Bright Idea: Create Fun School Fundraisers at Just the Right Time

Who They Are

Communities in Schools of Central Texas is a nonprofit that works to prevent students from dropping out of school. Their school-based staff work directly with 96 elementary, middle, and high school campuses in Central Texas.

In addition to providing individual student support, they work to ensure school environments are safe and inclusive for all students. They connect students and schools with resources to empower success by removing barriers for students at risk of dropping out and keeping students on the path to graduation. To say the least, coming up with fun school fundraisers to keep their mission going is extremely important!

What They Did

As the school year was approaching, Communities in Schools of Central Texas launched their back-to-school fundraiser to raise money for much-needed supplies for the students and schools they serve. Their peer-to-peer campaign was timed just right since going back to school was top of mind for so many. Their site included impact statements coupled with graphics to showcase how the donated funds would be used.

Their back-to-school fundraiser featured many wonderful design elements that helped to highlight their mission in addition to an embedded video that summarized how they serve their community. Their page was polished and as a result, was easy to navigate. Additionally, they did a brilliant job breaking down 3 ways to support their back-to-school fundraiser. It’s important that donors understand that no matter how they choose to engage, they can always give a gift even if team fundraising isn’t their cup of tea!

What You Can Do

If your nonprofit is based around a cause that folks tend to pay attention to at a certain time of year, be sure to leverage that. For example, if you’re raising money for breast cancer, you’re most likely going to have a large push for donations during Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.

Does your cause not necessarily have national or local attention during a certain month or day? There are many ways you can draw attention to your mission if that’s the case. One idea is to work with local city officials to do a proclamation highlighting your cause to create a buzz around your mission and subsequent fundraising campaign. Any way you can tag team awareness efforts and get free media attention is always something worth exploring.

Once you’ve determined your launch date, be sure to focus on creating a clean and easy-to-understand campaign page like Communities in Schools of Central Texas did for their back-to-school fundraiser. Ensure your mission is front and center.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to be a graphic designer to make a good-looking campaign. Here are a few ideas and free resources to consider when thinking about design for all your fun school fundraisers. For more inspiration, here are some additional examples of peer-to-peer events we love.

Want to learn more about Qgiv’s peer-to-peer platform? Request a demo today!