How to Raise Money For a School Trip: Tips to Get Your Trip Off The Ground 

School trips are an invaluable part of education. Students can explore new environments, engage in hands-on learning, and create lasting memories.

However, the cost of these trips can often be a hurdle.

During my time as a Head of Geography, I’ve seen how impactful a well-planned trip can be, and with the right approach to fundraising, students can have the opportunity to explore and learn beyond the classroom.

Here are my favourite ways to raise money for your next school trip:

Creative Fundraising Ideas for Your Next School Trip

Empowering students to contribute to the cost of their trips can enhance their experience as they can help make their next school trip a reality.

Here are some creative fundraising ideas your students will love to get involved in:

Bake Sale

Tips for bake sale success:

Plan a date and location in advance

Get the word out to parents and teachers who may also want to get involved

Advertise the event with posters, social media and your school newsletter

Create offers like ‘buy one get one free’ or bake sale bundles’ to encourage more purchases

Benefits:

• Promotes community involvement
• Teaches students organisation and sales skills
• You can plan bake sales any time of the year with themed bake sales for seasonal events
• Cakes. Need we say more?

Movie Night

Hosting movie nights at your school can be a fun way to raise funds.

You can raise money by charging an entry fee and selling snacks and drinks during the film.

In the summer months, you could host an outdoor cinema to attract a larger audience and create a unique experience.

How to set up a movie night

1. Secure a venue (such as the school hall or auditorium or an outdoor space for summer shows). For outdoor movie nights, have a backup plan in case of bad weather. Make sure you can obtain the necessary licenses and equipment
2. Choose a popular family-friendly film
3. Raise funds by offering family packages or early bird discounts to encourage more attendees
4. Organise students and parents to help with promotion, ticket sales, setup, and refreshments

Benefits of a movie night

• Minimal overhead costs, especially if using existing school equipment or facilities
• You can combine the event with other fundraising efforts such as selling merchandise, a raffle, or singalongs related to the film
• Creates a memorable experience, especially with outdoor screenings

Summer Fair

A summer fair can bring the local community together as parents, teachers and local businesses can join in the festivities.

You can raise funds through entry fees, activities, and stalls and there’s the bonus of students developing new skills through organising an event.

How to set up:

1. Plan the event to secure the necessary permits in your school grounds or local park
2. Organise different stalls and activities such as games, food stalls, craft booths, and entertainment like live music or performances
3. Involve local businesses by offering them space to set up stalls, make donations and sponsor parts of the event
4. Promote the event widely in the community through flyers, social media, local newspapers, and school newsletters

Ideas for activities and stalls:

• Games: Ring toss, sack races, and other fête games.
• Food stalls: BBQ, ice cream, homemade lemonade, and baked goods.
• Craft booths: Handmade jewellery, arts and crafts made by students, face painting.
• Entertainment: Live music, dance performances, magic shows, and talent contests.
• Raffles and Auctions: Secure donations from local businesses and hold raffles or (silent) auctions.
• Exhibitions: Student art displays, science projects, or local artisan crafts.

Fitness Classes

How to set up:

1. Choose exercise classes that will appeal to different age groups and interests
2. Find qualified instructors willing to volunteer or work at a reduced rate
3. Schedule regular classes at convenient times
4. Promote the classes and sell tickets

Sports pledges

Set up student sports events, like sponsored walk-a-thon, run-a-thon, bike-a-thon, or swim-a-thon. You can encourage the local community to join and raise extra money by asking people to sponsor the events.

The great thing about sports pledges is that you can involve the entire school community while encouraging physical activity.

Steps to set up:

1. Choose a fitness activity and define the specifics of the challenge.
2. Set a date and location to promote the event.
3. Design sponsorship forms for participants to collect donations from family and friends.
4. Organise volunteers to help with registration, refreshments, and safety on the event day.

Car Washes

Car washes can boost community spirit as well as fundraising efforts. Students working together, are suitable for any season and guaranteed fun. What’s not to love?

Choose a location and set a donation amount for each car and you’re good to go!

