9 Summer Camp Fundraising Ideas
Kids will do the craziest things: sneak attack counselors with water balloons, get lost in the woods after being explicitly told not to enter the woods, cannonball into the shallow end, eat sunscreen, and the summer camp memories go on and on.
While camps are seasonal fun, raising funds to maintain the campgrounds, improve the facilities, and provide scholarships is a year-round effort.
Fortunately, there are a near equal amount of summer camp fundraising options as there are unpredictable things that a camper might do.
These are summer camp fundraising ideas to help you raise the funds to bring back those kids, and unforgettable memories, year after year.
1) HAUNTED FOREST
While summer camps are seasonal attractions, campsites can be repurposed and used to raise money year-round.
Some camps are run out of churches or other buildings devoid of forests, and that’s okay. A haunted house can be just as good as a haunted forest. Executing off-season fundraising events entails crafting events specific to the time of year, knowing what staff you have available, and what your budget is for such an event.
Calleva, a summer camp and year-round outdoor school, hosts Markoff’s Haunted Forest during the month of October. This horrifying attraction helped raise the money for the Markoffs to start their summer camp. The annual tradition now raises so much money that they donate a portion of their proceeds to local charities.
An inexpensive way to create a haunted house or forest is to reach out to campers and parents to create costumes, decorations, and to serve as some of the characters lurking throughout your campsite of horror.
2) RECYCLING FOR CASHKids can raise hundreds of dollars in a mere week from recycling. Families, colleges, restaurants, and other businesses produce tons of recyclable material every day that can be turned from waste into valuable funds.
Recyclable materials that can be turned into cash include:
Plastic bottles
Aluminum cans
Ink cartridges
Cell phones
And more!
Camp Henry encourages campers to collect recycling and turn it in to recycling centers that pay for such materials. Recycling programs can do good for both the world and your camp at the same time.
Summer camps can run programs to raise money from recycling. Camps don’t even have to reach out and form specific partnerships, as many recycling facilities will accept recyclable materials from the general public and offer cash in return.
Most camps advocate such programs to their campers. A way to make the recycling program fun is to turn it into a competition. Whichever camper or group of campers raises the most money wins a prize.
