5 Student Motivation Ideas

1. 1. Brainstorm daily classroom challenges. Create fun, daily challenges where classes compete to get the most pledges for the day and offer small rewards like extra recess or a class party. You can announce the results each morning over the school intercom or during a morning assembly. The anticipation of winning will keep students excited about participating, and the friendly rivalry among classes will add to the fun!
   2. Offer incentives for every pledge level that students reach. Incentives are a great way to drive participation. Set pledge levels with rewards for each milestone that students reach. For example, you could offer prizes like Boosterthon swag, homework passes, or lunch with the principal. Each time they reach a new pledge level, they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and be eager to continue climbing toward the next prize. The more creative and personalized the rewards, the more exciting it will be for your students!
   3. Get your teacher involved too! Teachers are a key part of the Boosterthon experience, and getting them involved can add an extra layer of excitement. For instance, you could make a deal with the students: if a class reaches a certain pledge goal, their teacher will agree to do something fun or silly. Whether it’s wearing a wacky outfit, performing a goofy dance, or eating lunch with the students, these teacher-led challenges are sure to motivate students. Plus, it creates a sense of collaboration between students and teachers, making the entire fundraiser feel more like a team effort.
   4. Set a school-wide pledge goal. Creating a big, overarching goal for the entire school is another fantastic way to inspire participation. When students know they’re contributing to something larger than just their classroom’s success, it fosters a sense of community. Offer a reward that the entire school can enjoy when it’s reached—like an ice cream social, movie day, or a special themed dress-up day. The excitement of working together toward a shared goal will help build unity among students, and knowing that their contributions impact the entire school will encourage more participation across the board.
   5. Hang up a Pledge-o-Meter. Showing your fundraiser’s progress visually is great for student motivation. Hang a large pledge-o-meter in your school’s lobby or common space and update it each day to show how close students are to reaching their goals. Watching the meter rise day by day will build anticipation and a sense of accomplishment as the school gets closer to hitting its targets. You could even make it a big event to update the meter during morning announcements or assemblies.

Finding ways to motivate your students to participate in your Boosterthon doesn’t have to be complicated—it’s all about fostering excitement, community, and a sense of accomplishment. Use these five simple student motivation ideas and your students will be eager to join in, work together, and help your school reach its fundraising goals. And remember, the more fun you make it, the more memorable the entire experience will be for everyone involved!

In this blog you will learn:

• Different types of fundraisers your school can host.
• Creative fundraising ideas to fill your calendar all year long.

Types of Fundraisers Your School Can Host

There are many different ways for a school to raise funds. Some fundraisers provide your donors with actual products or services for their contributions, while others may offer an experience or simply ask for a donation to support your cause. Utilizing all of the different fundraising for schools options throughout the year will make it more likely for your school to get repeat donations from families and community members.

Provide a service.

Providing your donors with a service that they actually need is a great way to raise funds! When planning this type of fundraiser take the time to brainstorm helpful services for particular times of year for your donor such as washing cars in the spring or wrapping presents around the holidays.

Sell products.

This option can also meet the needs of your donors, giving them the opportunity to purchase items that they want or need while also supporting your school.

Host an event.

The event you plan can be something you invite donors and families to attend such as a festival or a fitness fundraising event for your students such as a fun run.

Ask for direct donations.

One of the easiest ways to raise funds is to simply ask for donations to support your cause.

10 Creative Fundraising Ideas

While it can feel overwhelming to start planning a fundraising calendar that will keep your school community engaged, it doesn’t have to be! From elevated events to limited edition swag, we’ve got ten creative fundraising ideas that will get your students and families excited to participate and donors excited to give.

