This attention is starting to turn toward our schools. With the vast amount of time that a child spends at school each year, this is a very important front in the battle for a building a healthy lifestyle.

Many schools are addressing the issues of soda and candy vending machines in the schools. And although candy sales have long been a successful form of fundraising, some schools are now looking for ways to integrate their desire for good health into their need to raise money to support vital school functions.

Here are a few ideas of physical activities that combine exercise, fun, and the opportunity to generate lots of income.

Golf and Walk
The golf outing has long been a staple in the fundraising world, used by thousands of non-profit organizations. However, many golf outings have focused solely on the golfer. While these events are great at generating camaraderie among those who participate, the very nature of the activity is exclusionary. If you don’t like to golf, you aren’t going to participate, and that limits the amount of money, as well as community spirit you can drum up.

However, there is a solution. The concept of the Golf & Walk event opens up the beauty of a golf course and the fun that comes from enjoying the great outdoors to everyone who wants to support your organization.

I have worked in the past with Champion Events and was very impressed by their customer service and organizational detail. They have great experience with the Golf & Walk. Here is a snippet from their website about this creative and inclusive event:

The Golf & Walk Event is a new event concept that combines a fundraising golf tournament with a unique “walk-a-thon” at the golf course. Walkers walk nine holes on cart paths at a beautiful golf course. They are kept separate from golfers in complete safety. Everyone finishes together at the end for an awards celebration.

All participants raise donations prior to the event. The Golf & Walk Event is planned on a 12-week timeline and mobilizes everyone in your network to raise money for you, not just those 15% of adults who can play golf. Because its foundation is “relational” fundraising in its most effective form, the Golf & Walk Event is currently producing the highest dollar results of the standard Big 3 fundraising events (banquets, auctions, traditional golf tournaments).

“Thons”
One of the most popular fundraising events that promotes physical activity is the concept of the “thon”. I have written about the “Thon” before on TSF, and you can review this information here.

There are so many great physical events that a school can engage in and collect pledges prior to the actual event. Of course, there is a walk-a-thon, but for a younger crowd, a trike-a-thon might be a good idea.

According to the Daily Times in Tennessee, Carpenters Elementary School in Maryville, held a walk-a-thon on May 21, 2008, and raised just under $25,000 for the day! Those are results that anyone would jump up and down about!

Leesa Taylor, a rotating physical education and wellness coordinator for Blount County Schools, and John Dalton, the school’s assistant principal, decided to have a walkathon fundraiser.

The students enjoyed the walkathon and the effort paid off. “We thought (the fundraising) was for a good-cause,” Satterfield said. “It was (also) good exercise for students who wouldn’t normally get much,” she said.

The walkathon coincided perfectly with the school’s physical fitness test and walking works program, Taylor said. The school’s wellness program emphasizes making healthy choices and is about “the total mind set of changing routines, lifestyles and eating habits to stop obesity,” she said.

Flamingo Flocking
Another fundraiser that can be a fun, physical activity is called “Flamingo Fundraising”. I have also previously written on this event, and you can check out the entire article here.

Many groups have used Flamingo Flocking to great success.

West Middle School in Andover, MA, is currently planning their first such attempt. The Andover Townsman newspaper reports on the event, and I have included a few of the highlights from the article below.

West Middle School parents have introduced a flock of 144 of the plastic lawn ornaments to raise money for the school. Local residents can make a donation to have the birds “migrate” to a lawn of a friend or neighbor in town. When the surprised residents wake up to find they’ve been “flocked,” and a group of about a dozen plastic pink flamingoes now reside on their front lawn, they’ll be asked to make a donation to have the birds removed. Or they can pay to send them to roost on another lawn in town.

Folks can also pay for “flocking insurance,” making a donation to West Middle to ensure the pink birds will never show up on their lawn as part of the money-raising effort. A flier explaining the flocking process will be left with the flamingoes at each house.

“It’s all in fun. I think people will be in good humor about it. You don’t see a lot of pink flamingoes around here,” said Tracy Callahan, Parent Advisory Council vice president, with a laugh. “We were looking to try something different that hadn’t been done around here (for a fundraiser), and flocking is popular in other parts of the country. It just looked like a lot of fun. We’re excited about it.”

