Our top school fundraising tips

Fundraising for a primary or secondary school trip might seem like an impossible task, but it can be a rewarding experience that drums up camaraderie within the group before you jet off on your big adventure. There are many ways to get creative, have fun, and make money whilst doing it. Here are just a few ways you and your students can raise funds for a school trip this year.

A bake sale

There are many ways to make the humble bake sale your own. Destinations in Europe like France, Italy and Spain each have distinct cuisines that you can draw inspiration from for your baked goodies. Taking standout flavours, shapes, or even colours, can be a great way to make your sale unique. You can make cakes with miniature flags iced on them, or even encourage pupils to theme their tray bakes around the destination and offer a prize for the winner. A lot can be achieved when everyone gets involved. If you’re trying to raise funds for somewhere like Florida however, maybe veto this one, that would take a lot of cupcakes.

Unconventional dress day

For long distance trips like New York or Washington the most effective fundraising techniques are those that get everyone involved, and this doesn’t always have to be difficult. Implementing a day where everyone dresses unconventionally in exchange for a small donation is a great means of bringing in funds for a trip and encouraging the whole school to participate. Dressing unconventionally could mean anything from simply not wearing uniform to wearing pyjamas. You could even get pupils to come in fancy dress and offer a prize for best dressed.

Playground car wash

Fundraising sometimes means not being afraid to get messy and hopefully the promise of a trip to Vienna or Madrid will motivate your students to do just that. Particularly when warmer weather rolls around, offering a car wash service to teachers and parents is a great way to drum up some donations for primary or secondary school travel.

Community clear-up

Fundraising doesn’t have to serve just one purpose and can actually be a great excuse to do something positive for your local community. Organising a clean-up drive to pick up litter around a public space in the wider community is a great way to broaden the scope for donations. Set a specific goal, whether it’s collecting a certain amount of rubbish or cleaning up a particular area, and encourage parents, school alumni and members of the local community to pledge support to students taking part.

Teachers vs. pupils sports game

Nothing guarantees the undivided attention of students like the opportunity to get one back on their teachers. Organising a sports tournament between staff and pupils and charging a small admission fee to attend the games is an exciting way to put money towards school travel. To maximise donations you can sell snacks, drinks and school merchandise at the games.