Boost Read-Athon Donations Through Classroom Participation
Planning a School Read-Athon? Don’t Forget About Your Teachers!
When planning a school fundraiser, we often focus on the students, parents, and donors—but there’s another group that can make a big difference for your event: your teachers! Teachers have a unique influence on students, and their involvement can significantly drive donations and participation in your Read-Athon fundraiser. Let’s explore why teachers love Read-Athons and how you can involve them to maximize your fundraising success!
Why Teachers Love Read-Athons
Teachers naturally gravitate toward activities that enhance student learning, and Read-Athons are a perfect match. These fundraisers combine literacy promotion with effective fundraising, making them a favorite among educators. Here’s why teachers love Read-Athons—and why administrators should, too.
(Tip: These points are great to have in hand when getting admin approval for your event!)
1. An Educational Activity They Can Get Behind
Teachers care deeply about their students’ academic growth. Unlike fundraisers that involve selling candy or gift wrap, a Read-Athon is centered on improving literacy—a foundational skill that impacts every subject.
- The Need: Reading scores have been on a decline since COVID, with educators nationwide seeking ways to boost literacy.
- The Impact: Read-Athons promote a school-wide focus on reading, giving teachers a reason to talk about its importance every day.
Read-Athons create excitement around books, encouraging students to read more while helping schools raise much-needed funds. It’s a win-win.
2. Easy Integration Into the Classroom
Teachers are busy, and they appreciate fundraisers that fit naturally into their lesson plans without adding extra work. Read-Athons do just that:
- Storytime: Reading aloud to the class? Those reading minutes count!
- Independent Reading: Silent reading time can be logged toward classroom totals.
- Group Activities: Reading circles and book discussions contribute to the overall reading goals.
3. Motivating Students With Fun Rewards
Teachers love watching their students set and achieve goals. Read-Athons make it easy to incentivize both reading and donations!
Here are a few ways teachers can encourage participation:
- Daily Shout-Outs: Teachers can highlight students who hit their reading or donation goals.
- Classroom Rivalries: A little competition between classrooms can ignite a fun, goal-driven environment. The Classroom Leaderboard on FundHub makes this easy to track in real-time!
- Reward Variety: From extra recess to a pizza party or certificates, teachers can help celebrate milestones big and small.
How to Boost Donations Through Classroom Participation
Teaming up with Get Movin’ Fundraising makes it simple for teachers to actively participate in a Read-Athon. Our platform includes teacher dashboards designed to make their participation easy and impactful. With FundHub, teachers can:
- Track reading minutes for their entire classroom or individual students.
- Monitor progress toward classroom donation goals.
- Celebrate successes with students in real-time, creating excitement and motivation as they work together to become top of the Classroom Leaderboard!
These tools empower teachers to stay engaged and drive student participation. Below are specific ways that the PTO/A can help teachers stay up-to-date and involved in your school Read-Athon!
1. Host a Read-Athon Guest Speaker Series
Invite teachers to bring their favorite children’s books to life. Not only does this build excitement, but it also promotes a love of reading across the school. Here’s how:
- Morning Announcements: Kick off the day with a teacher reading a chapter or excerpt from a beloved book.
- Assembly Readings: Incorporate live reading sessions into a kickoff assembly or event day.
- Virtual Storytime: Host online readings via Facebook Live to engage families and creating a special experience after school hours.
Pro Tip: Pair readings with fundraiser updates. For example, after a chapter reading, announce the top classroom for reading minutes or donations.
2. Recognize and Promote Achievements
Teachers love celebrating their students, and the PTO can make it even better by supporting them with fun tools and competitions. One great idea? Track social shares and turn them into a class-wide challenge!
- Run Reports: Use tools like FundHub to see how many parents are sharing student webpages for each class.
- Create a Class Competition: Share the results with teachers and challenge classrooms to see who can get the most shares.
- Reward the Winners: Celebrate the top class with a fun prize like a pizza party, extra recess, or a raffle reward.
This simple addition keeps parents involved, teachers excited, and students motivated. Plus, it’s an easy way to boost donations!
3. Create Teacher Incentives
Teachers love a little recognition, too! Adding fun incentives for teachers can keep them motivated and excited to rally their classrooms. The PTO/A can set up simple rewards to show appreciation for their hard work.
- Top Classroom Teacher Prize: Offer a gift card, lunch delivery, or even a special coffee run for the teacher whose class logs the most reading minutes or raises the most donations.
- Team Effort Reward: Celebrate all participating teachers with a group reward, like a casual lunch or treat day, if the school hits its overall goal.
- Fun Challenges: Encourage teachers to take on challenges for their classes, like dressing up as a character from a book or hosting a wacky theme day if their class reaches a milestone.
These small gestures go a long way in making teachers feel valued and creating a sense of fun and camaraderie during the fundraiser!
Raise More with Teacher Engagement
Teachers are the secret ingredient to a successful Read-Athon. By offering tools like classroom webpages, social share tracking, and fun incentives, you can keep teachers and students motivated throughout your fundraiser.
Want to see all the ways FundHub makes it easy for teachers to get involved? Book a FundHub Demo today and discover how our platform can help your school raise more!