Fundraising ideas for kids
Fundraising with children teaches them many valuable lessons about life. From educating them about worthy causes to instilling the values of teamwork and altruism, fundraising with your children is an integral part of their development. And also, it can be fun!
Here we’ve compiled some easy fundraising ideas for children.
Why fundraising is important for children
Aside from raising money for a good cause, there are a few reasons why fundraising with kids is good. Not only does it teach responsibility, but it can also help to develop communication skills as your child works as part of a team.
Teaches responsibility and empathy
If you’ve decided that you’d like to launch a fundraiser with your child, it can be a really helpful lesson in empathy, compassion, and responsibility. Talk to them about all the different charities and good causes out there to see if there are any that they are particularly interested in. Letting them lead will help to instil that sense of autonomy. Explaining why fundraising is important will also help with their sense of empathy and compassion for others around them.
Promotes teamwork and communication
Along with developing key emotional skills, fundraising can help to promote teamwork and communication—especially if you’re fundraising as part of a larger group of parents and children.
Whether you’re planning the logistics of a fundraising activity or raising awareness by writing to local community members about the cause, communication is key.
Tips for organising a successful fundraiser with children
Now that you’ve decided on a family fundraiser, there are a couple of tips to really help get you going. To start a GoFundMe, you need to be at least 13 with a parent’s or guardian’s permission, but if you’re fundraising with a younger child, you can start one as the adult but personalise the page together.
Age-appropriate activities
A really important point to make when fundraising with your child is to choose age-appropriate activities. Not only does this mean your child will enjoy the event, but you’re more likely to get a response from their friends of a similar age too, maximising your chances of raising more money. Look at brackets such as under 7s, 7-11, and 12 and above, for example. This gives a wide enough variety for plenty of people to get involved, but ensures everyone stays happy and safe. A versatile choice of activity, for example, might be a sports day in a local park, with different activities such as a fun run, obstacle course, and face painting.
Community involvement
Getting the community involved in fundraising is a brilliant way to engage more people, which leads to wider circles knowing about your fundraising efforts and hopefully more donations.
Why not see if teachers, family members, and other parents want to get involved in your fundraising? They could do everything from stewarding the event, for example, or handing out leaflets.
Keep it fun
It’s important to keep the fun in fundraising when you’re looking to engage a child or group of children. Think about your child’s interests, are they sporty, do they like reading, are they creative? And think about a fundraising event which might include some of their interests to keep it engaging.
Child safety and supervision
If you’re hosting a fundraising event with your child or other children, it’s important to emphasise the importance of adult supervision at all times. The child’s physical and emotional safety must be paramount, so make sure that you have plenty of other parents or guardians there to keep an eye on everyone. If there’s a big group of children, don’t try to take all the responsibility on yourself.
Fun and easy fundraising ideas for children
Now, onto the good part – where you can start thinking about all the fun activities you can do to get those donations rolling in. From fundraising events to sponsorship, here are some ideas to help you reach your fundraising goals in no time.
Sponsored walks or runs
Sponsored walks, jogs, or runs are great fundraising ideas because they are free, easy to organise, and can be adjusted for any age group. Plus, it gets your little ones out of the house and active.
If you want an idea that’ll be a true hit with parents and teachers, why not introduce a sponsored silence?
Bake sales
Bake sales are a classic fundraising idea and appreciated by everyone. If you decide to do a bake sale, the easiest option would be to pick a place where everyone congregates anyway – like school, for example.
Encourage those contributing to pick simple recipes that the child can help with under parental supervision. And if you need to bolster the numbers, you can always pick up something pre-made, too.
Fancy dress day
Who doesn’t love a fancy dress day? Organise a day at school where students and teachers alike can dress up as their favourite characters for a small donation. For events like this, make it clear that the costumes don’t have to be fancy or expensive, and to make it inclusive, why not offer prizes for the most creative look? You could also tie in a book sale featuring some of the children’s favourite characters.
Charity car wash
A charity car wash is a classic fundraising event to raise money, and a fun one too. Just make sure that the car wash is organised in a safe space, like a school or community centre car park, with plenty of adult supervision so that there’s no damage to the vehicles or unsafe behaviour around roads. For a car wash, materials like sponges will be needed.
Non-uniform day
A non-uniform day is always a treat for any young person. Encourage the school to put one on, with a small fee to be paid to wear casual clothes for the day.
Make the day even more special by hosting a school fete or end-of-term talent show. You can take a look at our post on school fundraising ideas too, for more inspiration.
Eco-friendly fundraisers
A really brilliant way to tie in teaching children about the environment would be to have a fundraiser centred around being eco-friendly. The possibilities here are boundless and also very easy to set up. You could hold a competition to see who can collect the most litter, or bottles for recycling, or even grow plants to sell in the local community.
Read-a-thon
One for all the little bookworms – a read-a-thon where children are sponsored to read as many books as possible in a set time. Encourage those taking part to create a reading journal to document what they’ve read and their thoughts to share with their friends. A small prize could be provided at the end, too, as an incentive.
Treasure hunt
A treasure hunt is a fantastic way to raise money. Make sure you have plenty of prizes for the children to find (consider partnering with small local businesses to provide donations). This could be themed around your cause or time of year, for example, host an easter egg hunt. Charge a small entrance fee to take part.
Games night
A games night is a fun way to bring people together to raise money and awareness. You can supply board games or video games for the children to play with. Depending on the children’s age, you could incorporate a quiz night, or just have that for the adults. Charge an entry fee to raise funds. Sell ice cream, popcorn, and refreshments on site with profits going directly to the fundraising total.
Start fundraising today
If you’re still looking for some inspiration, we also have a blog post on fundraising ideas in general.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you publicise the online fundraising page at the event, on social media, and in those friends and family group chats. Make it as easy as possible for people to donate to your good cause.
It couldn’t be easier to start fundraising for a good cause with your child on GoFundMe. Fundraising together could be a bonding experience where everyone gets satisfaction and fulfilment from doing something good, whilst having fun along the way. Be sure to choose something educational, appropriate, and safe – and good luck.