Fundraising plays a vital role in the triumph of both school bands and independent music groups! This is especially true because these groups tend to have many expenses and significant investments in equipment. Community power-building organizations are activating people most impacted by structural inequities to transform their communities. These efforts are a necessary part of building broader momentum for systemic change.
Build Relationships with Parents
You can only reach your fundraising goals with the help of parents. Educate your parents about the need for school funding, and you can count on their support for your ongoing efforts. With this simple activity, you can set up a team competition for school band fundraisers. Partner with local businesses willing to keep jars at their registers and ask students and parents to drop pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters into the jars to boost their team’s totals. To make the event more fun, add a dollar bill challenge to boost funds! Host a virtual shoe drive with this excellent school fundraiser idea. Get creative with the rules of your shoe drive, and offer an excellent reward to the winning team at the end. It’s a fun way to get kids and parents excited about your cause.
Get kids and teens involved with school fundraising by hosting a sleepover. Charge a fee to attend the event, and use any profits to pay for school supplies or other needs. Turn your school’s community into your fundraising base with a phone-a-thon. Use an online giving page and text-to-give number to encourage donors to give and promote your fundraiser through your website, social media, and other digital outlets. Be sure to thank your donors with a heartfelt message, as this will go a long way in building loyalty for future campaigns and events.
Build Relationships with Students
You can tap into your supporters’ competitive spirit and fundraising potential with a school-wide contest. Offer a prize, like merchandise or a unique experience, to anyone who donates to their favorite team before a deadline. This event is perfect for social media and can be combined with your matching gift drive. Organize an all-school jam session for this school fundraiser, featuring musicians from your community who volunteer their time to perform. You’ll want to set an admission fee, sell tickets online before the concert, and then broadcast it live from a group video call at a pre-determined date and time. You can also use this school fundraising idea to promote your arts program. Another classic, simple school fundraiser is a car wash. Recruit your staff and students to wash the cars of your supporters, or have them donate a minimum amount for a car washing ticket. Pair this event with a match gift drive to encourage additional donations. Recruit local “celebrities” to lead your student volunteers for this school fundraiser. For example, an author could lead a book signing or host a virtual Q&A, and a musician could perform a concert. Or, try a serve-a-thon, where you ask students to sign up for a specific volunteer activity, such as serving food at a shelter or collecting shoes at a donation site.
Build Relationships with Teachers
Teachers are an important part of a school’s community, and their support is essential to fundraising efforts. In addition to their direct participation in fundraisers, many also use their connections to promote events and encourage donations from other community members. Organize a virtual open mic night to give students the chance to showcase their creative talents. Have participants register beforehand, then join a group video call at a set date and time to show off their acting, music, and comedy skills. This type of event is not only fun, but it can also help students develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Put a new twist on the classic jellybean guessing game by hosting a virtual event where people pay to guess how many jellybeans are in a jar. The person closest to the number wins the jar or another prize. This school fundraising idea is easy, fast, and a great way to build team spirit. Leverage the power of a community by leveraging the online tools of your school’s giving platform to host a service-a-thon that supports the broader community. Encourage participants to join in on a virtual call or have them work in teams at home using a conferencing tool like Zoom. Pair your event with a matching gift drive to maximize the impact of donations.
Build Relationships with the Community
Boosting engagement with your school’s community can help you raise more money for your band. Recruit local businesses to provide discounts or freebies on products or services for your discount card fundraiser. Advertise this opportunity to your school’s supporters and ask them to purchase a card in exchange for a donation. Tap into your supporters’ competitive spirit with a social media contest that prompts them to donate. Seeing who can post the most creative or inspiring photo of their support for your school could be challenging. It’s also a great idea to pair this type of event with a matching gift drive to increase the impact of individual donations. Reach out to a local restaurant willing to partner with you on a virtual cooking night fundraiser. Ask the chef to join a video call with attendees and teach them how to prepare one of their signature dishes. You can charge a registration fee and include the cost of ingredients in the ticket price to make this an affordable school fundraising event for your community.
