Some fundraising ideas that you can actually try for the cause of education

There’s greater joy in giving than receiving. And if this giving is directed towards education in India, you are practically building a more literate nation. What if this giving helps in sending children back to school? There are fun ways you can indulge in fundraising for organisations such as Akshaya Patra who are on a mission to bring children back to school.

What are those ideas?

Selling handmade cards/bookmarks

Gather children in your area to create interesting cartoons, drawings or paintings related to school life under the theme ‘Back to school’. Explain the concept of how many children drop out of school in India due to lack of resources and how they need to be sent back to school. Let the children use their imagination and create cards, posters and bookmarks. Organise a small sale in your area, school or college. Let the children do the selling. You can use these proceeds to sponsor a child at Akshaya Patra.

Book exchange

Students in school or colleges or even working executives can be invited on Facebook to exchange their books. Keep a nominal fee to enter the exchange programme. Inspire people to give away their unused or read books that they don’t wish to keep anymore apart from exchanging. Organise a fun gathering at your school, college or office to exchange the books. Ask each participant to ‘sell’ his or her book counting the merits of reading it so others are inspired to exchange their books. Use the proceeds to indulge in donating for education in India. Enlighten the participants that the proceeds would go for the cause of sending Indian children back to school.

Online fundraising campaigns

Today a thoughtfully created online poster for a good cause evokes real emotions since browsing online is the second nature of the millennial generation. Use the power of online media to create online fundraising campaigns for Akshaya Patra. Since the organisation provides wholesome lunch to school children to bring them to school, you can create campaigns around nutrition and education. Outline that by donating for education in India, participants are helping NGOs in India play a more impactful role in the field. It’s easier to create online fundraising campaigns and if done smartly, they can raise a significant amount of funds for the cause.

Garage sale

You can simply organise a garage sale in your office or colony and ask people to donate things from their school or college time. Ask participants to not only donate an item but also buy items that are priced at nominal rates. It could be a stereo, old books or unused notebooks, old bicycle, etc. Share with participants that the proceeds of this sale would be donated for education in India so more children could be incentivised to go back to school this year.

The role of citizens towards the cause of education is as big as the role of NGOs. You can be part of the great mission of sending children to school by creating your own online fundraising campaign.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Ngo in India providing food for 1.6 million school children across 12 States and 28 locations.