If you’re looking to change the reputation of your school, or wanting to attract new parent volunteers to your classroom or fundraising activities, you might want to add healthy fundraising to your school or PTA* rebranding strategy.

Healthy fundraising isn’t just about low sugar or low fat. True healthy fundraising has a positive benefit all the way around. Ideally it:

• lines up with educational values AND contributes to them

• uses renewable, easily recyclable products made with quality materials for longevity

• contributes to the health and well-being of your child

• provides a meaningful experience

• strengthens your children’s abilities and self-esteem, and

• is inclusive to ALL parts of your student community

Or, more simply, the fundraising product or service is good for the child and their environment, and not just in terms of the money it raises.

Bringing this level of ethics to school fundraising is exciting and can be an attractive indicator of your group’s overall values – that you consider the welfare of students FIRST, AND ABOVE easy profit. This message attracts new people to your cause – firstly to support and assist the fundraiser, and then to listen more broadly to your other messages and projects. These new people are already in your school community, who have been put off by unhealthy fundraisers of the past. They’re people who believe in health, education or environmental care, or parents of children with dietary restrictions who have been excluded by past fundraisers or social events. Now you’re signaling to them that you’re aligned with their beliefs too.

Show people you are willing to include their kids in the best way, and you’ll find a new family to support you!

Healthy fundraising shows that you’re consistently carrying the healthy welfare message across all areas of your school. If your school is promoting mindfulness, inclusiveness, exercise, a healthy canteen and recycling then it seems absurd to reverse this messaging with fundraisers that don’t adhere to these morals. I’m not advocating complete wowserism, but improving the ratio of healthy to unhealthy fundraisers will tell your school community that you practice what you preach.

It sends the strong message to your community that you’re willing to be a social leader, to stand up against failing norms, to find innovative ways to satisfy fundraising requirements without pimping your students for profit.

And don’t worry, you don’t have to sacrifice either fun or profit. There are many very profitable and easy to run healthy fundraisers available to schools, so you can still raise the money you need to help you provide resources to improve your school.

* PTA represents in this article all forms of parent-school bodies: PTO, P&C, P&F, School Council etc

This blog post was brought to you by My School Adventure - a reading fundraiser for primary, elementary and middle grade schools, where we customise an exciting adventure gamebook novel to your school including 4 teachers as characters. www.myschooladventure.com