Inspiring Stories: Real-Life Examples of Successful School Fundraisers
- For many schools, organising a fun run poses the perfect opportunity to raise funds in support of their educational programs and extracurricular activities.
- Beyond the fundraising aspect, these events are ideal for building community spirit and confidence in students, while also creating plenty of fantastic memories.
- Working with an experienced team of fundraising organisers takes the pressure off and amplify the results, making for a more enjoyable – and profitable – experience.
For many schools, fundraising is essential to support educational programs and extracurricular activities. While there are many fantastic ways to raise needed funds, school fun runs are a time-honoured favourite, giving students the opportunity to get some exercise and fresh air while also raising crucial funds for their school.
Amongst a variety of successful school fundraising case studies, Australian Fundraising has been involved in facilitating countless school fun runs which serve as ideal inspiration for those looking to organise a similar event.
Below are the stories of just some of the inspiring and impactful case studies the Australian Fundraising team has had the privilege of supporting.
Overcoming Challenges
Getting any kind of fundraising effort off the ground is a challenge, but overcoming the challenges involved in the process can have significant rewards, laying the groundwork not only for that year, but also for future years to come.
With a strong community culture founded on teamwork, your school will be in a much better position to overcome challenges together and achieve fundraising goals.
The transition to digital and the process of promotion are two common challenges for schools running fundraising initiatives.
Narangba Valley State School Chaplain Rosalie Allen said online fundraising was one of her school’s biggest perceived challenges, but that the pay-off made it all worthwhile.
“Online fundraising felt too hard. Then, the year we decided to use it, there was a big jump in funds and we couldn’t have been happier,” Rosalie said.
Rosalie also said that event promotion was a major perceived challenge that turned out to be more straightforward than they had anticipated, particularly once the school enlisted the right support.
“The marketing support from Australian Fundraising is really helpful with the posters, banner, booklets, and things like the assembly announcement and intro letter to parents already drafted,” Rosalie said.
“We used to feel as though we had to do a million fundraisers, then realised sometimes less is more. Now we do one main fundraiser and work hard at promoting that.”
With resilience and community spirit, Narangba Valley State School made their fun run a success, raising almost $40,000 for their school between 1200 students.
NARANGBA VALLEY STATE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING RESULTS
- Total Funds Raised: $39,434
- Total Students: 1,200
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $103
- # Students Who Raised Funds: 405
- Fundraising Event: Standard Fun Run
- Prize Selection: Traditional
Read the full Narangba Valley State School Case Study here
For Caningeraba State School, the biggest challenge lay in finding the time to organise the fun run. The vast majority of P&C Committee members work full-time jobs, which presented a significant hurdle for the organisation of the event.
P&C Committee President Maree Wilson said time constraints posed a formidable obstacle.
Based on their experience of organising a previous School Colour Fun Run, Maree prepared an extensive preparatory to-do list, 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 – a substantial combined workload. Maree contacted Australian Fundraising to explore the potential solutions available to the P&C Committee. Although it meant sacrificing some of the proceeds, the advantages of the turn-key system and the pressure to meet industry standards made a collaboration with Australian Fundraising “the most optimal choice” for the committee.
CANINGERABA STATE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING RESULTS
- Total Funds Raised: $91,124
- Total Students: 1,100
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $79.24
- Fundraising Event: Colour Explosion Fun Run
- Prize Selection: Automated
Read the full Caningeraba State School Case Study here
Building Community Spirit
Community is at the heart of any effective fundraiser, and school fun runs are no exception. While many school fundraising case studies have shared a key focus on fostering community spirit, some have stood out not only for the amount of money they raised but also for the positive energy they generated amongst students, teachers and parents.
Amongst many spirit-building school fun run examples, South Grafton Public School is a standout for the way the event encouraged participation across different age groups and backgrounds.
South Grafton Public School split their fundraisers between the two groups (Prep to Year 2, and Year 3 to Year 6). It meant that families with students in both could spread their commitments over a few months to support their children, rather than all at once in the same whole school fundraiser.
This event and others like it are a reminder that inclusive events that create a sense of unity also tend to inspire higher participation rates – an important takeaway for schools looking to strengthen community bonds while raising funds.
SOUTH GRAFTON PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDRAISING RESULTS
A dual fundraising success story raising $52,777 in total
Kinder to Year 2
- Total Funds Raised: $29,501
- Total Students: 255
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $127.16
- Fundraising Event: Glowtastic Disco Party
Year 3 to 6
- Total Funds Raised: $23,276
- Total Students: 370
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $66.51
- Fundraising Event: Colour Explosion Fun Run
When South Grafton Public School embarked on its fundraising journey for 2023, the goal was clear, if a little ambitious: to elevate the playground experience for junior students while also building a creative outdoor learning space for seniors. The challenge? They knew the result they wanted would come at a significant monetary cost, but were concerned about the limited financial resources of the school community.
