Spring is a great time to fundraise. The birds are chirping, the grass is growing (or hopefully overgrown, see below) and there is a lot to celebrate.
Here are some of our favorite fundraising ideas for spring.
1. Bike-a-thon
As winter comes to a close, people are ready to stretch their legs and what’s a better way to do that than with a bike-a-thon. Charge an entrance fee and have kids get donation pledges for the number of laps that they do. Have fun decorating bikes and mapping a race-course in your parking lot or gym. Make sure each rider has a helmet and offer snacks and refreshments for the pedal pumping riders.
2. March Madness
An estimated 40 million people fill out March Madness brackets, so try to capitalize on basketball fever. Host a screening of a game, charge an entrance fee and have a raffle for a sports related item. Ask for a pizza donation, or discount, and charge by the slice.
3. Mother’s Day Tea
You will be hard pressed to find a family that wouldn’t support treating Mom for a good cause and there are all kinds of ways to FUNdraise for a Mother’s Day. You could ask a florist to donate or discount flowers and sell bouquets. Treats are also a great item to sell and can involve volunteers. Have families donate cakes for either a cake auction or an old-fashioned cake-walk game and charge to play. Goodies and crafts could also be made by the class and sold to attendees.
4. Earth Day Hike
April 22 marks Earth Day and this calls for a hiking fundraiser! Find a local farm or resort area with ample parking who would be willing to donate their space for a few hours. Charge admission per family or per car. Invite a local historian or guide to host a hike and provide interesting details and trivia about the area. Have a photo area and volunteer photographer on-hand to capture the pretty scenery.
5. Yard Spring Clean
A yard cleanup fundraiser is great to plan over spring break or a long weekend. Solicit customers in the weeks before or even put an ad in the local newspaper. The day of the cleanup meet with your group at a parking lot, assign yards by neighborhood and make sure everyone has proper clothing and tools. Have the point person spend the day checking on the groups and collecting money. A few of your “crews” might even land some ongoing monthly work.
Seasonal experiences that let people learn about your cause and support you are relevant and worthwhile. Spring into action with these ideas and your fundraising will be a success.