20+ Easy and Creative Christian School Fundraising Ideas

As we know, Christian schools, like any schools, need extra funds. For instance, they might need fundraising revenue for student programs. They might need it to boost their programs, for ministries or other educational goals. That’s why Christian school fundraising ideas and fundraising events are critical for all schools. The following guide explains why fundraising is essential and fresh ideas to raise funds.

For starters, every faith-based organization or nonprofit needs fundraising revenue.  They’re essential to providing the essential resources for their mission. Christian schools are no different, which is why fundraising is a must-do more often than not. Still, keeping ideas fresh can be a challenge, as well as keeping events age-level or grade-appropriate.

Fortunately, this guide will provide your educational organization with lots of ideas for your school audience. That means that you’ll get a range of ideas that are great for school families with students at different grade levels. This guide covers over 20 easy and creative Christian school fundraising ideas to ensure your community is engaged. And that means more fundraising revenue!

Introduction to Christian School Fundraising Ideas

Christian school fundraising is part of the foundation of these educational organizations. Successfully raising the funds necessary allows for improved programs and lower tuition costs. With the rising expenses of providing quality education, it’s essential for schools to focus on creative fundraising campaigns. When schools successfully raise vital funds, they can better provide faith-based education. In doing so, educators can create better programs, improve facilities, and strengthen bonds in the process.

Christian schools can rally their families and community, and they can do it with creative fundraising ideas. So, whether you need new tech, or to support youth ministry, an effective fundraising campaign can make all the difference. Throughout this guide, you’ll learn about a range of ideas and strategies to improve your fundraising efforts. Moreover, the Christian school fundraising ideas within this guide—when branded—can help you highlight the uniqueness of your school.

Shoe Drive Fundraiser: Our Favorite Christian School Fundraising Idea

If you’re fundraising to meet a specific goal, you’re probably concerned about minimizing the overhead costs of revenue generation. To that end, you’re probably looking into low or even no-cost events your school can host conveniently—which is why our top pick for Christian school fundraising ideas is the shoe drive fundraiser.

You’re not asking your community for financial contributions in a shoe drive fundraiser. Instead, they collect gently worn, used and new shoes for your school. Then, you give these shoes to a fundraising provider who turns them into dollars for your cause!

Here is what working with Funds2Orgs, a top shoe drive fundraising provider, looks like:

1. Receive a welcome kit. Once you partner with us, we’ll send you a welcome kit filled with collection and marketing materials to make the fundraiser process even easier for your Christian school.
2. Set out shoe collection and marketing materials. You’ll set out collection materials like boxes and bins and put up marketing materials like flyers and posters to set up for your fundraiser.
3. Collect gently worn, used and new shoes. Your school’s community members will see your marketing materials and collect shoes for you. Remember to send periodic reminders through email newsletters and updates on your school bulletin, reminding people of your shoe drive fundraiser!
4. Coordinate your shoe pick-up. Once your shoe drive fundraiser ends, pack the collected shoes into collection bags and coordinate shoe pick-up with the Funds2Orgs logistics team.
5. Receive money from Funds2Orgs. After Funds2Orgs receives your shoes, they’ll send you a check within two business days!

Not only is this fundraiser free for your Christian school, but there’s no need for anyone to give money—they just need to give you their gently worn, used and new shoes.

Matching Gift Challenge

When you think of matching gifts, the chances are that you know it’s a type of corporate philanthropy. Employees can match their donations to your school with matching gifts from their employer. Depending on the company, matching gifts can occur for schools at the K-12 level and can double or triple a donation. As a result, in your fundraising communication for your Christian school, you should remind your supporters about the chance to double or even triple their impact.

Aside from corporations, you can also approach major donors or a local business to create a matching gift challenge. Your school can partner with someone who pledges a specific amount of money. In turn, that pledge stands so long as your Christian school can get an equal amount. For instance, a local faith-based business owner might pledge $10,000 for a matching gift challenge. The rest of the families at your school then match that pledge by commutatively raising $10,000. That’s a double impact!

A fundraising matching gift challenge happens during a specific period of time, such as a month. During this time, your school promotes it to your constituents. But don’t forget that it’s important to stress the matching gift component to the fundraiser to drive urgency. Encourage families and the community to donate a specific amount individually, and together, you’ll meet the match by the sponsor. Oh, and don’t forget to highlight the impact of this significant gift when matched!

