Best Fundraising Ideas

Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools and Teams

Find the best fundraiser ideas at fundraisingzone.com, the home of the greatest fundraisers for schools, cheerleaders, booster clubs, churches, youth sports teams, and other non-profit youth groups. Thousands of people just like you visit our website every year, searching for online kids fund raisers tips. So we hope you find what you’re looking for. Feel free to look around because we have dozens and dozens of articles on free fundraising tips. We believe we have the best fundraising on the web because our clients tell us we do.  We have the best fundraisers for schools…!

Locate Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools and Teams

So, if you’re going to choose a fundraising company, you might as well pick the best one, right? After all, nobody wants to make a mistake and look bad in the eyes of their peers, wouldn’t you agree?

Your fellow teachers, parents and coaches are counting on you to choose the right fundraising company. So, how do you know which is the best fundraiser company for schools, teams and non profits?

Best Fundraisers for Schools and Non-Profit Groups :  Catalogs and Brochures

We have over a dozen catalogs featuring hundreds of fundraising items to choose from. Our fundraising merchandise is second to none, That is why our teachers and PTA’s return to us year after year!

Only sell top quality products people want to buy in your community

From cookie dough to gourmet popcorn to gift wrap we have something for everyone. You will find gifts from everyday snacks to spring flower bulbs, magazine subscriptions and holiday presents to choose from.

The top fundraising companies sell products based on the popularity from their supporters.

 

Quick and the Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools and Teams

Many people are on a budget nowadays. This means you want to sell the top items and snacks at the right price point. Your customers, supporters and participants will be delighted that our fundraising products start at only $8.

 

Inexpensive gifts means that more of your supporters will consider making a donation to your cause.

Read on to learn what to look for when choosing the best fund raising company near you.

What is a Good Fundraiser for Schools? Read this!

How do you know which is the right fundraiser for your students?

We would like to help you because it could get confusing looking at all of the hundreds of fundraising opportunities there are online.

We understand exactly how you feel because we talk with PTO parents, booster parents, and teachers every day. They tell us about their worries, frustrations and fears about not choosing the right fundraiser for children.

We have dozens of amazing fundraising products in which your group can earn up to a 52% profit on every sale.

Additionally, our gift and food catalogs work perfectly with the principles behind matching gifts and peer to peer fundraisers. Furthermore, they compliment shoe drives, car washes, garage sales and selling tickets to haunted houses also!

We want to help you raise more money. So we invite you to a free coaching call to find the perfect fundraising idea just for your schools needs.

 

Would you like to know what are some of the top fundraisers that we have each year? You can learn more about our best school fund raisers here…

More of the Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools and Teams

Shoe drives

 

A shoe drive allows you to re-gift gently worn shoes and sneakers to people in your community that really need them. This is a great way to raise funds and clean out your closet at the same time! Think about all the shoes that are a little small, tight and uncomfortable on you and your family. Here’s your opportunity to do some closet spring cleaning while helping out a good cause. There are companies that will pay you by the pound for every shoe you donate.

 

Former Alumni Opportunities

 

 

Reach out to past alumni to rekindle the old class spirit!

Here are some ways to reconnect to your old classmates during your next fundraising campaign:

• T shirts and sweat shirts featuring the schools logo.
• Advertising opportunities.
• Donations.
• Auction tickets and raffles.
• Reunion dinners
• Happy hour fundraising.
• Pub crawls.

Just Ask For a Donation!

There is a certain percentage of the population that if asked for money, will always give a donation. All you have to do is ask to find out who they are. In fact you may be surprised so never judge a book by its cover.

Here are some tips to help you:

• Develop a thick skin. Many people say no to requests for donations so don’t take it personal. You have no idea what they are going through in their life at that moment so try not to prejudge them.
• Certain people are very good at asking and receiving donations. They make it look so easy. So why not try to figure this out on your own? Who is the best in your organization? Why not interview them to find out exactly what they do and say? Then train your volunteers to say the exact same thing in the exact same way.
• Remember the law of reciprocity. This means that people are more apt to give to you after you have given to them. So what can you do that would make others want to help a nonprofit organization? Think about a small gift perhaps that you could give others with your organization’s contact information on it. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to trigger the law of reciprocity.

 

Social media reach out

 

They are many people that like to help the homeless, the animal shelters, and good causes in the community. Remember that “givers” are usually always givers if approached the right way.

The question though is how do you find them? The answer may be simpler than you imagined. Social media.

• Go on Facebook and look at some of the charities in your community.
• Notice the people that like these charity Facebook pages.
• Make a list of them.
• Reach out to your social network and find out who knows them.
• Go to their page and friend them.
• Ask them to like your nonprofit Facebook page.
• Offer a small gift in exchange for them signing up for your free newsletter.
• In your newsletter pitch why you are raising funds for your cause.

