Fundraising ideas for primary-school kids

Sell a scrunchie

This is a simple fundraising idea that can yield big bucks if you get a group of kid-crafters together to share the load.

All you need is some colourful material, safety pins, needles and thread (a sewing machine is useful but not essential). Find one of the many scrunchie DIY tutorials on YouTube and away you go!

“I know of a girl’s school that raised hundreds of dollars for our charity this way – all the scrunchies were made and sold by the students,” says Kimberley Chapple, Head of Campaigns for The Kids’ Cancer Project.

Do a 5-cent drive

Who doesn’t have a 5-cent coin or three at home that could be donated? This is the simplest of fundraisers but needs a large school group involved in order to be financially effective.

Students bring in 5-cent coins and then classes compete with each other to see who can collect the most. The drive can last anywhere from a month to a term to build engagement between kids and their chosen charity as Jennie Smiedt, Head of Marketing and Communications at The Kids' Cancer Project explains. 

"By extending the life of the fundraising activity, you provide more opportunities for kids to get involved and to develop indepth knowledge of and empathy for the cause," she says. 

Lose Your Locks

If you like the idea of a hair-themed fundraiser but want it to be more daring than decorative, consider a Lose Your Locks event. Kids get sponsored to have their head shaved or cut short and the hair can be donated to create wigs.

“It’s such a big deal for kids to lose their hair, so people are very generous with their sponsorship,” Kate Fairclough, Head of National Engagement for The Kids’ Cancer Project, says.

If the school is on board to host the shaving and chopping event, even better.

“We know of a school where a group of 40-odd girls all had their hair cut off together, which raised lots of money and even got some media coverage,” she says.

Register: Lose Your Locks