Creative Ways to Engage Students and Crush Your Donation Goals
PTO/A leaders want students to feel engaged during school fundraisers. The challenge? Keeping their attention once the novelty wears off!
Gamification—the process of taking an everyday task and adding exciting elements like goals, rewards, challenges—is one of the most effective ways to build excitement and get your students cheering for each other instead of just counting dollars.
For school fundraisers, it’s about transforming the “asking for donations” spiel into something that feels like an adventure, complete with awesome challenges, achievements, and celebrations at every milestone.
Here’s how to use fun themes to make your next fundraiser feel like a school-wide adventure and keep students excited, from day one to the finish line.
How to Gamify Your next School Fundraiser!
When students see a fundraising goal as a challenge they can win, participation goes sky-high. Instead of just tracking donations, try setting levels that build momentum: a classroom celebration for hitting $1,000, a school-wide reward for crossing $10,000, or a mystery challenge unlocked halfway through.
Here are some more ideas for celebrating your progress as you level up toward your overall goal:
- Digital Badges and Certificates: Recognize both individual and group achievements by awarding digital badges for different levels of contributions. For instance, the “Superstar Fundraiser” badge we have on FundHub is prominently displayed on student webpages for those who have reached the above and beyond “superstar” donation amount.
- Tangible Rewards: Depending on the age of the participants and the nature of the event, consider incorporating tangible rewards such as custom wristbands, stickers, or special privileges (like extra recess time for a class that reaches its goal first). These rewards can serve as constant reminders of their contributions and success. On FundHub, we have online incentive trackers to make this process super easy for event organizers.
The more students understand how their efforts are paying off, the more students stay invested. Use visuals (a donation thermometer, a class leaderboard, or even printed progress charts in hallways) to remind everyone how far they’ve come. Visual charts, whether printed or digital, show students and families the different levels and rewards they can achieve on the way to your overall school donation goal!
Bring the Fun to Life with a Game-based Fundraiser Theme
A great theme is what turns an ordinary school fundraiser into an event students actually want to join. The best themes are ones kids already recognize, like Super Mario, Candy Land, or Sonic the Hedgehog. By using a familiar world, your event immediately becomes more memorable because students connect with the fundraiser on a personal level. Once they see themselves as part of that story, their imagination does the rest.
Here are five iconic themes your school can borrow and make your own!
Super Mario World: Level-Up Your Next Fundraiser
This classic video game character from the 80’s is still a favorite with kids and teens, so why not get the whole school involved with a Mario-themed fundraiser?! In Mario Kart, every coin, every level, and every flagpole marks progress. Use that same energy to inspire your school’s reward incentives!
Each class can become a ‘team’ on its own adventure through the Mario world. Every donation collected helps them ‘level up’ and move closer to the finish line. When students reach a milestone, they earn a power-up: small rewards like extra recess or themed stickers.
At Oxford Prep, students tracked progress on a giant racetrack-style poster, where a Mario-inspired icon moved forward as donations came in.
When the school hits its big goal, celebrate with a ‘Victory Day’ where teachers dress up as Mario characters, and the halls transform into a Mario Kart-style obstacle course! Eagle Creek did something similar when they celebrated hitting their annual Read-Athon goal, and students loved seeing their admin dressed head-to-toe in a colorful costume while racing a go-kart around the hallways.
Another great idea? Host a Mario Kart party, complete with TV sets brought in so students can play the game with teachers (who can dress up as the characters, too!).
Sonic the Hedgehog: Speed + Energy = Friendly Competition
Sonic’s world is all about fast-paced action and collecting rings, and that vibrant energy is perfect for a fundraiser designed to get kids moving!
Right from the start, set the tone as something exciting and upbeat, like this school did with their ‘Speeding into Reading’ Sonic-themed kickoff video!
For this theme, each classroom has its own Sonic character, and every donation adds rings to their grand total. Set up visual trackers showing which class is speeding ahead, which ones are close behind, and who’s about to reach the next checkpoint.