How to set up:

1. If you’re not holding the event in the school car park, decide on a venue and get permission
2. Gather supplies like hoses, buckets, soap, sponges, and towels. You could partner with local businesses to supply materials or offer matching donations. Some may allow you to host the event in their high-traffic parking lots
3. Sell car wash tickets in advance to guarantee some revenue even if the weather is bad on the day. Consider offering additional services such as hoovering the interior or shining tyres for an extra donation
4. Promote the car wash through posters, social media, local newsletters, and community boards and use brightly coloured signs to direct traffic to your car wash
5. Organise students into shifts. Add a fun element by wearing themed costumes or school colours to attract attention

Book Sale

How to set up:

1. Collect book donations from teachers, students and parents
2. Promote the event to your school community. You could also invite local authors for book signings or readings
3. Organise volunteers to help with the setup, pricing, sales, and clean up. Set clear pricing guidelines and offer special deals or discounts for bulk purchases
4. Set up the sale by categorising books by genre and condition

Talent Show

What better way to show off your skills than with a talent show?

Talent shows can raise money through ticket sales and refreshments and students who aren’t taking part can get involved by helping to organise and run the event.

How to set up

1. Secure a venue and date. Ensure the space has adequate seating, a stage, and sound equipment.
2. Hold auditions and select a variety of acts
3. Consider a theme for the talent show extra creativity, such as ‘West End Night’ or ‘Around the World’
4. Invite local celebrities to act as judges. Their involvement can attract more people!
5. Conduct rehearsals to ensure everything runs smoothly
6. Promote the event and sell tickets in advance
7. Arrange for refreshments to be sold during the event to raise extra money
8. Organise volunteers to help with ticket sales, ushering, and managing the backstage area.

Dog Walking

Students can offer dog walking services to the school community to earn money towards their school trip. This is a great opportunity to help local busy dog owners help students develop customer service skills.

How to set up:

1. Organise a schedule or one-off event
2. Get permission from parents
3. Offer packages like single walks, multiple walks per week, or extended walks
4. Advertise with local pet stores, vets, or grooming salons
5. Ensure students have the right equipment for safe dog walking
6. Match students with dog owners

Letter Writing Campaign

Students can write letters to local businesses and community members asking for donations for their trip.

Your students should:

• Include the purpose of the school trip and its educational significance
• Personalise to the reader
• Explain why they should help you raise money for a school trip
• Follow up with their contacts and track responses

Online fundraising ideas

There are lots of ways you can raise funds for your school trip from the comfort of your classroom.

If you don’t have the luxury of time for planning big fundraising events or you’d like to add to your fundraising plan, you can give these online ideas a go:

Online Fundraising Pages

Online fundraising pages allow you to create a personalised fundraising campaign that can be easily shared with your school community via social media, email and other digital channels.

Online fundraising allows you to reach a big audience quickly. Students and parents can also easily monitor the fundraising progress ahead of your school trip.

How to set up:

1. Research online platforms to see which suits you
2. Create a page and add info about your school trip, add your fundraising goal and explain how the money will be used
3. Share the page via social media, email, and school newsletters
4. Share regular updates and thank the donor

Online Clothes Sales

A simple way to raise money for school trips is with an online clothes sale. You’ll get all the fun of online shopping with the bonus of raising money!

Ask your school community for donations and sell them through sites like eBay, Vinted or Depop.

Tips for your fundraising efforts:

• Partner with local artists or students to design unique prints to add to old clothing
• Involve the students in the listing process for extra responsibility
• Tie in with lessons around recycling and sustainability

How to boost your fundraising efforts

When it comes to your school trip fundraising efforts, the more the merrier!

Parents & Family Members- Can assist by planning and volunteering at events and donating to activities.

Teachers- Collaborate with other teachers to promote events, collect donations, and supervise activities.

Local Businesses- Approach local businesses and share how they can help raise funds for your school trips through sponsorships, donations for sales or raffles and event promotion. In return, you can offer advertising at events or in your school newsletter.

Local Community- Encourage community engagement by inviting them to fundraising events and asking them to spread the word. You can do this through social media, local newspapers, school letters and community boards.

How much will my school trip cost?

Understanding the cost of a school trip is crucial to setting a realistic fundraising goal. Here are some expenses to consider:

Raising money for a school trip requires creativity, organisation, and community involvement.

The benefits of school trips outweigh the challenges, from enhancing education to lifelong memories. Your fundraising efforts will be worthwhile!