Between 10 and 12 flocks of flamingoes will circulate on Andover lawns until May 23, and the PAC hopes to “flock” at least 100 different yards in Andover, said Callahan.

Service Projects
Although, this is technically another “thon” type activity, I believe the nature of the event, as well as the overall results, merits its own category on this list.

The phrase “win-win” may be in danger of becoming terribly over-used, but nonetheless, a serve-a-thon as a school fundraiser is certainly an event in which everyone comes out ahead.

Not only can a serve-a-thon raise much needs funds for any school, but it also engages students in a volunteer effort to help others in need.

I have two examples, one large and one small of recent serve-a-thons which can inspire your school to act.

The first is the 15th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon. This blurb is taken from their website:

What is the Serve-a-thon?
The Annual Serve-a-thon is the largest day of service in the city of Chicago AND the largest fundraiser for Chicago Cares. Thousands of volunteers will come together to improve our city’s schools and raise donations to support the 200+ volunteer programs Chicago Cares manages each month.

Is there a cost to participate?
Yes, a $30 registration donation is required if you are not a member of a team from a Serve-a-thon sponsor company. This non-refundable donation covers the basic cost for each volunteer to participate in the event, which is not only a massive day of service but Chicago Cares’ largest fundraiser. If you are interested in beginning a team from a non-profit group like a church, alumni association, AmeriCorps crew or block club, a donation waiver may be available.

The smaller version of a serve-a-thon is typified by the Sioux Falls Christian School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This information is taken directly from their website:

The Serve-a-thon is a fundraiser where the student body (grades 1-12) and staff serve at various locations in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. This project gives our students and staff an opportunity to put their Christian values into action and to be a blessing to others. Funds are raised by asking friends and relatives to help support this project as a mini-missions trip to the community. The majority of the funds raised are used to help keep tuition affordable for more families desiring Christian education. Ten percent of the funds raised are donated back to a worthy community organization. Some serve projects include: making treats for firemen and policemen, raking leaves for the elderly, collecting items for The Furniture Mission, visiting with residents of nursing homes, offering to help other non-profit organizations and helping with church painting projects.

Car wash

An Exhaustive e-book full of tips, strategies, anything you ever wanted or needed to know about holding a car wash as a school fundraiser.

Erin over at USA Fundraising has some great ideas, as well, for adding a few twists to the average, run-of-the-mill car washes. Especially check out her tops about adding a snack bar to the event.

So says Erin:

On a nice sunny day, people like to get out of the car, stretch their legs, and chat with neighbors at a car wash. Make your car wash an extra special event by setting up a small snack bar for people to buy snacks and cold drinks while they mingle with friends and wait for their shiny clean car!

Here’s an interesting article on how a youth sports team raised $40,000 at their care wash in Utah.

However, there is a serious environmental concern associated with car washes that you should keep in mind and speak to the right local agencies about before you embark on this path. According the website of the Sonoma County (CA) Permit and Resource Management Department:

A car wash is a great way to have fun while raising funds for your school or community group. But did you know that if soapy water enters the storm drain system it will flow directly to the nearest creek? Soap (even if it is biodegradable) is a pollutant that can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life that depend on clean water for their survival. As well as soap, car wash water can carry pollutants such as dirt, oil, and other automotive fluids into our creek.

Conclusion
It seems that in recent years, we parents and educators have been confronted with a growing concern for both our children’s health, as well as their schools’ shrinking budgets. As we work to supplement the school coffers, so that the students have all the opportunities needed for a well-rounded education, we must do this in a way that promoted a healthy lifestyle both now and into the future.

If you have personal experience with running healthy fundraisers of your own, please get in touch. We’d love to hear and share your success!

It’s not that I’m against alcohol in any way personally, it’s just that some people get carried away with drinking, and these few individuals can ruin the event for the rest of the audience. That can negatively impact your school’s reputation as a fundraising entity and make your job much harder.

As evidence, I included in my blog an excerpt from a news article that reported on a school auction that included alcohol sales, and some parents got drunk and started to swear loudly at each other, and they came to blows.

