OT New Fundrasing Ideas Needed

[mc'smommy]

HI everyone
A little off topic here, but I need some new fund raising ideas for my daughters school. The school itself has a variety of demographics from low to high income. Also need a class only fund raising idea to help send the class to a 3 day camp for a year end trip. I am Open to all suggestions /ideas,
thanks in advance

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

We used to coordinate/run a carnival at our childrens' school, it takes quite a lot of effort and lots of volunteers but the proceeds were excellent. In autumn it was Fall Fun and spring was Spring Fling.

Silent auctions go well, and if you have it at the school, ask each teacher to contribute an "item" to bid for such as "Ice Cream Sundaes after School with Mrs. So and So, Second Grade Teacher" or "McDonalds at Lunch with Mr. So and So, Kindergarten Teacher" or "Principal for a day". Parents bid like crazy on things like that for their child.

Good luck w/ whatever you choose!! (PM if you need details)

Edited to add: here's a link to a Fundraiser post on the Budget Board:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1941970

 

[ferris198]

Our school does a jogathon at the beginning of the school year which is quite successful.
Last year we also did something with the Bay where parents spent 5.00 to get a discount card to be used at the Bay on a specific day in November.
I thing it is called giving.

 

[bev r.]

last year for my daughter's hockey team, we sold give cards for groceries through Safeway. We made quite a bit of money. (I don't remember the exact amount). We sold them in November, and alot of people bought them to be used as Christmas gifts. If I recall the promotion was only available during a certain period. I'm not sure if all big grocery chains do this or not.

Some food product sales have also been profitable. Out here, selling Ukrainain Garlic sausage is quite popular, especially before major holidays.

 

[maryliz]

We did a fudge fundraiser earlier this year, and made about $2800. We had delivery for just before March break, so that people had it for Easter. While it was very successful, many parents told us that they could have easily sold more if it had been before Christmas ... hostess gifts/stocking stuffers/paper carriers, etc ... and a few also said that when we did the order forms in Feb, many people were still on their "New Years diets" so did not purchase, so again, before Christmas a better time.

The company we used was out of St. Jacob's, near Kitchener ON.

Do you know of any Avon Reps that would be willing to give a certain percentage of sales back to the school? We've had anywhere from a 20-40% kickback from the rep, and do the fundraiser in November, for delivery early December. I'm not a huge Avon shopper, but when I'm working on stocking stuffers and gifts, it adds up pretty quick.

Keep posting ideas folks ... my first Home and School meeting is next week so I'll look like a genius if I go in with some fresh ideas!

 

[siobhan1997]

For our PTA we would do raffles. They are great easy fundraisers. We usually had a local business man donate NHL (Senators) tickets in our region and then we would contact a hotel in Ottawa and get them to donate a room for the night of the game. Our PTA would donate $50.00 to help cover costs of parking, and eating during the game. We always made $5000 or up. We would have every child sell a book of tickets $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00. Each book contained 15 tickets.

Hockey tickets are huge draws to everyone.

For a class fundraiser we did a teacher vs student soccer game in the school yard around the end of May. We would have the the senior class in the elementary school play against the teaching staff and in order for the other children to attend the game they would pay $1.00 each. It was great school spirit, classrooms would make banners cheering on the students of course. The seniors and teachers loved it. It was always alot of fun. Depending on the school population you could make anywhere from $300 and up.

I spent 9 years on my DD school PTA, but now she is in high school and I really miss the parents. Good Luck

 

[amw]

We do a family BINGO night ... trivia night .... Norcard Christmas cards (Catholic school ) ... we have the local high school videotape our Musical Christmas Concert and sell the DVDs to parents at a profit ... this year we're having a MuchMusic dance-a-thon to kick off the school year.

For class specific:
With have a Reid's dairy locally, and classes would have loonie milkshake days ... not sure about the peanut-free issue.

 

[mc'smommy]

These are great ideas,keep them coming.......

 

[SnowWhite]

My daughters school each fall sells magazines thru QSP and they make about 12000 each year, you get a magazine full of hundreds of choices of magazines and the kids can send the website to friends and family out of town as well to look, it is great for christmas presents for hard to buy for family! There are also incentive prizes for selling certain amounts of magazines for the kids!

Chocolates thru worlds finest always works too!

 

[mousy_in_canada]

I have done this program http://www.macmillans.on.ca/fundrais.html it was really easy to organize and we had lots of orders, the ease of frozen cookie and muffin dough is too good to pass up. I like that they have trans fat free and sugar free options too so you will get lots of sales.