1. Sell ready made meals. Work with a local restaurant to offer pre-purchased prepared meals on a particular day. Busy families will love the opportunity to skip cooking for the night!
2. Plan a Color Run. Turn up the excitement on a regular Fun Run and add in bursts of colorful powder as students walk, skip and run through checkpoints.
3. Host a flower or plant sale. Team up with a local nursery to sell plants around gardening season or a local flower shop to offer bouquets around a special holiday.
4. Give your bake sale a fun theme. While a regular bake sale is always a great choice for a fundraiser, you can turn up the excitement even more with a theme. Sync up with a holiday, assign colors to different grades or request each contribution show some school spirit—get creative!
5. Organize a makers market. There are bound to be lots of crafty students and family members in your school community. This creative fundraising idea is a great way for them to showcase their talents and help you raise funds for your school.
6. Spread cheer while selling holiday wreaths. Many members of your community will already be planning on purchasing wreaths for the holiday season and love the opportunity to support your cause too. Make sure to get the word out about this one well in advance before they possibly buy wreaths elsewhere!
7. Create recipe books. Ask families to submit their best recipes to compile a unique recipe book. Families will love seeing their own recipes showcased and getting some inspiration for new things to cook too.
8. Build a raffle calendar. Reach out families and local businesses and ask them to donate prizes to fill up a calendar for a month. The prizes can range from anything from a gift card to a product to an experience! Then sell raffle tickets and pick a winner each day.
9. Create limited edition spirit wear. Give your traditional spirit hoodies and t-shirts featuring your school colors and logo a fun twist. For example, order green gear around St Patrick’s Day or special graduation items toward the end of the year. Then build up the hype!
10. Host a Parent’s Night Out. Set up fun activities in your school gym or a local community center and invite parents to drop their students off while they get a much needed break. You can even bring in pizzas and set up a big screen for a movie.

When it comes to school fundraising, variety truly is the key to success.  Keeping your fundraisers fresh and exciting will encourage your students and families to participate. And building out your yearly calendar with creative fundraising ideas along with more traditional approaches will maximize your fundraising potential while keeping your donors engaged and enthusiastic.

In this blog you will learn:

• The background of International Color Day.
• Fundraising ideas to celebrate this global holiday.
• Plus—tips to continue building out your fundraising calendar.

What is International Color Day

This holiday is fairly new, established in 2009 as a way to celebrate all aspects of color. When national color associations from all the world—thirty countries total!—designated this a holiday, they chose March 21st for a reason. That is because it is the day of the equinox, when night and day, representing lightness and darkness, are equally as long. Since International Color Day was established, the world has celebrated all the wonderful ways that color impacts our lives with exhibits, activities, events and more!

How to Celebrate the Holiday with a School Fundraiser

Color plays such a huge role in the education of young students, making International Color Day an ideal holiday to celebrate with a school fundraiser! Here are some creative ways to add some color to your next fundraiser.

Host an Epic Color Run.

Students, families and staff will all love the color run fitness fundraiser! It’s a Fun Run but with the added excitement of bursts of powdered color at checkpoints  students run through, creating a memorable experience!

Pro Tip: Encourage your students to wear white clothing so that when they run through each checkpoint the colors transform their clothes into colorful works of art!

Whip Up a Colorful Bake Sale.

Give your next bake sale a vibrant twist and ask families to contribute treats and snacks that showcase a variety of different colors such as m&m cookies or rainbow frosted cupcakes. You can have fun and get creative with this one!

Pro Tip: To encourage creativity, give an award for the contribution that best represents International Color Day!

Sell Custom T-Shirts.

Design custom tees for the holiday, the more colorful the better! Invite families to purchase them in advance of International Color Day to wear on the actual holiday. Then make a day of it with fun activities and a school wide picture in your matching colorful tees!

Pro Tip: Reach out to local businesses to sponsor your efforts and cover the cost of some or all of the custom shirts in exchange for valuable advertising space on your shirts.

Organize an Art Show.

We wouldn’t be able to create art without color! Celebrate International Color Day by having your students use different mediums and colors to create one-of-a-kind artwork. Then, organize an art show to display their masterpieces.

Pro Tip: Charge admission to your event to raise funds. You can also have families place bids to purchase the art work, creating an exciting and interactive experience!

