Event Ideas

Remember that you have options as to events you put on! Here are some great ideas for event initiatives. Ideally, you can pick one as your “Main Event” for the Spring, and have other small ones leading up to it as advertisement and a way to practice year-round philanthropy!

• Dance Marathon: The classic and traditional option, bring together all the students in your school for a night of dancing
• Color Run: Integrate the community with a color run 5K where anyone can participate
• Field Day: Plan a field day like the ones you went to in Elementary school to relive your glory days as king of the playground
• Pumpkin Patch: Have people give donations to carve a pumpkin and take it home. Perfect around Halloween time!
• Haunted House: Create a haunted house for students or families from the community to visit
• Sporting Event: Some possibilities include flag-football, basketball, volleyball or dodgeball tournament, where you can provide refreshments and have teams register on TeamRaiser
• Olympics: Create a mini Olympics at your school where students can compete at different events. If you want to build competition, use homeroom classrooms as “countries” and see who can score the most points
• Toy Drive: Encourage students and teachers to bring in toys for donation. Then organize a trip to hand them off at Nationwide!
• Teacher Tasks: Have students donate money for a certain teacher that they want to see do an embarrassing or daring task. The teachers with the most money raised under their name have to do the task chosen by the students!

Activity Ideas

No matter what initiatives you plan, you want to be sure they are packed with tons of activities to keep the events exciting and fun. Below are some ideas that you can use to include, to engage your participants:

• Inflatables: Contact YMCAs or other organizations about borrowing inflatables.
• Dance Competition: Get your groove on and lighten up the event by getting everyone involved.
• Zumba: Great way to get everyone dancing, even those who don’t know how!
• Student Group Performers: Contact student bands or clubs that can perform.
• Casino Games: Consider having casino games at your event, this could also promote more fundraising.
• Cake Walks: Pay a dollar to participate in a cake walk!
• Carnival Games: Set up an area with a bunch of carnival games where students can donate to play!