One of the problems with youth fundraising is motivating kids to participate…this may be their first project where they’re asked to meet the public and sell something. Boring scratch cards and flower bulbs aren’t exciting enough for younger kids, so parents often end up having to do the fundraising themselves.(Always welcome activity at the office, right?)
Whether you’re raising money for school, a church group, or a sports team, these youth fundraising ideas keep kids interested.
5 Ideas for Youth Fundraising
#5. Volunteer Grants
Volunteer grants can give your group money for volunteering in their community, and every class or grade can own their own project. Business sponsors agree to support a class in return for publicity and the chance to contribute to the community (and promote their good deed on social media!) The grants will give your group money based on the number of hours you spend volunteering. So, not only are you able to get together to accomplish something good, but you’re also fundraising!
#4. Fall Festival with Chili Cook-off
Seasonal festivals are always a fun time for families and community members; your school or church youth group may already have made booths for other events. Set up simple games like cornhole (AKA bean bag toss) and musical chairs, and charge admission tickets. Get kids’ families to make their favorite chili, and have a cook-off. Everyone at the festival can vote for their favorite.
Cold weather shouldn’t prevent you from having a fundraising festival. Winter festivals designed like we’ve described are fun indoors, too…and you could sell cups of chili or soup (or cocoa!) to help raise more money for your young people and your project.
#3. Egg Hunt
Who says egg hunts are only for Easter? A church or school-wide egg hunt is really exciting for younger kids. They’re easy for you to set up, too. Buy plastic eggs, put candy in them, and find some creative hiding spots.
When using an egg hunt as a youth fundraiser, there are a couple ways you can go about raising money. One way is to simply charge an admission fee to participate. You could even have your egg hunt at the fall festival we mentioned in idea #4.
Another creative way to raise money with an egg hunt is to have community members donate money before the hunt, regardless of whether or not they have kids to participate. Along with candy, write down dollar amounts on paper, and put them inside of each egg.
Each egg’s dollar amount (depending on how hard the egg was to find!) should add up to the total amount donated by your community. At the end of their egg hunt, kids count up how much money they found. The kid with the most money in their eggs wins a giant chocolate egg or bunny, or a showy prize.
#2. Bingo Night
Set up a bingo night and invite the kids to play with their parents. Charge admission fees and set up a bake sale. Winners of each round can win full cakes or other prizes donated by the community. Local businesses are usually happy to donate a single item to youth fundraisers. A big bouquet of flowers, special cakes, gift cards, and coupons make for great bingo prizes.
#1. World’s Finest® Chocolate
Have you ever met a kid that doesn’t get excited about chocolate? We haven’t!
World’s Finest Chocolate has helped groups like yours raise over $4 billion since 1949. Our success is due to superior product quality, an affordable price point, and simplicity for parents.
- We make our chocolate right here in the U.S.A.
- Each chocolate bar costs donors only $1 or $2, with up to a 50% profit margin for you, based on the volume you order
- Chocolate bars are easy to sell – low prices and no order forms!
- Fundraisers get wrapped up quickly, in just 2-3 weeks
- Schools and non-profits can sign up to get credit on their PERSONALIZED order
Selling chocolate is easily combined with our other ideas for youth fundraising. Especially since there are no upfront costs for qualifying organizations.
Start A Fundraiser with WFC
Start a fundraiser today by getting in touch with your local representative. Or, pick up your free fundraising guide here!