It is no secret that school fundraising has evolved beyond bake sales and selling raffle tickets.
Today’s technology is fast, automated and ready for software like our own that allows schools to take their fundraising online – earning them far more in profits than fundraisers based solely on in-school donations. Today’s students are eager to get involved, and there are opportunities to get them up and running, reading, walking, or even dancing through marathon-style fundraising (or "Athon Fundraising").
Lastly, today’s parent is hip and young at heart, and highly inclined towards the internet. Their first source of information is digital, from social media groups to group texts for parents informing them of upcoming events. They want fundraising to be where they already are: online.
Athons are uniquely suited for raising money online and, as big crowdfunding campaigns (remember the ALS bucket challenge?) and our last few seasons of athons go to show, when the two come together there is major money to be made for schools of any size, location, and demographic.
Schools are moving more and more in the direction of fun, productive, and inclusive ways to raise funds through different types of athon fundraisers.
The Power of Crowdfunding
Billions of funds are raised through crowdfunding every year, and so it was only a matter of time before this fundraising tactic found its way to schools. This term used to belong in the corporate setting and with non-profits, but not anymore. Schools are making use of this ingenious method to raise much-needed funds, especially in the public sector.
With shrinking budgets and growing needs, parent groups are summoning the power of a–thon fundraisers and the internet to help them achieve their goals and provide an enriched school experience for students. The internet calls on the power of many, and the combined individual donations, as well as the sponsorships of local organizations, result in major profits for schools.
Sweating Together & Raising Together - The Power of Fun Runs
Fun runs, walk-athons, jog-athons are all extremely popular ways to interact and work together to raise funds for your school. The PTO could spend a whole school year trying to foster togetherness and teamwork among students, or they could just put together an event that will bring all the factions together for a fun activity (not to mention achieving your entire budgetary goal in one fundraiser!).
Getting together and running for a cause builds school spirit, promotes health & wellness, teaches kids to support philanthropic projects, and brings in huge funds for schools. That’s why we initially built Get Movin' with the focus of promoting physical activity in schools and battling the tide of obesity that was affecting our youth.
Teaching kids that being active can be FUN is a major step toward getting more and more children to get in their 60-minutes of activity each day.
The next generation of parents are keen on fitness and are big on events that teach kids to get movin’. PTO cohesion is achieved, kids, teachers, and parents participate in a fun exercise together, and funds are raised.
Read-Athons: Simple, Encourages Good Habits, & Easily Supported Online
Every fundraiser will soon be an athon based on the incredible success we have seen from Read-Athons. They are simple campaigns that are structured to last a certain period. One could be set for, say, 10 days, during which time kids will be encouraged to read for 30 minutes a day. Schools can easily set incentives for how much students raise as well as how much they read.
Each student will be sponsored by parents, relatives, and members of the community who give donations to the school to encourage this activity and to support the proposed initiatives (i.e., new gym equipment or more books in the library).
Now, any parent or guardian would want to see their children read because this seemingly small idea could inculcate a reading culture that would stay with them for the rest of their lives! Read-Athons are easily supported through emails, texts, notifications on school websites, and social media pages and groups. This makes it simple to keep parents informed while providing quick access to the desired information about the event and how to donate. Parents already want to show support to the school and their student – you are just providing a more efficient way for them to do so.
Tips for Making the Most of Your Athon Fundraiser
- Choose specific projects to be funded by your athon
- Set realistic goals Use an outside service to provide the online component (take our 15-minute online tour to learn about our services!)
- Keep parents, students, and donors in the loop – let them know when smaller milestones are achieved and what rewards are available when goals are reached.
- Have fun! Add school spirit, flair, and energy to your athon fundraiser, whether it’s a fun run, dance-athon, serve-athon, or the classic read-athon!
At the end of the day, parent groups are making their athon fundraising projects fun and interactive. They are engaging kids and considering the needs of parents by incorporating online services. More money is being raised than it ever was with traditional sales methods.