donations
7. Organize a treasure hunt as teams
8. Art and crafts day
9. Plan a school picnic for teachers and students
10. Let the students conduct a musical night

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Continue reading to know more about our top 10 school fundraising ideas.

#1. Schoolyard sale

A well planned and executed school yard sale is a great idea to raise money fast. 

• First, mobilize the students and collect the items for sale. 
• Encourage students and teachers to bring in their unused items. Similarly, the school can put up items of value for sale. 
• Next, pick a date and spread the word, especially through social media. 
• Also, make sure a donation box is present. It encourages happy customers to contribute a little more. 
• Last, a pro-tip: make sure you start the schoolyard sale early. So you can attract working folks as well.  

#2. Selling your school merchandise

This is an effective fundraising idea. Especially if your school has a long and proud history, make sure you monetize this. You can use the school’s logo, motto and mascot. We recommend selling T-shirts, pencils, notebooks, school bags and lunch boxes as merchandise. These products can yield good margins, thus helping you meet the fundraising targets. 

#3. Organizing sponsored sports meet

Rope in your local sports shop, gym or other businesses as a sponsor and organize a sports meet. This encourages physical activities, as well as gets the fundraising job done. Make sure you invite parents, community leaders and businesspersons. 

#4. Reach out to alumni

Reaching out to the school’s alumni is a successful way of fundraising. Few strategies to keep in mind are:

• Remember to make it personal. As former students, they are emotionally attached to the cause. Thus, helping you reach your targets fast. 
• Set out a specific goal. Be precise with the fundraising goals. 
• Always link such campaigns to social media. Social media has a positive impact on school crowdfunding. 

#5. Online auction of student-made products

A trending crowdfunding idea is to hold a virtual auction. List student-made products like paintings, artwork, posters, etc. It will bring out the students’ creativity and enthusiasm. At the same time, bidders would take part in the bidding process online. Imagine the excitement of the kids when their product wins the highest bid! You can achieve all this and more from the safety of one’s home. 

#6. Target in-kind donations

Let’s say your school needs funds to buy a computer or sports equipment. Rather than looking to raise money through crowdfunding, we recommend accepting in-kind donations. You can also create a wishlist of required items on e-commerce sites and share them with potential donors. 

#7. Organize a treasure hunt as teams.

This idea guarantees to achieve the desired objective while having fun. Make teams of parents, students and teachers. Then, conduct a tournament-style treasure hunt. That would make it a parent vs students vs teachers hunt. Let the rivalry flow while your school’s fundraising goals are met. 

#8. Art and crafts day

Set a day to showcase students’ creative talents. Organize an arts and crafts day, where students can display their handmade products. Make sure you invite parents, local businesspersons and community leaders. People encourage students’ talent and won’t hesitate to contribute to a cause. 

#9. Plan a school picnic for teachers and students.

The good old fundraising idea of conducting picnics always delivers. This is a time-tested idea. It ensures students interact and see the other side of the teachers. Remember to add fun games and ensure students have a great time. 

#10. Let the students conduct a musical night. 

A student-planned musical night is an excellent fundraising opportunity. Charge an entry fee that goes towards the school’s fundraising campaign. Such events are also great for students to showcase their musical talents. Above all, they pick up skills like planning and organizing. 

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Final thoughts 

Presently, India spends only 3% of its GDP on education. This is an indicator of how grossly underfunded schools in India are. That said, people realize schools are a powerful tool that contributes to a student’s growth. Schools eventually make them proud contributing members of society. We are witnessing a positive trend in the school fundraising category. School crowdfunding helps finance vital programs and projects for its students. At the same time, it teaches valuable life skills to its students, who are at the forefront of it all.

As an online crowdfunding platform, Ketto takes great pride in being passionate about the idea of fundraising for education.

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