Examples of different possible fundraising activities

There are many activities and events that a school can undertake to do in order to raise money and earn additional income for the school. Not all activities will be right for your particular school. For example, a rural school which grows its own fruit and vegetables can sell its surplus produce, a school with a hall can rent the hall out, and so on. Below is a list with a few fundraising ideas. Choose any ideas that you like and think will work for your school. Add any other ideas that you may have:

• Collecting and selling old newspapers, bottles and tires.
• Concerts/dance competitions at the school capitalizing on local talent
• Film shows (e.g. a video could be hired out and a small admission fee charged).
• Allowing children to wear 'civvies' to school for a small fee.
• School raffles, flea markets and/or bring and braai activities.
• Jumble sales/a school fête/bazaar.
• Selling advertising in a school newsletter.
• Sponsored spelling competitions.
• 'Eat-as-much-as-you can' meals.
• Cake and auction sales.
• Family/picnics or school outings (e.g. the school could arrange bus transport and charge a little extra for it).
• Holding a choral competition.
• Debutantes ball/beauty pageant.
• A sports day.
• Hiring out the school's ICT centre for private use.
• Offering ICT related services such as invitations, cards, CV writing and formatting, letters, fax and or e-mail facilities, etc.

Please note, this is not a comprehensive list. Neither might all the activities listed here suit your school. When planning a fundraising activity for your school, take into account the available resources (human and otherwise) in your school community.

Other Fundraising Ideas

An Idea: Donations in Kind

To run certain kinds of fundraising activities like a raffle, you can ask local shopkeepers or private sector companies to make donations in-kind to support the school. If your function requires refreshments, seek out local shopkeepers who might be willing to donate cool drinks that could then be sold at the event. Members of the community can be asked to donate an old fridge or computer or, in a rural school, seed to plant vegetables, for example.