Fundraising for ChemClubs

Fundraisers are a great way to raise money for your club, a charity, or special school event. Tried-and-true fundraising ideas include bake sales, raffles, and selling tie-dyed or science-themed t-shirts. Money generated from fundraisers can be used for club field trips, contributions to charities, AP test registration fees, or materials for a science demo. Try one of these fun ideas for your next fundraiser:

Penny Drive

A Penny Drive is a collection of pennies from others possibly in the form of a competition between classes. Some clubs offer a prize to the group that brings the most pennies while others offer a prize based on a point system where non-pennies count positive points and pennies count negative points. This allows for more competition between classes.

Some things to consider when planning a Penny Drive are:

• What will the money be used for?
• How much money do you want to collect to reach your goal? How long do you want the drive to run? What are good locations for your penny collection containers?
• Gather penny collection containers. Plastic containers are recommended rather than breakable glass containers. Small to mid-size containers work best due to the weight of the pennies.
• Publicize the penny drive. You might use fliers, make an announcement over your school’s PA, or place an ad in your local newspaper. Explain how the money will be used, when the drive will happen, and where people can bring their pennies.
• Put the collection jars in easy-to-find places. If the jars will be out for more than a day, empty the pennies daily in a safe place.
• After the drive, exchange the pennies at the bank for paper money. Banks may have different preferences as to whether they want the coins counted into wrappers or not.

Safety Shower Dunk

Faculty and students can be nominated through monetary sponsorship. Each person with over $20 of sponsorship money could be "dunked" during the event. This event must be monitored and approved by the faculty sponsor.

Jail & Bail

Create a place in the school to serve as a jail cell and fill it with items such as a TV, games, chairs, food, etc. to make it a fun place to hang out. Make a mock warrant that students can purchase to send themselves to jail during a free period. Make sure to get approval from your school.

Trivia Night

Hold a trivia night at a local restaurant. Student and teacher groups (friends, band members, football team, math teachers, administrators, etc.) can sign up to reserve a table for a set fee. Each table competes with trivia questions. Ask for students and faculty to contribute trivia questions on all topics.

Items to sell

• Science Sweets
  Put Valentine’s Day, Halloween, or Christmas colored M&M's (or your school colors if available) in decorative test tubes. Plastic test tubes designed for candy are available here.
• Flowers
  Sell flowers for Mother’s Day. Order from your local market a few weeks in advance and try to negotiate special pricing. Students may also wish to purchase roses for other relatives, teachers, or friends. Use a ribbon tied around the flower to attach student-designed Mother's Day cards.
• Smencils
  Smencils are scented pencils made from recycled paper. Order smencils here.
• Glow-in-the-Dark Items
  Sell glow-in-the-dark necklaces, glasses, and other items. Display a description of the chemistry involved.
• Bulbs and plants
  Sell bulbs and plants at a local market.

Items for Charity

• Cell phones
  Several companies work with nonprofit organizations to recycle cell phones so that old phones do not end up in a landfill. Typically companies accept a minimum number of phones in working order.
• Inkjet and toner cartridges
  Several companies accept certain brands of inkjet and toner cartridges in exchange for cash.