10 Easy Steps for Using a School Fundraising Platform

Running a successful school fundraiser doesn’t have to mean juggling paperwork, chasing checks, or relying solely on in-person events. With the right online school fundraising platform, you can streamline the process, reach more donors, and make fundraising more fun and effective for everyone involved.

Whether you’re planning a fun run or launching a do-it-yourself campaign, here’s a general step-by-step guide to using a school fundraising platform—featuring tips and tools from MyBooster, Boosterthon’s powerful online tool.

Step 1: Plan Your Fundraiser

Start with the basics:

• Set your fundraising goals. Whether you are raising funds for a new playground, classroom technology, or an upcoming field trip, being specific about what you are raising funds for will help rally support. Donors are more likely to give when they know what their money is going towards!

• Pick a date. Choose a date that works well for your community and does not conflict with other big events. You should also take into consideration your local weather if you plan on hosting an outdoor event like a fun run or color run. If you are worried about rain and weather, another great option is to host an indoor fundraiser like a dance-a-thon or a glow run.
• Outline the resources you will need. Understanding how many volunteers you will need, as well as the resources you will need to gather, like marketing materials and event day supplies, will help you determine if you should bring in some outside help. Boosterthon offers custom plans allowing you to fill in any gaps and get the right amount of support. 

Step 2: Set Up Your School Fundraising Platform

MyBooster’s team will always set up your site, send you friendly reminders to keep you on track and be available to answer any questions you might have along the way.

Things you will need: 

• List of student names and classrooms. This information will be used to get students registered with their personalized pages as well as help you organize fun challenges like the classroom that raises the most, earns an ice cream party!
• Bank account information. When you use an online school fundraising platform, you get to skip the time-consuming collection process and get your funds deposited directly into your account. 
• School and fundraising goal details. MyBooster allows you to customize your site with your school logo, colors, and details about what you are raising funds for. You can even upload pictures and videos! This will help get your donors excited to give and support your cause. 

Step 3: Get Families Registered

Parents and guardians are given a link to create student profiles. Each student gets a personalized donation page—complete with a fun Student Star video—that can be easily shared via email, text, or social media.

Adding a student photo and sharing out your personal Student Star video has been shown to increase donations by an average of $90 per student!

Pro Tip: Start building excitement right from the start of your fundraiser and offer an incentive for students who register!

Step 4: Promote Your Fundraiser

When you use MyBooster, your school gains access to professional marketing materials and customizable templates including:

• Email and text templates
• Downloadable flyers
• Social media graphics

Encourage families to share their student’s page with friends, relatives, and local supporters. Highlight any prizes, donation goals, or matching gift opportunities to build momentum.

Step 5: Monitor Progress in Real Time

As donations roll in, use MyBooster’s admin dashboard features to:

• Track student and class totals
• Run prize reports and distribute prizes to keep the momentum high
• Share your progress with your community 

Pro Tip: Have fun with how you share your progress! You can run reports that show how much you raised, what states you’ve collected donations from, the percentage of students that are participating, and more! 

Step 6: Encourage Corporate Matching

MyBooster offers the feature “Double the Donation,” which helps families discover if their employers will match their donation. It’s an easy way to double impact without doubling the ask.

Step 7: Host Your Main Event 

If you’re running a Fun Run, Color Run, DanceFit, or Glow Run, the event itself is the exciting finale! You can choose to use Boosterthon to remotely support you or provide in-person support with music, energy, and logistics—or you can DIY with your own volunteers and materials.

Step 8: Celebrate Your Successful Fundraiser!

After the event, use the prize dashboard to determine winners by student, class, etc and distribute any additional prizes. Whether you’re handing out small trinkets or hosting a pizza party for the top class, celebrating success goes a long way.

Make sure to recognize everyone’s efforts and share photos or shoutouts on your school’s communication channels.

Step 9: Collect Funds & Wrap Up

Once the fundraiser ends, the online school fundraising platform will transfer funds directly to your school’s account. MyBooster makes this process seamless and transparent.

Step 10: Reflect & Get Ready for Next Time

The best fundraisers build on what worked. Use your platform’s reports to review:

• Total dollars raised
• Participation rates
• Top-performing outreach methods
  

Save your templates, gather feedback, and document lessons learned so next year’s campaign is even better.

Final Tips for Fundraising Success with a School Fundraising Platform

• Keep it personal: Use photos and student videos to connect with donors.
• Make sharing easy: Lean on the platform’s tools to spread the word.
• Celebrate often: Milestone shoutouts and prizes help keep momentum high.
• Include everyone: Even students who don’t raise funds should be part of the event fun.
  

With the right online school fundraising platform, you can simplify the logistics and amplify your school’s impact. Ready to get started? Learn more about Boosterthon’s MyBooster platform.