Handcrafted Spirit Bracelets - An Easy School Fundraiser Idea!

This school spirit craft fundraiser post was sponsored by Oriental Trading Company.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Our twins started 5th grade this fall, which is a year filled with many field trips.  There are also yearbooks, a graduation ceremony, a graduation party, the class gift to the school, and the gifts to all the 5th grade teachers.  Since money is tight for many of the families at our school, we are trying to raise as much money as possible to minimize the cost of all of the above for the families.

My daughter and I wanted to do our part.  Since we're both pretty crafty, I had the idea to make spirit bracelets in the school colors to sell at the Fall fair at school.  I found everything I needed at Oriental Trading Company with the exception of the P, R, and S beads.

The bracelets made of Crystal Bicone Beads and Cut Crystal Round Beads were a huge hit!  If you charged $6.00 for one or 2/$10.00, you would make approximately $4 per bracelet to support your cause.  We tried to make a variety of styles, adding Bow Charms and Star Beads here and there. You could easily charge more based on how much your community would be willing to spend.

We also made lots of Pony Bead Spirit Bracelets.  You could sell these for $3.00 each or 2/$5.00, making approximately $2.30 per bracelet on behalf of your cause.  Be sure to use clear stretchy cording for added durability since some of these will be worn by children.

Presentation is everything!  I truly believe that we would not have sold as many bracelets if we had not created an eye-catching display.  All I did was add our school colors to the base of a Black and White Wishing Tree Centerpiece.  Although this inexpensive tree was made of lightweight cardboard, it was sturdy enough to hang a few bracelets on the branches, and it was easy to transport because it folds flat.

Bonus Fundraising Idea . . . 

One of the easiest donations to obtain for a raffle is free classes.  It doesn't cost a martial arts, dance, or fitness studio anything to add one more person to their class for a few weeks.  Plus, they have the opportunity to impress a potential new student.

It's great when people buy one raffle ticket, but even better when they buy more than one, right?  Why not offer a small thank you gift to those buying more than one raffle ticket?  Just a little something so that they don't leave empty-handed.  These Ninja Mini Prisms, for example, cost about $0.13 each.  A parent could walk away with a happy child if you had a small toy like these to hand out, while you just sold 2 or 3 raffle tickets instead of just one.

What tips do you have for a successful school fundraiser?

Share them with us in a comment here.