FUNDRAISING IDEAS

Plant Sale

Hosting a Plant Show Day in Spring is another fundraising idea that can be a great way to bring in funds for Australian Marist Solidarity. 

This is a popular fundraising activity that has become part of the life of our school each year. 

How do I run this event?  

Here’s a month-by-month outline on how to run this event for your own school.   

  1. In early February, create an environmental team of staff and students. Think of a catchy name for the group like the “Enviro Crusaders”. 

  2. In March, find a suitable place in the school to set up your own nursery. 

  3. In April, plant seeds and propagate cuttings. Get staff or parents to contribute cuttings or plant seeds for this activity. Useful plants are Australian natives, herbs, succulents and shrubs. Local seed suppliers are a great way to get plants. 

  4. In May, June, and July, make sure your team has a roster for watering and transplanting the growing plants into bigger pots over the year. This is important! You want to sell flourishing, healthy plants! 

  5. In August, as you get close to Spring, advertise the sales in the school newsletter. You can call your event “AMS Spring Plant Sale: Welcome to Spring – get your garden breathing and blooming again!” 

  6. You can get flyers organised with the plants you have for sale and the prices. If you are using cuttings, then you are making 100% profit! Take photos of students getting involved in planting to show off their expertise. 

  7. As you publicise, remember to include a quote from Pope Francis in Laudato Si (“Praised Be”) who has proclaimed that we create an “ecological citizenship”:  “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs” (n.1) 

  8. In September, host the sale. You can call your event “AMS Spring Plant Sale” You can get flyers organised with the plants you have for sale and the prices. If you are using cutting then you are making 100% profit! Take photos of students getting involved in planting to show off their expertise.  

  9. In October, donate the profits to AMS. 

  10. In November… get ready to do it all again next year!  

Jersey Day

Hosting a Marist Solidarity jersey day is another fundraising idea that can be a great way to bring in funds for Australian Marist Solidarity. 

How do I run this event?  

Nominate a day for staff and students to wear a Jersey of their favourite team.  

All staff and students who participate Donate a Gold coin donation. Collect the coins at the front gate as the students and staff enter the school. 

This day can be advertised in the weeks leading up to it in Homeroom, posters distributed around the school, school PA announcements and if possible on the schools social media.  

“Donate a gold coin for Jersey Day - show off your support for your favourite team” 

Then donate the profits to AMS. 

Trivia Night

Hosting a Trivia Night is another fundraising idea that can be a great way to bring in funds for Australian Marist Solidarity. 

How do I run this event?  

You will need to advertise this day at the end of Term 2 to generate as much attention as possible, as this event will be extended to parents, students and staff.  

This can be done by posters distributed throughout the school, School wide messages, social media page, learning group, local radio and reminders by school ambassadors.  

 Things to be organised:  

  • Tables and chairs 

  • Space e.g Hall 

  • Projector  

  • Trivia host 

  • Trivia questions with a few rounds, heads and tails challenged, bonus rounds. 

  • Students volunteers to mark, entertain during the night eg. HSC music+drama performances  

  • Lucky door prize 

  • Prizes, these can be sourced from places in your local area eg. dinner vouchers, meat tray, florist, massage vouchers, cinema vouchers, football tickets, football jerseys and bottles of wine.  

  • Possibility to sell cans and packets of chips on the night.  

  • Decorations 

  • Microphones  

 Selling tickets: Tickets can be sold from the finance office for $10, with 10 people per table.  

Sausage Sizzle

There aren’t many fundraising activities more successful than a good old-fashioned sausage sizzle! For extra impact why not pair it with a gold coin free clothes day or favourite sports team jersey day.

How do I run this event?  

1. A sausage sizzle can be done at any time of the year, but it might be more powerful to select a related significant day of celebration, for example Champagnat Day International Education Day, Child Rights Day or World Teachers Day.

2. Select a small Committee to prepare the fundraiser. It might be your Solidarity or Mission Group, your School Leadership Group or a Game Changers group.

3. Advertising can be done through posters being displayed throughout the school in the weeks leading up to the selected day, as well as reminders in Homeroom, School announcements and social media advertising if available.

4. It is often best to have a pre-order for the sausage sizzle, to make sure there is no waste and that the budget provides for the costs and a donation to AMS.

5. The organising committee could create a google form for orders or use an existing school template payment form that can be returned with the payment to homeroom or the finance office.

6. Organise with the appropriate school staff member to make an order of sausages from the local butcher, rolls from the local baker and buy soft drinks from the supermarket. Sometimes you may have a local butcher or baker that is happy to cut the cost of these items if they know you are doing this for a good cause, so provide a little information about the work of AMS when you approach them.

7. On the day: with the support of the committee and school staff, prepare the table, supplies and BBQ. Cook the sausages the period before lunch to ensure it’s ready for distribution (please note: most schools will require a staff member to do the cooking, please follow your own school policy).

8. Students can line up to mark off their name and collect their meal or alternatively, group of students can distribute the meals to designated places for each class group.

9. Don’t forget to share with students where their support will be going and send the funds in to AMS after the event.