As PE teachers, we want what is best for our students; however, getting the equipment we need to provide quality physical education comes with a hefty price tag that many schools can’t afford.
I teach in a K-5 building where teachers have typically relied on fundraisers to supplement our budgets. A few years back, the way we were fundraising just wasn’t sitting well with me. I knew a change was needed.
At this same time, my district made a shift and wanted us to focus on personalized learning for our students. As I reflected on how this would shift lesson delivery, it occurred to me that we could use this as a springboard for a new fundraising platform.
In previous years, I told students who we were fundraising for — but what would happen if I let them tell me what was important for them to support? And how much good could we do if we kept the money in our community (which was not where our money had been going)?
Here are the steps I took to give the students voice in our fundraising.
- Empower students to choose the charity: My fifth graders are in charge of researching charities they think are important to support. We call this the “Fifth Grade Legacy Project.” The students voluntarily write a paper explaining why they think we should support this charity and what our money would do to help them. These essays are then submitted to a panel that scores them on a rubric to identify the finalists, who then make a video teaching all K-5 students about their charity. The leadership and learning packed into this step alone is remarkable. Every student then gets a voice by voting for their favorite from the finalists.
- Reveal the chosen charity: At our kickoff event, we announce the winner. Students go nuts and get psyched when they find out which charity will receive our fundraising money.
- Celebrate a successful fundraiser: When the fundraiser is completed, we invite the chosen charity to our “Celebration Day,” where students celebrate their kindness with games, music, dancing, and a little “dunking” me with water. This is also when the students who wrote the essay present a GIANT check (both in size and amount) to the charity’s representative, who then shares what that money will do for their organization. Students can also ask questions during a Q&A period. The sense of pride and community that happens during this exchange is very heartwarming.
- Inspire the next class: Once the fundraising cycle is complete, we start hyping up the fourth graders to be in charge of the following year’s fundraiser. The students are encouraged to start having conversations about what causes are important to them, so they’re ready to leave a legacy at their school and in their community.
Exceeding Our Fundraising Goals
Pairing my existing ideas with health. moves. minds.®, powered by Booster has taken our fundraiser over the top! As a teacher at a Title I school, I know that asking students’ families to support the PE program can sometimes be a big ask. But with the Booster platform, students can easily reach out to other family members, friends, and even corporate sponsors.
In our first year partnering with health. moves. minds., we raised $12,230. We were guaranteed 50% of that — but since so many people covered the Booster platform fee, we got back 61% for a total of $7,367, plus another $861 in the form of a Gopher gift card!
This year, we gave a large check to our top charity — the Young at Heart pet rescue — ensuring our students’ legacy will live on in the lives of senior pets.
And since our fundraiser was so successful, we also made donations to the runners-up: Between Friends Food Pantry, Fur Angels, and Illinois Equine Humane Society.
Big things can happen when you give students a voice — and in all, $2,000 went straight back into our community to support causes chosen by our students, not adults.
Your Students Can Do This, Too
Through this process, we learned that little people can do big things if you give them the space to do it.
Now ask yourself: What legacy could your students leave in their community and in their own PE program if they were given a voice?
Additional Resources
- The Kindness Code [Video]
- Step-by-Step Fundraising Guide [PDF]
- Connect with a Booster Fundraising Expert
Sadie Stark
Sadie Stark is a physical education teacher at McDole Elementary School in Montgomery, IL. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and 2025 IAHPERD Elementary Teacher of the Year. She serves on the IAHPERD Executive Board as the VP of K-5. Sadie has also presented at various conferences in the Midwest.