Tips for a Successful Year of Fundraiser

Now that you have a fundraiser slotted for International Color Day, let’s keep the ball rolling! The key to reaching your fundraising goals is to plan out a calendar to raise funds all year long. Check out these tips to get started.

Offer a Variety of Fundraisers.

From product sales like discount card fundraisers to event based fundraisers and more, fill your calendar with different types of fundraisers so as not to exhaust your donors. For example, a product sale around the holiday provides donors with an opportunity to purchase gifts and items they may need, while a car wash in the spring provides them an entirely different service.

Plan Fundraisers Around Holidays & Special Events.

Just like planning a fundraiser around International Color Day, there are so many opportunities to sync up your fundraising efforts with other holidays and events.Check your community calendar for special events, consider the upcoming major holidays and dig around to find some fun less obvious national and international days.

Use a Fundraising Company to Save Rime & Raise More!

Planning and executing a full calendar year of fundraisers can be super time consuming. Because Booster offers a huge variety of fundraising solutions, ranging from custom gear to fitness fundraisers to product sales, they can handle all the heavy lifting for you, all in one place.

International Color Day encourages us to take a moment to enjoy all the beautiful colors that make up our world. Students use colors in so many aspects of their learning, making this holiday ideal to celebrate with a fundraiser! Get creative, make the experience as colorful as possible, and—of course—have fun!

In this blog you will learn:

• How to plan a gift wrap fundraiser.
• Tips to make your fundraiser a success.
• Ways to raise even more!

How to Plan Your Gift Wrap Fundraiser

Let’s discuss the steps to take to plan a successful gift wrap fundraising event including date and location selection, acquiring supplies, recruiting volunteers, designing a booth, and promoting the fundraiser.

Pick a date, time and location.

First things first, you need to lock down a date and place to host your gift wrap fundraising event. You will want to select a date that is far enough into the holiday shopping season that your donors have had time to actually purchase gifts for you to wrap. You should also take into account any other fundraisers that may be taking place at your school or in your community so there is not a conflict.

Just as important as choosing the right date is selecting a time and location that is simple and easy for your donors to visit. Find an area that will have ample room for gift wrapping stations and supplies. Your school gym or a community center are great options. Remember to offer times that work around busy schedules such as after work or at school pick up and drop off.

Pro Tip: To attract even more donors, you can even ask to set up a gift wrap fundraising booth at a local shopping area or business. Shoppers that just made a purchase can swing by your booth and get their gift wrapped on the spot!

Make a list of supplies.

You can’t host a gift wrap fundraiser without gift wrap! You will also need gift tags, pens, scissors and tape. Make sure to have multiples of everything so more than one person can be helping a donor at a time. In addition, you may want to add ribbons and bows to make your gift wrapping station really stand out!

Pro Tip: Provide a variety of wrapping paper options for your donors to choose from such as fun kid-friendly paper, both Christmas and Hanukkah themes and festive winter rolls.

Recruit volunteers.

You will need help setting up and breaking down your gift wrap fundraising booth as well as some holiday elf volunteers to do all the actual wrapping. While any volunteer is a welcome addition to a fundraiser, encouraging student participation for your actual event can be very beneficial. This is because donors are more likely to give—and give more!—when they can see what their money is going towards. In this case, the students wrapping their presents!

Pro Tip: Plan a training session before your fundraiser to make sure you provide exceptional gift wrapping services! This will also help improve efficiency which will in turn help you raise even more funds.

Design an inviting gift wrapping booth or table.

Don’t be afraid to go a little over the top with this one! Tinsel, colorful lights, fake snow—the more festive the better! Creating a fun and exciting environment will attract donors and put your volunteers in a cheery mood.

Pro Tip: Wrap up some fake boxes with your supplies to show examples of what gift wrapping options you have to offer.

Promote your fundraiser.

Provide email, text and social media templates that students and families can easily share with their friends and family. You can also create flyers and posters to put up around your town and ask local businesses to hand them out.

Pro Tip: Get the word out about your upcoming fundraiser early to provide your donors with enough lead time to plan and get their shopping done before your event.

