Parents are often asked to help out at their kids’ schools. Sometimes contributing your time and possibly even your money is compulsory. But often it’s up to you if you want to join in with school events. One of the things you might decide to do is help with a fundraising event at the school. You might be raising money for the school, or you could be fundraising for another cause. Whatever it is you’re collecting money for, a fundraising event can be difficult to pull off. You have to choose something fun that encourages people to give generously. Try following this plan to ensure everything goes well.
Choose an Event Theme
If you don’t know what you’re going to do for your fundraising event, you can start by choosing a theme. Brainstorm some ideas with your fundraising committee to come up with something that everyone (or most people) can agree on. There are lots of different things you can do, but you should consider how much you want to raise. You also need to think about how much parents and the public are willing and able to contribute. If the school is an expensive private one, parents might be able to give to a dinner or a silent auction. However, if budgets are tighter, then a bake sale or fair with lots of games would be better.
Enlist Volunteers
If you don’t already have a team of people to help you, make sure you have volunteers for the event. You might have a committee to help you organize, but they may not be enough for the day. Perhaps you will ask other parents to join in, get the teachers to help or ask students to fill in different roles. Think about the different tasks you will need to complete during the event and make sure no one is stretched too thinly.
Use Several Fundraising Methods
Whatever the theme of your event, don’t leave it up to only one method to bring all the money in. For example, if your event is ticketed, you can still have other paid-for things inside. You might put on games, have an auction, run a competition, and much more. You could get custom promotional items made up with CustomOnIt. Either get people to buy things to take away from the event or use them as prizes to give away.
Promoting Your Event
If you want your school fundraising event to be successful, you have to spread the word. Telling people about your event can happen in lots of ways. You can send out emails, letters and even text messages to everyone at the school. If you want people outside of the school to know, use social media and find places to put up posters too. Perhaps there’s a school newsletter you can use to advertise or a local magazine. Put the event in your email signature so that everyone you email hears about it.
Running a fundraising event can be hard work, but it’s also a fun way to get to know people and learn new skills. You might discover new things about yourself while you do it.
