4 Lessons Kids Can Learn from Fundraising

February 12, 2024

Fundraising Lessons

Fundraising isn’t just a means to a financial end. Every fundraising campaign not only benefits a team, school, or community group, but also helps individuals by developing practical skills. A few of these skills include relationship-building, marketing strategies, and money management. When kids get on board as active participants in a fundraiser, they get a powerful chance to learn invaluable skills that they’ll use for the rest of their lives. And all while working towards a goal that matters to them personally. Here are just some of the life lessons kids can learn from fundraising.

1. Goal Setting Skills

Identifying and setting realistic, achievable goals can be more complicated than it sounds. When setting up a fundraiser for their sports team or club, students have to decide on 3 key factors for success. They must decide how much money needs to be raised, how many potential donors they’ll need to reach out to, and what kind of timeline is reasonable for their goal. To stay on track and keep motivation high, they might want to set mini milestone goals and “stretch” goals in case the fundraiser exceeds their initial goal.

To set goals:

  • Have students define specific goals – including numbers and timeframes. Fundraising $500 by the end of the month is clear and specific, whereas “make money” isn’t.
  • Make sure the goals are achievable. Review previous fundraisers or survey friends and family to see what kind of support can be expected. 
  • Plan it out. Set up a whiteboard and calendar with key dates and actions. Having a visual aid will help keep students on track. Tip: MoneyDolly has powerful built-in functionality to help you track and celebrate your goals!

Fundraising offers valuable goal-setting skills that students can take into other areas of their lives, such as academics, sports, and hobbies, or EVEN financial habits. Talk to your student fundraisers about what they’ve learned and where they’ll apply their newfound goal-setting skills next!

2. Leadership Lessons

Fundraising is a team sport – but one that requires students to step up and lead. Without someone taking on a leadership role and delegating responsibilities, your fundraiser is unlikely to succeed at the level you need it to. When setting up a fundraiser:

  • Set roles and responsibilities. Who is in charge of what areas of the fundraiser? What “jobs” do they have? Who is the main point of contact?
  • Brace for critique and rejection. Hearing “no” can be hard, especially when working towards a good cause. Learning to handle the negatives and take on board feedback and suggestions will help student fundraisers become more flexible, strategic leaders.
  • Offer positive feedback. Keeping a team motivated is a key part of being a great leader. Kid fundraisers can design “motivators” and use positive reinforcement to help their team stay on task throughout their fundraiser.

Leadership skills are one of the most highly valued tools that students can bring into their working lives, and fundraising is a great way to prepare students for their futures.

3. Time Management Skills

Fundraisers demand ongoing commitment from participants throughout the project, requiring students to fit their fundraising duties around school, sports, and other extracurriculars. To help students manage their time, try these:

  • Set up calendars with deadlines. Make sure students know when specific goals need to be met and what kind of time commitment is required to meet each goal. Designing posters, handing out flyers, or managing meetings take time, so ensure students understand the time commitment involved. Tip: MoneyDolly will help reduce the active time you need to spend on your fundraiser!)
  • Block out regular time for fundraising work. Have regular fundraising “meetups” to keep kids on task and ensure everyone is delivering what’s expected of them. This will be more successful than ad hoc meetings and will minimize last-minute rush behavior. 

Time management is something even most adults find challenging. Helping kids develop strong time management skills will not only mean great results for their fundraiser but will also help them use their time wisely when it comes to writing papers, studying for exams, and training for their sport. Time management is all about prioritization and encourages kids to reflect on whether they’re spending their time on the things that really matter to them. 

4. The Value of Getting Involved

Getting involved in something you care about is one of the biggest lessons that fundraising offers. When kids help lead a fundraiser, they get to make a concrete contribution towards the sport, activity, or group that really matters to them. They are also able to learn about the impact of team work – even a small amount of time, energy, and passion makes a huge difference.

Getting involved encourages kids to build relationships with people within and outside their peer group, nurtures communication skills, and helps kids see the value of their voice and the power of their passions.

The lessons they take from fundraising will encourage them to take action to serve their community in the future – whether that’s in community sports, the arts, joining boards and committees, or volunteering.

MoneyDolly Makes Learning Fundraising Lessons Easy

If you’re planning a fundraiser for your sports team, club, or school, try MoneyDolly! With our easy onboarding and milestone tracking, we make it easy for you to ensure that your fundraiser is a success. Kids and adults alike will get to hone all of the above skills while enjoying the satisfaction of helping their team or group meet – or exceed – that all-important fundraising goal. Give it a try today!

Damion Smith-profile 2

Damion Smith

Founder and CEO

Prior to starting MoneyDolly, Damion spent the last 25 years helping teams, schools & organizations raise money while growing multiple companies across the country. He has served in many capacities including Sale Representative, Sales Manager, Senior VP of Sales & President.