Back to school season is coming up and we're here to help you choose the right fundraising program for your school fundraising needs!

School fundraising…just this word creates some instant white hairs on some people’s heads. Yes, raising funds for your child’s school can be quite stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s some tips to help you make the best out of your child’s school fundraising.

If your school has had some successful fundraising events in the past, don’t break your head looking for new ones, stick to the ones that worked. If you dealt with a fundraising company that gave you great service, continue to work with them! No need to start from scratch all over again.

If you really insist on doing something new, make sure you do your research! Talk to people that have tried these fundraisers before. Remember, the goal is to raise funds for your child’s school and not to stress over a new fundraising company on the block.

Here are a few ideas for programs that are great for school fundraising:

Scratchcards:  Everyone carries spare change. Why not take advantage of this and get people to scratch off an amount to donate between $0 and $2.50? People love scratching, and every card can raise up to $100. On top of this, you can get fundraising cards personalized for your school!

Family Movie Night:  “Bring out the BIG screen! Kids love movies and parents do too. Just throw some blankets on the gym floor, pop some popcorn and sit back and watch families connect with your school.” This is a great way for the whole family to have fun and raise money too!

Online Magazines:  Did you know the average U.S household subscribes to 4 magazines per year? So just get everyone you know to subscribe to their favorite magazines through your child’s school's online magazine fundraiser! You can literally raise thousands of dollars this way throughout the year. It takes very little time and effort!

Beef Jerky:  Who can say no to a $1 healthy fundraising snack? These are easy to sell at your child’s school events.

Auctions:  Although these take a lot of time to organize, they are a lot of fun with great fundraising profits!

Choose the fundraiser or fundraisers that’s right for your school based on how much money you need to raise, in what time frame, with what budget and depending on how many committed volunteers you have.

Once you decide which school fundraising program is best, generate excitement throughout the school by setting a goal amount and making everyone aware of your goal and progress through the parent newsletters and school website.

When you reach your school’s fundraising goal, make sure to let everyone know. Not only let people know, but thank everyone that got involved and let them know how the money will be spent. See? School fundraising can be pretty fun after all!

Get more great school fundraising ideas >>