Don\’t buy cheap, mass-produced trash from China just to raise money for your school. Green fundraising for schools doesn\’t have to mean less money raised or fewer positive effects on the environment.
Are you sick of the same old fundraisers selling unhealthy things like wrapping paper, sweets, poisonous candles, and cookies? To the same extent, we are.
But how can schools teach students to care for others and the planet while also making a profit?
This year, my environmentally conscious fundraising team aimed to do both. Seven years ago, we had just one recycling pickup program (for printer cartridges), but now we have twenty.
1. Hold a Book Sale to Raise Money:
A used books fundraiser connects people who want to declutter their homes with people who want to buy books at low prices. FundraisingIP is your one-stop shop for planning and executing a successful used-book sale.
2. Throw a Trivia Party:
Pick a hot topic, and have each team pay ten dollars to compete. You can do this with the help of BetterWorld\’s online fundraising platform. Request that teams submit potential trivia questions in advance through the BetterWorld ticketing platform\’s Custom Questions feature.
Create some healthy rivalry by offering fantastic incentives to the victorious participants. Selling snacks is a great way to boost your earnings.
3. Promote a Product That Has Real-World Appeal:
Selling something that has practical value is essential. Because of the widespread appeal of these beverages, this choice is ideal.
Organic and Fair Trade goodies including chocolate, coffee, tea, cocoa, olive oil, and more are available at a 40% profit through the Equal Exchange Catalog Fundraiser. This is a fair trade, eco-friendly, and health-conscious fundraiser.
They also provide educational materials that can help you teach your kids about the need of caring for the environment, eating healthily, and interacting with people of different cultures at an early age.
4. Get Paid to Wrap Food:
The simple act of collecting and recycling a wide variety of materials that are not generally permitted in curbside recycling can generate revenue for schools around the country.
Many of TerraCycle\’s collection programs pay the company two cents every item collected. We accumulated many different types of trash, including plastic lunch bags, Capri Sun containers, chip bags, gum containers, energy bar containers, marker and glue stick containers, and many more. The items were tallied by the students in the environmental club after school.
How to Raise Money using TerraCycle:
Make your school\’s own TerraCycle account today!
Participate in as many free recycling programs as you like.
Use what you have on hand to create a TerraCycle recycling center at your school, complete with bins for collecting recyclables.
Get the word out that kids, parents, and staff can all chip into a school fundraiser by recycling.
When the bins are full, simply print out a shipping label from TerraCycle\’s website and drop off your recyclables at no cost.
Receive a donation for funding field excursions, new supplies, and more with every shipment.
Every school that joins TerraCycle by the end of the year will get $5 to put toward their fundraising efforts.
5. Recycling of Electronics and Paper/Inkjet Cartridges:
Both Recycling Fundraiser and Funding Factory provide ways to make money by purchasing and recycling electrical items like mobile phones, iPhones, iPads, and other digital gadgets. Broken goods can sometimes be returned to some organizations.
Used printer cartridges can be sold for money through Recycling Fundraiser, Funding Factory, and Earthtone Solutions. The cost of cartridges is also covered by Terracycle.
6. Fundraising with Eco-Friendly Purchasing:
There are a number of online fundraising platforms where your supporters can purchase environmentally friendly things that also happen to be rather practical. In addition, they provide options for fundraising through catalog or online drives, where a group may earn up to 45% of the sales commissions. Family-friendly activities and lunches can be found in Boon Supply\’s Waste Free Lunch section.
It is only logical for schools to use their fundraising efforts to purchase waste-free lunch products. In addition, EcoLunchboxes has a scheme where 15% of sales are donated back to your institution.
Smencils are a great way to kick off your fall fundraising campaign. Smencil and Smens are fresh-smelling pencils and pens created from recycled newspapers.
By selling Tru Earth\’s very practical and risk-free liquid-less laundry detergent, your school may earn 20% of each sale as a fundraiser. You will be given a personalized fundraising link that you can promote through various channels, such as social media, email newsletters, and your institution\’s website.
A seed/bulb sale can be a successful fundraiser in the spring and fall. High Mowing Organic Seeds hosts seed drives that use only organic, non-GMO seeds. Flower bulbs are available in a broad selection from Dutch Mill Bulbs, perfect for any project.
7. Plan a Taco Social:
A celebration with free food is a great way to motivate people. The winning class will have a taco (or pizza, or dessert) party at school.
This is a great chance for kids to unwind and get to know one another while also raising money for the school.
8. To raise money, have a garage sale:
Try organizing a community garage sale instead of selling new products to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and packaging. Write a note to parents asking them to have their kids help them clean out the attic and basement of unused stuff in good shape. Pick a convenient spot with lots of parking and get the word out to the neighborhood. Organize shifts for the staff. Donations in cash are also welcome.
9. Fundraising Snacks, Meals, and Tote Bags:
Having a waste-free lunch sale after school, at an event, or as part of a fundraiser is a great way to spread the zero-waste message and help your school cut down on trash generated from students\’ lunch packing. To help your school raise money.
10. Merchandise T-shirts:
T-shirts can serve double duty as eco-friendly fundraising apparel for events and clubs on campus. One because you absolutely needed them, and another if you choose a shirt created in a sustainable way. Think about more than just pricing when selecting a shirt retailer, though.
Buying from a nearby business can be more convenient and give you more say in the process. More variety, especially in environmentally friendly materials, could be found through an online retailer. T-shirt sales at Green Benefits and the Bonfire are an eco-friendly way to raise money.
Go the Crowdfunding Route:
Personalized, ongoing donations are possible with the correct crowdfunding platform. In addition to the annual education fund, crowdfunding can be used to help acquire eco-friendly school supplies and finance classroom upgrades. It\’s also a great way to get the word out about an offline event like a benefit or auction and to collect money from those who couldn\’t make it in person or from people who wanted to but couldn\’t.