Plane Pull Fundraiser

A fundraising plane pull can generate plenty of good publicity and raise lots of money for your organization or a worthy cause. Pulls are done by teams that can compete in several categories.  The Variety Children’s Charities of Memphis, Tennessee sponsors an annual pull with teams consisting of 20 members who pull a 155,000 pound Boeing 727 jet airplane a distance of 12 feet! Their categories include:

  • The Fastest Pull – average time is 10 seconds, fastest is 5.237seconds

  • Lightest Combined Body Weight – team can compete again utilizing the lightest combined weight of team members who can pull the plane twelve feet within 3 minutes.

  • Top Women’s Team

  • Showmanship – team with the best costume, theme, or creative idea

  • Most Improved – Team with the best improved time from their last competition

  • Challenge Trophies – Challenge your business competitors to a pull

A 727 may be a little more ambitious fundraising event than you are ready to undertake and may not be readily available. You could consider something a little smaller like a bus, fire truck, tractor trailer, earth mover, hearse, etc. – something that would attract interest and attention. Use your imagination!

For Example: Bus on a rope: Goodrich Middle School students in Goodrich, Michigan, pull bus for fundraising event. Teacher Tena Czap (right) motivates her students during the “Move That Bus” fundraiser. The competition is a fundraiser for the school where the classes tried to pull the bus 100 feet. The PTO hopes to raise $5,000. Students will receive pledges for every foot they move a bus, from point A to point B. The teachers were able to pull the bus 100 feet in about 15 seconds.

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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.