A Field Day Fundraiser attaches pledge-based fundraising to the field day a school already runs. Students collect pledges beforehand, then participate in the stations and activities that were happening anyway. Nothing new is added to the calendar and nothing new has to be planned — the event exists, and the fundraising layer sits on top of it.
Why it works
- The event is already on the calendar, already staffed and already planned, so the marginal cost is close to zero.
- Participation is already close to universal, which is the hardest thing to achieve with a new event.
- It avoids adding another date to a school calendar that is usually full.
- Families already attend, so there is nothing to persuade anyone to come to.
When to run it
Late spring, when most schools already hold field day.
Planning it, start to finish
- Layering pledges onto an existing field day without changing it
- Choosing what to pledge on — stations completed, time active, participation
- Working with PE staff who already own the day
- Keeping the fundraising layer invisible to the students on the day
- Timing the pledge drive against an event date set long ago
- Making sure the fundraiser does not change what makes field day good
Working from a printable plan is easier than a thread — see the planning checklist and the pledge sheet template.
Field Day fundraisers for every kind of group
What works changes with who is running it. See guidance for PTOs, booster clubs, elementary schools and more on fundraising by group.
You are not doing this alone
Every Get Movin' group is paired with a Personal Event Coach — a former PTO/PTA volunteer who has run this before. Get Movin's company president and all of its fundraising coaches are former PTO/PTA members, teachers and volunteers. For a Field Day Fundraiser, that is someone who has run this format before and knows where it goes wrong.
Your coach:
- strategizes your budget goal with you
- brainstorms incentives that actually motivate your participants
- advises on promotion and timing
- steers you away from the pitfalls they have already watched other groups hit
You also get the FundHub Event Toolbox — 100+ guides, templates, playlists and printables. Meet the coaches.
The platform behind your Field Day Fundraiser
FundHub is Get Movin's online donation platform, built specifically for schools, teams and community groups by former PTO/PTA leaders. It carries 35+ tools. These are the ones that matter most here:
- Personalized student webpages. A parent sets one up in about five minutes, and each page raises an average of $140.
- One-click sharing to social, email and text, plus a sharing report showing how many parents are actually using it.
- Volunteer Organizer. Post positions with dates, times and headcount; parents self-select their shift instead of a chain of emails.
- Incentive Tracker. Enter your incentives and FundHub produces the distribution list by class or student automatically.
- Instant, customizable donation reports for students, classes and the whole group.
- Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your Field Day Fundraiser
- Book a call or a FundHub demo and get matched with your Personal Event Coach.
- Your coach helps you set the goal, pick the date and choose incentives.
- Your group page and student pages go live; parents set theirs up in about five minutes.
- Families share by text, email and social; the coach checks in through the campaign.
- Event day, with volunteers organized through FundHub.
- Funds arrive by automatic ACH transfer after the event.
What it costs and what you keep
Get Movin’ groups keep 95-97% of every dollar raised. Donors pay however they want — cash, check, credit or debit, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple and Google Wallet. Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
Full detail on the pricing page.
Common questions
Does this change how field day runs?
It should not. The activities, the stations and the schedule stay exactly as PE staff planned them. The fundraising happens in the weeks beforehand; on the day, students simply do field day.
What should sponsors pledge on?
Stations completed or simple participation. Anything requiring precise measurement adds work to a day that is already fully staffed.
When should the pledge drive run?
Two to three weeks before, and independent of field day planning. PE staff should not have to absorb a fundraiser into a day they already own.
Start your Field Day fundraiser
Get Movin’ has powered 10,000+ events and raised more than $200 million for groups like yours since 2007, with 1,300+ five-star Google reviews.
Take a FundHub tour with a coach, or book your event. Questions first? Contact us or call 248-895-0206. Also useful: the free school grant guide, the parent and donor FAQ, and our fundraising webinars.