Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Card displays are the cards that you can buy at the grocery store for a $1 or more donation, write your name on it and display in the store. Many non profit groups use this as a fundraiser including Children’s Miracle Network and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF). Even Chili’s restaurants has its own Create a Pepper campaign to benefit St. Jude Hospitals.

Schools are now taking a cue from the many of these groups that use card purchase/displays as a fundraiser. Students in Bainbridge, GA will benefit from such a program:

The Paws, printed on purple and gold paper, will soon be available at local businesses. Each sheet can be purchased for a $1.00 donation. The donor can then place their name on the Paw sheet and it will be displayed in the business.

This is a great way for the community to become involved with the school district. It provides good publicity for the business and funds for the school.

One aspect of the Chili’s campaign that I thought was especially smart was offering patrons the choice of how much to donate. Instead of just asking for $1 donation, on the back of the pepper page you could check $1, $5, $10, $20 or other (if I remember correctly). This encourages people to donate more than just a buck. This would definitely be a good strategy to adopt if your school decided to do this type of campaign.

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So what’s your favorite pizza? Pepperoni, Meat Lovers, Veggie Lovers, pineapple and ham with extra cheese? Whatever your favorite Pizza Hut pizza, dining out can help your school raise funds.

Your school can offer pizza discount cards that feature Pizza Hut. Depending on the number of pizza cards you purchase, your group can make over $9,000!

If your local Pizza Hut has not participated in this fundraiser in the past it is easy to get them onboard. You’d just need to print out the agreement form and drop it off for a manger to read. Don’t forget to include a cover letter (on official letterhead if possible) describing your group, why you are raising funds, how this is free advertising for them, brings them in business, and is completely free for them to participate!

Request more information about pizza card fundraisers

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Here’s a roundup of some great school fundraising ideas for the month of October. Many of these are fast fundraisers that you could put together in a few weeks or even a few days. Take a look at some of these October fundraising ideas and see if your school group could fit these in this month or if they are great add-on fundraisers to something you are already doing in October.

1. School Carnivals - Many schools already have school carnivals, fall festivals or Halloween alternative parties planned. It seems like there are some tried and true carnival games like the cake walk and fishing booth. Many groups also like to find some fun new games so kids will really enjoy the event. Here’s a page with some links and resources for school carnival fundraiser ideas.
2. Boo Pops - Lollipops in fun Halloween shapes like ghosts and jack o lanterns. These pops come in a variety of flavors including Bubble Gum, Strawberry Shake, Watermelon Slice, and Wild Cherry. Actually there are 12 flavors in all! Your group earns 50% profit on these great lollipops. Plus you can get free shipping!

You can view all the available pops and even order online here … or Call 1-866-249-0089 for more info.

3. Candles - Fall is a time that many people enjoy burning candles. They provide a nice warm glow and scent to any room of the house. There’s also many scents available that make the fall season enjoyable - such as cinnamon and spice scents and fall harvest fragrances. Find out more about school candle fundraisers.

4. Start a Recycling collection - Fall is a great time to start a recycling collection. This is a fundraiser that can be run all year and you can announce the results next spring. Have a big kickoff and ask parents to bring items to your school carnival. There are a variety of recycling collections that can raise funds for your school including aluminum can recycling, printer cartridges and cell phones.

5. Discount Cards and Books - Fall is also the time that many schools sell discount cards and books. The discount cards are normally good for the entire school year, but as these are custom cards you can set up the effective dates any way you wish.  The books are valid for the calendar year so you can sell the discount books for 2008 now.

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The competitive spirit starts young - kids enjoy video games, board games, playing tag or anything that they can turn into a game.  So why not have a game night fundraiser? Get prizes donated from area businesses and charge admission fees and/or for food. Add raffles and auctions to raise more money.

1. Monopoly Tournament - As you know one game of monopoly can take all night so this one will definitely fill the time.  You could even have a series of monopoly nights with the winner of each game moving to the next round, which takes place on another night.  Great for junior high age and up to adults.

2. Trivia Night - This one is especially good for high school students. Vary the difficulty of questions depending on your audience. It’s played in teams of two so it can work for a group of 20 on up to 200.

3. Game Show Fundraisers - There are lots of board game editions of your favorite TV game shows.  Pick one that your group will enjoy.  Or why not choose several different ones and people can take their pick of which game to join when they get there.

4. Dance Dance Revolution - Kids just love this game. Did you know this can be a fundraiser? You can do this one on your own (DIY) or work with a company that specializes in this event.

5. Bunco Game -Bunco is a fun dice game that is super easy to learn and fun to play.  This is another one that is good for a mixed audience of kids and parents.  Plus this game is very easy to expand for many players.  All you need is another set of dice and you can four more players.

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When I was a kid I’d always try to catch the minnows at the edge of the lake with my bare hands. The 1-3 inch long fishes were so fast! My parents tried to tell me to give up, but I was undaunted.

So when I saw this fun fundraising idea it instantly caught my attention. It was called a “minnow race” and sounds like so much fun…

Participants paid $1 for the opportunity to select a minnow and race it against two other minnows down a track made from house gutters. The minnows were released into the pond at McCray’s Farm after the event. Small prizes were awarded.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Poli. “The best part is seeing the look on the kids faces as the minnows swim down the track.”

(From: MassLive.com)

The minnow races were part of an event to benefit music and marching band students in South Hadley, Massacusets.  The school group made about $100 from the minnow races alone.  Plus there was a minigolf tournament with a portion of the tournament fees benefiting the school’s music program.  What a fun way to raise funds!

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Many high school marching bands raise funds so they can go to parades, to pay for uniforms or for other music education expenses. Here are a few fundraisers that are going on for marching bands across the country. Maybe your band could jump on some of these great ideas for your own band.

Fayetteville High School Marching Band in Fayetteville, Arkansas is raising funds by installing seat backs at the University football stadium.

Normal, Illinois band members will be selling cheesecakes as its fall fundraisers.
Richmond High School Marching Band in Richmond, Indiana is raising money for new uniforms by selling their old uniforms to band alumni.

New Britain High School Parent Music Association is raising funds with one of the most popular fun fundraisers, the “flock of flamingos.”

North Thurston High School band in Washington state holds an annual rummage sale and car wash.

Cocoa Beach, Florida Band Boosters hold a booth at the local Farmer’s market each weekend to raise funds.

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Curious what other school PTA groups are planning for fall? Here’s a few schools that already planned some great fundraising events for fall:

Georgetown MA PTA is planning two family dances, Meadow Farms gift wrap, Genevieve gift wrap and a silent and live auction.

Grande Park Elementary PTA in Plainfield IL is holding a Back to School bash. They’re also planning their annual fall barbecue.

Hancock Elementary School PTA in Hancock, MD has a corporate sponsorship program to help fund their new playground.

Nesaquake Middle School PTA in Saint James, NY will be offering Entertainment Books as their fundraiser. They are also planning the sale of popular spiritwear clothing and other spirit items.

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