School Fundraising During Lockdown: Tips and Tricks Posted on 22 July 2021 by Gemma Hart - Guest Blogger in Schools This year school fundraising opportunities are going to be different to before. As learning remains remote and social distancing stays in place, the usual fundraising bake sales, fetes and face-to-face competitions can no longer occur. This means that schools must begin to look for new, creative ways to raise money virtually and remotely in order to gain funds for learning materials, curricular activities and more.Fundraising can be a fun and creative experience for children and adults alike, and thinking of new, inspiring ways to do this online and in the home brings another level of creativity. Below, you will find a number of fantastic ideas for bringing your school fundraising online and remote in a safe and entertaining way. Getting creative is a brilliant way to fill up long lockdown days, so why not add art class to your regular Zoom school day and ask the kids to draw their favourite after-school activity. Turn it into a colouring activity book and the rest of the school can buy the pages for their younger siblings to enjoy – giving mum and dad the opportunity to keep the whole brood entertained. There are many ways students can get creative while at home, all the while raising money and having fun. Inspire the kids to grab their paints and colourful pens to create their very own cards to send to friends and family – parents simply pay to get their children’s designs printed, and the money goes to the school. Online fundraising ideas for the pandemic lifestyleWhile annual fundraisers including World Book Day and non-uniform day are not as easy this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t still get involved. Ask for a small donation and enjoy World Book Day as normal, getting the kids to dress up as their favourite fictional character and discussing their favourite books with their classmates. School discos are also a fun event that every student gets excited about and are a great way to raise money. Create a playlist with child-friendly hits and ask the kids to join the party online – even get the whole family involved and have a dance together while the music plays. You could also sell packages with sweets and drinks usually enjoyed at your annual school disco. Enjoy getting active while raising moneyKeeping active plays an important part in helping children’s mental and physical wellbeing. Research by Sport England has shown that during the first lockdown physical activities dropped from 47% to 19%, and so finding ways to keep kids active is imperative in keeping them happy and healthy. Support keeping children active by organising challenges that the family can do in their garden or while safely social distanced outside. Great ideas include challenging the kids to run a whole marathon in a week, or set a certain amount of steps that would get them to the top of a mountain – they could participate inside by walking up and down the stairs, too. Organise challenges for the whole class, where everyone has to work together to walk or run a certain amount of miles, or organise different workouts with everyone’s favourite P.E. teacher. Run school-wide competitionsVirtual quizzes have been a hit over the course of the pandemic, so why not organise one for the school - you can even create a separate quiz for each year group, so you can cater the questions accordingly. Introduce themes to your quizzes and you can keep them going for multiple weeks.There are plenty of easy ideas for online competitions, and you could even ask a local shop or parents to donate a prize for the winner. Get creative and enjoy plenty of crafty opportunities, including drawing competitions, seeing who can create the best monsters out of cereal boxes, sending plain t-shirts for students to draw on, or even asking kids to remake a movie scene and allowing everyone to choose their favourite. Simply create a place where students can submit their entries and let the voting begin. Final thoughtsLiving through the Covid-19 pandemic is tough, and the closing of schools has presented even more challenges for teachers, students and school faculties alike. Schools across the country have had to come up with new ways to teach online, and now comes the trial of how to continue fundraising in exciting and fun ways.There are many ways to fundraise online and at home, which gives students a creative and active outlet to promote mental and physical wellbeing. Not only do these fundraising ideas help raise all-important funds for your school, but they also play a vital part in keeping students entertained, happy and thriving. If you enjoyed this blog, why not read our blog dedicated to the wonderful charity, Porchlight, 'Heroes Against Homelessness - Fundraising in the Classroom'?