So you have some ideas and plans for your school garden but you don’t have a budget to cover them. How much money do you need to raise? What type of fundraiser makes sense for your school garden projects? Is there a group at your school or a local business you can team up with for a fundraiser? Here are some tips to help you get started with a fundraiser!
How much money do you need to raise?
Make up a simple list of what you need to complete your project and estimate the costs. Can you get any of it donated? Then add up the estimated cost and you have the amount you need to raise.
Sample Project Name: Spring Seedling Sale
| What Do I Need? | Can I Get It Donated? | Estimated Cost | Actual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 bags of compost | Yes, 2 bags donated | $20 x 3 bags=$60 | $60 |
| 100 seed trays | No | $150 | $150 |
| 540 small pots | No | $130 | $130 |
| 25 seed packets | Yes | $5 x 25=$125 | 0 |
| Signage | One time cost | $600 | $100 |
| Misc | $60 | ||
| TOTAL | $500 |
Now that you know how much you need for your project, what type of fundraiser makes sense to raise funds for your school garden projects?
Although you can sell just about anything to raise money for your school garden project, what criteria would help you pick a product to sell for your fundraiser that would be easy to do and be a good fit?
Check all that apply:
□ Easy to sell
□ Not too expensive
□ Doesn’t need a big investment up front
□ Is a good fit for the school garden
□ Is something that will help promote our school garden project
□ Is something that I can make with our students
□ Is a product that the PTO would be interested in collaborating on
Let’s use the 2026 School Garden of the Month Calendar as a sample project.
Does it fit the criteria above?
- Yes, it’s easy to sell, not too expensive, doesn’t require a big investment up front, is a good fit for the school garden and will help us promote our school garden project!
- To raise $500, you will need to sell 100 calendars.
Is there a group at your school or a local business you can team up with for a fundraiser like selling the calendar?
- Almost every school has a PTO (parent/teacher group) or a club that is already organizing an event at your school that you can easily take part in and use to promote your fundraiser. See if you can have a table in the school lobby during the school play or choir concert. Participating in a school wide event will bring you in contact with people who may not come to a school garden event alone. Make it easy for interested people to find you by promoting the fact that you will be there ahead of time with signs, Facebook posts. The possibilities to build on existing events are endless!
- If there isn’t a school event that is a good fit, plan to promote and sell your fundraiser item at your school garden seed swap, plant sale, farm stand or garden open house. See the article link below for Fundraising Resources and Tips for more information on organizing these events.
- Contact with local businesses such as a greenhouse or nursery to see if they are interested in working with you. Do they have a product they sell that they might consider donating a percentage of the profits to your school garden? Are they interested in growing something that you could take orders to sell? Will they offer that you can purchase the items at a wholesale price and sell at your school at a retail price such as poinsettias or mums?
Whatever you choose to sell as a fundraiser, keep notes of what did and didn’t work so you can improve your efforts next year. It may take a couple years to get something built up to meet your financial goals. Whether you want to raise $500 or $5,000, the same principles apply. Check out the articles below for more tips and resources to help you be successful.
