Valentine's Day fundraising ideas
Valentine's Day presents some great fundraising
opportunities. Whether it's love-struck pupils or loved-up parents,
here are a few ideas...
Secret delivery
We all know how popular bake sales can be, but give this a new
twist by offering an anonymous delivery service. Your customer pays
£1 for a cupcake and provides details of the intended recipient.
They write a message (either signed or left anonymous) to go with
their gift. But on delivery of the cake, the recipient is charged
£1 to receive the accompanying note! No-one will be able to resist
trying to guess who their secret admirer is. If cakes are too
time-consuming then how about using packets of lovehearts (lovehearts.com) or silk rose buds (gtdecorations.com).
Valentine's auction
Why not organise a fundraising Valentine's auction event? The
prizes on offer should be appropriate, such as cinema tickets,
restaurant vouchers and romantic weekend getaways. See what local
businesses are willing to donate in return for free publicity at
the event. There are numerous ways to run an auction - either as an
event it its own right, or as part of another. This will largely
depend on your skills in securing some top-notch lots!
Wine and dine
It can be expensive to go out around Valentine's Day, so a
dinner-dance for parents is sure to be appreciated - it's local,
good value and fun. For the pupils, see if you can hijack the
lunchroom to transform it into an utterly loved-up haven, with
draped table cloths and heart shaped confetti. You might even want
to put little pots of flowers onto the tables, depending, of
course, on how likely the children are to knock them over! For
children in Years 5 and 6, why not hold an after school 'dinner'
event, where they can act thoroughly grown up and sophisticated.
We're thinking smaller tables, for groups of two, three or four,
with dimmed lights, romantically lit with electric candles - visit
smartcandle.co.uk to see the range available,
including red, heart-shaped tea lights (remember, it's all about
getting the ambiance right!). Encourage conversation by providing
jars with interesting questions, e.g. 'if you could only eat three
things for the rest of your life, what would they be?' or 'if your
pet could talk, what would you ask it?' Encourage the children to
take it in turns to ask questions and to really listen to their
friends' answers. We're sure this will help keep conversations
going and at least your PTA will have had fun making up the
questions! Charge the children a fee to attend, asking them to pay
beforehand to avoid them having to bring cash to the event
itself.
Valentine's verse
Create an anthology of pupils' poems and sell the books as a
fundraiser. School staff are sure to help by setting this as a
class project, encouraging children to think about love and
friendship. Ask the children to provide an illustration to
accompany their verse. Visit schoolcalendars.co.uk - costs start at £1.49
per book.
Heartfelt ideas
How about a 'race of hearts'? Invest in some plump heart-shaped
cushions and set up a relay race with pupils running a set distance
(with the cushions between their knees) before passing the
baton. The British Heart Foundation has a range of school
fundraising events, and if you choose to run one, BHF will provide
you with all the resources you need for the day for free, and you
can also keep 20% of the funds raised for your school. Find out
more here.
Discos and Valentine's Day balls
These are a popular choice, especially for primary schools.
Promote your event in plenty of time to allow for the infernal
search for the perfect outfit! If you're worried about putting off
older pupils, then how about having a masked ball, with prizes for
the best home-made creations? Or drop the valentine's theme
altogether and have a crazy hair or a 'dress to impress' theme. You
could even opt to celebrate
Chinese New Year instead.
Remember to sell glow sticks, glitter tattoos or even sweets (or
heart-shaped biscuits), but let parent's know in advance if
children need to bring along some pocket money on the
night.
Themed non-uniform days
Non-uniform days are a quick and simple fundraiser. Get pupils
to wear red and pink for the day in exchange for £1.
Film club
A film afternoon makes the perfect fundraiser for crisp February
days. Choose a film with strong themes of love and friendship, e.g.
Shrek, but don't choose anything too soppy or you'll scare the boys
off! Licence requirements apply, read our film licensing feature.
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