Guide: How To Fundraise For a School Trip

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School trips are always such an amazing and enriching experience. Not only do you get to explore the world in an up-close and personal way, but you get to make all kinds of new memories with your friends. We loved school trips growing up! One of the only things with trips is that, like everything, they cost money to go. 

With the lists of fundraising guides and ideas we’ve compiled here at FutureFund, a budget issue shouldn’t keep anyone from the hands-on learning experience of a school trip. If you’re wanting to take a trip with your students, this how-to guide will give you a few options to get the money you need from beginning to end. Let’s get started!

See also: 15 Fundraising Ideas for Small Groups & Clubs

Tag The Bags + Letter Writing Campaign

The idea behind the Tag The Bags fundraising event is that your community gathers together to support your club and wish the travelers good luck as they embark on their journey. The fun part of this event is that the community writes well wishes on the luggage that the club will carry with them over the course of their trip, making a way for the community to almost travel with the club. We like to pair this event with another event like a letter writing campaign to maximize the community’s involvement and reach as many people as possible. Use the following steps as a guide to set up your own Tag The Bags and Letter Writing Campaign:

Step One: Set Up a Fundraising Team

Pull together a group from the PTO/PTA/your club to organize this event. If your resources are a little tight, assigning one person to lead the charge should be enough.

Step Two: Acquire the Luggage

You can’t tag the bags without any bags to tag. If your budget allows it, purchase a few pieces from your local department store. If you aren’t sure you’ll have the wiggle room in the budget, feel free to check out your local thrift stores for a couple solid luggage pieces. Thrifting is a great way to reduce the waste to the planet and the prices are usually really affordable. Not to mention, theres usually a lot of really cool and unique stuff to choose from.

Step Three: Advertise/Write Your Letters

Get the word out to your community about your trip and what you hope to learn while you’re gone! Let your community know that you’ll be accepting donations in exchange for writing encouraging notes on the luggage you’ll be taking on the trip with you. Set your prices as you see fit and in a way that will get you to your fundraising goal. Add prices per word written, per small picture drawn, or both!

During this time, ask your students that will be going on the trip to write letters to local businesses. Have the kids explain that this trip is educational and that the youth of the community would greatly benefit from their support. Let them know that if they would be willing to donate to make their trip a reality, the students would tag the bags in their honor. 

It wouldn’t hurt to ask the company if they have any bumper stickers or other branded material that the kids could stick on to the bags to thank the businesses for their donations!

Step Four: Hold the Event

Set up your bags and allow your community to come in and support you! Make sure to thank everyone for making the trip happen for the students. Also, take lots of pictures with the beautifully graffitied bags to save for the yearbook and to let your patrons know their money went to good use.

Community Chores

Another great way to get the community involved in the student’s education is to complete chores that the community members have in exchange for donations towards the trip! This is also a really great way to let the kids have an active role in earning the money for their trip. It reinforces the idea that when you work, you get paid and when you get paid, you have fun (or pay the bills). If you’re looking to raise a lot check out these money making ideas.

Step One: Decide On a Timeframe

When would be the best time to have this type of fundraiser? Maybe in the spring/summer when grass needs to be mowed or in the fall when leaves need to be raked? If you live in a farming community, planting or harvest time may be a good time to check in with the community to see if they need any help around their properties. Maybe on just a random weekend or two if someone has a “honey do” list that doesn’t require any skilled labor. The possibilities are endless!

Step Two: Set Your Price/Consider a Sign Up Sheet

Would any donation help or do you want to charge by the hour for the extra manpower? Its totally up to you! If your event looks like its going to be popular, consider adding a sign up sheet or a schedule so your group can make sure to make time for everyone that needs help. If necessary, break your students up into smaller groups to make sure you can complete as many of your “chores” list and collect all the donations that you can.

Step Three: Advertise!

Its time to let your community know that your group is open for business! Make signs, get the word out, and watch as the chores come pouring in. Make sure everyone is signed up and your schedule is in place a few days before the big day so there’s no confusion and you can organize your troops accordingly.

Step Four: Hold the Event!

If your crew was really popular over the course of the event but didn’t quite make your fundraising goal, feel free to hold another event a few weeks later. The best thing about this fundraiser is that people are always going to have things that need to be done. If planned correctly, you’ll have your funds raised in no time!