No this is not a quick fix. Instead it will build you a list of the kind of people you want following your social media page. Once you have their email contact information, you’ll be able to educate them about your organization.

Additionally you will be able to show them how they can make a difference in the community by making a small donation.

 

Email Campaign

Isn’t email dead? Think again my friend. Your email contacts are the only thing you really own.

• Social sites can close up and go out of business overnight.
• You can be banned or lose your account for any number of reasons.

Imagine losing all your contacts!

This is why you need to get them off social media and onto your email list.

• Newsletters to educate your followers.
• Articles to drive them to your website and social media posts.
• Communicate regularly with them about the good your organization is doing in the community.
• Talk about your kids needs and how they can make a difference.
• Team up with local businesses for a cut of the business you drive to them using coupons and special offers.

Virtual Concert

There are many bands in your community that would like to get some exposure. Ask if they will do a virtual concert for your organization. You can then stream this using zoom, Facebook or Google hangouts. Simply ask people to purchase a ticket to watch the concert.

• Ask the band if they have a Facebook page. Then ask them to reach out to their friends to see if they would like to join the concert fundraiser.
• You can split the concert ticket price with the artist 50-50.
• Additionally, you also can arrange for a percentage of all sales generated via albums and t-shirts sold.
• This can also be done with a battle of the bands.

Virtual talent show

There is a lot of hidden talent out in your community. During a pandemic many people are looking for things to do on a Saturday night. So why not hold a talent show online?

• Have people create videos of their acts so they don’t have to worry about a live performance.
• Select a board of talent reviewers to prescreen the acts to keep it family safe fun for everyone. Remember we want kid safe entertainment.
• Next select an emcee to host the event and keep it lively.
• People can vote for their favorite acts using a $1 per vote. Simply text a pay pal link out to your viewers for them to make their online donation.

Online Dinner Party

In the past it would be easy to host a gala event at a fancy restaurant. So how do you have a dinner fundraiser online? It just takes a little imagination to hold a great dinner gala affair online.

• You can go to the dollar store and pick up candleholders and candles to deliver to your guests. A nice classy touch for only a dollar or two.
• Talk to a local restaurant in your community and tell them about your dinner party. Many of them have catering packages available. Negotiate a price for your dinner event.
• Some restaurants will be able to deliver. Otherwise you can use your volunteers to drop off the food at each of your guests homes. Additionally you can try one of the online delivery service apps like Grubhub or Door Dash.
• Arrange for live music to play while people eat.
• Give options for people to break out into Zoom breakout rooms for conversation during the meal.
• Price your gala tickets to cover your expenses and leave plenty of room for profit for your organization’s cause.

Online Auction

You can auction anything online that you can auction off-line. The question is, what would your donors be happy to bid on?

• Poll your audience to see what most people would be interested in bidding on. This might give you a couple of good suggestions.
• Think about things that people might not buy for themselves but would love as a gift.
• Reach out to business owners in your community to see if they might be interested in donated services or goods for you to auction off.
• Now spread the word about your auction using social media, texting, phone calls and email.
• May the highest bidder win!

Raffle tickets

Many people will gladly spend a dollar or two to win a chance at a great prize. Here are some good raffle suggestions.

• A new car or a used car.
• Sports trip.
• New iPad.
• Fancy Gift baskets filled with goodies.
• Fire wood.
• Gift

With the right gift you can sell a lot of raffle tickets to support your cause!

Virtual Race

This includes:

• Walk-a-thons
• Marathons
• Bike-a-thons
• Potato sack races
• Three legged races

Set the rules up and have people video their performance. Award prizes for the best times in each category of racers.

Game night

Pick a game and set up a virtual game night online. This works for both group games, video games and board games too.

Here are some opportunities to raise extra money:

• Find a sponsor for your team in case you win.
• Sell sponsorship advertising spots. For example. you could show a 30 second commercial video. Additionally you could offer a link to the businesses’ website for a free offer or to win a prize.
• This is great to combine with a dinner or dessert twist. Team up with local restaurants for your guests to pick up a dinner that night for a percentage of the proceeds.

5K Race Fundraising 

Races are fun opportunities to raise funds in your community while spreading the message about your group’s cause.

• Great exercise opportunity.
• Reach out to local runner clubs, gyms and spas to help spread the word.
• Design a fun t-shirt to commemorate your race event.
• Get plenty of PR publicity.
• Seek sponsorship opportunities.

Shave your head

There are lots of people that are not willing to donate to your cause. However, they may be willing to donate $20 if you shave your head on a live stream event. Traditionally this has worked well for cancer awareness and research funding. However, with a little imagination you could use this for any nonprofit.

Tip: If you can get an influencer to be willing to have their head shaved, you will get PLENTY of donations.

