Barrels For Education Fundraiser

In Louisville, Kentucky, nearly 40 paintings were displayed at the Louisville Public Library, but not on traditional canvases. This artwork was created on 55-gallon metal drums by students and teachers in the Boulder Valley School District. The barrels were part of the Louisville nonprofit Impact On Education’s program called Barrels for Education. The barrels were distributed to 22 Boulder Valley schools, and students and teachers chose a theme and painted them. Some schools took on more than one barrel.

Members of the public could use their pocketbooks to vote for their favorite one. Each participating school received a portion of the proceeds, and the three that draw the most money received bonus funding. Each barrel had a QR code that could be read with a smartphone, taking people to the nonprofit’s site to allow them to donate any amount to the barrel of their choice. Donations were accepted online or in person at the Louisville library.

One barrel, called “Postcards” was painted green with “postcards” depicting well-known Louisville images — the Historical Museum, the John Breaux statue, an LMS pirate’s flag, local restaurants and the familiar miner’s statue in front of City Hall. Sitting next to that drum was another called “The Pond,” inspired by Claude Monet. Other themes included a play off the game Barrel of Monkeys, and Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”

Victory Cards 970×90


We have included a number of do-it-yourself fundraising ideas in this section that offer a break from traditional product sales.  They were developed by groups just like yours in an attempt have a little fun with their fundraiser. Some of them are tried and true while others show a lot of creativity … and even wackiness in some cases.  All of them are obviously not appropriate for every group, but sometimes, with only a little modification, your might find some fund raising ideas that are perfect for your group. If you have an idea for a do-it-yourself fund raiser you are willing to share with others, please send it to us via email. Include anything and everything you would want to know if you were hearing the idea for the first time.