Fundraisers can be time consuming to manage, but they don’t have to be expensive to run. Here are a few tools and programs available that you can use for free in your school fundraiser:
Canva: Free poster design
Students and parents need to know about your fundraiser for it to be successful. Posters shown around your school can be a great way to let them know about it and Canva is a free platform that you can use to help design beautiful posters (they earn money by selling premium templates, but many are completely free).
ForOurSchool.org: Free fundraising software
If you are running an activity based fundraiser, like a Read-A-Thon, there are many platforms available that will help you manage it, but ForOurSchool.org is the only one that will not take a share of the money you earn or require that donors allocate a share of their donation to “support the platform”. Donations go directly to your Paypal account, so not only do you keep 100% of the money donated (some platforms keep as much as 30%!), but if your school PTA is registered as a 501c3 (it should!) then Paypal takes a reduced processing fee, so you’ll earn even more.
DID YOU KNOW? ForOurSchool.org may eventually charge a small fee to schools that can afford it, but right now, they make no money and do not sell your personal data.
Microsoft Create: Award certificate template
Once your fundraiser is complete, you will want to recognize the students that participated and if it was a competition, those that won. Microsoft Create offers a large repository of free certificate templates that can be edited in Microsoft Powerpoint.
FUN FACT: ForOurSchool.org also offers free award certificates that can be edited and printed online
Bonfire: Custom t-shirts
Custom t-shirts specific for your event can be a great way to build camaraderie with your students and rally support for your cause, but they can also help you to earn a little extra money. Bonfire is a free platform built specifically for fundraisers and makes it easy to design, manufacture, and sell custom t-shirts and hoodies.
SEE ALSO: 11 More Fundraiser Ideas
Google Forms: Online form creator
After your fundraiser is over, thank the students for their participation and the organizers for their time and dedication, and then get their feedback! If you want to make sure that next year’s event is the best ever, find out what worked (or didn’t work) this year. There is no better tool to do that than Google Forms. It is easy to set up feedback forms, everyone is familiar with it, and the results can be easily analyzed and shared.
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