• Your CEO.
• The principal.
• A local pastor, reverend or priest.
• Local politicians.
• Any celebrity.

Movie Night Fundraiser

This is really easy to do using zoom.

• Holds up to 300 viewers. At $5 a head this comes out to $1,500 just for watching movies!
• Pick a movie and set a movie night.
• Send out invitations.
• Buy microwave popcorn in bulk. Send it out to each donor as an up-sell for $2 more.

Yard Sale or Garage Sale Fundraisers

This is a great opportunity for a spring fundraiser. Offer to handle everything for them. All they have to do is drop off their stuff at your place for the sale. Your team or club earns 20% on everything sold. Advertise like crazy to get the most shoppers. Tell everyone who stops by that you are doing this for a good cause.

Text-to-Give Fundraising

Hopefully you have been collecting names, emails and phone numbers to keep in contact with your tribe.

If not… do not fear! We have a nice work around for you. Simply have your volunteers text the friends on their phone list.

• Set up a paypal page to donate on.
• Next set up a contest with a cool prize.
• Send texts out telling about the contest and that it is only a $1 per entry. They can enter as many times as they like,

Matching Gift Fundraising

Using the Pareto principle 20% of your donors will donate 80% of your total funds. If we dive even deeper using the 80/20 rule, that means 4% of your supporters will donate more than the other 96% of donors.

So how can you use this?

• These are your best donors.
• They have money and enjoy giving.
• Many are business owners that can write off the donations as a deduction on their taxes.
• Ask them if they would be willing to match dollar for dollar on what ever you can raise on your own.

Social Media Viral campaign

Have a contest to award the best viral video on social media.

• The rules should state the video has to get people to like your nonprofit organizations social media page.
• It should be in good taste.
• Have a prize for the most shares and likes.
• This is a great way to build your followers online.

Peer fundraising— Use these timeless principles

It all comes down to who you know. The schools that raise the most money understand this. here are a few tips to help you do peer fundraising this year.

Crowdfunding

If everyone chips in you can raise money for almost anything you desire! Traditional crowdfunding can be done online with a crowdfunding website. There are many options available.

Alternative crowdfunding or crowd sourcing can also be done offline. This is why you need trustworthy volunteers to help you get the word out there.  Simply put… this can be used whether you are asking for donations or selling popcorn.

Get Social With Social media

If you are not using social media you are missing out on an amazing opportunity to raise money for your organization.  So whether you are having a carwash, talent show or a 5k run… Spread the word on social media websites.

Host a Virtual Event Online

Years ago this would have cost you hundreds of dollars to do this—If not thousands of dollars. Today there is no excuse not to livestream a virtual event online. Free tools include:

• Zoom
• Google hangouts
• Youtube
• Facebook livestream

Use your imagination on how you can take almost any fundraising event and do it virtually!

Keep on asking and you will receive

The most successful fundraising events can be credited to the precious few top sellers.

There secret to their success?

They simply ask.

It is amazing how many people will be happy to make a donation if you simply ask.

Easy fundraisers for high schools and boosters

Our best fundraisers for high schools include fundraising merchandise that people love to buy and eat.

Think about the people you know that like to buy snacks like cookies, popcorn, trail mix and candy. This is the secret to winning the fundraising game for high schoolers. Click here to learn more about some of our easiest fundraising ideas for high schools

Great Fundraisers For Clubs

Do you have a club looking to raise funds? We have plenty of fundraising ideas to help your schools clubs and local sports clubs raise the most money. Learn how our free fundraising kit is helping kids raise money for their favorite cause.

Good Preschool Fundraisers

Your daycare, child care, or preschool needs to raise money.

We have the best preschool fundraising ideas for you.

• 1- Free fundraising kits
• 2- Free Brochures
• 3- Free shipping when you meet the minimum order
• 4- Free coaching and training
• 5- Free custom parent fundraising letters

Ready to see some of the great fundraising ideas we have for preschools? Then check it out for yourself…

Fundraising for sports

Whether you are trying to raise money for cheerleaders, volleyball teams, basketball, soccer, football, etc., it doesn’t really matter because our fundraising ideas have been helping sports programs and youth group sports teams raise money for over 50 years. This means we can help you too.

Fundraising idea for Cheerleaders to raise money

Are you looking for ways to raise money for your cheerleaders and cheer squads? Every week we help cheer boosters select the best fundraising brochure for their team. We would like to help you also. Our fundraising catalogs can help you to reach your financial goals.

Feel free to read more about some of our greatest fundraising ideas for cheerleaders…

And be sure to use social sites to tell your friends and family about your next fundraiser event!

An Idea for baseball teams

Whether you are looking for ways to raise money for youth softball or baseball teams, our fundraising program can make a difference for your sports team.