Today, however, I came across an article in the Times & Transcript online paper from New Brunswick, Canada, that highlights a local elementary school that has decided to hold an Oktoberfest Beer Garden fundraiser just for parents. No children would be allowed to attend.

According to the article, the planners of this event have done everything by the book. For example,

…the (Home & School) association has moved very cautiously to plan a positive, adults-only event. The fire inspector has been in to certify appropriate maximum numbers for such an event, the event is being limited to four hours, the special event liquor license limits the number of drinks that can be served, taxicabs and volunteer designated drivers will be available, and the event is scheduled to start more than six hours after the last student group, a basketball team, leaves the school that Saturday.

There has been some resistance to this idea, however. One parent thinks that the event should have been scheduled at an area tavern, instead of in the school building itself.

The organizers of the event did look into that possibility, but there would have been a financial price to pay for renting the facility, as well as other costs that would be avoided by holding it at the school. One organizer was quoted as saying, “that they looked at hosting it off-site, but the use of the gymnasium instead of a rented space will allow the event to pay for itself and be a fundraiser.”

So far, I’m right there with the fundraiser organizers. They’re trying to be creative in their approach to raising money, and they’re doing it transparently and in accordance with school district policies.

However, the main protester to this event made a very keen observation that really caught my eye when I read it. She said, that she finds is ironic “that fundraising chocolate bar sales are no longer allowed in schools because of Education Department policies on healthy living, but having students’ agendas used to send order forms home for parents looking to buy tickets to a beer garden is allowed.”

Wow. Great point.

The article didn’t go on to say how this issue was resolved, although I suppose the fundraiser went ahead as scheduled and the great people in that community just went right on, living with the irony that chocolate is forbidden, but booze is fine.

Ok, readers, what do you think of this very interesting situation? If chocolate sales are banned, should alcohol sales be banned, as well? Or should both chocolate and alcohol be ok to sell, as long as money for the school is being raised? Or do they have it right as it stands with one event allowed, while the other is not?

I’d love to hear what you think! Please let us know in the comment section!

Photo by: Maggie Hoffman

Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions, here’s a great idea for you: how about trying a Dodgeball-a-thon? Or, if you don’t want to get too carried away, you could just plan a dodge ball party with all sorts of add-on money makers.

Here’s an excerpt from an online newspaper report about a school that did just this:

Dodging balls for Japan relief

by Julian Jimenez
Published on: Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Students raised money for Japanese relief efforts by playing dodgeball at an event hosted by the Student Program Board.

Since the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, UH students have been organizing fundraisers and food and supply drives to help with relief efforts.

The Student Program Board held the Dodgeball for Japan relief drive on Monday at the MAC Room of the Wellness and Recreation Center.

Participants who brought donations such as clothing, utensils and other household goods.

“The disaster happened, and we tried to think of ways we could help out. So we thought of dodgeball. It’s an active sport, and it builds camaraderie and community, and we come closer as a University,” Garcia said.

Now, these were college students in the article, and they only required donations to play the game, but you could easily tweak this idea to fit your school and your student body.

For instance, you could require students get pledges for the number of hours they wanted to play. Or, you could sell t-shirts celebrating the event. You could also sell concessions all night long.

There could be individual challenges, like carnival-type games, that require ticket purchases.

There could be girl-only games and boy-only games. Dodgeball for older kids and dodge ball for younger kids. The options are endless.

However, the hook for the event is dodgeball, which is still incredibly popular with kids.

We all know that the key to any successful fundraiser is getting people interested enough to show up and spend. Dodgeball could be that key.

Have you already tried this idea at your school? How did it work out? We’d love to hear form you in our comment section. Thanks!

Photo by: hectorir

But, here is a tip that might help people get a little more excited about your fundraising plan. Instead of just saying “We’re having a cookie dough sale, a plant sale, a walk-a-thon, and a school carnival this year” instead create a unifying theme that will give shape and coherence to your individual campaigns.

For instance, I think it would be a great idea to tell your school families that “for this entire school year, we are going to have a Healthy Living theme”. Every product sale and every fundraising event put on by the school will be zero-calorie ingesting, exercise-promoting, and environment-loving.

