Key Secrets to School Fundraising

If you’ve put your hand up to help your school raise funds you might be scratching your head as to the best ways to fundraise and the tips for getting the most out of the efforts of your school community.

Many people have been in your shoes, and it’s a great idea to draw on the experience of those that have been successful in the past so you can successfully fundraise for your child’s school.

School fundraising works to improve the educational experience for students and enhances the overall school community.

If you’re looking to maximise your school’s fundraising efforts, here are a few things to keep in mind on your quest for fundraising greatness.

Get volunteers on board

It’s true when they say ‘it takes a village’ and when it comes to school fundraising you will need to get plenty of people on board to ensure your fundraising events are a success.

Hold an information night with wine and cheese or speak at the monthly P & C meeting to drum up some supporters and create a fundraising committee of dedicated parents and carers who are passionate about fundraising and making events a success.

It’s important to involve the staff and the school principal to ensure all outcomes are supported and there is a structured calendar of events that works with the school’s existing activities, exam blocks and other areas of focus.

While it can be easy to be 100% focused on your events, remember that your need to make the experience enjoyable and parents are volunteering their precious time so you should ensure that everyone one has a clear goal and the process is a fun one for everyone involved.

Tap into your contacts where possible

If you have corporate experience or you’ve been working in your community for a while, you’ve probably developed a wide range of contacts that might be able to support your fundraising campaigns.

Focus on a wide range of avenues for fundraising but also focus on approaching contacts who might be able to donate tangible items such as a meat tray from the local butcher, a dinner for two at your favourite restaurant, a few bottles of wine from the community bottle shop – you get the picture.

Don’t be afraid to use your contacts. At the end of the day, if you don’t ask you’ll never know if they will support your cause.

Keep your costs low

Many fundraisers fail due to their costs being far too high, so when you are planning an event it’s important to keep costs to a minimum so you can get the best return for your efforts.

Ask around for donations for raffle items and auction prices, negotiate rates for food and catering, source free room hire in the form of your school gym or hall, drum up some volunteers to help staff and run events… whatever you can do to reduce costs will ensure you get more bang for your buck and a better fundraising return in the long run.

Feel free to ask parents and the school community for a hand to create decorations rather than hiring them for a themed dinner, hand make props rather than bringing in an event company in for a gala ball – you get the picture. Not only will this save costs but it will also help to nurture the school community.

Get everyone involved

School fundraising should involve everyone from head teachers right through to the preschool kids, so be sure to create events and fundraisers that include everyone.

While you might bring in plenty of money from charity balls, the children aren’t able to attend so ensure your fundraising calendar has a wide range of events that are inclusive to the ensure school community.

As well as this, it’s important to have a goal in mind when you’re fundraising that everyone can work towards – so pick a goal and you’ll get your army of school fundraising supporters and volunteers motivated.

Communication is the key

Some of the best school fundraisers are simple yet they are expertly communicated in such a way that parents, children and the broader school community know that the event or fundraiser is coming up and feel excited to be a part of it.

Whether you are running a fete or you are holding a raffle, communicate to all of your school families and keep them motivated. Consider using digital media to communicate such as the school’s closed Facebook page, digital newsletters or letters home to each child from the fundraising team, whatever works for your school.

If you don’t promote your event no one is going to know about it so put up posters, hand out flyers and even consider creating a fun video you can share on the school’s Facebook page to get the attention of parents and potential attendees.

People are busy, so present your information in a short and sweet way and include a call to action – whether it be ‘Buy your tickets now’ or ‘Join us on 5th December’ – be clear about what you want your school community to do for your school fundraising.

Wrap up and hand over properly

Often, if the school fundraising committee is changed from year to year each committee has to start from scratch.

It’s important to do a proper wrap up of your fundraising year to the incoming committee.

Provide any information you have gathered that could be valuable such as suppliers, quantities ordered for events, volunteer contact details, sponsors list, a cheat sheet on what worked and what didn’t and any other information that will help the next committee in their fundraising endeavours.

You have put blood, sweat and sometimes tears into your fundraising so it is important to hand the baton over and share the information you have gathered so the next committee can build on your success and thrive.

Consider these key secrets and you’re on the road to a successful school fundraising event!