Senior year is the time to get nostalgic. A new life is about to start and anxiety hits in. It’s even more stressful when your class decides to buy a senior gift for your school. We know that this is expensive, and that parents won’t be happy if they have to pay for it themselves. It doesn’t matter if the gift is a monument, a new water fountain, a new school sign, or even a big donation to a charity — money shouldn’t be the problem. school fundraiser ideas
We also know that sometimes the money for your senior class is for something a little less altruistic, such as a senior trip. That’s more than fine! But…if a present costs a lot, imagine a trip for the whole class, especially if you’re going far away.
We will help you with the best senior class fundraising ideas so you join your class in a place where you can enjoy the final moments of being high schoolers together. This senior trip will be the cherry on top of the last four years you’ve spent together; you won’t want to miss it!
FundMyTravel is here to help you brainstorm some fundraising ideas for high school trips. We’ll tell you what to do to get that cash in. (We promise to stay away from those car wash and bake sale cliches.) And if you’re worried about the efficiency of your fundraising, make sure you know the best days to fundraise.
Let’s dive into fundraising ideas for senior class trips!
8 FUN SENIOR TRIP FUNDRAISING IDEAS
1. COLOR RUN
This is a family- and Insta-friendly idea. Children and adults of all ages will get excited to play with colored chalk. These runs are usually 5k and require a few intervals in which organizers can throw colored powder on the participants. Plus, this event is a no-brainer to organize. You can charge for tickets and offer “upgrades” if you’d like, such as individual bags of colored chalk or a white bandana. This is definitely one of the messiest senior trip fundraising ideas — but so memorable.
2. BIKE-A-THON
This is another one of those family-friendly school trip fundraising ideas. Invite parents, aunts, uncles, and other family members (hey, they usually have more money to give, right?). Many people already have bikes, so you just have to ask them to show up. Not to mention, this is a great way to incentivize green mobility! To organize this event, you can sell tickets online or charge for participants’ t-shirts. You can even get a local shop to sponsor this class trip fundraising idea.
3. RESERVED PARKING
We all know that we millennials are late all the time, so why not make money off our tardiness? Talk to your school and ask permission to sell the parking spots closer to your school for a day or two. It will help you get money for your school trip. You will be able to get late people’s money and also profit from the ones who desire a parking spot close to the school’s buildings. Please do include teachers in your parking-spot sale!
4. TEACHER PERFORMANCE
We always forget — but teachers are humans as well. They have talents! Talk to your teachers and organize a show with those willing to perform something. It can be playing an instrument, a set of stand-up comedy, or a group dance. They, more than any adults around you, will want to see the senior trip fundraisers working. Again, you will be able to charge tickets for this grand performance. If it happens, don’t forget to thank your teachers for their help!
5. DOG-SITTING DAY
Create a dog care for a day! (Everyone loves puppies.) Offer to walk and play with your community’s dogs in order to help your class fundraising. Reserve a restricted area in your school where you can set up your makeshift kennel where dogs can have fun, but stay safe as well. People will be thrilled to have their dogs entertained in a different way and to share their dog pictures with you. Who wouldn’t be excited to bring their dog to school?
6. CROWDFUNDING
The most popular fundraising method out there. It easily reaches and encourages people to help. To make it work, it’s necessary to plan objectives and incentives. Your efforts should be more than sharing it on social media though — it’s necessary to engage with people. Make sure your campaign is exciting or touching, and that it inspires people to give. FundMyTravel can help put your senior class fundraising ideas in motion, as well as help you with planning special rewards and perks in order to encourage more donations.
7. SCHOOL SLEEPOVER OR LOCK-IN
Use this senior class fundraising idea to experience your school in a different way. Organize with your school and set restricted areas (we recommend the gymnasium) where you and your friends are allowed to camp overnight on-site. Don’t forget to organize games and trivia to stay entertained while there. You can charge for tickets, organize a dinner or snacking session, or even sell small snacks to gather more money.
8. COMMUNITY BRUNCH
Today everything is about the ‘Gram, so why not create a cute garden party where people can come spend a few hours? Those “backyard brunches” are a great senior class fundraising idea to bring students together. Students and teachers can volunteer to bring dishes that they can sell and you can sell coupons for the food. It can even be cuter if there’s a theme — let’s say “Bonjour Paris!”. However, this idea can also be transformed into a “junk food” sale if you don’t feel like glittering it up.