Head Start Fundraising Ideas

The National Head Start Association’s (NHSA) mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education. The NHSA is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life. Local Head Start chapters across the country will hold a fundraiser to supplement their programs… in some areas, due to government cut-backs, fundraisers are really the only meaningful source of income for Head Start.

One of the biggest decisions is often deciding what type of fundraiser to do. In Colorado Springs, the Community Partnership for Child Development launched a creative fundraiser called the Fill a Seat Project in which Head Start kids set aside their crayons and picked up paint brushes to decorate chairs from the closed classrooms. The chairs were then sold for $500 apiece. In Mattoon, IL, Head Start Mattoon 1 Parent Group threw a Pizza “Community Day” fundraiser, in which a local restaurant donated a portion of the check for those who ate there on a specific day to Head Start Mattoon. Fundraisers by other Head Start groups include trike-a-thons, choral events, art auctions, dinners, raffles, Christmas poinsettias, and product sales.

Check out our complete list of fundraising products and do-it-yourself fundraising ideas for your next head start fundraiser.

You can also choose from a wide variety of Head Start DIY fundraising ideas to supplement your program. How about Door to Door for Pennies, Radio Days, bingo, Raffle Table, or thons of every type? Perhaps one of these successful and creative ideas can be adapted for your Head Start fundraiser.

Children’s Cookbook – Involve the whole school in writing a book of the children’s favorite recipes. This is a hilarious and profitable fundraising idea. Ask each child in the school to tell you: 1) What they are going to cook; 2) What ingredients they will need; 3) How do they make their recipe; 4) How do they cook their recipe; 5) Draw a picture of what they want to cook. Write the children’s responses down exactly as they tell them to you.Read more…

Ugly Tie Contest – For this fundraiser, allow the children and youth of your group to each decorate a man’s neck tie. Use all sorts of tacky things to glue on the ties… buttons, lace, small toys, flowers, etc. Display the ties in a prominent location. Put a jar or bucket beneath each tie. One penny equals one vote. Read more…

Trike-a-thon – Hold a fundraising “Trike-a-thon”. It is exactly what it sounds like. Make it an athletic challenge where young children get donations per lap that they will ride on their tricycles on a given day or flat donations. Paint a special trike path in your parking lot or use tape on a gymnasium floor. Read more…