Sports teams just like yours are earning money by simply showing our beautiful brochures to coworkers, friends and family. It is a very simple sales process. Basically either people will buy something they like, or they won’t. Because many of our fundraising products are under $10 each, you will find people will be happy to support your little leaguers.

Finally, you can learn more about our greatest fundraising ideas for baseball teams here…

Tips for mission trips to make money

Are you looking for ways to raise money for your church mission trip or youth mission trips?

You are going to love our free fundraising catalog program. We provide you with all of the fundraising materials you need to succeed. We love working with church and youth groups that are trying to make a difference in the world.

Finally, you can learn more about our best ways to raise money for mission trip fundraisers here.

Suggestions for local animal shelters

Are you looking for ways to raise money for your animal shelter, Humane Society or pet shelter?

Your volunteers can raise money showing our free food fundraising brochures to their friends, family and neighbors. The food tastes great, and we stand 100% behind our products. This means you can feel good about selling these fundraising items to your customers.

Furthermore, you can learn more about our great fundraising ideas for animal shelters here…

Good food to sell for a fundraiser

Our most successful fundraisers include selling food. Many of our best food fundraisers retail at only eight dollars each.

Whether you want to sell gourmet popcorn, gourmet cookie dough, or gourmet coffee, our fundraising program can work for you. You can be earning up to a 50% profit on dozens of delicious food products.

Feel free to explore some of our delicious food fund raising items here.

Easy popcorn selling — Good virtual ideas with ZERO overhead cost

Gourmet popcorn is a great way to raise money for schools, daycares and sports teams.

But how do you know which is the best popcorn fund raiser for your needs?

• Check reviews.
• Make sure you do not have to pay money upfront.
• Do they stand behind their products?
• Will it be profitable for your schools students?

Additionally, please check out our creative fundraisers using popcorn.

You can learn more how to get the best popcorn fundraising ideas here.

Cookie dough sales competition—A great virtual fundraiser ZERO complexity

I don’t know about you, but I get hungry just thinking about cookie dough fundraisers.

Which is the right cookie dough fundraiser for your group?

Make sure to pick up a cookie dough fundraising company that answers their phone and emails. You want a fundraising company that has excellent customer service, don’t you? After all, you want someone to be there that’s going to support you when working with your customers, isn’t that so?

Finally, here are some more tips on how to choose the a great cookie dough fund raiser…

Selling coffee for profit—  Try this unique idea

Coffee fundraisers are a great way to raise money for your cause.

After all people love to drink coffee, don’t they? So, doesn’t it make sense to sell them something they are going to drink anyway?

But how do you know which coffee fundraiser is right for your non profit group?

Answer these questions to reach your goals

 

• Will it make me look good in the eyes of my peers?
• Does it taste good?
• What do their customers have to say about the coffee fundraising program?
• Is it profitable?

 

Finally, you can get more tips on how to pick the an awesome coffee fund raiser here…

Fun Snacks—A peer to peer challenge with an amazing fundraising potential outcome

Our Snackin’ In the USA brochure has salty and sweet snacks available for every set of taste buds.

• Retails for only $8 so everyone can afford to support your cause.
• Can be held in person or be done virtual via our online brochures.
• Your customer pays you for the products they want upfront. You pay us and we will ship them to you.
• Your non profit keeps the difference.
• A good way to earn up to 50% profit on each sale with absolutely no risk to your organization.

Trail Mix Sales— A healthy snack alternative with no overhead cost

 

Parents are looking for a healthier option for kid snacks. Our trail mix fundraising catalog may worthy of your considerations.

Turn this challenge into a fun contest and award prizes to the top producer or team.

Some parents worry about the difficulty level for younger children. You can relax because there is no complexity whatsoever.

Simply show the brochure to your customers in person or virtually. (Yes you can send a virtual brochure in the mail.) They pay you for the trail mix snacks they like and PRESTO! You are on your way to reaching your fundraising outcome!

What about your expected return? Since you have no out of pocket or overhead cost the expected fundraising potential is unlimited! The more you sell the more you make with this event. In fact, you can earn up to 50% profit on every sale with the support of your students, participants and volunteers.

So What is the Right Program for Your School or Team?

What is the right catalog fund raiser to choose?

Well, that depends. We have dozens of amazing catalog fundraising products to choose from. We stand behind all of them 100%. This means your customers will always be satisfied with our products, or we will make it right.

Finally, take a look and see for yourself the many fundraiser catalogs we have here at fundraisingzone.com. Find out which are the most popular fundraisers and catalogs among our customers.

 

In conclusion, we invite you to a free fundraising strategy session.

Let’s talk on the phone and find out what you are raising money for. Tell us about what has worked for you and what has not worked for you.

Together we will pick out the ideal fundraising opportunities for your schools needs.

We look forward to your call.