5 Unique School Fundraisers

If your school is trying to raise money, you may be racking your brain to come up with ideas that will get people excited to give. Bake sales and cake walks can be fun, but they are so overdone that you may not get the turnout you hope for. Below are five creative and fun school fundraiser ideas that are sure to help you reach your goal.

1. Recipe Book

This one is great for any age range, from kindergarten to college. Start by asking the students to contribute a favorite family recipe. Then, have all of the recipes combined into a school recipe book. You can even ask parents to share photos of the finished meal to be included with their recipe. Once the book is finished, offer it to parents and the community. You can even have students take preorders for the book to build excitement.

2. Gift Wrapping Booths

This one works best around the holiday season when everyone is buying Christmas gifts, but it could be used for other holidays as well. Enlist the help of faculty, students or willing parents who are great at wrapping gifts and advertise their services to the community for a small fee. Often, department stores, small shopping malls and local businesses will even allow your school to set up a table outside of their business to help drive extra traffic.

Be sure to advertise this one at all of the retail stores in the community well ahead of time so store clerks can spread the word. Talk to local businesses as well. Often, they are willing to work with schools in their community to help build relationships and connections. Use that to your school’s advantage.

3. Yard Sale

Ask students and families to donate items like old books, trinkets, toys or clothes that they would like to sell and advertise a school-wide yard sale. This can take place indoors or outdoors, depending on the time of year and the weather. Ask student or parent volunteers to help sort and price the goods before the big day in order to keep similar items organized in their own sections. Be sure to promote this well ahead of time to garner interest. Your school can even sell refreshments for a little extra cash.

4. Game Night

Advertise a game night that’s open to the community. Gather popular board games or party games and sell tickets at the door. You can also organize a themed trivia tournament for extra excitement. This is another great opportunity to offer refreshments at a small additional cost.

5. Spa Night

Speak with various spa professionals about discounting or donating their services for an evening of pampering. Consider asking your local college’s cosmetology students to do simple services like makeup, dry styling and manicures as well.

Put the “fun” back in fundraising with these five creative ways to earn extra cash for your school. For more unique fundraiser ideas, check out Double the Donation’s top 60 fundraiser ideas.

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