Hi students! Can you believe that it’s almost time for another school year? While you might be looking ahead to the new school year with dread, excitement, or a mixture of both, we bet you’re also be thinking about fall activities – sports, clubs and student organizations.
Will your group be looking to raise money for activities?
Here in the Pacific Northwest, community groups are moving away from car wash fundraisers in order to protect local streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. The soap, grime, and oils that come off cars harm aquatic life, including some of our favorite local animals like orcas and salmon. Instead, community groups are getting creative and successfully raising funds in new, fun ways. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Sell things!
Car wash tickets. Commercial car washes protect local creeks by capturing and treating their dirty wash water. Tickets can be purchased at a discounted rate from:
- Puget Sound Car Wash Association fundraiser program: charitycarwash.org
- Brown Bear Car Wash also has a fundraiser program: https://brownbear.com/programs/car-wash-fundraiser
Sell eco-friendly products. Many organizations allow donors to order products such as reusable bottles or bags with your charity’s name on them online, so you won’t have to purchase products in advance. Example partner: www.kotisdesign.com
Hold an auction. Ask local businesses to donate items for an auction. Also, consider including experiences with teachers or senior staff.
Collect things!
Partner with TerraCycle. TerraCycle pays schools for collected empty juice packs and wrappers which they will then turn into bags, pencil boxes, and other items to reduce the waste going to the landfill. https://www.terracycle.com/en-US
Hold an online donation drive. Set up a crowdfunding page and raise money online. Fundraisers can work with organizations such as www.fundly.com
Hold a used clothing/goods/shoe drive. Raise funds for your organization by collecting gently used items. Example partners: fundrive.savers.com and www.funds2orgs.com
Have fun!
Organize a walk-a-thon or fun-run on campus. Ask people to pledge a certain dollar amount for each lap participants walk or run for their cause! Here’s how to do it: https://charity.lovetoknow.com/How_to_Organize_a_Walkathon
Partner with a local business! Work with your local businesses for a percentage of proceeds: help sell products locally or organize a restaurant dine out! Some businesses will allow you to organize a bingo or trivia night in order to earn money!
Check out the Greener Fundraisers flyer for more details on these fundraising ideas and more.