By making this kind of commitment, you will have all sorts of new marketing opportunities. The local media will pick up on your efforts, just because you’ve tied them together in a nice, little package, and you’re doing some good for people, which is uncommon. You can have the kids make posters to hang up in school, and I’m sure various leaders in your community would be willing to come in and get the kids fired up to live a healthy lifestyle.

You will also appeal to parents in that you and the school are doing your part to keep their children healthy. It’s so easy to just give kids junk food and let them make unhealthy choices just because it’s convenient. Fundraisers can be a big culprit in this area. So, if you take the candy and the cookies out of the equation, families will be very grateful.

Photo by: Siti Saad

The report tells of Hurld Elementary school and their latest fundraising effort. Inspired by a series of e-books written by Vicki Blazejowski of the website PTO Ideas, the folks at Hurld Elementary decided to depart from the more traditional methods of raising money and try something a little different. Instead of selling items as they had in the past, this year, they created a pledge-based math test, that was appropriate for each grade level. Basically, kids got pledges for getting correct answers on a math test.

Now, this wasn’t just a plain old ordinary math test. There were a series of fun events leading up to the actual test, which got kids very excited about taking part in this fundraiser.

Here are some excerpts from the article.

Students in each grade are going to take a 30-question grade-level test developed by their teachers and collect pledges for their correct answers.

To get them even more excited about the project, students participated in scavenger hunts Tuesday at school to find the answers to a series of grade-appropriate math questions.

Adding to the novel fundraiser, students who return their sponsor sheet by this coming Monday, April 11, will have a chance to win by raffle one of more than 10 prizes. Two of the prizes: A ride to school in a fire truck or police cruiser.

The new approach to fundraising pleases fourth-grader Jonathan Jiang in the class of Tara Tedesco.
Before, you would have to go around the neighborhood and ask people to buy things, Jonathan said.

This way, “You stay in school and do math,” he said. Definitely better.

If he was lucky enough to win a raffle prize for bringing in his sponsor sheet, Jonathan said he would choose a ride to school in a fire truck.

Tedesco’s students went on their scavenger hunt Tuesday right before lunch.

Jonathan worked with Evan Strandberg to answer six questions that tested their knowledge of multiplication, division, measuring, estimating and geometry.

Among the questions: Find the total age of your group in months; the number of desk legs in your classroom; and three things in the classroom that are squares.

Mary Kate O’Riordan and Stephen Kolodko worked on the question about tallying their ages in months.
“Two hundred forty,” Stephen computed. “We’re both 10,” he said. So multiply 10 years by 12 months in a year, which equals 120 months per student, then multiply the result by two.

Parents designed the scavenger hunt questions, Tedesco said.

“So far, so good,” Tedesco said of the overall effort.

This approach to fundraising offers two benefits, the letter to parents from the fundraising committee states.

First, “It allows our students to raise funds through learning.”

Second, the school keeps “close to 95 percent” of the money the students raise, compared with about 60 percent if a product vendor is involved.

The goal is to raise $12,000, according to the letter. The school could reach that goal, the letter continues, “if each of our 214 students brings in just $60 in pledges.”

In the classroom across the hall from Tedesco, fourth-grade teacher Laura McGrath said she thinks the whole approach to the fundraiser is “great.” The school is looking to buy equipment for its computer room, she said: 12 laptops, two rolling carts, enrichment programs and school supplies, according to the letter to parents. McGrath’s students had already completed their scavenger hunt.

“They’re learning at the same time (they’re raising money for their school) and don’t realize it,” McGrath said.

The idea for the fundraiser came from a Woburn resident. Vicki Blazejowski started the web-based company, PTO Ideas, in October, 2006, according to information from the Hurld School. “In 2008, Blazejowski released the first in her (trademarked) BudgetBashes series of e-books” that “challenges the students to raise money based on what they learn.”

The Wyman and Linscott-Rumford schools both ran spelling challenges, according to the information about Blazejowski’s company. The Wyman “raised just over $13,000 in about two weeks; the Linscott, over $8,500.” The Linscott also ran a math challenge and raised $7,200, the background states.

