Many children today first discover fundraising through the various candy, wrapping paper, and magazine sales drives in their schools. They can also learn about the world of fundraising and volunteering through their parents. Most fundraising projects include tasks that even young children can do.

Teaching the Principles

Children are very receptive to learning about why we raise funds and the need to help others. Books, films, and television shows are filled with simple lessons in which a character struggles with a problem and then figures out how to solve it. So when teaching children about fundraising, the only element you need to introduce is the notion of needing to buy something — hence the requirement for funds.

Sally the sea lion lost her favorite dolly and can't afford a new one. Can we help her get a new dolly? “Where can she get one?” you might ask a young child. At some point, a child will usually respond, “At the store” or “At the toy store.” Then you can explain she must pay the storekeeper for it but doesn't have enough money. Because it is hard for a sea lion to get a job, perhaps we could do something to help her earn the money. The basic point is to nudge children gently and encourage them to help. From analogies and play activities at an early age, schoolchildren — usually as early as the first grade — will progress toward understanding real needs and real situations where they will want to help other people.

Helping in Times of Tragedy

The devastation Hurricane Katrina wrought made the need to help people very real, and many children were inspired to get involved in helping others. The images on TV were frightening, and the notion of wanting to do something to help was a healthy way of working through the horrors for children as well as adults.

Kids from every part of the country pitched in and raised money and goods for the victims and rescue crews. In Port Washington, New York, an entire school district embarked on a multiyear campaign to raise funds for a mobile medical unit that would help children and their families when a disaster struck; fundraising efforts included fashion shows, lemonade sales, battle of the band events, and a basketball game between the village's fire and police departments. Garage sales, toy and clothing drives, and many other creative fundraising ideas were not only incorporated into the school calendar that year, but retained their place in community youth groups and other organizations several years after Hurricane Katrina.

Teens and Community Service

Increasingly, teenagers look for opportunities to perform community service. Because many of them want to list community service activities on their applications for college and honor roll societies, their reasons for getting involved may not be entirely altruistic. Still, for the most part, they enjoy the satisfaction of knowing they are doing good work in helping a worthy organization support a cause. This trend can provide a good opportunity to recruit interested volunteers and in the process teach the next generation the importance of fundraising.

In general, the more novel and fun the event, the more likely teens will be to participate. For example, the American Cancer Society organizes annual Relay For Life events, where teams of people gather overnight in places such as parks, schools, or fairgrounds and take turns walking or running laps. These teams recruit sponsors for their participation, and the event typically finishes at dawn. It is the kind of social happening many teens like to experience.