Traditional fundraisers aren’t what the used to be.
In order to give your dancers the best experience for the upcoming year, however, you need to raise money for costumes, travel and the like.
The truth is, you (and your students and their parents, for that matter) would rather not resort to selling candy or other trinkets door-to-door to do it. And asking already-busy moms to bake cookies and cakes for a bake sale isn’t on the top of your list.
Fortunately, there are fun alternatives that you, the kids and families can get behind. Here are seven dance fundraising ideas that, with a little effort, can have a big impact on your budget:
1. Moms’ Spa Day
Dance moms need love and pampering too; everyone does. So consider hosting a spa day to show appreciation while raising money. Enlist your students to paint fingernails, serve lemonade, rub shoulders or run the relaxing music. Charge moms $10 to $25 for a half-hour of relaxation and invite them to bring their friends and coworkers.
If you want to make it extra special, contact a local massage therapist or massage therapy school that might be interested in donating their time. It’s free publicity and volunteer hours for them and allows you to ask for larger donations.
2. Themed Silent Auction
Silent auctions are popular for fundraising precisely because they work. But get creative. Give your auction a theme, something your students will like. Try Disney’s Frozen, auctioning off movie packages and ice cream gift cards. Or enlist the help of local businesses and try an all dining-out silent auction, selling gift cards to local eateries.
3. Parents Night Out
Hosting a parents’ night out event can be as intense or as easy as you like. While you can charge more for a sleepover, that’s a major project for everyone involved.
Consider hosting a drop-off event that lasts three or four hours in the evening–just enough time for mom and dad to catch dinner and a movie. Provide pizza and drinks for the kids, and charge anywhere from $40 to 100 depending on your location and family demographics.
And don’t forget RSVPs! This is made easy using the our JackRabbit Events Calendar.
4. Car Magnets or Stickers
Car magnets are easy and require little in the way of upfront costs. Sell them at your front desk, to families and, if they’re non-studio specific, have your students sell them in the community.
To add a bit of social to this fundraiser, incorporate a social media photo contest. Then, invite families to post and tag their car photos to Facebook for a chance to win a prize. You could also add an element of surprise by designating an office manager as a secret shopper. He or she could hunt for and give prizes to drivers of magnet-speckled cars throughout the city.
5. Old School Dance-a-Thon
Dance-a-thons were popular in the 1950s and 60s, but they should have never faded into obscurity. Participants can take pledges from family and friends, earning anywhere from $5 to 20 for every hour they spend on the dance floor.
Serve refreshments to keep your dancers going, play great music and have an official timekeeper so dancers can collect from their donors when it’s all said and done.
6. Host a Family Night Out
Local businesses are often willing to share the proceeds of one night for a good cause. Check with fast food and sit-down restaurants alike to see who might be open to such an arrangement.
If they don’t want to part with their proceeds, they’ll likely let you set up a table to collect donations. With these fundraisers, promotion is everything. So, be sure to hang signs and let everyone know your dancers will be collecting donations a few weeks in advance.
7. Multi-Family Yard Sale
Everyone has junk they don’t need anymore. And many families let it sit around for years with the intent of having a yard sale “one day.” Make that day sooner rather than later by hosting a multi-family yard sale in your parking lot.
Each family is responsible for pricing and selling their own stuff, but they agree to turn over a percentage of their earnings at the end of the day. Hang signs to let customers know the proceeds go to your studio, and put out a donation jar too.
Fundraising is about the money, sure. But when your fundraising efforts can bring families together, they’re also about creating an active community around your studio. So forget the played-out fundraisers that parents only begrudgingly do, and find creative solutions that will pay off in more ways than one.