 

Photo by: busyPrinting

Click here to enroll in Jim Berigan’s FREE year-long school fundraising e-Course!

One of my favorite websites is the PTO Today Message Board. Every once in a while, you come across a fantastic post that is incredibly useful. Just today, I found an excellent post that lists nine tips for holding a school garage sale. I’ve included the first three in this article, but please click here to read the remaining six tips.

Our PTO does one every year. For us, it works this way:

1. We do it the first weekend in March annually. People around here have come to expect it. Because it’s the first weekend, people have money to spend. March is a time when we at least want to think about spring/summer, even though there is typically cold weather for another few weeks, so clothing for all seasons sells (for now or later).

2. We have set prices for as many things as possible. Jeans for adults are $4, kids jeans are $2, hardcover books are $2, paperbacks are $1, clothing (unless otherwise marked) is $.50, etc. Pricing exceptions only saves a lot of time.

3. Have one person in charge per work shift. That person should be comfortable with garage sales in general and understand that this is a fundraiser.

For tips four to nine, click here.  As always, I highly recommend that you become a regular visitor over on the PTO Today message boards!

Photo by: Eastlaketimes

One of the most popular posts on this blog over the past two years has consistently been “You’ve Been Flocked by the Famous Flamingo Fundraiser”.

In case you haven’t read this article or you are unfamiliar with what a flamingo fundraiser is, the concept is this: a non-profit, many times a school group, will purchase several pink plastic flamingo lawn ornaments. (By several, I mean, like, well over 100.)

Click here to enroll in Jim Berigan’s FREE year-long school fundraising e-Course!

Then the members of the group will place these flamingos in the front yard belonging to a family in their organization. This is usually done under the cover of darkness, so that when the family wakes up the next morning, they are surprised to see the new flock on their lawn.

The group will also leave the family a “ransom” note, which makes clear the details of the fundraiser once again. The letter also explains that the birds will be removed for a fee/donation of $20 (or whatever affordable amount the group chooses). This money will be passed along to the school or the charitable organization. Along with the ransom note, the group includes a donation envelope that can be picked up when they return to collect the flamingos.

This process is repeated for several nights in a row. All of this is done in good fun, and if a family really doesn’t want to pay up, the group will remove the flamingos without charge, but with frowns on their faces, of course.

Many non-profit groups have tried this novel fundraising event with terrific success. Not only do they raise a lot of money, but they also have a great time planting the flamingos, which builds up a wonderful community spirit.

So, if your school would like to try Flamingo Fundraising, here are ten helpful hints to make it safe, enjoyable, and profitable.

1. Clearly communicate to your group what a Flamingo Fundraiser is well before you actually plant the birds in someone’s yard. You don’t want unsuspecting homeowners thinking they are being vandalized or robbed when the kids show up to set out the flock. This method of fundraising might still not be widely known to most people, so you’ll need to clearly spell out for them in the letter how your fundraiser works. Put all this information in a letter, on your website, on flyers posted at the school, and be sure to tell all the kids about it. They will help tell their parents.

2. Buy a lot of birds to plant. The more flamingos you have in play, the more money you will make. Although you will have to pay for the birds the first time, they quickly pay for themselves and the profits start rolling in. Let’s do some  math: If you had 10 flocks of 12 birds each and you received $15 per day to remove each flock you planted, and you did this for 30 days, you’re group would raise $4500 in one month!

3. Create two different flock sizes- one for residential homes, which would be smaller, and a larger size flock for businesses. Of course, you can get away with asking for a bigger donation from the businesses. Good business targets are doctors’ offices, lawyers’ offices, and accountants’ offices.

4. Coordinate the timing of your flamingo event with a holiday, like Valentine’s Day. This is a good idea for a couple of reasons. First, most people are in a good mood around the holidays, so the “grump” factor is much lower, so you’ll probably encounter less people refusing to pay. Second, for an extra fee, you can add on to your fundraiser by offering to deliver a holiday card along with the flamingo flock.

