Ten Unique Fitness Fundraisers to Get Kids Moving | Booster

Organizing a school fundraiser around physical activity is one of the best things to do for your school community. With fitness fundraisers, you can raise much-needed money for your school while promoting the physical health of students, teachers and family - a win-win!

In this blog, you’ll learn more about: 

• Healthy Ways to Get Kids Involved
• Ways Each Event Can Benefit Your School
• How Booster Can Help with Your Fundraiser

So, what are the best fitness fundraisers for schools? This list includes ten unique fitness fundraisers you can try this year.

Ten Fitness Fundraisers for Schools

1. Dance Fundraiser

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school

Dance marathons are some of the best types of fitness fundraisers for schools. Dancing isn’t just great exercise, but it’s also super fun. 

With a great music playlist and a fun theme and decorations, a dance marathon has the power to get participants extra excited to raise money for their school. It’s also fairly low-effort and cost-effective. All you need is a school cafeteria or gym and a sound system. Of course, it also helps to have a great donation tracker.

If you want to put an even more unique twist on a typical dance fundraiser, check out Booster’s Dance Fit. This program was developed in partnership with the videogame Just Dance and incorporates high-energy music and fun dance routines into your fundraiser. 

Working with Booster also gets you extra help and consulting plus automatic access to our fundraising platform. One school we worked with was able to raise over $37,000 with a single Dance Fit event!

2. Color Run

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school

A Fun Run is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most profitable types of fitness fundraisers for schools. There’s nothing wrong with a classic Fun Run, but there are also plenty of ways to put a twist on this event and create extra excitement.

One alternative is a Color Run, in which teachers, parents, and other spectators cheer on participants by throwing bright colored powder. With Booster’s Color Run, we can help you set up, promote and host your event, including providing safe, FDA-approved color powder to take your Fun Run up a notch!

3. Glow Run

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school

Another awesome variation on the Fun Run is a Glow Run. One thing that makes the Glow Run special is that it’s an indoor event, so you have the flexibility to host the event even in bad weather. 

An indoor Glow Run gets kids up and moving with fun, high-energy music and a bright neon racetrack with disco lights, tunnels, cones and more. It creates a truly unforgettable event. Learn more about the Glow Run here!

4. Walk-a-Thon

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school, high school

If you’re looking for a low-effort, low-cost event with reliable earning power, a walk-a-thon is a great option for any grade level. Like other a-thon fundraisers, a walk-a-thon works by having donors pledge to donate a certain amount per time or distance walked by participants. Walking is a great form of exercise and lets participants get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

To take your walk-a-thon up a notch, offer an extra incentive with a principal challenge. Principal challenges motivate students to participate because the principal promises to do something silly or entertaining if a certain fundraising goal is met.

5. Bike-a-Thon

Effort: Medium

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school, high school

Want to put a twist on the classic walk-a-thon? Add some bikes! A bike-a-thon or cycle-a-thon is a great event for any grade level but especially older students. 

This type of event requires a little extra logistical planning as participants need bikes to ride and you will need to pick a location where bikes can be ridden safely. But when done right, they have a high earning potential and are a great way to encourage a great physical hobby.

6. Bowling Fundraiser

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school, high school

Who doesn’t love bowling? If your budget can handle it, rent out a bowling alley for the night and have your fundraiser there. 

Bowling is a fun way to get active and get a dose of healthy competition. You can sell event tickets and raffle tickets and simply let participants enjoy themselves or make it a bowl-a-thon.

7. Jump-Rope-a-Thon

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school

A jump-rope-a-thon is a great fitness fundraiser for elementary schools. Young students need a lot of exercise to be healthy, and if you’re a parent or teacher, you know they also have tons of energy to burn off! Help kids put that energy to use with a jump rope fundraiser! 

Like other a-thon fundraisers, simply have donors pledge a certain amount per time jumped. You can also incorporate jump rope games, auction or raffle off jump ropes and other sporting gear, or add a principal challenge for extra incentive. This event can happen indoors or outdoors, making it a flexible option.

8. Obstacle Course

Effort: High

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school

Another great elementary school fitness fundraiser is an obstacle course. You can make this part of a larger field day, which is always a great way to get kids outdoors and moving their bodies. 

You will need materials for your obstacle course, but you can probably partner with gym teachers and even local businesses to borrow or rent equipment and make your course unique and fun. Make the event extra fun by designing special t-shirts or other gear through a spirit wear store!

9. Skate Night

Effort: Low

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school, high school

If there’s a skating rink in your town, rent it out for an afternoon and invite students and family to come and skate for funds! Like many of these fitness fundraisers, you can turn this into a marathon-type event. 

You can also raise funds from event tickets, a raffle, or spirit wear. A skate night lets kids get outside their normal routine, socialize, and move their bodies to fun music and lights.

10. Swim-a-Thon

Effort: Medium

Profit: High

Grades Levels: Elementary school, middle school, high school

What’s better than a pool party? A pool party that makes money for your school! Move your a-thon fundraiser to the pool and have donors pledge a certain amount of money per time participants swim.

Make extra funds by selling refreshments, snacks, goggles, towels featuring your school logo, and more. If your school doesn’t have a pool, you may be able to rent a local pool for the day. This is a great fitness fundraiser to help beat the summer fundraising slump!

Fitness, funds, and fun!

School fundraising isn’t just about raising money. It should also help kids grow into healthy, happy members of the community. 

That’s why fitness fundraisers are some of the best types of fundraisers. Plus, they offer something fun for every age and grade level. If you’re interested in linking up with Booster for one of our fitness-focused events, reach out today!