Guide: How to Run a School Art Fundraiser

Running an art fundraiser is a fun way to get everyone involved! Check out this guide on how to raise money through art.

Table of Contents

• What is an Art Fundraiser?
• Donation & Purchase Campaigns for Art Fundraisers
• How to Run an Art Fundraiser: Step-by-Step
• FAQ

What is an Art Fundraiser?

Have any gifted artists among your students? Allow them to show off their work with the opportunity to sell their first pieces at an art fundraiser! Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to organize this event.

Use the steps below as a guide to customizing your event with your community and students in mind. Let’s get started!

See also: Arts & Music Fundraisers

Donation & Purchase Campaigns for Art Fundraisers

With FutureFund you’ll have the option to run different types of campaigns depending on the type of fundraiser you want to hold. For art fundraisers, the best types of campaigns to utilize would be both donation and purchase campaigns but for different aspects of the fundraiser.

How to Run an Art Fundraiser: Step-by-Step

Step One: Work with the Art Teacher and Assign a Few PTO/PTA Volunteers

The art teacher is the keeper of the keys when it comes to all of the amazing projects the students produce over the course of the year. Their insight and guidance is invaluable! When thinking about putting on an art fundraiser, have your club come together with the art teachers to discuss the logistics and specifics of the show.

This is also a chance to fine-tune what pieces should be sold, if there’s a theme to the artwork, or even set aside a specific time to create new pieces for the show.

It’s also important to talk with your PTO/PTA members and assign a few volunteers to this specific event. You want some go-to people who will lead the charge in planning and organizing.

Use FutureFund’s built-in messaging system to relay information to parents and virtual sign-up sheets as well to collect volunteers.

Step Two: Set a Goal for How Much You Want to Make During the Show

If you’re raising money for a particular school event or need, then this step should be pretty straightforward. Make sure you’re keeping track of your costs to incorporate them back into the profit for the evening. There’s nothing worse than barely missing your goal when you were sure you planned for everything and hit the mark.

Step Three: Think About Pairing Your Fundraiser with a Special Cause

Pairing with a special cause for your showcase and fundraiser will not only give your students an idea to create their art around, but it’ll bring more awareness to the cause itself.

In creating these art pieces, your students will connect with the cause on a more personal level and make the impact of the cause more real to them. You’ll also give your community the opportunity to see the cause through your students’ eyes, which can be a truly invaluable perspective. Sounds like a win-win.

Step Four: Let the Kids Create

Set aside time and space for the students to create pieces that speak to them as artists and allow them to explore the cause that was selected. Most importantly, make sure the students all sign their work like the artists that they are once they’re done!

Step Five: List the Students’ Art on Your FutureFund Store

With FutureFund, you will be able to sell art through your online store. List each of your students’ pieces online. This works whether you decide to hold an in-person event or not. However, with an in-person art gallery, you can have guests purchase tickets online, see the art in person, and then buy throughout the storefront. It’s a seamless process that streamlines fundraising with less stress.

Step Six: Secure Your Space

If your school has a large open space indoors like a cafeteria or an auditorium/stage area that they can use for the showcase, then that would be a perfect option for displaying the art.

If not, check around your community to see if someone has a space they can open up to your event. Once your space is secured, you can set a date, and get those plans rolling!

Step Seven: Advertise the Event!

Let everyone know about your cause-driven art show! Make signs to post around your community and pass out fliers at schools, churches, and community centers.

Reach out to local businesses and restaurants to let them know about your event and ask if you can hang signs to let their patrons know as well. The more people who can come out and support, the better for your event and your bottom line. And lastly, post to all available social media channels as well. Include photos of students and their artwork in the posts.

Step Eight: Hold the Event!

Welcome all of your patrons as they shop and see how talented your students are! Feel free to pair this with a few other events, like an ice cream social, to drum up larger attendance and more community support. Pairing events together will also give you more opportunities to meet your fundraising goals.

Step Nine: Send Thank You Cards

Don’t forget to thank everyone for purchasing a piece from the showcase and for showing love and support to the students. Without their support, you wouldn’t have been able to meet their financial goals. That fact is definitely worth a thank you! Handwritten thank you’s are the best!

Make Your Art Fundraiser Count with FutureFund

Get started with FutureFund today and create an art fundraiser that not only shows off the students’ creativity but also helps to fund even more experiences for your children throughout the year. 

This type of fundraiser not only celebrates the children but gives them the opportunity to grow other interests in their school life like their creativity and being charitable. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use FutureFund’s messaging system to promote my art fundraiser?

FutureFund’s messaging system lets you:

• Send messages to every parent in your school community to let them know about the fundraiser or filter your audience to reach specific groups like the volunteers supporting you with the plan.
• Create unique sender profiles to make sure the message is always coming from the appropriate party.
• Use customizable message templates to save time when broadcasting updates or announcements.

Should my school run a purchase campaign through FutureFund for our art fundraiser?

Yes, using Purchase campaigns to sell event tickets or physical items (like art) is the best route to take when planning a calendar fundraiser with your school group or club. You can sell the art pieces online as well as tickets for the event itself.

Learn how to run a purchase campaign here.

Should my school run a donation campaign through FutureFund for our art fundraiser?

Yes, using Donation campaigns encourages parents and volunteers to donate directly to your school group and for a specific reason. In this case, FutureFund makes it easy to collect money online during the campaign for art supplies.

Learn how to run a donation campaign with FutureFund here.

How can I use FutureFund to track my fundraiser’s success?

FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.