For years, some schools have sold candy, sweets, and other unhealthy snacks to raise money for school activities. With the rise in childhood obesity and increased interest in sending consistent messages about wellness at school, more and more school administrators are moving away from fundraising efforts that sell these products and are finding other ways to successfully raise funds.
This week, Healthy Schools Campaign asks:
What are your ideas for successful school fundraisers that don’t rely on unhealthy food?
Submissions close Sunday, July 24 at 11:59 p.m.
Remember, there are four ways to enter Healthy Schools Campaign Ideas for Health & Wellness Contest:
Facebook. Like us on Facebook. When each week’s question is posted, respond to the question with a comment that shares your story, idea, and tips. (Please remember to share your ideas as a comment on each week’s post rather than as a general comment on HSC’s wall.)
Twitter. Follow @healthyschools. When each week’s question is posted, tweet with your idea with the tag #hscidea. There’s only 140 characters, so make ‘em count! (Submissions that do not include #hscidea will not be counted . . . we may not be able to find them!).
Blog. Each week, we’ll post a question on our blog. Share your story, idea, and tips in the comments section of that week’s post.
Email. Send an email with your idea to [email protected] for that week's question. Put the question in the subject line.
We will randomly select a winner who will be contacted in respect to their submission. (Facebook winners will receive a message, Twitter winners will receive a DM, and blog commenters will receive an email). We’ll share stories and ideas from the contest in the coming weeks. All entrants will be recognized when their ideas are used.
Questions? Contact us.
Good luck! We look forward to hearing your ideas!
My all time favorite fundraiser is selling gift trees from the Arbor Day Foundation! The trees come packed individually in plastic recyclable tubes that can then be used as bird feeders once the trees are planted. Why I love this idea: 1)selling trees gives an opportunity for schools to tie in a sneaky conservation lesson 2)they are pre-sold...so no up-front cost 3)it is a straight 50/50 split, no matter how many you sell (the money you send back to Arbor Day is used to fund efforts for re-planting rain forests and conservation education), 4)it gets families outdoors together to plant a tree 5)free shipping!
Honestly...it is an amazing fundraiser all the way around. We did it one year and had absolutley no problems. Tie it in to an Earth Day event and make it even better!
http://www.arborday.org/shopping/gifttrees/fundraising.cfm
Posted by: Mesquiteparent | July 18, 2011 at 11:39 AM
At Ana Roqué de Duprey Elementary School, we have a variety of ways to raise funds that do not involve selling unhealthy snacks, such as selling student-made “Santa-grams” for Christmas and “Flower-grams” for Mother’s Day. Our most successful fundraiser is our Halloween Fall Festival because 100% of the money made is profit, since there is no product to buy and sponsors donate the minimal supplies needed.
The money raised pays for the 8th Grades class activities; therefore it is organized and run by the 8th graders. They set up different stations with activities and games, such as face painting, hula hoop, bean-bag toss, or "guess the body part" in which blindfolded children stick their hand in a bowl of spaghetti and try to guess a body part (grapes for "eyes"). The other students buy tickets for the different activities or a “bracelet” which will give them unlimited access to all the activities. There is also a station for taking photos with a scarecrow- which they can buy as a souvenir.
Parents show their support by volunteering and buying tickets. The teachers usually buy tickets for their students, to ensure that everyone can participate. Everyone has a wonderful time contributing to a good cause and the 8th graders do an amazing job of demonstrating leadership.
Posted by: Gloria Roman | July 18, 2011 at 12:20 PM
There are lots of different fundraiser ideas that can really make a difference. Some are more successful than others. Here in the UK you can use certain organisations and raise funds from shopping online. But I also like the personalised fundraiser ideas, particularly the gift ideas. They might be more effort and time consuming but they are definitely valued products that people will pay high for.
Posted by: School Fundraiser Ideas | September 18, 2011 at 07:42 AM