Raising money and raising awareness is a win-win in our book. What are some steps school fundraising groups can take to support a healthier environment for your children, maintain social distancing standards in our COVID-19 world, and still meet the goals of your mission? At Parent Booster USA, we’ve got some ideas for green fundraising this year.

1. “Recycling” shoes

Funds2Orgs “...started with a single shoe that washed ashore after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.” What they do beyond collecting shoes is ship them to people and places hurt by natural disasters, especially developing countries. In turn, they pay groups who collect shoes. Instead of throwing out old shoes, consider a shoe drive through an organization like Funds2Orgs. 

The idea of a clothing rummage sale is just one of the ten ideas offered by Green Child Magazine in their article, 10 Eco-Friendly Fundraising Ideas. Read the article for nine more ways to earn money for your school through green fundraising.

2. School Auction/Raffle

Save some trees and move your raffles or auctions online. In our blog, Can Virtual Fundraising Save Your Spring Fundraiser, we have links to schoolauction.net and Bidding for Good to get you started. Similarly, live streams on Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube, and Vimeo provide ways for you to fundraise online in real-time. Thus, this makes events like auctions and raffles more exciting. Of course, always be sure to check your state’s regulations for “games of chance” by using Parent Booster USA’s state registration requirement map.

3. The Online Thrift Store

Don’t want to let go of that clothing so easily? There are a handful of sites online that provide outlets for selling clothing, so consider setting up your own as a thrift store. Sites like Poshmark set good examples of how to run a thrift shop online, with the option to submit your tax-exempt status. Sites like Etsy and Ebay also allow their sellers to engage with sales tax exemptions. 

In this way, accept clothing donations from your members. Show people what products are being sold. Sell items through your organization as fundraising money. This is especially helpful for organizations that use uniform clothing from year to year and have a high turnover.

4. The No-fundraiser Fundraiser

In Sandra Pfau Englund’s book, School Fundraising: So Much More Than Cookie Dough, Chapter 8 outlines the “no-fundraiser fundraiser.” This is great way to raise money through voluntary donations without managing the logistics of various products or putting on an event.

5. Support Fair Trade

Consider raising money with environmentally friendly and sustainable products. In this way, you can support merchants, farmers, and artisans who are part of the Fair Trade system. They demonstrate putting people and planet first in everything they do. Most offer online shops such as Global Good Partners, and Divine (for Fair Trade Certified™ chocolate from Ghana). Others, such as Fair Trade Caravans, offer fundraising programs for nonprofits.

Takeaways

Green fundraising is a hot topic, especially now. We all have to think outside the box in so many different ways due to the pandemic. Consider your environmental impact if you’re looking to make your fundraisers green. Raising awareness and reducing waste is better for everyone.

Parent Booster USA is glad to offer resources so you have options to consider when deciding how to keep your organization on track to meet your fundraising goals in our changing world.