How to Run a Jump-a-Thon Fundraiser
Jump-a-thons are great fundraisers because they benefit both participants and your school. Participants stay active while raising money to support their school, extra-curricular program, or club.
This page outlines the A-Z of jump-a-thons, including planning, tracking donations, and tips for organizing and promoting the fundraiser.
Jump-a-Thon Guide
Table of Contents
Jump-a-Thon 101
A quick introduction to what a jump-a-thon is and how it works.
What is an "A-Thon" & How Does it Work?
An “a-thon” can be a powerful fundraising tool (and a lot of fun, too!)
What Do You Need to Run a Jump-a-Thon?
Learn what it takes to run a successful jump-a-thon.
Using a Jump-a-Thon to Fundraise
How to raise money with jump-a-thons.
Jump-a-Thon Templates, Tools, & Resources
See how FutureFund makes managing jump-a-thon pledges effortless.
Jump-a-Thon Theme Ideas
Feel inspired with our jump-a-thon theme examples.
Start Your Jump-a-Thon With FutureFund
Our integrated pledge campaign fundraising tool allows you to collect donations (via cash, debit, or credit) and easily manage fundraising progress. Get started for free.
Jump-a-Thon 101: A Quick Guide
What is a Jump-a-Thon?
A jump-a-thon is a popular a-thon type of fundraiser since they’re easy and effective. It’s easy for students and parents to participate since all they need is a jump rope to participate.
It’s also easy for PTAs to organize since it doesn’t require a ton of planning. And it gets participants moving, which is always a win.
Jump-a-Thon FAQ
How does a jump-a-thon work?
Participants collect donations for participating in the jump-a-thon. Like other a-thons, jump-a-thons follow a peer-to-peer fundraising model, so you aren’t limited to gathering donations from only the participants.
Each participant asks their family, friends, and coworkers (or parents’ coworkers) to donate, which gives you a huge donor pool compared to other fundraisers. From there, participants jump rope for a set amount of time during the jump-a-thon.
How long is a jump-a-thon?
One of the great things about a jump-a-thon is that you can customize it for your school’s needs. If you’re an elementary school, you’ll likely want to make the jumping time shorter, for example.
You can hold the jump-a-thons over multiple jump rope sessions or hold a 1-day event. If you’re doing sessions, plan around 10 sessions of 30 minutes each. In this case, give participants 2 weeks to complete the 10 sessions.
When should you hold a jump-a-thon?
Jump-a-thons can be held inside or outside, so they work almost any time of year. Just make sure if you’re holding the event inside that you have enough space for all of the participants.
What do people need to participate?
Participants need a jump rope and that’s about it. Athletic clothing and runners, like what kids would wear to gym class, don’t hurt either.
Are jump-a-thons good fundraisers?
Jump-a-thons are great fundraisers for everyone involved. They’re easy to plan and easy to participate in. Plus, they help encourage physical activity, making them a fundraiser everyone can get behind.
What is an "A Thon"?
A Thon's Are Fun & Effective Event-Based Fundraisers
An “a-thon” is a peer-to-peer style fundraiser that involves participating in a certain activity and gathering donations for participating in said activity.
The activity can be almost anything, from reading to running to bowling. No matter what activity you choose, the premise is the same. Participants commit to doing the activity (reading a certain amount of books, running a certain distance) and ask their friends, family, and coworkers to support them.
A-thons work great because you reach a huge donor pool through peer-to-peer fundraising. People are also more likely to donate since participants are “working” in return for the donations.
What Do You Need to Run a Jump-a-Thon?
Use FutureFund to Power It
FutureFund’s built-in pledge campaigns allow you to easily collect money and keep donations organized. Since parents cover payment processing fees, 100% of the funds raised go to your school!
Easy for Everyone
Any good fundraiser needs to be easy to plan, participate in, and most importantly, get donations. FutureFund makes planning and running a jump-a-thon as easy as possible.
Donate Online
Instead of dealing with paper pledge forms and cash and cheques, take the process online. Donors can donate instantly online with their credit or debit cards.
All-in-One
Always know how the fundraiser is going. Easily view how much money has been raised and more with detailed reporting.
Using a Jump-a-Thon for Fundraising
Managing & Organizing Pledges
Each student will sign up as a participant in the fundraiser. Then, they can collect pledges individually by credit or debit card. These pledges will be recorded in FutureFund and will count towards the student’s total and the grand total for the fundraiser.
Paperwork & Donor Payment Management
It’s easy for students to sign up, especially if their information is already in the system. You can bulk sign up entire grades or classes.
All donor payments are automatically entered into the system, so you can instantly see each student’s total and the grand total.