After setting an initial fundraising goal of $15,000, they were astonished when their total came to $52,777. Even after covering all the costs for absolutely everything supplied by Australian Fundraising – from the product to the prizes, printing and online platform – it still meant a huge $31,666 for the school, a result beyond what they thought possible.
The Fundraising Coordinators who boldly took on this challenge were Cyndi Zoranovic (Senior School Years 3 to 6) and Candice Aland (Junior School Kinder to Year 2). They knew that they had to ditch the one-size-fits-all approach to fundraising and do something different if they were to succeed.
Their strategy? Tailoring two distinct events for juniors and seniors – a Glowtastic Disco Party and a Colour Explosion.
The junior school’s Glowtastic Disco Party turned a regular day into an extraordinary experience. With the help of blackout curtains, the school was transformed into a glowing wonderland, where even naptime couldn’t dull the sparkle. Candice commented that “the kids absolutely loved the Glowtastic Disco Party.
“Everyone had a blast, especially the parents who came along. We were also able to organise popcorn to be donated by the local cinemas which made for even more fun on the day.”
The senior school’s Colour Explosion painted the town in every colour imaginable, turning an ordinary fundraiser into a spectacle of joy and community spirit.
“We had a lot of different activities which involved as many people from the community as possible. It created a wonderfully collaborative environment, and the day was just a beautiful demonstration of school and community pride,” Cyndi said.
“The Colour Explosion built such a positive environment for all of the kids, because with Australian Fundraising no-one was left out, even if they weren’t in a position to raise money.
Read the full South Grafton Public School case study here
Motivating Students
Fun runs are fantastic not only for saving money and contributing financially to schools, but also for encouraging students to get out of their comfort zone, connect with other students, and get some exercise while they’re at it. When students are enthusiastic about participating in school fundraising activities, they are far more likely to invest the time and energy required to ensure their success.
The students and teachers at Narangba Valley State School saw the impact of their enthusiasm play out in real time when their fun run fundraiser brought in almost $40,000. Narangba Valley State School Chaplain Rosalie Allen said the school had found that offering prizes as fundraising incentives has worked wonders for their fundraising efforts.
“The sponsorship booklet is a big thing for the kids. They love poring over it and seeing what incentive prizes are available. It definitely helps them to get excited about the fundraising, and with the online quick link option, it’s easy for anyone to donate,” she said.
“I use a big thermometer as a campaign tracker to monitor how close we are to our goal. I’ve also started rewarding classes. Those with the most students to sign up and raise at least $1 are rewarded with ice blocks for the class.
“One fun idea I had was if the students met a fundraising goal, I would dress up in a crazy costume and do the cross country with the school mascot, Wall the Frog. With the amount of funds raised increasing each year, I think I’m going to have to raise the goal,” said Rosalie.
“The best part is that the parents go along and support their children. It connects the fundraising with the school community and parents during a wonderful event.”
NARANGBA VALLEY STATE SCHOOL FUNDRAISING RESULTS
- Total Funds Raised: $39,434
- Total Students: 1,200
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $103
- # Students Who Raised Funds: 405
- Fundraising Event: Standard Fun Run
- Prize Selection: Traditional
Bacchus March Primary School is another prime example of a school that enjoyed the benefits of a successful fundraiser, this time by engaging students’ senses with a science-fueled obstacle course.
Belinda Wakefield, a Bacchus Marsh parent, said that taking a novel fundraising approach that excites and inspires worked very well. “The kids loved the powder and slime together, and the obstacle course with hay bales was a winner,” said Belinda.
Working with Australian Fundraising, our efforts were made so much easier with online fundraising and automated prizes, enabling us to raise more money for the school.
“Being able to raise the money online made it much easier, and we’re delighted we raised an extra $15,673 over previous years. The platform was easy to use, students had a ball, parents were happy, and choosing the automated prize option meant less work for us.”
BACCHUS MARSH PRIMARY SCHOOL FUNDRAISING RESULTS
- Total Funds Raised: $49,230
- Total Students: 900
- Average Amount Raised Per Student Online: $52.37
- Increase from Last Fundraiser: 113%
- Fundraising Event: Colour Splatacular Fun Run
- Prize Selection: Automated
The key takeaway from these success stories is that fun runs built around students’ interests and passions lead to better outcomes – for the students, the school, and everyone involved in coordinating the event.
Lessons Learned from Successful Fun Runs
The success stories above are full of lessons for any school or community group looking to organise a successful fun run.