Ways to Raise Even More with Your Gift Wrap Fundraising Event

Additional ways to increase the success of your gift wrap fundraising event includes sponsorship, upgrade options, selling wrapping paper, and expressing gratitude!

Seek out sponorships.

Reach out to local businesses to see if they are interested in sponsoring your fundraiser in exchange for valuable advertising exposure. Sponsors can provide supplies, a monetary donation or even the event space where you host your gift wrap fundraising booth.

Offer upgrade gift wrap options.

From special cards to premium ribbons to gift boxes, there are so many extra touches you can add to your services to increase donations.

Sell wrapping paper.

You might be wrapping gifts on the spot, but your donors will most likely have tons of extra gifts at home they will still need to tackle. Why not host a gift wrap product fundraiser at your gift wrapping fundraiser?

Express gratitude!

Always let your donors know how much you appreciate their support! This will make them more likely to support future fundraisers as well. Along with doing this at the time of the transaction, you can also add personal touches such as writing a heartfelt thank you on your receipts you print ahead of time or collecting donor emails to send a follow up thank you post fundraiser.

Gift wrap fundraising aligns perfectly with the holiday and giving season, making it the perfect addition to your school fundraising calendar. By offering something your donors need during the busy shopping season, your fundraiser becomes more than just a donation but a service that saves time and adds a touch of holiday spirit. Follow these steps to plan it out right, bring lots of holiday cheer to event day and watch the funds roll in!

See How Booster Can Help With More Fundraisers

But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with the top fundraising ideas to get your students and families excited and help your school exceed your fundraising goals. Read on to see the top 10 fundraisers for this year, plus tips to get you started.

In this blog you’ll learn:

• How to get started with a fundraiser.
• The top 10 fundraising ideas for your school year.
• Tips to raise even more funds. 

Tips to Get Started

• Begin by outlining the goals you have for the year and the funds you will need to accomplish them.
• Fundraising does not have to be a one and done event. You can do it more than once throughout the entire year! The key is to have a plan and offer variety so you do not exhaust your donors.
• Consider working with a fundraising company like Booster that offers a huge variety of fundraising solutions so it’sa one-stop-shop for all of your needs. They can help map out your year, saving you valuable time and increasing the funds you raise.

Top 10 Fundraising Ideas for Your School

1. Sell Discount Cards

This fundraiser is a great way to provide potential donors with the opportunity to support your cause and score great deals on stores and restaurants they already love to shop at.

When to Host

Selling discount cards is a great option year round! They can also be marketed as gifts or stocking stuffers if you choose to sell them around the holidays.

2. Join Company Fundraising Opportunities

Register your school with businesses such as Shutterfly, Amazon Smile and Staples which will donate a percentage of purchases by families and community members back to your school. This is usually done through an online store front or by using a school ID number at checkout.

When to Host

This is a year round fundraising opportunity that requires little effort once you have registered. You’ll just need to let families know your school is participating in the programs. Make sure to share often through school announcements, especially during prime shopping season such as back to school and holidays.

3. Get Moving with a Fitness Fundraiser

Host a fun run, color run, glow run or dance-a-thon to get students up and moving while also building community and school spirit. This type of fundraiser will require more heavy lifting, so you may want to consider using a fundraising company such as Booster, which has proven to help schools raise 60% more!

When to Host

There are opportunities to host a fitness fundraiser year round but you will want to consider the season and weather. While glow runs and dance-a-thons are indoors, fun runs and color runs are outdoors, so depending on where you are located, you will need to pick an appropriate season.

4. Create Custom Gear

This is an excellent way to build some school spirit! From t-shirts to water bottles to hats to bags, Booster has a huge selection of custom gear you can customize with your school colors and logo. Order in bulk to sell at a school event or set up an online store with no upfront costs and Booster will only ship what you actually sell.

When to Host

Time your sale around when your gear will be in the most demand such as special sporting events, during a spirit week, back to school or holidays.

5. Restaurant Fundraiser

The idea behind this top fundraising idea is for a school to partner with a restaurant. On a specific day the restaurant donates a portion of proceeds to the school.