Using FutureFund to Accept Online Donations
Donors don’t need to have cash or a checkbook handy to donate. They can easily donate through an emailable donation link and pay by credit or debit card. Any cash donations can also be noted in the system to be collected later.
Jump-a-Thon Goals & Rules
Length
Many jump-a-thons are held as a 1-day event for a few hours. 2-3 hours is usually plenty of time to be jumping rope. Any longer and you’ll want to plan additional activities for the day.
You can also do the jump-a-thon in sessions. Plan around 10, 30-minute sessions and give participants 2 weeks to complete them.
Jumping Goal
If you’re doing the jump-a-thon in sessions, it will be the participant’s goal to complete the sessions. For a 1-day event, you can set a time goal or a skill goal, where different stations are set up and jumpers try different jump rope techniques.
Jumping Style
Your jump-a-thon can be about simply jumping rope for a certain amount of time. To make things more interesting, you can also introduce different “styles” of jumping rope.
In this case, you can have different jump rope stations set up, where jumpers can try different techniques. This includes styles like double Dutch, criss-cross, double jumps, and more.
Recommended Starting Rules
Follow these steps for a successful jump-a-thon:
- Before you start telling students and parents about the jump-a-thon, you should decide the following:
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- Length
- Dates
- Theme
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- Hold the jump-a-thon on a weekend, either Saturday on Sunday, or over the course of 2 weeks.
- If you’re holding the jump-a-thon on the weekend, tell people about the fundraiser at least 1 month in advance, so they can add it to their schedule.
- Give participants at least 2 weeks to fundraise.
- Send out an info sheet of different styles of jumping rope for participants to try.
Jump-a-Thon Templates & Resources
Sample Jump-a-Thon Rules
These rules are a great starting point for organizing your jump-a-thon.
Sample Jump-a-Thon Event Description
Unsure of where to start? Use this sample student and parent messaging to get the ball rolling!
Set Up Online Pledges With FutureFund
Let parents and supporters donate online with FutureFund’s online pledges. Try it out for free!
Jump-a-Thon Theme Ideas
Holiday
You can do a jump-a-thon at any time of year and match it with upcoming holidays. In the fall, for example, you can do a turkey jump for Thanksgiving or a spooky jump for Halloween.
Space
Inspire participants to jump to the moon with a space theme. Astronaut and alien outfits should get everyone jumping to the sky!
Color Jump
You’ve probably heard of a color run, and you can use the same theme for your jump-a-thon. They’re tons of fun and make for great photos once everyone is covered in flour paint.
Costumes
Every student has a favorite TV show or movie. Encourage them to come dressed up as their favorite superhero, princess, or another character.
Neon
Really make your fundraiser stand out with neon outfits. It’s fun and easy for everyone to participate, and makes for fantastic photos.
Old-Fashioned
Jumping rope is a classic school-time activity and there are tons of old-fashioned jump rope rhymes. Get participants into the spirit with old-timey outfits and songs.
Find Other Fundraiser
Ideas & Guides
How To Run a Move-a-Thon Fundraiser
Move-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to be active together. See how a move-a-thon works in our fundraiser guide.
How To Run a Chess-a-Thon Fundraiser
Chess-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to raise money & play games together. See how a chess-a-thon works in our in-depth guide.
How to Run a Volleyball Serve-a-Thon Fundraiser
Volleyball serve-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to raise money & work together while also being active. See how a serve-a-thon works in our in-depth guide.
How to Run a Spell-a-Thon Fundraiser
Spell-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to raise money while also practicing academics. See how a spell-a-thon works & what you’ll need to run one here.
How to Run a Math-a-Thon Fundraiser
Math-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to raise money while also practicing academics. See how a math-a-thon works & what you’ll need to run one in our guide.
How to Run a Baseball Hit-a-Thon Fundraiser
Baseball hit-a-Thon fundraisers are great ways to raise money while also being active. See how it works & what you’ll need to run one in our in-depth guide.
Sample Jump-a-Thon Rules
To participate in the jump-a-thon, you sign up through FutureFund by [date]. The jump-a-thon is on [date], so make sure you block it off in your calendar! And don’t forget to tell your family that you’re fundraising, so they can donate (ask your parents for help, so they can ask their friends and coworkers too!).
All donations will be collected through FutureFund through this link: [link].
Sample Jump-a-Thon Event Description
Jump around! On [date], [school name] will be hosting a jump-a-thon to help fundraise for [cause]. You can help by jumping with us! Parents, each student will be collecting pledges online through FutureFund: [link]. Please spread the word to your family, friends, and coworkers to help make this fundraiser a success!
Set Up Online Pledges With FutureFund
Make your donation easily and instantly! Click this [link] to make your donation through secure credit or debit card payment.
If you prefer to donate by cash or check, just donate directly to the student you’re supporting. Thank you for your support!