Imagine this… You went hiking with your friends one day and found some very interesting fossils! The only issue is that they are very small and hard to see with the naked eye. One of your friends tells you not to worry, they remember seeing some microscopes in their biology classroom. With this idea, they ask their teacher if they could use a microscope to look at their discovery. Sadly, the teacher says, “Sorry but those microscopes can’t be used to look at specimens of that size, however, I remember using a stereomicroscope in college to look at something similar.” With this information, you and your friends look online for a stereomicroscope and see a price tag of $400! Together, you and your friends have $50, which is not enough for the microscope.
While everyone else is feeling discouraged, one friend suggests organizing a fundraiser! The group agrees that a fundraiser would be the perfect solution. They start discussing and decide that they want to keep the fundraiser STEM-oriented. Here are some of the ideas that they came up with…
STEM Show!
Since you are going to use this money to further the STEM program at your school, why not show off what you already have learned? One example of a demonstration that you could present is to show the varied colors of flames when you burn different elements. With this type of fundraiser you can be as creative as you want! Invite your family, friends, teachers, staff, custodians, etc… Charge around $4 per ticket and all you need is 100 people to show up. With enough advertising, posters around the school, and word of mouth, you’ll hit your goal in no time!
Movie Night!
As a student who loves STEM, I am sure there is a movie or two that comes to mind. For me it is Interstellar and The Martian! Ask a teacher to help set up a movie night at your school. Utilize a classroom or the auditorium in which to stream a STEM-related movie once a week after school and invite friends to come watch. Have a $1 admission fee and a table with snacks for sale. It is a cheap and easy way to get other students excited about STEM, while raising some money for your program!
Bake Sale!
While baking might not seem STEM-related, this is about making people excited for STEM! Make STEM related baked goods. You could make something like the periodic table out of cupcakes, or a robot out of Twizzlers and marshmallows. It is up to you!
There are definitely many more ideas for STEM fundraisers, but these are some suggestions to get you started. With patience and dedication, you can run fundraisers like these and raise money for whatever STEM program you’re interested in. Whether it’s for a microscope or something else, don’t be afraid to advocate for these worthy causes!
