Top fundraising ideas for schools
Are you a teacher looking for some school fundraising inspiration? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Here are Teenage Cancer Trust’s top fundraising ideas for schools. From non-school uniform days to quiz challenges, supporting us with an event or challenge will help change the lives of young people and families affected by cancer.
Non-school uniform day
It’s a timeless classic – pupils donate to ditch their uniforms for the day. Let students showcase their out-of-school style or ask them to dress to a theme. How about the 90s? Or keep it simple with red and blue to match our logo. Calendar dates like Halloween are also a great excuse for fancy dress.
Quiz day
Give those brains a boost while raising vital funds for teenagers with cancer. A quiz day is a fun and easy fundraising idea for schools that will teach pupils plenty of interesting facts along the way.
Read-a-thon
Calling all book worms! Invite your class to take part in a literary challenge. Set pupils a book reading target and ask them to collect sponsorship from family and friends to spur them on.
Spelling bee
Organise a school spelling contest and ask entrants for a small donation to be in with the chance of being crowned a champion wordsmith. Approach local companies for prizes.
Talent contest
Find your school’s budding Beyoncé or Brad Pitt with an X Factor-style talent show. Sell tickets to family and friends, and consider laying on some refreshments or holding a raffle to further boost the funds your school raises for teenagers with cancer.
Pie the teacher
Set up a JustGiving page for each teacher in your school, and the one who has the most money on their page by lunchtime on Friday gets a custard pie in their face. Or maybe they could take a bath of baked beans instead? Is it mean? Maybe… but it’s a sure-fire way to pull in pounds for young people in need.
Sports challenges
There’s no need to wait until sports day to put your pupils’ athletic prowess to the test in the name of Teenage Cancer Trust. From football tournaments to dance marathons, pick an exercise challenge to appeal to your students and ask them to get sponsorship or donate to enter. There are also organised nationwide events for your school to tag fundraising onto, such as the TCS Mini London Marathon which calls on children to run, jog, walk or wheel 2.6 miles in their school.
Fundraising merchandise
Set a design competition for a school Christmas card, mug, or tea towel and then get the winning entry printed onto your chosen merchandise. Sell to parents, friends and relatives and donate the profits to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Book and toy sales
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so why not hold a charity jumble sale at your school? Ask pupils to bring in unwanted books and toys to sell to fellow students, with donations going to charity. It’s a perfect excuse for parents to encourage kids to have a clear out while raising crucial cash for youngsters facing cancer.
Cake or craft sales
Put your pupils’ creative or baking skills to the test and sell their crafting and culinary masterpieces at a dedicated sale. Each class could even choose a theme and make the wares to sell as a team.
School fetes
Annual fetes are a great way of raising funds for charity. How about setting up a Teenage Cancer Trust fundraising stall at your event? You could ask people to guess the number of sweets in a jar or host a fun activity like ‘beat the goalie’ or ‘hook a duck’.
How does our school get the money raised to Teenage Cancer Trust?
If you’ve set up an online fundraising page for your school’s event or challenge, we’ll automatically get the money. If you’ve raised cash donations yourself, check out our paying in money to us guide. And be sure to register your event in advance to get all of the help and resources you need to make it a success.