Healthy Fundraisers

Healthy Ways For Schools To Raise Funds

As childhood obesity levels rise, schools are looking for healthy fundraisers as an alternative solution for raising much needed funds. Many school districts have even banned fundraising candy sales, so what kind of school fundraisers will help bridge the funding gap?

Here are several ideas for healthy school fundraisers:

Participant events
Many schools have discovered that events where all students participate in a fun exercise-based event do a good job. Examples of this are school walkathons, rope jumping contests, and fun runs.

Students raise funds by getting sponsorship pledges linked to their performance. For instance, a pledge sheet for a fun run or a walkathon might suggest a donation of $1 a lap or $5 a mile.

In a jump rope contest, pledges might be raised by the number of consecutive jumps a student performs or by a set amount for each participant. The important thing is that parents are encouraging their children to be physically active as part of a fundraiser versus buying candy to help support their school.

Nonfood product sales
There are also plenty of fundraising products that can be sold that don't involve candy or other unhealthy foods. Examples include books, magazines, gift wrap, flowers, plants, calendars, candles, pumpkins, and kitchen accessories.

All of these items have the same type of markups as products like candy, doughnuts, or cookie dough. The key point is that these are all healthier alternatives.

Healthy food products
For food-based sales, why not offer items such as fresh citrus fruit, nuts, spices, coffee, granola bars, or bottled water? Each of these items will generate the same kind of revenue and profit as their unhealthier alternatives.

Service events
School groups can raise funds with service events like car washes, dog washes, or community cleanups. Students get the added benefit of working in teams to earn money through their own efforts instead of just having their parents open their checkbooks.

School spirit items
Another good school fundraiser involves selling items adorned with the school logo such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, shorts, book covers, stadium cushions, and water bottles.

All of these promote school spirit and provide a good value for the parents who are the ones writing the checks. These same school spirit items can also be offered over time through a school store as well as an ongoing fundraising activity.

Summary
Many schools are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional fundraising products that contain large amounts of sugar and in some cases, trans fat as well. Event-based fund raising is one alternative that's growing in popularity.

Schools can also offer catalog sales of nonfood products that will raise just as much funding or they can offer healthier alternatives such as fresh fruit, nuts, coffee, etc.

Service events like car washes also work well for school clubs and cheer squads. They also teach a good lesson in the value of hard work to get what you want.

The bottom line is that there are many healthy fundraisers for schools to choose from, so choose wisely!

Related Pages

Fundraising Product Ideas - How to select the right fundraising products - Top fundraising product ideas for school or youth group sales.

Fundraising Event Ideas - A lengthy list of fundraising event ideas - Tips on putting together various charity fundraising events and maximizing your profits.

Ideas For Fundraisers

Animal
Art Raffle
Auction
Bake Sale
Band
Baseball
Bingo
Bowling
Bracelets
Brick
Candle
Candy
Candy Bar
Capital Campaign
Car Donation
Car Raffle
Car Wash
Cash Calendar
Casino Night
Cell Phone
Chair-ity Event
Charity
Cheerleading
Cheesecake Calendar
Chinese Auction
Christian
Christian Event Ideas
Christmas Carols
Christmas Trees
Church
Church Festival
Church Fund Raisers
College
Cookbook
Cookie Dough
Corporate Grants
Cow Chip
Credit Card
Dance
Dance Team
Discount Cards
Donation Request
Donor Recognition
Earth Friendly
Easy
eBay
Event Tips
Events
Events - Part 1
Events - Part 2
Events - Part 3
Flower Bulbs
Flowers
Food Sales
For The Cure
Free
Fruit
Fun
Fundraising Sample
Gift Wrap
Golf Ball Drop Raffle
Golf Fundraiser
Golf Tournament
Grant Requests
Halloween
Healthy
Hockey
Home & Garden
Holiday Carnival
Individual
Inkjet Recycling
Internet
Jamba Juice
Jingle Bell Run
Jingle Bell Walk
Karaoke
Kathryn Beich
Krispy Kreme
Lip Sync
Location
Lollipop
Magazine
Mardi Gras
Merchant Plan
Mini Golf Tournament
Non-Profit
Pancake Breakfast
Photography
Pink Flamingo
Pizza
Pizza Hut
Poker
Political
Popcorn
Product Ideas
Publicity
Raffle
Raffle Prizes
Raffle Tickets
Relay For Life
Relay For Life Events
Rubber Duck
Sales Tips
Sample Thank You
School
Scrapbooking
Scratch Card
Scrip
Seasonal Products
Silent Auction Tips
Soccer
Softball
Spaghetti Dinner
Spelling Bee
Teeter Totter
Tips
Top Five
Tried & True
Tupperware
Valentines Day
Whiskey Tasting
Wine Tasting
Worlds Finest
Youth Group
Youth Sports