5. When you plant the flock, you should also plant a yard sign (you’ll have to get these made up separately) that says something like, “You’ve Been Flocked by the Lincoln High Volleyball Team!” This will give your group an extra shot of publicity when people drive by the flock.

6. When you announce the ground rules of the event to your community, tell them that once they have been flocked, for an extra fee, they can choose the next family to get the treatment. In addition, this family can purchase “Flamingo Insurance” which will protect them from retaliation.

7. You can also sell flock insurance ahead of time for any families that don’t want their lawn to be invaded by flamingos or the people who plant them there.

8. Make sure you inform your flocking teams to be ultra-polite and courteous of the families they are flocking. If they encounter the targeted family during the raid, they should be friendly and explain what they are doing. There is nothing malicious about this fundraiser, but sometimes young people can get carried away in the “undercover” nature of the mission. Along these same lines, anyone planting flamingos must promise to be 100% respectful of the people’s property while they are on it. Any damage to property, even inadvertently committed, can spell the end of this fundraiser for your organization, along with a negative reputation in your town.

9. That being said, make sure the groups have a good time doing this. They can dress up in camouflage gear and wear face paint.

10. When recruiting volunteers for this fundraiser, you should split the overall group into smaller teams, each one responsible for managing an individual flock of 12-15 birds. There must be a RESPONSIBLE adult assigned to each group who will enforce the rules, keep the kids safe, and protect the homeowners’ property. There should also be an alternate or back up adult for each group in case the primary parent can’t make one night.

11. You should also set a specific time limit and hours of operation window for the flamingo planting missions. This will depend on the time of year (when it gets dark) and the age of the kids on the raid. Take into account safety, local curfews for youth, and just the general level of comfort parents would have with their kids being out of the house. Once your organization has established these time policies, make sure all the individual groups are aware of them and promise to stick to them. Any group caught plating outside of these time frames should be suspended from participating in the fundraiser.

12. The overall coordinator must keep in good contact with the adult from each team and make excellent record of who has already been flocked, who has purchased insurance, and who absolutely doesn’t want to participate. The coordinator will also collect and keep track of all the donations that come in during the span of the event.

13. Create a press release about the flamingo event you are running with all the important information about your group and their goals. Write a little about the nature of this kind of fundraiser, as well. Then send it out to all the media outlets in your community. A flamingo Fundraiser is a fun, light-hearted story and they might pick up on it. That could result in people calling your directly and requesting to be flocked or to send a flock along to someone else. That’s more money for your group, so spread the word!

The event was called the “Sugar Sprint” because it took place the day after Halloween, when the children had been trick or treating and had been given a large number of sweet treats.

A warmup by phys ed teacher Kathi Stewart began the event. Each class ran for fifteen minutes to music. Music was provided by deejays Jeff and Jennifer Kantor of Gold Dust Entertainment. Funds were raised by family and friends sponsoring children per each lap run.

Source: The Acorn

“We loved the way the fundraiser was an educational opportunity,” notes Jan Silberman, principal at Sisters Elementary of Sisters, Oregon which just concluded a fund drive with the company. “The product labels, the old-time newspaper Buckboard provided to each child and the website offered stories and puzzles the kids could relate to. Our teachers can use the resources on the web page to extend learning on their Lewis & Clark and Oregon Trail units if they wish. The fourth grade teaching team has even served the buffalo jerky and smoked salmon at our annual pow-wow.”

One Sisters Elementary student is being rewarded with a ride in a vintage carriage pulled by horses for his stellar fundraising efforts. The third-grader Andrew Stevens raised almost $200 for playground equipment. He will get to ride in the carriage from the Buckboard Provisioning Co. office located on Hood Avenue and help deliver Buckboard Provisioning Co. products to the school. The carriage ride is donated by Thunder Mountain Ranch.

Source: Pr Urgent

They set a new fundraising record this year, raising $162,275 to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network of Greater St. Louis. The Children’s Miracle Network supports both the St. Louis Children’s Hospital and also the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. Funds are used to purchase equipment, pay for renovations and hospital programs to help local children.

Last year the St. Louis Area Dance Marathon held by Washington University in St. Louis raised $123,00 for charity.

Source: Washington University in St. Louis Record