Fundraising Ideas for Your Children
As an educational activity that can also be utilised as a fundraiser for your child's school or community group, it's hard to beat reading. Even kids who aren't avid bookworms might be more inclined to read than to do algebra to raise funds. The funds themselves can come from sponsorship by family and friends of the family or even from a bequest program to help children. What are some of the options for a reading fundraiser?
Readathon
A readathon is a classic way to go, with children raising a certain amount of money for each book they read within a predetermined time frame. Classic is not always the best option, though, since the emphasis on quantity can exclude children who might not particularly enjoy reading. In any event, being encouraged to read as many books as possible doesn't magically result in the reader engaging with the material. But still, a readathon is easy to arrange and can yield fantastic results.
Reading to Dogs
More engagement with the content and ideas of their reading material can result from reading aloud to an appropriate audience. Believe it or not, dogs are one of the most appropriate audiences there are for novice readers. The promise of interaction with dogs (even if they have to read to them) can turn hesitant children into enthusiastic readers. Reading to dogs has even been found to improve reading skills. The dogs in question can be therapy dogs trained specifically for the task or even a pet brought from home, provided it has a suitable temperament. Children can receive funds per book read aloud or simply for the time spent reading.
Reading to the Elderly
If, for whatever reason, it's not possible for the children to read to dogs, they can still read aloud to a reassuring audience. Partner with a local retirement home so that children can be paired with senior citizens to read to. In addition to promoting literacy, this activity is beneficial for the seniors too. Studies have found that reading aloud to senior citizens can help to maintain their brain function and can even delay the onset and severity of certain conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease. Again, children can raise funds for each book read aloud or just for the hours spent performing the activity.
Hopefully, your reading fundraiser will also result in a love of reading for the kids involved. Even if this isn't the case for all participants, you will still be able to raise funds while the kids practice their literacy. Everybody wins!
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