In this era of tight budgets and funding cuts, successful school fundraisers are more important than ever. Schools need increasing amounts of money for programs and activities, making it essential to have a solid fundraising strategy. To help you maximize your efforts, here are 6 ways to increase donations in your school fundraiser—proven methods designed to boost participation, engage your community, and drive results.
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Use Social Media and other Online Fundraising Platforms
Spreading awareness on social media is important. Social media platforms such as Meta, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky reach many people. Use surveys in the planning stages of your fundraiser and find out what most people in your community use. Place someone in charge of social media posts on those platforms. Don’t try to cover them all; just focus on the main ones. Make sure you are engaging all the different demographics involved – students often use different social media platforms than, say, grandparents.
Create fun and engaging content, such as videos and testimonials. Videos created by students are popular. Run a contest for the best “commercial” by a student and use that. The more participation you have from the ground up, the more you will increase donations for your fundraiser.
Crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe or DonorsChoose are great ways to increase donations with ease. Encouraging many donors to make a small donation might be a more feasible approach than going for those few big donations right off. Add a fundraising landing page to your school website, if allowed.
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Offer Incentives and Prizes
Offering rewards and recognition is a great way to encourage participation. Offer prizes or exclusive school perks. Partner with local businesses for prize sponsorship – this will increase community participation and is a win-win for everyone. A brainstorming session in the planning stages of your fundraiser will come up with many great ideas for prizes. Surveying participants for prizes they’d like to see is also an effective idea.
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Encourage Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Peer-to-peer fundraising is an approach to crowdfunding where each person involved sets their own fundraising goal and taps into their personal community to reach it. They sell to their peers.
Make sure your fundraising program has personal fundraising pages for students, parents, and teachers. This is great for keeping track of how everyone is doing and fostering ownership of the effort.
Set up a referral program with rewards for bringing in new donors to encourage growth.
Provide fundraising kits with templates for emails and social media posts. This will make your fundraiser look professional and coordinated. The ReadaFun platform, for example, provides all these materials for your Read-A-Thon fundraiser.
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Make Donations Easy & Accessible
Provide multiple ways to donate: online, text-to-give, and in-person options. Make it as simple and easy as possible to donate. Sometimes people donate on the spur of the moment. You don’t want a cumbersome donation process getting in the way of their generosity.
As organizations modernize, they are finding that QR Codes and mobile payment apps are convenient and safe. Many people are familiar with them, and they are easy to use. They make donating at events such as concerts and games quick and easy while the activity is still on people’s minds. It also lessens the need for handling cash.
For long-term support, offer recurring donation options. These give the donor, and you, the ability to plan and budget. Remember to keep options transparent and easy to manage.
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Engage the Community and Local Businesses
One of your best bets is to reach out to local businesses for sponsorships, matching donation programs, and prize donations. Local business people enjoy being part of community events and fostering goodwill. Go beyond the business card size ad on the back of a jersey and think of some creative and unique ways a business can sponsor your activity or organization.
Host community-based events like bake sales, car washes, or charity runs in the community. Collaborating with local media, such as inviting a local radio station, will increase visibility and your reach. Make the event positive and rewarding for all.
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Tell a Compelling Story
Why are you having this fundraiser? Who will it benefit? What are your goals? Tell the story of your organization and why it deserves support.
Share personal stories of how donations will impact students and programs. Social media lends itself well to passing along clips and videos of students and other beneficiaries.
Use real-life testimonials from students, teachers, and parents. This will create an emotional connection with potential donors. Give them a reason to connect and donate.
Turn Your School Fundraiser Into a Donation Magnet with These Smart Strategies
School fundraising takes a lot of planning and hard work. Make increasing donations for your program successful by using social media and online fundraising platforms such as ReadaFun. Offer performance incentives and encourage peer-to-peer fundraising. Make donating easy, and engage the community in your effort. Tell a compelling story to make that wider connection that will support future fundraisers as well.
At ReadaFun, we specialize in helping schools host successful and stress-free Read-A-Thons. Our easy-to-use platform simplifies every step, from tracking reading progress to collecting secure online donations, so you can focus on motivating students and connecting with families.
With ReadaFun, PTO and PTA leaders can confidently launch a profitable fundraiser that promotes literacy, excites students, and brings the whole community together. Interested in hosting a Read-A-Thon this year? We’re happy to walk you through the process — reach out to our team today!
