Tag: best school fundraiser 2025

What If Fundraising Didn’t Feel Like Work?

Imagine this:
No signup sheets.
No stacks of cash.
No sorting tables in the gym at 10 p.m.
Just one link. You send it. People shop. Funds roll in.

Welcome to fundraising in 2025.

Great Fundraisers Don’t Feel Like Fundraisers

The best school campaigns don’t rely on guilt.
They don’t drain volunteers.
They don’t feel like selling random junk.

They feel like a win, for everyone.

When Good People Burn Out, Look at the System

You had enthusiastic volunteers.
Now they’re ghosting meetings.
You’re not alone.

It’s not that people don’t care.
They’re just done carrying broken systems on their backs.

Truth: Most Fundraisers Fail Quietly

No one wants to admit it, but if you’ve ever poured hours into a campaign only to raise a few hundred dollars… you know the feeling.

It’s not because your PAC is lazy. It’s not because your parents don’t care. It’s because the system you used was broken from the start.

You Know That Feeling…

You’re sitting in a crowded PAC meeting. Someone timidly raises their hand with a great idea, more outdoor recess equipment, new musical instruments, maybe just snacks for hungry kids.

And then it starts:
“How much will it cost?”
“Can we afford it?”
“Is this more important than the grade 6 field trip?”

Suddenly, this well-meaning parent is in full pitch mode, like they’re asking for venture capital.

And everyone in the room feels it. The tension. The guilt. The quiet burnout no one talks about.

If you’ve ever helped run a school fundraiser, you already know the pain:

Ordering too much. Chasing down forms. Collecting cash. And watching leftover cookie dough sit in someone’s freezer for six months.

The truth is, most school fundraisers are built to fail, because they start with a broken model.

If your school fundraiser isn’t reaching its goal, it might not be the effort that’s the problem, it might be your product selection.

People want to participate in fundraisers that offer something they actually want or need. One of the biggest mistakes schools make is limiting their offering to a single product, which means fewer people are interested.

Here’s why offering a variety of products can make all the difference.

When it comes to school fundraising, there’s a problem that few are talking about:

Gen Z isn’t interested.

If your school fundraiser is struggling to get students involved, it’s time to take a hard look at your approach. Gen Z, born roughly between 1997 and 2012, has different values, habits, and preferences than previous generations.

Here’s why your fundraiser might be falling flat, and how to fix it.

When schools plan fundraisers, they often focus solely on the financial goal. But what if your fundraiser wasn’t just about raising money, what if it was about building a lasting culture of giving?

Schools that focus on cultivating a giving mindset create more sustainable, community-driven support. Here’s how to make your fundraiser about more than just dollars.