• Dedicate a sports event (e.g., basketball game, football game, track meet) to the needy in our community. Pass out HSP information at the event (or invite an HSP speaker) and provide buckets/boxes for donations. You could also donate part of the ticket/concessions proceeds.
   
• Donate admission charges from a dance or party to adopt a senior or a group of children.
   
• Partner with businesses like Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, or ice cream parlors to raise money! People are encouraged to buy treats on a specific day, and the school receives a percentage of the proceeds.
   
• Hold a raffle or auction, where the students bid for prizes donated by teachers, like a trip to Ben and Jerry’s or free pizza. You might be able to get businesses to donate gift certificates free of charge! For extra fun, raffle off "mystery prizes".
   
• One school held a "duck race", in which toy ducks were numbered, raffled off, and raced to the finish at the Naperville Riverwalk!
   
• Students can collect tips in the community by bagging groceries, or working at Great America.

• Sell items, like tickets, paper chains, or candy, that show school spirit! Have a contest to see who can collect the most!
   
• If your school requires a certain dress code, have students pay $1 to "dress down" one day!
   
• Students can also pay to dress in their school colors for a day.
   
• Make a class calendar from photographs of class activities and sell to parents, neighbors and friends.
   
• Have the students wear appropriate colors to make a human flag on the playground, or the school mascot, and take a photograph from the roof. Sell the photographs to friends and neighbors.

• Ask students to contribute a small financial donation instead of buying a Christmas or year-end "teacher gift."
   
• Place change jars in the back of classrooms. Conduct a competition between classes to see who can collect the most change- every penny counts!
   
• Conduct a "thon". Some examples include dance-a-thons, bike-a-thons, bowl-a-thons, exercise-a-thons, etc. Students solicit sponsors for participating and have fun at the same time! One school raised over $3,000 by holding an Exercise-a-thon.
   
• Conduct a car wash. Great for those hot Saturday afternoons!
   
• Have a "give up your snack for the poor" day by asking students to donate their snack money towards the adoption of an impoverished senior or child.
   
• Have students do chores at home to earn money - this gets the parents in on the project too!
   
• Try a scavenger hunt where the winning class gets free pizza! Students collect sponsors who will pay according to how many items they find.

Food and Toy Drives

• Collect a canned food or a new toy as admission to a dance, play, or sporting event.
   
• Have students vote for their favorite teacher by placing canned goods, toys, or books in a box outside the teacher’s door.
   
• One school used a large "quilt" to collect food. Each square on the quilt represented a different food item, and each classroom chose one square and collected as much of that item as they could. They competed to see who could collect the most!
   
• Collect food in honor of a special holiday or special person.