When it comes to fundraising, schools are at the forefront of that. Elementary schools and middle schools particularly need unique ways to fundraise. That’s where PTAs and PTOs come in. We’ve got some great fundraising ideas for PTAs and PTOs, but a few really stand out above the rest. Calendars and crowdfunding are tremendous for raising funds. A read-a-thon really sticks out because it’s a way to incentivize students to read and raise money for an important cause.

The read-a-thon takes the concept of pledge based fundraising and uses reading as that way of raising money.

Reading incentives are nothing new. The Accelerated Reader program ring any bells? Even if it’s not a fundraiser, every kid in a school system is encouraged to read early and often. So why not take an educational tool and turn it into a fundraiser that helps kids?

What is a Read a Thon Fundraiser?

If you are new to this style of fundraiser, here is a quick explanation.

A Read a Thon fundraiser is an event where students read for a set period of time or toward a specific goal and collect donations tied to that effort. In addition to the reading, students reach out to potential donors and have them pledge an amount per book or a flat amount toward your fundraiser.

Now it is critical that whether using a digital a thon tool or a pen and paper fundraiser template, that you outline exactly what you’re fundraising for and why it helps your student.

Your Read a Thon Fundraiser Template and How to Use It

To download your template, simply enter your email address and we will send you a printable PDF that is ready to use. It takes a few minutes to send over your template, so don’t be worried if it doesn’t come immediately.

Before handing it out to your fundraiser participants, be sure to fill in:

1. The reading goal format (i.e. the amount of time for students to read books) 
   
2. The start date of the Read a Thon.and when pledge money should be collected
3. The school, classroom, or organization name and what funds will support.

You can structure the read a thon anyone you want, but using goals and incentives can really help.

Class reaches a certain threshold, so 10 hours per student at 20 kids in your class. You hit that 200 hour threshold and they get an additional reward for example.

What Reading Goal Should You Use?

Choosing the right reading goal helps keep students motivated and ensures fairness across age groups.

Elementary School

Minutes read is the best metric really across the board for a number of reasons. This goal encourages participation without overwhelming younger readers or having kids read really short books just to check off a number which defeats the purpose of a read a thon.

There are some elementary kids who read at extremely proficient levels and some who don’t, that’s why minute read is probably the gold standard here. A book can be big or small, but minutes read is the same for everyone.

Middle School

Once you get to the middle school level, extremely short books are going to be off the board so you can move to a page based goal or stick with total reading minutes.

High School

You can do high school read a thons, but they are most effective with younger grades. That’s because high schoolers get pulled in different directions with sports and fundraising at that level gets complicated.

A Digital Version of Your Read a Thon Template

Many schools ask if they can run a Read a Thon without paper tracking sheets. The answer is yes.

Imagine having to send elementary school aged-kids home with a pen and paper template, oh and they have to track everything, oh and they or their parents have to facilitate getting money, oh and they then have to facilitate getting the money to the school. Pen and paper templates are great, but they can be complicated.

That’s why we offer digital a thons. With a digital read a thon, organizers can track progress in real time and view overall participation across classrooms or grade levels. That’s right you can divide participants into groups within the app itself, and it’s free to use.

When the Read a Thon ends, funds are collected securely and delivered by check or direct deposit. No manual collection required on your end.

Other digital fundraisers available on Teamfi that are good for elementary and middle schoolers particularly include:

• Digital Crowdfunding Campaign
• Calendar Fundraisers
• Walk-a-thons

Download Your Read a Thon Fundraiser Template

At every elementary school, middle school, or even high school, there’s some project you want to raise money for that maybe just isn’t going to be covered by the school.

An end of year class field trip, chromebooks for your classroom, maybe even something as simple as a class pizza party. Fundraisers come in all shapes and sizes, but beyond the dollar amount raised, read a thons help kids learn. What could be more perfect for a fundraiser?

Download Your Free Read a Thon Template by adding your email here: