by M. Halyard

Created on: November 16, 2010   Last Updated: December 12, 2010

School fundraisers can be exasperating, and many fundraisers that seem like a great idea when they are first proposed prove to be a complete waste of time. However, some fundraising ideas can really push money for needed projects into a school's account.

Elementary school

At the elementary school level, some of the most successful ideas are those that seek business partnerships with a school. For example, you might enlist the PTA to canvas local businesses and request contributions for silent auctions that can be held during conference nights in return for visibility during these events. Sometimes, local businesses are willing to pledge sponsorships of such activities as jumproping or Read-a-Thons during school fairs when many parents and community members are likely to be in attendance. These types of sponsorships work best, of course, with businesses who offer products that are particularly desirable to parents of young children; for example, after-school sport camps. 

Another fundraiser that is a real winner at the elementary level is to enlist the services of a printing company to place authentic student art on coffee mugs, T-shirts, mousepads, and similar "gift" items. This fundraiser goes something like this: have students create original, signed art around some school theme on a blank white sheet of paper. Send a copy of the art home with each student along with a flyer that lists possible items for imprinting, and a cost for each item. A local printing/graphic business might be enlisted to give such a service at a discounted price to a school, or many online printing/graphic houses provide services relatively inexpensively. You may be surprised at how many orders you receive for imprinted items; this idea works best before Christmas, when many parents are looking for budget-conscious ways to share the gift of their children with relatives and close friends.

Of course, students at the elementary level continue to be given catalogs of items to sell to their families and friends every year, but these types of fundraisers are increasingly being met with resistance in some communities. Parents with young families are short of time, and during an economy when many families are surviving on one income or by dipping into savings, a $10 tub of cookie dough just isn't a very attractive item to sell or buy.

Middle school

At the middle school level, students can be encouraged to take a little more responsibility

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