Summer vacation is almost over. Soon the school bell will be ringing in a new school year. Parents and kids will be making that mad rush to stores, shopping for all those back to school needs. Chaos and short fuses are hard to avoid when the superstore aisles are packed with parents fighting over the last three ring binder! Why not take advantage of this frenzy and host a “Backpack Fundraiser”?

You can start by acquiring all the needed supplies, then fill the backpacks with all the essentials according to grade. This will save would be shoppers the headache of traipsing around crowded stores themselves. Busy moms and dads who usually need to take off time from work to get their kids squared away for the semester will be able to mark off at least one shopping stop by taking advantage of these pre-filled backpacks.

To get started, lay hands on the list of supplies needed by grade for your school. Next, approach your local businesses such as dollar stores, office supplies, grocery stores and superstores. Ask each store if they’d be willing to donate one type of the item each; if you can get a crate of #2 pencils here and a bucketful of glue-sticks there, no one store will be losing that much business.   Instead of pencils you can also offer Smencils in the backpacks.

Most merchandisers enjoy supporting a fundraising drive, especially when it draws attention to their contribution to the cause. You can add their store fliers or circulars to each kit, as a way of thanking them for their individual donations! The hardest part will be the backpacks, so get a local business to sponsor the backpacks in exchange for having a logo applied to each one for constant advertising!

Be sure you advertise your fundraiser event. Place an advert in the newspaper, print fliers and leave them in places you know  potential shoppers will be (parking lots of stores, school registration areas, girl scout meetings, boy scouts etc.)

Next draw added attention to your fundraiser. See if you can get one of the larger retailers (Best Buy, Office Max, etc)  to donate a notebook pc or laptop. Stipulate to the retailer you will promote their store in exchange for their support of your fundraiser event. Anyone purchasing a pre-filled backpack will have their name entered into a drawing for the laptop/notebook pc (plan to hold the drawing a week or so before school starts).

The cost of your ‘back to school backpack kits’ should be set somewhere between $40.00 for lower grades and $60.00 for third grade and up. This may seem like a lot, but when the total cost of purchasing each item is tallied shoppers will actually be saving money! This is a huge service for those buyers who hate school supply shopping.

Soon school will be starting, so plan for your event now. This fundraiser is sure to be a huge success. A nice profit for your cause can be made, so be sure to spread the word.

Back To School Backpack Fundraiser is a post from: Elementary School Fundraising Ideas