There are many national chains that participate in this type of fundraiser or you can ask a local establishment. Leading up to the big day, encourage families to make plans to dine out or takeout!

When to Host

If possible, try to make it an ideal time for families. If the restaurant is donating proceeds from takeout, a weeknight is perfect for busy families. On the other hand, if you are encouraging dining in, try to request a weekend.

It is also worth taking into account the time of year. Asking families to spend money eating out during more expensive times such as the holidays or after all that back to school shopping may not be ideal.

6. Promote Box Tops for Education

This has been a top fundraising idea for many years. But now, in the digital age, it’s easier than ever for families. Whether they shop online or in a store, all they need to do is scan their receipt in the Box Tops app and your school gets a donation! The most time consuming element of this fundraiser is spreading the word and educating families about the benefits.

When to Host

Families are purchasing food year round, so your school should be earning year round too! Make sure to share friendly reminders throughout the school year, especially at the beginning for new families.

7. Raffle Gift Baskets

Task each classroom with coming up with a creative themed gift basket through donations from their families. From “Game Night” to “Day at the Beach” to “Movie Night” the options are endless! Then host an online auction and let families and other community members place bids.

When to Host

This fundraiser will require some work from families and classroom parents so you will want to make sure it’s a time of year that they are not already bogged down with other tasks.

8. Whip Up a Bake Sale

Ask families and school faculty to bake up their tastiest treats to donate to a bake sale! Then set up shop before or after school and let hungry students, teachers, and even the outside community buy something delicious. You can even take it up a notch and customize tumblers with your school logo and colors to sell alongside coffee and hot chocolate!

When to Host

What makes a bake sale a top fundraising idea is how versatile it is. A bake sale can be repeated throughout the year with different themes. You can sell hot chocolate and holiday cookies in the winter and lemonade and donuts in the spring—get creative! Make sure to consider when your school has the most walking traffic to reach the most donors.

9. Organize a Product Sale

From popcorn and cookies to wrapping paper and kitchen gadgets, Booster has a huge selection of high quality catalog goods. This type of fundraiser allows your donors to feel good about purchasing things they already want or need while also giving back to your school!

When to Host

While a product sale is great any time of year, choosing to host it around the holidays when people are searching for the perfect gifts may drive up sales even more.

10. Ask for Direct Donations

This is a simple and effective way to raise funds quickly and easily, making it another top fundraising idea. If you are going to ask for donations from families and the community, it is helpful to share exactly what you are raising funds for. Donors are more likely to give when they can see how their money will be used.

Use an online fundraising platform such as MyBooster to make it easy for families to share their fundraising page quickly via text, email and on social media and expand your outreach to anywhere in the world. That’s what makes direct donations one of the top fundraising ideas for schools: it’s easy to start, easy to share, and easy to track!

When to Host

This type of fundraiser should be tied to a specific goal so host it whenever you’re actively working on that project. You should also take into account any other fundraisers the school is planning so there isn’t a conflict.

Additional Ways to Raise More!

• Ask for Sponsors: If you are hosting an event based fundraiser or creating custom gear, sell valuable ad space to sponsors in exchange for them offsetting some of your costs. It’s a win-win way for your school to save money and local businesses to have the opportunity to raise awareness for their brand.

• Take Advantage of Corporate Matching: Many companies have corporate matching programs to support fundraising efforts. If you use Booster’s online fundraising platform, donors can easily search to see if their companies will match their donation.

• Use a Reward System: Motivate students and families to participate in your fundraisers with rewards. This can be anything from earning a pizza party for the classroom that raises the most to small treats for individual accomplishments. MyBooster offers a prize tracker system to make the process simple and easy. Or go with one of Booster’s fitness fundraisers and let us take care of the prizes for you.

As the new school year approaches, preparing a successful fundraising strategy using these top fundraising ideas can set your school up for success. Plus, if you follow our tips, not only will your school achieve your goals but you will also build community and school spirit with families and students working together toward a common goal.