Awesome School Fundraising Ideas Using Inflatable Games

How to Host a School Fundraiser Using Bounce Houses and Inflatable Games

Generally speaking, most people think of school fundraising with only one goal in mind: making money for the school. But the best school fundraisers have broader objectives that not only go beyond turning a profit, but expand on that profitability too. And those are the sorts of school fundraising ideas we want to talk about today.

A great school fundraiser should, of course, turn a profit. But it also needs to be social, engaging, and fun. Because let’s face it: as noble a mission as fundraising for your school is, people are more likely to get involved if there’s entertainment to be had.

That’s where bounce houses and inflatable games come into play … literally. There are lots of really fun ways to keep kids and adults alike entertained during fundraising events. And nothing draws a crowd quite like a fun and festive party atmosphere with music, laughter, snacks, and games.

Let’s explore some fun and exciting school fundraising ideas, and show you how adding inflatable games and carnival games can directly generate revenue, stir up some fun for attendees, and drive donations for many years to come.

The Basics: What Makes the Best School Fundraisers Memorable?

There’s a very basic formula for any successful fundraiser, and it’s rooted in those goals we talked about earlier. Fun + time = money.

What do we mean by that? Simply put, you want your fundraiser attendees to spend as much time as possible at your event, and have as much fun as possible. And you want that fun tied directly to their donations.

Asking for money directly is always a good idea, but the best school fundraisers generate revenue while fulfilling the immediate, short term needs of those in attendance. Offering fun games and tasty snacks are rudimentary school fundraising ideas; the most basic ways of generating revenue.

Let’s follow one of your hypothetical attendees around during your event:

They arrive, and pay a small entrance fee. They’re informed that the net proceeds of the event, including this fee, go to the school directly
They play some fun games, and there’s plenty for kids to do as well. And those things charge nominal fees as well. We’ll have more on that a bit later
They get hungry, and there are snacks set up they can buy, like pizza, soda, bottled water, etc.
They go back to the games, spending more money and engaging socially with parents, staff, and other elements of their local community
When they leave, they’re shown the school’s fundraising goal and are given another opportunity to donate

Fun Inflatable Games and Carnival Games to Consider

Let’s take a moment to discuss those fun games we just mentioned. Inflatable games and carnival games offer engaging interactive gameplay with a proven track record of stirring up profit at all sorts of fundraising events. So most high profit fundraisers for schools feature games exactly like these.

An inflatable game, known in the event planning and equipment rental worlds as a sealed air game or an ultralite game, challenges players to toss balls or bean bags through holes carved out of colorful backdrops. Players pay a small fee for each ball or set of balls they get to toss, and there are often prizes for getting so many balls through the back panel in some amount of time.

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As an example, you could charge $1 per ball, or maybe $5 for three to five balls. If the player scores so many points, or if they simply get so many balls through any holes, they win a stuffed toy. You can find cheap carnival prizes online to dish out, and it’s very easy to find toys low enough in cost that you’ll turn a very good profit.

Carnival games are very similar. These include interactive tossing games, bell ringing games, puzzles, basketball games, and more. They generate revenue the same way as those interactive inflatable games do.

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One of the most popular school fundraising ideas customers ask about is using dunk tanks. Players toss balls at a small target and drop someone into a tank of water if they’re successful. Kids love dunking principals and teachers. Especially math teachers. We’re not kidding … ask your students!

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Bounce Houses and Other Big Inflatables

As much as any parent loves their children, we all need breaks from time to time. And that might be one of the biggest value propositions a bounce house has to offer for anyone with kids. You get a chance to sit and watch them have fun, and just relax a little while they mostly entertain themselves.

Of course, commercial inflatables like bounce houses, inflatable water slides, and inflatable obstacle courses offer a lot more value than just keeping kids entertained.

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The fun they provide is energetic and healthy, offering plyometric exercise to bouncers of all ages. And for your school fundraiser, these inflatables can grow your revenue. Simply decide on a fair entry fee and let kids bounce to their heart’s content.

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Inflatable obstacle courses are definitely big draws at high profit fundraisers for schools. Parents pay small entry fees, and kids are timed running through the course from beginning to end. These times are then recorded on a big leaderboard, encouraging friendly and safe competition.

Many inflatable obstacle courses are designed so two or more competitors can race at once, too. Your school’s gym teacher might have some clever uses in mind for an inflatable obstacle course too!

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Stocking Up on Snacks

Eventually, event goers are going to get hungry or thirsty, and might want to take a break from all the games. So it’s a good idea to stock up on some snacks that are easily individually distributable.

There’s a reason most school fundraisers offer pizza. There are several reasons, actually. Pizza is cheap—you can get a large sheet pizza with around 24 slices for $20 or $30. Some local pizza joints might even donate pizza to your event for free (they get a nice tax writeoff for their efforts too). It’s a food the vast majority of people everywhere enjoy. It’s just all around great for most events and functions.

You can charge $1 or even $2 per slice of pizza, and the same amount for drinks like bottled water, cans of soda, etc. And if there’s a wholesale store in your area, you can probably find individually wrapped bags of chips, pretzels, and candies that can be sold for around the same prices.

Keep in mind that some of your guests don’t eat meat, so be sure to have vegetarian and vegan options. If possible, you may want to offer some gluten free items too, and snacks that respect some of the more common food allergies. This ensures more of your event guests can enjoy the snacks you’re offering, and that they’re more likely to stay longer.

Having these snacks means people will need bathroom access, too. If your school fundraiser is happening on school grounds, this shouldn’t be much of an issue. If it’s happening elsewhere, try to plan ahead.

Raffles and Other Fun Fundraiser Games

Depending on your resources, raffles with prizes can be big hits too. And unless you’re restricted by local, state, and federal laws, you may be able to include some games of chance.

Here in Buffalo, my daughter’s private middle school has a big yearly fundraiser event with blackjack games and a popular raffle involving a cash prize. Players would buy into a big pot in exchange for a ticket with a number on it. The winner would get some large percentage of that pot.

Gambling laws vary all around the country, so you’ll want to make sure you’re legally allowed to offer games of chance at your fundraiser and what the specific rules and laws are for such an event. The rules are typically more lax for raffles, but coming up with a great prize may be a challenge there. Again, it really boils down to the resources at your disposal.

We Hope These School Fundraising Ideas Help You Generate Big Bucks!

School fundraising is never easy. It doesn’t help that elementary school fundraisers need to entertain a different crowd than middle school or high school fundraisers, either. But with a little planning and a healthy dose of strategic thinking, hosting a fun school fundraiser is definitely within your reach.

The best school fundraisers aren’t necessarily the school fundraisers that make the most money. They’re the events that generate revenue year after year. And the best way to establish that is to offer parents, staff, and your local community as a whole a memorable experience that’s worth repeating again and again.

Pogo Bounce House carries all sorts of equipment for hosting fun, unique school fundraisers. We of course have bounce houses and other big inflatables, including both consumer grade vinyl crossover inflatables and heavy duty commercial inflatables. And we have lots of sealed air inflatable games, ultralite games, carnival games, dunk tanks, and more. Give our expert sales team a call today at 716-566-5806 and we’ll help you find all of the best games and other equipment to bring your school fundraising ideas to life!