Green Fundraising for Schools
Posted On: Jan 01, 09Tired of the same old school fundraising drives—bake sales, car washes or wrapping paper offers? Fundraising does not have to involve buying high-calorie sweets, disposable junk you don’t need or want, or harm to our environment. We all know how desperate our schools are for funds, especially now, but how to raise funds without lowering our environmental standards? Many schools continue to rely on, and profit from, well-known efforts that are environmentally friendly. The array of better, greener fundraising options is actually astounding. Check out Green Schools for a simple guide with lots of options and resources. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- -Selling seed packets. Buy seed in bulk and repackage through a student-run seed company or grow and save seeds from home and school gardens. Download a great Seed School Curriculum at FedcoSeeds.com and some fundraising tips at SeedsOfChange.com.
- -A community-supported Farmer’s Market for the school!
- -Book fairs promote literacy while raising funds. Organize a gently-used book fair where families can donate the books they have cleared off their shelves.
- -Children’s toy & clothes swaps, where recycling old treasures to new ones benefit the school.
- -Walk-a-thons, bowl-a-thons, and other sports-related fundraisers promote physical activity for students and can be lucrative for schools.
Sunset Beach Elementary found a great way to recycle and earn money for the school at their first ever, Holiday Kids’ Stuff Exchange! Instead of spending way too much money on holiday gifts, students exchanged their gently used kids’ stuff and shopped for some new ones. They saved a ton of money, got rid of their old toys (saving space for “new” ones) and supported a great cause, Sunset Beach Elementary School! This fun & successful event took place on Saturday, 12.13.08 from 9am – 12 noon. All remaining items were donated to Operation Toy Box, a local charity.