Mascot Pride Fundraiser

In Richmond, Virginia, the PTA from Fisher Elementary School used flamingo lawn art to make sure their kids have supplies in school. The “Think Flamingo” is the mascot at the school and it made its way around town. “Everybody wanted them in their yard,” said the PTA Fundraising Chair. “It was just really cool having a flamingo in your yard!” added her daughter, who is a 3rd grader at the school. The birds were a fundraising idea from the school’s PTA. Families paid to adopt a bird and then displayed it in their yard. The money went straight to teachers and the classrooms. “Every year they reimburse teachers for things they have to buy for their classrooms out of pocket,” said a kindergarten teacher and parent.

Teachers said money doesn’t come easily to this school, but that it’s vital to giving these students the tools they need. And the participants said this was bigger than just a fundraiser! When you saw these flamingos in a yard, it showed that you support Fisher Elementary, a school that almost closed this year. “It’s just really cool how you can tell you’re in Fisher and you’re proud of it,” said a student. Money raised from the flamingos was used for teacher training and classroom supplies. The PTA created a Facebook page to handle the “adoptions”. One flamingo could be adopted for $8. Two could be adopted for $12.

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.