Online Giving

Another sustainable revenue stream for Christian schools is online fundraising. As we know, millions and millions of dollars get raised online. By providing your community a way to give online allows your donors to give anytime and anywhere. The fact is, you never know exactly when a donor will be ready to give. So, you need to make it super easy. In turn, you’ll get more donations because you make it simple.

You need to do a few things for online giving on your website or social media. Set up a visually appealing and easy-to-use online donation page on your school’s website. Make sure it’s optimized for all devices (mobile phones, desktop computers, tablets), has a secure payment processor that accepts multiple payment types, and is easy to find on your site.

Offer recurring giving options, as well as one-time donation options, to get the most out of your funds. With recurring giving, community members can commit to providing you with a set amount of money every month, quarter, or year. Next up: let’s look at online fundraising strategies and peer-to-peer fundraising to get the best results.

1. Online Fundraising Strategies

Online fundraising strategies are a game-changer for Christian schools looking to raise money and connect with a broader community. Launching a well-planned online fundraising campaign allows your school to reach supporters far beyond your town. That makes it easier to get more funds and build lasting relationships. Start by creating a dedicated online giving page on your school’s website, making sure it’s easy to navigate and secure for donations.

Social media posts are a powerful tool for spreading the word about your fundraising campaigns. Share compelling stories about your students, highlight your school’s mission, and use photos and videos to engage your audience. Encourage your community members, students, and families to share these posts. Remember, your school families want to support you. So, ask them to share your story and posts with their networks to expand your reach.

2. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way for Christian schools to reach more people. In turn, it can raise more money by tapping into your supporters’ networks. In this model, students, parents, teachers, and other community members create their own fundraising pages. Then, they share them with friends, family, and colleagues on their social channels. In short, each person becomes an ambassador for your school by spreading the word and collecting donations on your behalf.

This is especially good for Christian school fundraising because it creates friendly competition and excitement and allows supporters to personalize their fundraising campaigns. You can set up a peer-to-peer fundraising platform online. Then, provide participants with marketing materials and suggested social media posts. Also, offer prizes to top fundraisers to keep everyone motivated. This fundraising idea will raise money for you and increase awareness of your school’s mission and programs.

Christian Product Sale

Product sales are self-explanatory. Your school will decide on the products, obtain them, and then sell them to your community. In a Christian product sale, you’ll pick items that are related to your religion, such as:

• Faith candle. These candles have decorative labels highlighting a Christian symbol or a Bible verse for the person to consider. You can also bundle them together and sell advent candle sets in the fall to help families get into the spirit of Christmas.
• Christian calendars. These are calendars with Christian imagery, Bible verses, inspirational quotes, and more to keep community members connected with their faith throughout the year.
• Devotional journals. You can personalize journals by adding Bible verses to the cover, which students can use for schoolwork or prayer.

You can also sell non-religious products during your product sales. Focus on items that would benefit students and the greater community, such as notebooks, pens, pencils, snacks, coupon books, and more. If you see great success with this Christian school fundraising idea, you can even open a small store on campus to generate sales throughout the year.

Christian School Tithes

Tithing is usually associated with churches, but your Christian school can also accept them from parents. If your school is connected to a local church or positioned as a ministry serving the broader community, you can accept tithes from community members.

Your audience may not know they can designate your Christian school as the recipient of their tithes, so send out email newsletters, text messages, and social media posts to spread awareness of this fundraising opportunity. Aside from helping your school garner more funds, you’ll also foster a culture of generosity within your community that aligns with the Bible’s teachings.

Raffle

In a traditional raffle, participants purchase tickets for the chance to win a prize through a random draw. The more tickets they buy, the more likely they are to win. Sometimes, organizers raffle off just a single large item, and other times, they offer several prizes. The key to this type of raffle is offering raffle baskets and prizes that your audience might be interested in.

Here are a few themed basket ideas your Christian school’s audience might be interested in:

• Bible basket
• Staycation basket
• Gift card basket
• Foodie basket
• Beach day basket

Alternatively, you can host a 50/50 raffle, in which participants buy tickets for a chance to win a cash prize. Half of the raffle proceeds will go to your school, and the other half will go to the winner!

