6 Fun Fall Fundraisers for the New School Year

Once the hustle and bustle of getting your children back to school dies down, it’s time to think about a fall school fundraiser. According to the experts at ABC Fundraising, fall is the perfect time to raise money for your child’s school.

Why is that? Autumn is filled with delights, from Halloween to apple cider. School sports are in full swing. The weather is still decent in most parts of the U.S. A fundraising event fits the season.

Here are six school fundraising ideas perfect for fall and the school year ahead:.

1.Pumpkin Painting Contest. This is a fun and friendly competition where everyone wins. Ask a farmer in the area to donate pumpkins. If that’s not possible, make it a BYOP — Bring Your Own Pumpkin — event.

Raise money by asking participants to pay a small fee or request donations from attendees. Ask local businesses to donate refreshments. Bring the community together to make it work.

Create categories for different age groups. Come up with special types of winning categories, such as most creative and best use of color. Ask local celebrities to judge the competition.

A Pumpkin Painting Contest is a low-cost fundraiser that’s sure to bring in a crowd as long as you plan carefully.

2.Back to School Breakfast. Local merchants and restaurant chefs take on most of the hard work for this fundraiser. Plan to have the breakfast on a Saturday to make it easy for parents and the rest of the community to attend. Make breakfast free for kids, but charge a fee for adults. Make sure you charge enough to cover expenses and raise funds at the same time.

Add more event interest with an auction, bake sale or flea market.

3.Sell T-shirts. T-shirts supporting the sports teams, clubs, band or another school group usually sell well. Boost school spirit with designs that include team mascots or the school logo.

Get everyone involved in selling shirts, including teachers, parents and children.

4.School Day Event. Whether it’s a bake sale or auction, a school day event is a welcome diversion. Volunteers donate gifts or baked goods and their time for a low-cost, high-yield fundraising event. Give your fundraiser a Harvest Time theme to celebrate the season. Pumpkin cookies, anyone?

5.Take Orders and Deliver:  A take-and-order fundraiser not only raises badly needed funds but also teaches students about business. Students take orders and money from “customers.”

When the fundraiser ends, ordered merchandise is delivered to the student who in turn delivers orders to the customer. Candy, sandwiches and popcorn are typical items sold.

6.Discount Card Fundraiser: One of the easiest and highest-earning fundraisers is the Discount Card fundraiser. People purchase cards from students and use the cards to save as they shop or eat out. Who wouldn’t want to save money at the places they already frequent?

Participating local businesses see more customers, people in the community enjoy savings, and your school reaps the reward. It’s a win-win.