Add in mini challenges to keep the momentum high. Think ‘Fast-Track Friday’ or ‘Turbo Tuesday’, where any class that earns five donations in one day earns a small prize!
Disney Magic: Dream Big and Celebrate Together
Disney themes work because they combine imagination, teamwork, and joy–three ingredients every great fundraiser needs.
Frame your fundraising event as a school-wide journey through the world of Disney. Classrooms can feature themed decorations (Cinderella’s Castle for one class, the Lion King’s Pride Lands for another). Teachers could even let their classroom cast votes for which popular Disney landscape they want to represent!
Set class-level goals that unlock magical rewards. When a class hits its target, they earn a “Magic Moment”: think a Disney movie break or themed snack cart visit.
At Heath Elementary, a Disney Dash Fun Run kept the energy high and the theme front and center. Play classic Disney music along the course and hand out themed stickers or medals as staff cheers students on!
For the big finale, plan a “Happily Ever After” celebration where students and teachers dress as their favorite Disney characters. Heath Elementary rewarded superstar students with a character lunch featuring Moana’s Maui, giving top fundraisers a memory straight out of a Disney story.
Pokemon: Catch Every Goal at Your School Fundraiser
When Eagle Point Elementary wanted a fresh take on their Read-Athon fundraiser, they caught the perfect idea: a Pokémon theme. Students went on a full-blown adventure to “catch” goals and earn rewards along the way!
To bring this theme to life, classrooms become their own team of Trainers, working together to level up by tracking reading minutes and donations. At Eagle Creek, the top-earning class of the week earned a special visitor: a stuffed Pikachu trophy that spent the week in their classroom. Don’t forget to involve teachers, too! Staff can dress as Gym Leaders and cheer on their “teams” as they move closer to the schoolwide goal. Fun incentives can include dressing up the principal as Pikachu for a day, gathering students for a Pokémon-themed movie night, or hosting an outdoor “Pokémon battle” where classrooms show off their moves for fun prizes.
LEGO: Build a School Fundraiser Students Never Forget
CTA Goodman Elementary turned their fundraiser into a full-on LEGO adventure! Instead of just tracking donations, students literally built their progress: each class added colorful paper “bricks” to their classroom door, stacking them higher each day as donations came in. The goal? To complete a giant LEGO creation by the time fundraising was over.
To keep excitement going, staff organized lunchtime building challenges where students teamed up to create designs. These quick, creative competitions kept motivation alive and reminded students that every contribution helped them “build” something bigger together.
When the final goal was reached, top-earning students earned tickets to LEGOLAND, giving them a reward that tied perfectly back to the theme.
3 Ways to Keep the Excitement Level High for Your Fundraiser
Themes and visuals draw students in, but consistent engagement keeps them engaged. Here are a few ways to keep your fundraising campaign cruising towards your final fundraising goal.
- Create Class Challenges: Small bursts of competition help sustain excitement in schools. Try quick, low-effort challenges: the first class to reach 50% of their goal wins a themed trophy, or the next class to get ten online donations gets a fun classroom privilege. These little victories build momentum toward the big end goal.
- Celebrate the Milestones: Don’t save all your fun for the finale! Every milestone deserves a little celebration: a photo shout-out on social media (with parent’s permission, or course), or a special school announcement over the loudspeaker for classrooms who go the extra mile. Recognition feels good, costs nothing, and keeps student motivation strong.
- Let Students Take the Lead: Encourage student-led updates and creativity, especially when working with middle schoolers. Students can create posters, record iPhone videos, or design characters tied to your fundraising theme. When students feel ownership, they become natural ambassadors for the cause, so give them a way to contribute!
Level Up Your School Fundraiser with Get Movin’
At Get Movin’ Fundraising, we help schools make fundraisers successful AND unforgettable. Our online donation platform, FundHub, makes it simple to add themes, track donations, and celebrate milestones in a way that motivates students and supports organizers. Ready to discover how your next fundraiser can feel less like a campaign and more like a school-wide adventure? Schedule for FREE FundHub demo today!