Ideas For School Fund Raising

Schools need more money than ever with current budget cuts. Whether it is for band instruments, a special trip, uniforms, or basic school supplied, school fund raising is a fact of life. School fund raising raises special challenges, though. School fund raising is so common that it produces a lot of competition. Every school is out there fund raising for team sporting events, buildings, and other necessities. Even though school fun raising can make use of lots of students for its efforts, there is a problem with people in the community being worn out from constant school fund raising. This may simply cause some people to give less for school fund raising. Effective school fund raising, then, needs to make use of a good strategy and a good fund raising idea to separate the public from its money. Some good school fund raising ideas include: 1. Car washes. These are a very popular form of school fund raising because many drivers are willing to spend a few dollars or a dollar to have their car cleaned. The best car washes offer free refreshments during a car wash. The start up costs of this type of school fund raising are very low - student volunteers, buckets, a water hose, and cleaning supplies are all that are needed. Many local gas stations are usually more than happy to allow this type of school fund raising on their property because it encourages customers. 2. Books or newspapers. Students can easily create newspapers or themed books to sell to community members. Whether these are books of coupons, literary and art books, or books of school history, this type of school fund raising can easily bring in money, especially if students sell advertising space in the publication to local businesses. 3. Variety shows or dances or other entertainment events. This is a type of school fund raising that takes lots of effort - including practices, design, and ticket sales, but it can also be very rewarding. Some school fund raising campaigns making use of this idea have come up with some very creative events, including haunted houses, historic hiking tours, or retro dances for seniors. These are usually lots of fun to advertise and can bring in lots of money from the outside community. 4. Services such as shoe shines or dog walks. In this school fund raising idea, students solicit people and offer their services in exchange for money. The start up costs are usually low and many school have has success with this strategy. 5. Sales. Whether book sales, yard sales, junk sales, or bake sales, this

is a school fund raising idea that simply works. 6. Door to door campaigns. In this fund raising idea, students work with a company to sell the company's products at a mark-up. This has the advantage of offering customers high-quality goods. However, some people find door-to-door selling intrusive, or these days, unsafe. 7. Fairs. Whether a barbeque, outdoor family picnic day, or a themed fair complete with dunking booth, large events or fairs are often a good fund raising activity because they attract all sorts of people from the community. They can easily be combined with another school fund raising idea - such as a sale or car wash - to generate even more cash quickly.