December Fundraising Ideas for Schools: Fun Runs to Holiday Shops
December is one of the best times of year to bring your school community together — full of joy, energy, and opportunities to give back. Between the twinkling lights, cozy cocoa, and end-of-semester excitement, schools can harness that festive spirit to fund the programs that matter most.
Whether you’re organizing a holiday-themed Fun Run, a Winter Olympics challenge, or your school’s annual Holiday Shop, there are plenty of creative ways to combine fun and fundraising — especially when you’re using FundHub to track donations, manage incentives, and reach supporters near and far.
Festive Fundraiser Themes to Light Up December
Holiday-themed fundraisers are a great way to keep students active and engaged when winter sets in. Here are a few crowd-favorite themes schools love to host during December.
Winter Wonderland Walk-Athon
Turn your track or gym into a sparkling scene of lights and snowflakes. Add soft holiday music and encourage festive outfits like scarves, hats, and light-up accessories. Use FundHub to set individual and classroom donation goals, track progress in real time, and reward milestones with winter-themed incentives — from fuzzy socks to classroom hot cocoa parties!
Winter Olympics Challenge
Bring the excitement of the Winter Games to your school!
For active events:
Set up winter-inspired stations like a snowball toss, sled relay, or “curling” with beanbags. Use your gym space for obstacle courses and relay races. One school using FundHub hosted “Music in the Halls” as a movement incentive — when donation goals were met, upbeat songs played between classes. Another transformed their hallways into a playful obstacle adventure with hallway limbo, DIY balance beams, and even “Pin the Mustache on the Principal.” FundHub made it easy to track donations by class and celebrate every milestone along the way.
For a Read-Athon twist:
Turn reading goals into “Olympic events.” Each book, chapter, or reading milestone earns a medal or point for the student’s “country” (classroom or grade). FundHub can track total minutes read and classroom standings — just like a real medal count! Top readers can “advance to the podium” and earn fun prizes like snowflake medals or a class movie day.
Real School Spotlight — Millcreek Elementary’s Winter Sports Read-Athon
Millcreek Elementary took this idea to another level with their Winter Sports Read-Athon, giving students an unforgettable Olympic-themed experience. As a celebration for hitting their fundraising goal, students were surprised with limousine rides from the school to the County Ice Center, where they skated with Derek Parra, a U.S. speed skater and gold medalist from the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Derek won gold in the 1500m and silver in the 5000m events — and shared stories of perseverance and teamwork that inspired every kid on the ice.
The best part? Local businesses donated the limousine rides, ice time, and skate rentals, while Derek Parra and the Utah Olympic Oval generously donated their time. It was a perfect example of how community partnerships, creativity, and FundHub’s simple donation management can come together to create a truly magical experience for students.
Frosty Fun Run
Bundle up for this cool schoolwide event! Students dress in fun, weather-appropriate costumes — think snowmen, elves, or reindeer — and complete their laps to festive tunes. End the event with a hot chocolate party for everyone.
With FundHub, families can donate online before and during the run, classrooms can compete for top fundraiser spots, and you can share your success on the live event dashboard. A Frosty Fun Run isn’t just a fitness event — it’s a memory-maker that builds excitement right before winter break.
Jingle Jog (Warm-Weather Edition)
If your school’s December feels more like sunshine than snow, a Jingle Jog with foam is the perfect way to celebrate the season without the cold!
Imagine students racing or dancing through clouds of bubbly foam as festive music plays and bright garlands decorate the course. Santa hats, elf ears, or even reindeer antlers paired with sunglasses make for perfect holiday photo ops. The foam adds that magical “snow” effect without a single flake — just pure fun and laughter.
Use FundHub to bring this event to life and make it easy for families to get involved:
- Create an online donation page where supporters can contribute and watch progress build in real time.
- Set milestone incentives that fit the weather — like popsicle parties, festive outdoor picnics, or a school-wide foam finale for hitting your goal.
- Show live leaderboards to spark friendly competition between classrooms or grades.
The Jingle Jog is an ideal warm-weather alternative that keeps the holiday cheer alive. It’s easy to host, great for photos, and perfect for communities that want to pair fun, movement, and fundraising under blue skies. With FundHub managing donations, incentives, and updates, your sunny “snow day” practically runs itself.
What is the School Holiday Shop?
A unique pop-up shop set up within school premises, this allows students to step into the role of thoughtful shoppers, selecting gifts for family and friends. It’s not just about the funds, but the whole experience it offers.
A school Holiday Shop is a long-standing tradition — students love picking out gifts for family and friends, and parent groups love the excitement it brings to the halls. But when you connect your Holiday Shop to your FundHub fundraiser, it becomes much more than a week of shopping — it becomes the culmination of your entire December campaign.
Instead of running a Holiday Shop as a separate event, make it the reward and wrap-up for your FundHub fundraiser. This approach keeps all your momentum in one place, builds excitement leading up to the shop, and helps your school raise significantly more.
How It Works
- Launch your main FundHub fundraiser first.
Whether it’s a Frosty Fun Run, Read-Athon, or Winter Olympics Challenge, let students raise donations through FundHub during the first part of December. - Tie shop perks directly to FundHub incentives.
FundHub automatically tracks donations and milestones, so you can reward fundraising success with Holiday Shop privileges:- Students who raise $25 get early shopping access.
- Students who raise $50 earn a $5 shop credit.
- Top classes get a bonus shopping time slot or extra spending credit.
- Host the Holiday Shop as the grand finale.
The shop becomes a reward experience for students’ hard work. They see a direct connection between their efforts and the fun of shopping — reinforcing the purpose of fundraising while keeping it engaging.
Why It Works So Well
- It motivates students. When kids know their fundraising earns them shop perks, participation naturally increases.
- It keeps everything in one system. FundHub tracks all donations, credits, and incentives, so you don’t have to manage separate spreadsheets.
- It drives higher totals. Schools that integrate their shop into their FundHub campaign consistently report stronger results than those that run both independently.
Go Further with FundHub!
When your Holiday Shop ties into your FundHub fundraiser, it becomes more than a seasonal activity. Students see the excitement of earning rewards. Teachers see the impact of the funds raised. Your parent group ends the year proud, organized, and successful.
With FundHub, your December holiday event breaks free from the school’s physical boundaries. Now, you have the power to collect online donations from anywhere in the world. This global outreach can significantly amplify the support for your themed fundraisers, be it a Snowy Sprint, Winter Wonderland Walk-a-thon, Festive Fun Run, or Jingle Bell Jog!
