School administrators, parents, and the kids themselves all love the fun and excitement of a good fundraiser. Which school can’t use some new textbooks, sports equipment, computers, new or upgraded audio-visual equipment, extra funds for that long-overdue maintenance or renovation project, etc.? Or, in lieu of a school project, which school doesn’t welcome the opportunity to raise some money for a local charity? Well, take it from Bernie the Bear and Santa’s elves in charge of fundraising and charity outreach that there’s always a need to bring in some extra cash to help the school or those in need. With that in mind, here are 4 ways to raise money for your school using a giant stocking filled with toys.
- Raffle off one or more giant Christmas stockings during the holiday period prior to Christmas break. The fundraiser can be advertised through various media including PTA newsletters, flyers, letter from the Principal, etc.
- Design and produce holiday greeting cards, creating sets of 10 or more. The child selling the most cards wins a giant Christmas stocking filled with toys. (This promotion allows children to show their creativity and artistic ability; and would be a logical tie-in with a fundraiser whose proceeds would be used for art or music enrichment at the school.)
- Have a traditional baked goods sale. The child who collects the most money for the sale of his family’s donated baked goods wins a giant stocking filled with name-brand toys.
- Have a Crazy Hat Day for both students and teachers. Each participant pays $5 (or some other nominal amount) to wear their craziest or funniest looking hat. Those who don their most bizarre hat get their hand stamped to certify that they’ve contributed the participation fee, and qualify for one raffle entry to win a giant stocking with toys. Proceeds go to a local charity (for example, an animal shelter); and some lucky person wins a stocking filled with name-brand toys that they can share with family members or donate to another charity (for example, a local orphanage).