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School Fundraiser Ideas

During tough economic times school budgets come under close scrutiny and all but the essentials are cut to the bare bones. During these times, school fundraiser ideas are more needed than ever. Teachers, parents and other volunteers are called upon to help the school raise necessary funding for everything from band uniforms to the money needed to take the football team to its out-of-town games. This is when it is handy to keep a list of school fundraiser ideas in a nearby file or tucked away in the corner of the brain. Some of these school fundraiser ideas include the following and many more not listed here.

  • T-Shirt fundraiser: These fundraisers are great for a sporting event, particularly rival sports games that are on the horizon. Create a t-shirt with the logo on it and sell them for a limited time. Advertise their forthcoming to get the hype started and then limit the sales to one or two days. The drawback is having to pre-order without knowing how many will be sold but this can be turned into a marketing tool to increase the price a bit.

  • Jar count: This is an in-school type of fundraiser. Fill a very large jar, like the ones dill pickles come in for restaurants, with marbles. Set up a table where students can access the table during their recess and lunch times. Sell chances to guess the number of marbles with a prize to the person who gets closest to the right number. These types of fundraisers are great for making money in school for smaller projects.

  • Craft fairs and bake sales: These require help and donations from community volunteers, namely student's parents and family members who are willing to donate baked goods and crafts to the group to use in a sale. Most retail stores will allow groups to set up in their parking lot in order to catch traffic in and out of the store.

  • Catalog sales: These are similar to door-to-door sales without the hassle of going door to door and carrying around products in an effort to persuade people to purchase them. Catalog sales, like Fun Pasta, offer a product, like pasta, that is delivered after the fundraiser has ended and sales have been turned in to the company. These usually fare better than point-of-sale fundraisers because they don't put the customer in an uncomfortable position of having to say no. The catalog is simply passed around through the community and orders are taken.

  • Car washes and dog washes: These two school fundraiser ideas are often big hits and lots of fun. The only requirements are soap, water, and a place to hold the event. Many retail stores will allow them to be held in remote areas of their parking lots so the school can access more customers. The most important thing necessary for these to be successful is marketing. Schools need to put up posters and signs throughout the community in order to get the word out that the carwash or dog wash is coming soon and let them know when and where it will be held.

Collecting school fundraiser ideas is not difficult. The Internet is full of them and school leaders can easily make note of the different types of fundraisers they see in their community. Notes should also be kept on how successful the fundraisers are so that they can use them again in the future. This type of historical data should be kept in the school or groups notes and updated on an annual basis.