Fundraising Ideas Part 2: Events
CAR WASH
Breakdown
Find a well-located site, like a fire department, or simply a business located on a well-traveled street that has a large parking lot. Sell tickets beforehand with the address of the location on them. Collect soap, sponges and towels, and of course make sure you have a working hose! Students can collect money on site, advertise with hand-made posters, and help wash cars and trucks. A great way to put the fun back in fundraising!
Tips
- Divvy up volunteer jobs — advertising, donation collecting, washing, drying — so all of your bases are covered.
- Sell food and drinks during the event to raise even more money!
- Some states may have environmental laws that pertain to your car wash. Make sure you read up on them!
SCHOOL DANCE
Breakdown
Host a dance at the school, inspired by your passports tour! Going to France? Make it Parisian-themed! Visiting Spain? Play Latin music! Tour participants can research the area, create decorations, and volunteer to set up the cafeteria or gym the afternoon before the dance. Sell tickets ahead of time and at the door. Make sure to take into account the cost of the dance and your fundraising goal in your ticket price! Advertise in the weeks leading up to the dance, and make sure all your tour participants go. Who knows, maybe other students will get inspired to sign up for the trip, too!
Tips
- Sell snacks and refreshments at the dance for extra donations.
- Look to teachers and parents for donations — cash, decorations, food or refreshments — to keep the cost of the dance down.
- Better yet, find a DJ willing to volunteer their time to a good cause!
Resources
BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Breakdown
For the musically-inclined student population! Set a date and location for the big night, then reach out to students for band entries. Make sure to advertise weeks, sometimes even months, ahead of time! The student bands will need time to prepare. Sell tickets ahead of time and at the door, with all proceeds going to your trip and the winner’s grand prize. Make sure to take the prize money and your fundraising goal into account when calculating the price of the ticket. Recruit volunteer judges, and plan out your voting process. Perhaps the judges can vote three groups through, and the winner can be decided by the audience? The choice is up to you! Either way, you’re in for a rockin’ good time.
Tips
- Why not sell some donated snacks while you’re there, too?
- Get more of the school involved by entering your school’s chorus and band groups, or even a special guest group made up of teachers!
THREE-ON-THREE TOURNAMENT
Breakdown
This is a fundraiser the whole school will love to participate in! Advertise a three-on-three basketball tournament to students, asking for entries of teams of three or four. Once you have collected enough teams, create tournament brackets of either single or double elimination. Charge per team (and if you’re in need of more donations, per admission). Make sure to have students sign a list of rules and regulations beforehand. Gather some volunteer referees, split up the gym into multiple courts if possible, and let the games begin! Give the winners championship tees as a prize.
Tips
- Why limit yourself to basketball? Try out three-on-three dodgeball, volleyball or floor hockey instead!
- Open up entries to the community and make a night of it! You’ll reel in even more donations.
- Get more of the school involved by enlisting the help of cheerleaders, mascots and coaches.
Resources
- Nike Basketball 3ON3 Tournament — Rules & Regulations
- PrintYourBrackets — 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Brackets
- CustomInk — Create custom water bottles or shorts to raise even more money!
RESTAURANT NIGHT
Breakdown
There are plenty of restaurants that would want to partner up with you for your fundraiser. See a list of chain restaurants with fundraising opportunities here, or call up some local establishments and see if they would be interested. You could earn up to 10-20% of the night’s receipts! Make sure to advertise plenty ahead of time, so students can schedule time to attend.
Tips
- Schedule your fundraiser for a slower night, like Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The restaurant will be happy for the extra business, and there will be more space for your students!
- Too much interest at your school? Plan restaurant nights back-to-back, so more can attend.
Resources
- Scholastica Travel — 20 Chain Restaurants with Fundraising Opportunities for School Trips
DRESS DOWN DAY
Breakdown
Perfect for schools that require a dress code for students and faculty. First, get administration approval. Then, sell tickets or stickers allowing the bearer to dress down on a specific day. Make sure they have the ticket or wear the sticker that day, to prove they donated. Students and faculty will be clamoring to have the chance to wear what they want for the day! Plus more publicity will be generated for your tour.
Tips
- Selling tickets? Put your school’s casual dress code on the back.
- Make it an annual (or monthly!) event to give teachers and students a day to look forward to!
- In the spirit of dressing down, sell custom t-shirts while you’re at it!
STUDENT-FACULTY GAME
Breakdown
Depending on the time of year, host a student-faculty basketball, baseball or soccer game. Pick recognizable teachers and students to participate, and charge for admission. Get more of the school involved by enlisting the help of cheerleaders, mascots and coaches during the game!
Tips
- This is a great event to pair with your T-Shirt Sale Fundraiser!
- Why not sell some custom water bottles, too?
Resources
CULTURAL DINNER
Breakdown
Plan a dinner using authentic recipes from the places you’ll be visiting on your passports tour! This is a great way to generate interest in your trip and learn more about another culture before experiencing it firsthand. Sell tickets beforehand so you know ahead of time how many people will be attending and how much food you will need. Get volunteers to either cook or donate food, to reduce the cost of the dinner. That way, all proceeds will go directly to funding your trip! This is the perfect event to link up to your Recipe Book Fundraiser!