Ways to get involved
Whether you're a teacher planning an end-of-term fundraiser or a parent who wants to get the whole school involved, this page has everything you need to get started. We have everything you need - from practical school fundraising ideas to free lesson resources and a dedicated fundraising pack.
Schools have raised thousands for Save the Children over the years - here are the ideas that work best.
Pay in your fundraising
If you’re paying in donations on behalf of a school, please use the Schools paying in form below
Fundraising Ideas
If you're planning a fundraiser and need inspiration or want to raise money but you're not sure how to go about it, check out our list of fundraising ideas for some great ways to raise money.
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Bake Sale
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Put on your aprons and get baking to help change children's lives. A school bake sale works brilliantly as a lunchtime event or after-school treat - charge per item or offer a tasting plate for a set donation. A Great British Bake Off-style competition between classes or year groups always goes down well and gets the whole school talking. Head to our bake sale page for tips, posters and everything you need to make it a success.
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Christmas Jumper Day
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One of our most popular annual school fundraising events - and genuinely one of the most fun days of the school year. Get your classmates into their sparkliest, silliest jumpers and raise money while spreading some festive cheer. Since 2012, millions of people have taken part every December, raising millions for children in the UK and around the world. It's free to sign up and we'll send you everything you need. Find out when Christmas Jumper Day is this year.
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Non-Uniform Day
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Ask pupils to donate £1 to ditch the uniform for a day. Pick a theme to make it more exciting - "countries around the world" works well and ties into geography and global citizenship lessons, while superhero, decades, or favourite book character themes always get pupils engaged. Easy to organise, always well received, and requiring zero budget to run.
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Sports Day
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Add a fundraising twist to your annual sports day by including a parent and child challenge, asking parents to donate to enter. Alternatively, set up a sponsored sports day where each child gets pledges per event completed. It gets families involved, raises money, and adds extra energy to a day pupils already love.
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Sponsored Silence
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The perfect way to handle your most enthusiastic chatterers - and surprisingly popular with pupils who enjoy the challenge. Ask friends and family to sponsor them for an hour (or more) of silence, or combine it with another activity like reading or drawing. Works brilliantly for younger year groups and can be run within a single lesson or across a whole morning.
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Swimathon
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Challenge your students to swim a set number of lengths as a relay team within a given time, collecting sponsorship from family and friends for every length completed. It encourages teamwork, physical activity, and a sense of achievement - and it's one of the fundraising ideas that works equally well for primary and secondary schools.
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Talent Show
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Hold a talent show and give pupils the chance to showcase their skills - singing, dancing, comedy, magic, instruments, or anything else they're proud of. Charge a small entry fee to perform and ask parents and other pupils to donate to come along and watch. You could add audience voting for a small extra donation per vote, with a prize donated for the winner.
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Turn £5 into £100
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Give groups of five children a £5 budget and challenge them to turn it into as much as possible through their own mini-fundraising projects - selling things they've made, organising their own events, or finding creative ways to grow their money. Everything they raise above the £5 gets donated. It teaches entrepreneurship, teamwork and creative thinking while raising real money for children around the world.
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Name the Teddy
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Ask pupils to donate for the chance to guess the name of a class teddy bear - or gather everyone's baby photos and challenge them to guess who's who. No budget required, takes five minutes to set up, and works brilliantly as a form group or assembly activity. The simpler the idea, the more people get involved.
Register with us to get your free fundraising pack with resources, posters and tips for every one of these ideas.
Charity of the Year
Supporting Save the Children throughout the school year is a great way to engage your students with our work and raise vital funds through enjoyable fundraising activites.
Whether you've supported us before, or you're new to Save the Children we'd love to have you on board.
Together, we can help build better futures for children everywhere.
Get in touch by emailing [email protected] or calling 020 7012 6400.
How we'll support you
- Fundraising resources - we have lots of of great fundraising materials to help promote your fundraiser, and make it look the part too!
- Lesson resources - you will have access to a host of engaging lesson plans and resources to help bring our work to life in the classrom.
- Speaker for your assembly - we have some brilliant volunteer speakers who would love to come and speak to your students about our work.
- Sharing the difference - we'll let you know the difference you're making by sharing the stories of children we help.
You will also be put in touch with your local fundraising expert who will be able to give you dedicated support.
Campaign With Us
Give your students the chance to speak out in support of children's rights around the world.
Our campaigning calls to action are ideal for Geography, History, Philosophy & Ethics and Citizenship lessons, as well as assemblies and off-timetable days.
Harnessing students' voices to call for change on the climate crisis and Afghan children's education, among other issues, can promote critical thinking, teamwork, public speaking, empathy and leadership skills.
How we helped Harriet*
"When a girl child is given a chance, she can do what a boy child can do,” says 14-year-old Harriet. In a refugee settlement in Uganda this confident, smiling student is showing just what girls are capable of.
When Harriet’s family were forced to flee South Sudan, she was afraid she would never get back to school. But then she joined our Accelerated Learning Programme for child refugees – and her learning took off.
Now, Harriet’s caught up on the education she missed, and is doing brilliantly at school. She’s even been chosen as Head Girl by the other pupils. This top student is determined to become a lawyer, and make life better for people in South Sudan. “I’m going to change the world!” she says.
Book a speaker
To help make your event as educational as possible, why not arrange for a Save the Children speaker to come and talk to your group about how the money they raise will help? To find out if we have a speaker in your area, contact our team 0207 012 6400 or by email: [email protected]