Faith-Based Fundraising

Faith-based fundraising is at the heart of many Christian schools’ efforts to support their programs and community initiatives. These fundraising campaigns do more than just raise money. They also reinforce the values and mission of your school. By centering your Christian school fundraising ideas around faith, you can get more participation and giving from your community.

Popular faith-based fundraising ideas include bake sales after church services, auctions, charity runs, and movie nights. All of these fundraisers can be very profitable for your school. These events are good for raising money, fellowship, and spiritual growth.

Online fundraising is another powerful tool for faith-based organizations. Use your school’s website and social media to promote your fundraising campaigns, share stories of impact, and invite people to give. Highlight how donations will support programs, worship music, and other initiatives that align with your school’s mission.

Focusing your fundraising on faith-based values and community, your Christian school fundraising ideas can build a network and raise funds to continue doing what’s essential.

Family Game Night

Community togetherness and bonding are essential Christian ideals. What better way to encourage that and raise funds than hosting a family game night?

In this fundraising event, you’ll supply board and family-friendly video games. Families will pay a fee to come in and play the games you offer. This is a great way to encourage family togetherness. Moreover, it allows your students to try out games they might not have played before!

Walkathon

A walkathon is the perfect way to promote physical activity and get your students out and about. In this fundraiser, students will collect pledges from their family and friends based on the distance or duration they walk during the campaign. For example, a parent might pledge $1 for every mile the student walks.

Then, throughout the event, students will keep track of the time and distance they walk. This Christian school fundraising idea culminates in a final walkathon day, where students make a last-minute push to meet their goals and earn as much as possible. After the event, pledgers will donate the money they promised to your school!

You can pair your walkathon with a shoe drive fundraiser to boost funds further. Ask students to go through their closets and bring any gently worn, used or new shoes they don’t want anymore to your Christian school.

Readathon

Readathons operate like any other “a-thon” style fundraisers, except that pledges are made for the time or number of pages a student reads. These fundraising events help you foster a love of reading within your students while getting donations for your school.

If you’d like to align your readathon more closely with your school’s religion, consider a Bibleathon! Pledges will focus on how much time students spend reading the Bible in this fundraiser. It can also focus on how many verses they memorize, helping them to understand their faith better.

Bible Trivia Contest

Trivia contests are a fun pastime that people participate in. Why not tie it more closely to your faith by hosting a Bible trivia contest? Put together a list of Bible-related questions. These can be about the history of the Bible or its contents. Come up with questions of varying difficulty to challenge participants.

Determine ahead of time if participants are competing alone or in teams. Then, charge them a small fee to compete. The winner takes home a small prize, like a trophy. You can also open this competition to the greater community to encourage more sign-ups.

Christian Benefit Concert

If your Christian school is filled with music-loving families, a benefit concert might be the right choice for your next fundraising event. These are live music events or performances, so you can get your students involved by having them perform in the concert. You’ll fundraise by selling tickets to view the concert.

You can have your choir sing hymns for a benefit concert at a Christian school. You can also have your orchestra play worship music, contemporary Christian music, and more. If someone has a connection to a popular Christian artist, you could even get them to perform at your concert!

Spelling Bee

Spelling bees engage your students in a fun activity that brings out their competitive sides while expanding their classroom learning. Invite your elementary and middle school students to learn difficult-to-spell words and compete in your spelling bee. You can charge entrants a fee to compete and spectators a small fee to attend to help your Christian school raise funds.

Local Church Tour

If your school is connected with a local church, provide students with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the church’s facilities and history. With its history, a church tour is an exciting opportunity for community members to peek behind the curtain and learn about historical events. You’ll sell tickets to this experience to help your school raise funds.

If your school isn’t connected with a specific church, that doesn’t mean you can’t host this unique fundraising event! Contact local churches to see if they’d be open to partnering with your Christian school to help you fundraise. Chances are, they’ll be happy to help out! Bonus points if the church is historic or otherwise significant to your community.

