Quick Summary:

Number of Students: 1,100
Amount Raised: $91,124
Average Raised per Student: $79.24
Program: Colour Explosion® School Run 4 Fun
Incentive Prizes: Automated

Recently, the P&C Association obtained quotes to construct an exceptional adventure-style playground, which would cost nearly $500,000. As a result, they recognised the criticality of maximising their fundraising efforts.

Previously, the school’s fundraising endeavours were commendable, but due to the absence of a defined objective and the pandemic-induced disruptions, the fundraising efforts for constructing the new playground were projected to fall short. As part of their fundraising initiatives, the P&C organised a School Colour Fun Run in the past, which yielded a decent profit of around $20,000 to $25,000 after covering expenses. However, they sought to explore if there were additional strategies to enhance their fundraising outcomes.

Time was our biggest challenge

The P&C committee encounters a significant hurdle in that the vast majority of its members work full-time jobs. When questioned about their principal apprehension, Maree Wilson, who serves as the P&C Committee’s President, stated that “time constraints” posed a formidable obstacle. Having organised their own School Colour Fun Run previously, the committee gained valuable insight into the significant amount of work involved in ensuring all aspects were covered.

Maree acknowledged that the P&C Committee did not have adequate time to organise the School Colour Fun Run themselves, given their prior experience. She listed a multitude of tasks, including procuring the necessary supplies, promoting the event, developing marketing communications, arranging incentives for the fundraisers, managing the collection and processing of funds, as well as designing the track and overseeing the event’s operations on the day. She estimated that the combined workload was substantial.

Maree contacted Australian Fundraising to explore the potential solutions available to the P&C Committee. Although the initial impression was favourable, the committee had to take into account that they would receive 60% of the proceeds. However, after comprehensively evaluating the advantages of the turn-key system and understanding the industry standard, Maree and the committee decided to collaborate with Australian Fundraising. Maree stated, “Upon reviewing their website and feedback, we concluded that Australian Fundraising was the most optimal choice.”

Online vs cash

The committee had previously run their fun runs as cash-only events, lacking the capability to implement a sophisticated, cyber-safe online fundraising platform that incorporated gamification and automated prize features. This technological advancement was deemed necessary to achieve more significant fundraising numbers. The convenience of online fundraising was apparent to the committee, and the automated prize feature was particularly transformative. Maree added, “The automated prize option was a game changer for us.”

Caningeraba State School successfully raised $91,124 through a concerted effort to promote their fundraising campaign. Maree, who has considerable experience organising events with up to 35,000 attendees, and the P&C’s Vice President, who works in advertising and marketing, recognised the critical role that promotion played in achieving their fundraising goal.

Everything was provided

With Australian Fundraising assuming responsibility for the bulk of the work, the committee committed to a sustained promotion of the fundraising campaign. They extended the duration of the fundraiser and wholeheartedly embraced the Australian Fundraising system.

Maree mentioned that the Australian Fundraising system provided them with all the necessary resources to promote their campaign effectively. The committee was offered user-friendly templates for various communication channels such as newsletters, social media, and assembly scripts.

They were also provided with brochures, posters, and a fence banner to raise awareness. The fundraising platform also offered communication tools, and they received proposed maps for the Colour Explosion School Run 4 Fun event. Automated prizes were provided through the platform, and they even received slime to promote the “Slime the Principal” competition. In summary, Maree expressed, “We were provided with everything we needed to run the campaign successfully.”

The Vice President, who specialises in advertising and marketing, appreciated being able to utilise the provided materials rather than having to develop everything from the beginning. They consulted with their account manager and received additional promotional ideas, which helped them to develop a solid plan.

Promotion was key

Maree explained that in addition to the resources provided by Australian Fundraising, they also implemented some of their own strategies. Student leaders were assigned to visit each class weekly to promote the fundraising prizes and the “Slime the Principal” competition. They also used ice blocks to incentivise classes with the highest number of students who had raised more than $1, and organised a pizza party at the end for the class that raised the most money. Maree stated that all these activities helped keep the students motivated and focused on fundraising.

We had plenty of help on the day

Maree explained that because they did not exhaust their volunteers leading up to the event, they had many people who were willing to help on the day. They had a plan for volunteers for the day and did a lot of preparation to ensure everything went smoothly. They ordered additional colour powder, which was a good thing, and were pleased to learn that they could sign up for next year’s event in advance and receive an additional 50% more powder.

Some of the students were very enthusiastic about the fundraising and received permission from their parents to visit local retirement villages. They showed pictures of the new playground they were raising funds for and asked if anyone could sponsor them a small amount. This not only helped the students but also brought joy to the residents of the retirement village. Many parents chose to convert the cash to online donations to make it more transparent and avoid the need for their child to carry cash to school.

Bigger results achieved

Caningeraba State School was pleased to receive 60% of the $91,124 they raised using Australian Fundraising’s turn-key system, as it amounted to more money in the bank than with the approximately 80% they received from raising $30,000 on their own. Maree explained that the 40% fee was reasonable once they understood all the benefits that came with it, such as the pre-made materials, supplied prizes, full support from start-to-finish, colour powder, sunglasses, and headbands for each student and more. Additionally, the convenience and time-saving benefits of online fundraising, which leads to bigger results, made it a clear choice for the school.

Planning and promotion are critical

Maree offered some valuable advice for others looking to achieve success in fundraising: “Effective planning and promotion are crucial. Promotion is particularly important and was the biggest key to our success. Plan how you will promote your event, give yourself ample time, and spread the word. Setting a clear goal, such as raising funds for playground equipment, can be a significant motivator for students, and raising a substantial amount of money instils pride in the school community. We found that having student leaders regularly promoting the event was a brilliant strategy. None of this would have been possible without the support of our account manager, Cindy, and the comprehensive resources provided by Australian Fundraising.”