Throughout the school year, children across the U.S. are turned into corporate salespeople for school fundraisers. They could be selling candles, magazines, candy or any number of other items. Some children are unfortunate enough to have to sell several different items throughout the school year. Their families and neighbors are unfortunate enough to have to support these efforts.
Most schools and clubs need to raise funds, either for all their funding or to fill in some budgeting gaps. However, it’s time to get corporate America out of school fundraising efforts. Here are some school fundraising alternatives that will keep your children from having to become door to door salesmen.
Bottle Drives
If you live in a state that has a refund on bottled beverages, organize a bottle drive. Some states will refund five or ten cents per bottle. Set up a bottle receptacle at the school. Collect bottles throughout the year or on one day only. Advertise by sending fliers home with the students. Coordinate a weekend bottle drop off day.
After the bottles are collected, they will need to be sorted and turned in for the refund. Coordinate volunteers to sort. Most bottle return companies will ask that the bottles be sorted by type; glass, plastic or cans. Sorting can take a few hours, so it helps if volunteers can work in shifts. Enlist a volunteer with a truck to take the bottles to get the refund.
School-Wide Fair
Some schools are able to raise enough money in a day-long school fair to avoid having to raise funds for the rest of the school year. School fairs are a large undertaking and a team of volunteers will be needed to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Students can volunteer to sell tickets and run games.
Make money by selling tickets to play fun games, like a bean bag toss, basketball shoot and ring toss. Tickets should be inexpensive to encourage the fair patrons to play as many games as possible. Game players can win inexpensive prizes or win tickets that can be traded in for prizes. Refreshment sales and silent auctions are also good money makers at school-wide fairs. Ask parents and local businesses to donate refreshments and items for a silent auction to keep costs as low as possible.
50/50 Raffles
The winner of a 50/50 raffle wins half of the money collected. The organization that holds the raffle gets the other half. The cost for a 50/50 raffle is low. Raffle tickets can be purchased at a variety of places, including office supply stores.
50/50 raffles are fun at specific events, such as sporting events or local festivals. Parent volunteers or older students can sell tickets. The winner is announced at the end of the event. Holding several 50/50 raffles throughout the school year will often raise enough money so that no other fund raisers are necessary.
School fundraisers don’t have to be limited to selling products for corporate America. Get creative, enlist some volunteers and raise money without turning your children into salespeople.
