MarySue Engebretson’s community named Palmer Park after two of her brothers. When her family set out to update the park’s playground with all-inclusive, accessible equipment, the cost was steep, and the group raising the money was small. They needed another approach.
In 2025, the Northwoods American Legion Post 94 Playground Fund, based in Crandon, Wisconsin, ran a playground shoe drive fundraiser with Funds2Orgs. In that one drive, the fund collected 172 bags of shoes and earned $2,553 toward the playground.
Supporters in a rural area donated shoes instead of money. That makes Palmer Park’s story a useful example for any small group considering a nonprofit shoe drive fundraiser.
A park named for two brothers
“In December, 1984, two of my brothers were hit head on and killed by a drunk driver,” MarySue wrote. “My community honored them by naming a park after them and Palmer Park was born.”
At first, the park had two baseball fields and a small play area. Years later, the county’s American Legion baseball group asked MarySue’s family if it could improve the fields, and the family decided the playground needed a major update too.
The cost of accessible playground equipment
“We started fundraising for playground equipment and quickly realized how hard it was going to be,” MarySue wrote. “All-inclusive equipment is extremely expensive and we want to make sure we buy equipment that is handicapped accessible.”
So she went online and searched for “ideas that a very small group could handle.” The search led her to Funds2Orgs. “Funds2Orgs has been the best organization that fit all our needs,” she wrote.
Our playground fundraising guide covers playground costs, shoe drive fundraisers, and how to plan a single fundraiser around specific equipment.
MarySue’s weekly coach call
MarySue also singled out the support she received: “I appreciated the weekly coach call and rapid response to my questions, as well as the rapid delivery of items.”
Every Funds2Orgs shoe drive fundraiser comes with a fundraising coach for the duration of the drive and a Starter Kit with 33-gallon bags and rubber bands. Volunteers keep each pair together with a rubber band or tied laces, pack 25 pairs in each bag, and coordinate pickup with our logistics team. Our shoe drive fundraiser FAQ covers the details.
A small, rural community with a lot of shoes
The community’s excitement and overall response stood out to MarySue. “Everyone was very generous and was happy to donate shoes instead of money,” she wrote. “We live in a very small, rural area and have limited funds, but boy, we had a lot of shoes!”
Shoes gave people another way to help. Those shoes filled 172 bags and earned $2,553 for the playground fund, and Funds2Orgs marked the result with a big check.
Where the money goes and where the shoes go
The money went to the playground fund, and the shoes took a different route.
The fundraising payment is based on weight: Funds2Orgs pays by the pound after it receives and weighs the shoes at the warehouse. The shoes enter a resale network in the reuse economy where micro-entrepreneurs buy and resell them in their communities to earn a living. Our Funds2Orgs social enterprise explanation describes how that process works.
Planning a playground shoe drive fundraiser with a small group
MarySue started with a small group and an expensive goal. Her group chose a fundraiser it could handle, had a weekly call with its fundraising coach, and asked the community for shoes.
If you’re raising money for playground equipment with a park committee, American Legion post, or civic group, explore how Funds2Orgs shoe drive fundraisers work. Then start your shoe drive fundraiser with a Funds2Orgs fundraising coach and ask your community to donate gently worn, used and new shoes.
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