Car Wash Fundraiser

A car wash fundraiser is a fantastic way for Christian schools to raise money. It brings students, parents, and church members together for a fun activity. This easy fundraising idea requires minimal setup. You only need to gather buckets, sponges, soap, and willing volunteers! Then, choose a high-traffic location, such as your school parking lot or a local church. Advertise your event with eye-catching signs and social media posts, and see the cars roll in for a car wash.

When the cars line up, a small fee is charged for each car washed. Also, consider offering additional services like vacuuming or windshield cleaning for extra donations. Don’t forget to encourage students to invite family members, friends, and neighbors to support the fundraiser. Not only does a car wash fundraiser help you raise funds for your school. It also provides a great opportunity for students to work together and serve the community.

Field Day

Field days are outdoor events involving games, sports, and activities that help students learn more about teamwork. You likely already have plenty of sports and outdoor game equipment between your Christian school’s sports teams and gym classes. Break all those out for one fun-filled day in the sun! Organize activities that will appeal to students of all ages, from tag to capture the flag to relay races.

Youth groups can help organize and run these activities, promoting teamwork and community engagement. Students will pay a small fee to participate, and their parents can also spectate for a fee. And you can also combine this outdoor event with a shoe drive fundraiser, collecting any gently worn, used or new athletic shoes from your community to supplement your funding!

Fall Festival

Commemorate the start of the school year and the autumn season with a fall festival! Feature classic fall activities, like bobbing for apples, trunk or treat, ring toss, and more. Plus, offer fall-themed snacks like s’mores and apple cider. Sell tickets to your fall fair, and don’t forget to add other revenue-generating activities, like raffles and auctions!

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter egg hunts are a classic event, best for your younger students and community members. Invite parents to purchase tickets for their children to attend your Christian school’s Easter egg hunt. They’ll search all over the school grounds for colorfully decorated eggs. If you want to boost the fundraising potential of this event, charge extra for students to decorate eggs before they’re hidden. You can even offer a prize (like a box of Easter chocolates) to the student who finds a special golden egg.

Wreath and Ornament Sale

For a Christmas-themed fundraising event that’s sure to get your community into a festive mood, organize a wreath and ornament sale. Families are sure to want these items to deck their halls with! You can ask your students to handcraft ornaments and wreaths or order custom ones with your school’s name, logo, or another meaningful design. You can also sell DIY kits for people to create their ornaments and wreaths.

Nativity Play Fundraiser

Every Christian knows the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, and a nativity play is the perfect way to celebrate the occasion and get your community into the holiday spirit. Enlist your students to perform in a nativity play and sell tickets to parents to watch the show. Not only does this help students understand and internalize the story of Christ’s birth, but it also allows them to partake in a meaningful (and fun!) Christian tradition.

Fundraising Goals and Planning

Setting clear fundraising goals is essential for the success of any Christian school fundraising ideas campaign. Start by identifying the specific needs or projects you want to fund. It can be a new classroom technology, scholarships, or capital improvements. Then, establish a realistic fundraising goal based on your school’s needs and community size.

When you have that completed, create a detailed plan outlining the fundraising ideas and events you’ll use to reach it. Next, assign roles to volunteers, set timelines, and develop marketing materials to promote your fundraising. Track your progress regularly and inform your community members with updates and reminders. Celebrate milestones along the way to keep everyone motivated and engaged. With planning, your fundraising efforts will succeed and make a lasting impact on your school.

Additional Resources

There are plenty of fun Christian school fundraising ideas. This guide is just a jumping-off point for you to get inspired for your next event. Don’t be afraid to get creative and mix and match fundraisers. For example, if you’re hosting a school fair, you can incorporate a shoe drive fundraiser. And you can also do a 50/50 raffle to earn more funds for your school!

Interested in exploring more fundraising ideas? Check out these additional resources:

• 55+ School Fundraising Ideas to Reach Your Goals. If you need reliable funding sources to provide students and faculty with the best experience, look no further than this guide.
• 100+ Church Fundraising Ideas to Delight Your Congregation. Want to delight your congregation and inspire their support? Check out our catalog of top church fundraising ideas.
• 30+ Fun and Easy Fundraising Ideas for Kids to Raise More. If your school is K-12, you need fundraising ideas that appeal to kids. Take a look at this list for inspiration!