4 School Fundraisers That Your Team Can Run Remotely
Guest post from Read-A-Thon
Any school-aged child will probably tell you that it feels like they spend their whole lives in the classroom. But just because most learning takes place in person, that doesn’t mean your school’s fundraising efforts have to be constrained to face-to-face interactions.
Hosting school fundraisers remotely can widen your reach and elicit more participation from volunteers who might have conflicts during the day. Read-A-Thon’s guide to online fundraising also cites reduced costs, the need for fewer volunteers, and improved sustainability as additional benefits of remote school fundraisers.
We’ve put together a list of our favorite fundraising ideas that can be managed digitally, helping you support your school all year-round, no matter where you are.
1. Read-A-Thon
You may have heard of a walk-a-thon or even a dance-a-thon, but a Read-A-Thon fundraiser is one of the best ways to raise money for your school. Plus, it can be run remotely!
When compared to other school fundraisers, Read-A-Thons have one big bonus. In addition to bringing in funds for your school, these campaigns also support literacy and foster a lifelong love of reading in students.
The premise of a Read-A-Thon fundraiser is simple: students log minutes spent reading, and their loved ones pledge donations to support them.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to launch a Read-A-Thon for your school:
Make a plan. Establish the Read-a-Thon’s purpose, funding goal, and timeframe. Most schools find success with a two-week fundraiser, giving students plenty of time to read with a limited window to encourage donations. You’ll also need to decide if your school will provide reading materials for students, which might just involve arranging visits to the library for each participating class.
Leverage software. Since you’ll be running the fundraiser remotely, having the right tools in place makes communication easy. Look for a platform that also allows students to track their progress and create individual donation pages that they can share with their friends and family. For your fundraising team, a tool with automated reports and progress updates will help keep things on track.
Promote the Read-A-Thon. Build excitement for the Read-A-Thon by employing digital channels like email, social media, and SMS to inform parents and caregivers about your fundraiser. You’ll need their support to earn donations and spread the word to the rest of their networks.
Once you’ve got the fundraiser up and running, you can keep the momentum going by giving virtual shout-outs to top readers and sharing progress updates as you reach your goal.
At the conclusion of the Read-A-Thon, celebrate students and donors by acknowledging their hard work and your gratitude. Offering incentive prizes for students who meet their reading goals or bring in donations can spark the participation you need. To make even this part of your fundraiser remote-friendly, consider an online catalog that makes prize selection and distribution simple.
2. Classroom Wishlist Drives
Before the start of a new school year, students aren’t the only ones doing back-to-school shopping. Teachers stock up their classrooms with supplies that they often pay for out of their own pockets.
Hosting a Classroom Wishlist Drive can help relieve this burden. In this fundraiser, teachers make lists of what they need, and supporters can either purchase specific items off the list or make a general donation. Many e-commerce platforms offer a wishlist feature that teachers can add the supplies they need to and share it with supporters.
Since teachers’ specific needs vary by subject area and grade level, creating itemized lists of supplies helps gather targeted in-kind gifts. Having an option for cash donations that can be used to purchase anything on the list that isn’t purchased by the end of the fundraiser is also a good idea.
3. Pie-the-Principal Fundraiser
Sure to create a stir, a Pie-the-Principal fundraiser is exactly what it sounds like. With the principal’s permission, of course, your fundraising committee sets a fundraising goal. If your school can reach that threshold, then your principal gets a pie in the face!
While the pieing can happen at an in-person assembly, this fundraiser can otherwise be run remotely, with donations accepted digitally. You can even stream the finale celebration online.
To increase the stakes, you could also set additional goals for other staff members to get pied. To incentivize student fundraisers, reward the top earner by letting them do the honors if you’re hosting an in-person pieing.
To ensure this fundraiser stays in the spirit of good-natured fun, set ground rules ahead of time for how the pieing will be conducted, and consider if this fundraiser is the best fit for your students’ age range. For instance, this might be more successful at an elementary school.
4. Art Contest
Give students the opportunity to show off their creativity with an art contest fundraiser. If your school already has an annual art contest, you can simply add remote-friendly elements to get more supporters involved.
Here are a few ideas for running a remote art contest fundraiser:
Once students submit their art, you upload copies online to share their masterpieces with friends and family.
Alongside the official judging, host a People’s Choice voting period, where supporters can view artwork and cast their votes via donations. The student with the highest donations wins the People’s Choice category.
After the winning artwork is selected, incorporate it into your school’s merchandise to raise additional revenue through online sales. Ensure students know this is a part of the art contest upfront. Bonfire’s guide to nonprofit product sales points out that memorable, branded merchandise can also foster a sense of community among supporters.
An art contest fundraiser might help a budding artist discover their passion while also providing your school with the funding it needs.
With any fundraiser—remote, in-person, or hybrid—make sure you have a plan in place to recognize supporters. Whether you’re hosting a Read-A-Thon, an art contest, or another remote-friendly fundraiser, ensure every supporter knows their unique contributions were essential to your success.