PTA fundraisers are more effective when students are actively engaged in the process, but like adults, they often need an incentive to stick with their efforts to bring in funds. Try these four tactics to keep students motivated during your next fundraising event.
1. Let the Kids Have a Say
Kids are more likely to be excited about helping the school raise money if adults are willing to hear and implement their ideas. Give students a chance to brainstorm and share innovative thoughts with your PTA association and let them use their own unique fundraising methods to bring in donations.
School fundraising can be especially effective if teachers are willing to reward the kids by doing something silly, such as coming to school in funny costumes for a day if fundraising goals are met.
2. Give Teachers Some Incentives, Too
Teachers will be your biggest partner in helping to keep kids on track with fundraising, and they’re just as motivated by incentives and rewards as their students! Work with the PTA or PTO to set individual funding goals for each class gives teachers something to work toward, and these organizations can show appreciation for their efforts with gift certificates, money for supplies, or a break from their duties by having administrators cover recess or study hall.
3. Spark a Giving Spirit
Teach kids the value of giving with a GotSneakers shoe drive fundraiser.
When you host an athletic shoe drive with GotSneakers you simply collect unwanted athletic shoes and send them to us using pre-paid postage we provide to you. Once received we will pay you up to $3 per pair of sneakers you send in! Hosting a sneaker drive fundraiser not only helps your PTA raise much-needed funds, but it also keeps unwanted shoes out of landfills. When GotSneakers receives the shoes we either recycle them or send them to impoverished areas of the world where footwear is needed.
An athletic shoe drive is an effective, unique, impactful fundraiser for schools because young students grow out of sneakers quickly, and parents are likely to have numerous pairs they’d be happy to contribute. Keep track of how many sneakers each class has gathered with a “walkway” on a prominent wall of your school. Use paper cutouts of shoes with classroom numbers or teachers’ names on them to indicate how close each group of students is to their fundraising goals and emphasize how the sneakers collected may benefit people around the world.
4. Step Up the Challenge on Weekends
When Friday rolls around, make sure kids don’t forget about fundraising over the weekend. Announce a special “weekend challenge” goal with a reward for the class able to bring in the largest number of contributions between Friday evening and Monday morning, and watch the friendly competition begin.
Whatever incentives you offer, make sure they’re fun! The promise of an entertaining reward gets everyone from kids to adults involved in making a group effort to raise as much money as possible for the benefit of the school.