With a new school year underway and increased pressure for schools to generate additional sources of revenue, now is the perfect time to start thinking about a health. moves. minds. fundraiser.
SHAPE America and Booster are here to help you map out a plan to succeed, whether you’re leading your very first school fundraiser or are a seasoned pro. This complete checklist provides a clear path to maximize your school’s fundraising potential while building community and placing student well-being at the heart of your event.
Ready to start checking off those boxes?
1. Secure Approval and Set Your Dates
Start by getting your principal’s approval to lead a health. moves. minds. fundraiser. The Justification Toolkit can help you prepare, with resources like talking points, a letter template, and a list of benefits for your school.
Once approved, lock in your kickoff and end dates on the school calendar before it fills up. A 2-3 week fundraiser is ideal — long enough to promote and engage donors, but short enough to keep momentum strong.
2. Define Your “Why” and Set a Goal
Work with your principal, leadership team and wellness committee to identify your school’s priorities. This will shape your “why” — the purpose that connects your fundraiser to student well-being.
Next, set a clear fundraising goal. Remember: Your school will receive at least 50% of the funds raised in cash. For example, if you need $5,000, set your goal at $10,000. Plus, you’ll receive a Gopher gift card (5% of funds raised, plus a $250 Booster bonus match).
3. Finalize Your Fundraiser With Booster
With your fundraiser dates set, connect with your Booster Fundraising Expert to start planning your fundraiser. Together, you’ll walk through your goals, map out your plan and finalize details. Be ready to share:
- Your fundraising goal;
- Your “why”;
- Kickoff and end dates;
- Class list (teacher names, grades taught and number of students);
- Admin access (names and email addresses for anyone who needs administrative access to the fundraising website).
After you connect with your Fundraising Expert, Booster will create your personalized fundraising website and send the Merchant Account Agreement, which allows them to securely collect online funds on your behalf.
4. Plan Celebrations and Incentives
Keep excitement high by planning fun incentives along the way. In addition to student prizes, consider adding school-wide rewards or classroom challenges — like theme days, silly stunts from teachers, or special privileges.
You’ll also want to decide how you’ll celebrate your success at the end. From fun runs and dance-a-thons to obstacle courses or custom events, choose something that fits your school community and creates lasting memories.
5. Build Buzz Early and Keep It Going
Booster provides customizable resources — like posters, trackers and email templates — that you can personalize for your school. Use them early to announce your fundraiser and continue sharing updates throughout.
Spread the word on your website, social media channels, newsletters and morning announcements. The more often families and the community hear about your fundraiser, the more engaged they’ll be.
6. Incorporate health. moves. minds. Into Your PE or Health Classes
During your fundraiser, show the daily character videos to inspire students with lessons on kindness, empathy and cooperation. Pair these with the suggested Strength in Kindness activities in your PE classes to get students moving while practicing life skills.
Additional lessons and activities are available on the SHAPE America website, so you can keep building student character and well-being throughout the entire school year.
7. Track and Report Progress
Use the MyBooster platform to monitor progress in real time and share updates with staff, parents and students. Celebrate milestones — big and small — to keep everyone engaged.
If you’re collecting cash or checks, deposit them into your school bank account and share totals with your Booster consultant so everything is captured on your dashboard.
8. Celebrate and Recognize Everyone
Throughout your fundraiser, distribute student prizes regularly to keep excitement high. Use your MyBooster dashboard for easy prize tracking and classroom reporting.
At the end, celebrate top fundraisers and classroom winners — but most importantly, recognize every student’s effort. Present certificates of participation, thank your community, and enjoy the celebration event you planned together.
Get Started Now
By following this simple guide, you’ll stay organized, build momentum and engage your whole school community from start to finish.
Remember: health. moves. minds. is designed to let you focus on what you do best — educating students. We’ll be your fundraising partners behind the scenes, supporting you every step of the way.
Together, let’s raise funds, support student well-being and make an impact for your school.
SHAPE America partners with Booster for the health. moves. minds. fundraising program and receives a portion of the funds raised. This post provides guidance and resources to help schools plan successful fundraisers.
Additional Resources
Beth Bennett
Beth Bennett is the vice president of strategic partnerships and fundraising at SHAPE America. She is responsible for the overall program management of health. moves. minds., as well as year-round partnerships, sponsorship, advertising and exhibit sales.
Sara MacIntosh
Over her five plus years working with Booster, Sara has a passion for supporting local school communities by helping facilitate easy and successful fundraisers. Sara has seen the hard work, sacrifice and dedication that PE teachers give day in and out and wants to help support them through the health. moves. minds. fundraiser.
