This page covers what a special education program actually needs to fund, the constraints that shape how you can raise it, and which event formats fit. If you want the general guide first, start with fundraising by group.
What a special education program is usually funding
- adaptive equipment and assistive technology
- sensory room materials and equipment
- communication devices and software
- specialised classroom materials
- staff training and inclusion programs
What makes this group different
These are the constraints that decide whether a fundraiser works here, and they are the reason generic advice underperforms.
- Adaptive equipment is expensive and specific to individual students
- Any event must be genuinely accessible rather than accessible with an accommodation bolted on
- Sensory load is a real design constraint, not a preference
- Public individual comparison is inappropriate and has to be designed out, not moderated after the fact
Why an event-based fundraiser fits
Most fundraising events are designed for typical participation and adapted afterwards, which is visible to everyone and does the opposite of what an inclusion program is for. Designing for pacing, sensory load and non-comparative recognition from the start produces an event every student is actually part of.
What is realistic to raise
Adaptive equipment is expensive and specific to individual students, so the goal is usually tied to named items rather than a round number. That specificity is an advantage in the ask, and it also means the campaign has to be designed for genuine participation rather than adapted after the fact.
A working timeline
The dates that matter here are set by this group’s own calendar, not by a generic fundraising season.
- Design for accessibility from the start rather than accommodating a standard plan
- Set the goal against specific equipment, named
- Event day: flexible pacing, no time limit, a quiet space available throughout, sensory load low
- Report by participation, never by ranking
What goes wrong
- Bolting accommodations onto a standard event, which is visible to everyone and undermines the point
- Individual leaderboards, which make differences public
- A sensory environment nobody assessed before the day
Formats that suit a special education program
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 special education program, that means someone who has already helped other groups like yours through exactly this.
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 a special education program 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.
- Teacher access and classroom webpages. Every class gets its own page that the teacher controls, with their own log-in and class-specific incentives.
- Email Builder with Dynamic Flyer templates, person-to-person emails and official school receipts for donors.
- Instant, customizable donation reports for students, classes and the whole group.
- Employer Match Identifier, which finds donors whose employers will match their gift. It located over $1.4 million in matching donations in its first year.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your special education program 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.
Next steps
See what a special education program fundraiser costs on our pricing page, or browse free templates including printable pledge sheets.
Common questions
How do you make a fundraising event genuinely inclusive?
Design it that way from the start rather than adding accommodations to a standard plan. Flexible pacing with no time limit, a quiet space available throughout, sensory load kept low, and recognition based on participation rather than ranking.
Should students be recognised individually?
By participation, not by amount or performance. Individual leaderboards make differences visible in a way that undermines the point of the program.
Start your special education program 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.