Healthy School Fundraising

School fundraisers raise money for activities and programs not covered by the school’s regular operating budget: sports teams, field trips, scholarships, new programs, or classroom equipment. Many school fundraisers sell foods like cookie dough, pizzas, candies, and cookies.  Parents can request  healthier fundraising options through the PTO, or by talking to school administration. Here are some ideas for fundraisers that are not focused on foods:

• Sell a different product: The simplest way to transform fundraising is to find companies that cater to school fundraisers, but offer non-food, or healthy food products. Citrus sales, candles, reusable shopping bags, school spirit items (tee shirts, patches)... Companies are set up to work with schools, making it a quick and easy transition from pizza or cookie dough sales. A quick Internet search for “non-food school fundraisers” will turn up a variety of options.


• Clothing swap: Kids grow out of clothes at lightning speed, leaving parents with the task of unloading too small clothes, and buying the next size up. A clothing swap can allow families to donate gently used clothing to the fundraiser, then select from clothes to buy for cheap, with all funds going to the school. Keep it simple by pricing everything in standard amounts, such as a dollar per item.


• Movie night at the school: Host a movie on the lawn or indoors, projecting a popular family film onto a wall. Families can pay a small fee to attend and have healthy snacks while they watch the film. Fruit, nuts and seeds, trail mix and low-fat popcorn are great options.


• Parents’ night out: Invite parents to sign up to drop their kids off at the school for babysitting while they enjoy a night out. Seek parent, teacher, and staff volunteers to help supervise the kids. Charge for the service, and be sure to provide the kids lots of opportunities for physical activity while they are in your care.

Discuss your plans with school administrators before moving forward. Discuss the importance of keeping fundraisers consistent with nutrition and health messaging students are being taught in school.