 

[fivebyfive]

Gold fish races! SO much fun.

 

[imca]

Check out Kapow Pops - great profit margin. They cost .47 and you sell them for $1. The kids go nuts for them, easy, quick, no fuss. Free shipping, and they will send you out samples to do a "focus group" survey before you decide. We also sell popcorn at recess, again, low cost, high profit margin. Kernals popcorn usually will sell cheaply to groups for fundraising, or you can pop your own.(even lower cost to you). Poinsettas at Christmas, hanging baskets in spring if you have a local greenhouse willing to work with you.
Good luck, fundraising is a lot of work...but worth it in the end!

 

[F4disneyfan]

We use for our daughters hockey and for our other daughters cheerleading a site that allows people to purchase giftcards for almost anything. You get gas station cards restaurant cards and so on.

Here is the link.

www.shopandsupport.ca

 

[Tower]

I'm on the Parent Council (I think, new elections in 2 weeks). We have discussed various options, but Mississauga is very very strict on any kinds of nuts etc., and we've found it too difficult to do much in the chocolate (nuts in them) or other things like that. We now have a fall fun fair. I was just out at some local businesses dropping off letters to see if they are interested in donating items for the silent auction we're having at the fair. Also will have bouncers, a haunted house (unused portable on the property), bake sale and bbq. Last year netted around $5000. Not bad for a first attempt.

We've also had over the year 'Fantastic Fridays'. It's a pizza day where we struck a deal with a local pizzeria to provide pizzas on Fridays. Parent volunteers gather the funds first thing in the morning in the least disruptive to class manner as possible. Once all the orders are in, the order is placed with this 'partner' and the pizzas are delivered in time for lunch. Payment for tickets is either cash (1.75 for pepperoni or cheese, 2.00 for deluxe) or the students can buy a sheet of 10 tickets in advance, either pepperoni tickets or deluxe tickets for the same price per slice as cash.
Not every child partakes every week, but it's a solid revenue stream that actually cut the need for other fundraisers and it saves the parent the hassle of making a full lunch that day, just recess snacks and a drink for lunch.

Finally, we send a letter out to the parents around October. It asks for a straight out donation to the school for their child's educational needs. I think last year we asked for $80 or $100 per family, but I'm not sure anymore. Only those families that felt they could contribute, did so. Those that could not contribute are unknown. No loss of face.

Hope that helps.

 

[ferris198]

I love pizza days! My mornings are less hectic when I don't have to pack a lunch.
One of the things that was done at our spring fair was the teachers created gift baskets that were auctioned off.
Each one was unique. Some were done by the teacher alone, some were done by the whole classroom.
There were gourmet ones, reading ones, arts and crafts, etc.

 

[Sillyminny40]

Try a frozen pizza company (such as Donelli's in Wpg) or a cheese company and it sells so well people keep asking for it over and over again.

 

[Kyen]

Kidnap The Director

"Kidnap" the center director on a Saturday morning (with his or her prior approval, of course). Call all the parents in the preschool to pledge the ransom money so the director can be freed. This fund-raiser works great and the parents get a big kick out of it!

here is a website with more ideas
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/fundideas.html

 

[DearDaisyinDurham]

Kidnap The Director

"Kidnap" the center director on a Saturday morning (with his or her prior approval, of course). Call all the parents in the preschool to pledge the ransom money so the director can be freed. This fund-raiser works great and the parents get a big kick out of it!

here is a website with more ideas
http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/fundideas.html

Great OP, lots of neat posts, this one is my fave!!! "Pardon the Principal" "Free the Football Coach" "Bail out the Band Majorette!"- the list could go on and on

 

[MomAndrea]

The grade 8 class at my son's school (he's in grade 1) is trying to raise $10 000 this year to have a well drilled in Kenya. One of the things that they are doing is a trunk sale. You pay $20 for a parking spot and you can sell stuff (like a yard sale) out of the trunk of your car. It runs from 8am-1pm and they will be having a bbq as well.

 

[calliemom]

Last year our school did this card fundraiser. There's a company out there that will take the artwork and turn them into good quality cards. You can even put a message inside the card. We had our daughter draw a christmas themed picture and then sent them out last year to all our friends and family. I've never received so many phone calls upon receipt of their special xmas cards.
I know the school profited quite a bit from this fundraiser.
The companies name was Acorn Custom Cards.