Some Ideas for Successful Elementary School Fundraisers

Yes, I have to admit it; I am a child of the 60’s.  I grew up long before book sales, wrapping paper sales, and over priced candy sales were a part of the fabric of almost every school in America.  How did elementary school fund raising proceed back in the good old days and some ideas for elementary school fund raising today is the themes of this article?

I know that many of you remember the P.T.A.’s from yester year.  Yes, P.T.O.’s were actually called PTA’s at one time.  These were the fund raising brain centers for elementary schools in the good old days.  Probably the largest and most successful fund raiser for schools back then was the school carnival.

When there was a little snap to the air we all anticipated the annual school carnival.  Pony rides, carousels, and little trailer pulled ferriswheels were the mainstay of the school carnival of old.  Why the SPCA would probably have a fit if a school were to try and bring a remuda of ponies onto school grounds to go round and round carrying children of all weights and sizes.  Why children would probably have to be weighed prior to getting onto one of the ponies and with the obesity problem of school age children today the whole thing would probably be money looser.  Lord knows that none of those small ferriswheels were ever properly maintained or had the appropriate state license to operate.  Of course we were a lot less worldly than children today, they would more than likely be bored by the whole thing and just want to go home and play video games.

Today’s elementary school fund raising is much more profitable and not nearly as much fun.  Hey, who ever thought that there was so much money to be made in wrapping paper?  The one exception to modern fund raisers is the cookie dough sale.  We did not have the good fortune of being able to sell cookie dough when I was young, but it seems like a great fund raiser to me.  Firstly, there is a high profit margin for the school to make in cookie dough sales.  But secondly, and probably most importantly cookie dough allows the family that purchases it the opportunity to do something together- bake the cookies.  Today’s families are always running at full speed and have little time to do things together.  Baking these cookies is a good family activity and they also taste great.