First of all, while there might be challenges throughout the process, the right support makes it possible to overcome these and take the event to a whole new level of success. Australian Fundraising helps school communities foresee and overcome all the possible hurdles facing them, and ultimately get more out of their fundraising events than they thought possible. The team offers support with everything from planning and organisation to promotion and community engagement, and we’re proud of the many success stories we’ve been part of.
The second big lesson is that it pays to tailor your school fundraising activities to the interests of your students and make sure everyone is included – even if that means running multiple events to appeal to different age groups. By organising bespoke fundraising events for the junior and senior students at their school, South Grafton Public School sent community involvement soaring and reaped the rewards in the form of an unexpectedly large fundraising pool. The bottom line? An inclusive approach works like magic, strengthening community bonds and increasing the financial payoff for your school.
Finally, when it comes to getting full buy-in from students (and their parents), incentives are a must. Small, simple prizes are often all it takes to get the kids excited and motivated to succeed – and their success is your school’s success.
Tips for Planning Your Own Successful Fun Run
If the school fun run examples above have inspired you to organise your own, or a similar fundraiser for your school, you’re in luck – we’ve collated a few essential tips from those in the know.
Our success stories highlight the importance of setting clear goals and objectives – one of several crucial tips for planning a fun run that runs smoothly, engages students, and of course, raises money for your school, and we’re always proud to provide plenty of support and tools for maximum impact.
Check out our step-by-step guide to planning a successful school fun run below, courtesy of Talara Primary College Fundraising Coordinator, Elisha Dibben.
- Set a minimum participation fee of $10 raised through the online platform. The kids get a prize and the school gets at least $5.60 per student that participates. Of course, it’s important to keep this as accessible as possible so that students who may be at a financial disadvantage don’t miss out.
- Run it on a school day to maximise participation.
- Set goals and rewards. Talara Primary College set a fundraising goal and when we smashed it all the kids got ice blocks on the day.
- Promote, promote, and then promote some more. Talara Primary College used Facebook, sent a letter home, put a notice in the newsletter, and put a banner on the fence. Some schools also send senior students to talk to students in different classes and show off some of the prizes.
- Reward the top fundraiser/s with a ‘money can’t buy’ experience like sliming the principal! The kids at Talara loved that! Our principal pretended to be going to a really important meeting and dressed up just for the sliming. The kids couldn’t believe their eyes when he got slimed. It’s always a great way to motivate students to raise money.
- Even though online fundraising is preferred, some students were still given cash. We got them to enter it into their profile page and hand the cash it into office in an envelope. It gets placed into a locked box, and then volunteers come in and reconcile it against the student’s profile. As a final check, we then go through and verify cash at the end. If there appears to be an issue, we contact the parents to confirm it.
- Have a fun course for them to run. We had nine stations, with a mix of wet, dry and genuine colour powder to keep the kids interested.
- Get lots of footage that you can use to share and promote your next event.
- It’s a good idea to run it over the whole day in stages. Students ran for 30-40 minutes on the course in Year level groups, with six groups over the course of the day. It gives the parents a good opportunity to socialise with each other and support their children, and makes it a real community event.
- Get lots of parent helpers on the day to share the load.
- NB. Colour Run is a trademarked term, so be sure to avoid calling it this.
- Consider renting a foam canon. It’s not cheap, but makes for a huge amount of excitement for the day, and doesn’t damage the oval.
- To ensure your product lasts the whole day, allocate powder to each of the sessions and across the colour stations. If there’s any left over at the end of the day, you can do a big finale photo by opening the colour powder bottles and throwing what’s left of the powder in the air.
TALARA PRIMARY COLLEGE FUNDRAISING RESULTS
DIY colour powder fun run vs using Australian Fundraising One fundraising coordinator’s analysis
FACTS:
- Total Students: 1,100
- DIY Net Fund Raised 2021: $12,000
- Australian Fundraising Net Funds Raised 2022: $26,371
- Australian Fundraising Total Funds Raised 2022: $45,311
- Fundraising Event: Colour Explosion® School Run 4 Fun
- Prize Selection: Traditional
- Collection Process: Online plus Cash
Fun runs: a final word
Running a school fundraising event doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming – in fact, these inspiring stories capture all of the best things about what we do at Australian Fundraising. Not only is it possible to organise a fun run that leaves students with priceless memories while also building community spirit and raising money for your school, but with our team in support, it can be easy and fun. If your school has been looking for a fundraising solution and a way to bring the community together, Australian Fundraising can provide all the support and guidance you need to get the full benefit of Australia’s best fundraising programs.
Cross the finish line faster with Australian Fundraising
Australian Fundraising has supported thousands of schools in their mission to organise a successful school fun run, and we can do the same for you. For more information on our services and approach to providing personalised support, please reach out to our friendly team. Our head office is in Brisbane and we are ready to take your call. Phone: 1300 133 022
