Playground Fundraising Guide
Over the years, our team at ABC Recreation has worked closely with many schools and service groups to bring enriching and inclusive play spaces to their community. Along the way, we have gained some valuable insight into the effective and innovative ways that these groups are raising the necessary funds to make their play vision a reality.
Looking at the financial hurdle you must overcome to build or modify a play space in your community can be daunting, but fundraising doesn’t have to be a chore – it can be fun, rewarding and a great opportunity to rally your community together for a shared cause.
We developed this fundraising resource to help guide you through the process as you take the first step on this exciting journey. This guide includes:
- Establishing Your Playground Goal
- Your Playground Journey
- Choosing Your Playground Manufacturer
- Make Your Pitch
- Spread the Word
It’s important to have a clear picture of what you’re working towards in order to maximize your fundraising efforts. Our team at ABC Recreation can provide you with resources to help you more clearly define your goal if you are in need of some guidance when considering:
- What type of playground would your school or community benefit from?
- What are the ages and abilities of the children who would use the playground?
- What structures or components would you like to have on the playground?
- What is a realistic budget and timeline for your project?
When thinking about fundraising to build your community’s dream playground, it can be daunting to think of where to even begin!
We have created a simple, 9 step Playground Journey that will help you get started:
Rally together a team of 4 to 8 parents, teachers, school administrators or other community members. Prepare a fundraising calendar and schedule meetings well in advance so your volunteers can plan ahead to attend.
Do your research and ask plenty of questions so you can be confident you’re making the right choice.
They are meant to be a resource and will guide you every step of the way to ensure your project is successful.
Visit some playgrounds in local parks to determine what equipment is the best fit for the kids you’re serving.
Consider colour palettes and themes as you start to visualize how your play space will appeal to the community.
Review our list of grant opportunities and fundraising ideas for some inspiration as you kick-off your campaign.
Go through the proper channels to get the approvals you require. You’re almost done!
Work with your playground company to have the equipment installed or bring local residents together for a community build to reduce your installation costs.
You did it! Now it’s time to celebrate your success with a grand opening event. This is a great opportunity to acknowledge all the individuals and groups who made your playground possible.
Kicking off a new playground project is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming as you think about all the options to consider and the questions you have. We’ve put together a checklist that will help point you in the right direction as you begin your search for a playground partner.
Our dedicate marketing staff can support your fundraising and storytelling efforts in a variety of ways!
Once you’ve determined your fundraising goal it’s time to start promoting! With so many different possibilities available, it’s helpful to develop a targeted strategy that outlines how you intend to spread awareness of your cause and attract potential donors.
If you intend to market your fundraising campaign online, the first thing you should think about is creating a fundraising website using a platform such as Canada Helps. Use this site as your fundraising hub — a place to share information with all audiences. Not only will you be able to collect online donations, but this is the logical platform to tell stories about what you’re trying to accomplish, explain how funds raised will be used, share pictures and post sponsor logos.
Be sure to spread the word through your social networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Keep followers and fans informed with updated announcements about fundraising activities, donations received to-date and how much is needed to reach your goal. Make the conversation ongoing so people can follow your progress!
Mass communication has become easy for everyone, but don’t forget the value of more traditional media outlets. Reach out to targeted media organizations to help you spread awareness and promote your fundraising campaign. You may also want to highlight the story of someone who is personally impacted by your project or significantly influenced by your organization’s efforts. These inspirational stories may be just what editors are seeking for an upcoming feature. This is a fantastic opportunity to reach a much broader audience at no cost if your story is picked up in a local newspaper or an online blog.
Planning through your fundraising journey requires a lot of work, but the reward is completely worth it!
At ABC Recreation we have been helping our clients design, build, and install their dream Playgrounds for over 25 years. As a leader in the space, we have made strong connections with our partners and can provide our clients with quality solutions.
From daycares to schools, parks to community centres, no project is too big or too small.
Download our full Fundraising Guide to keep all of this information and more in your back pocket or visit our Playground Grants and Funding Opportunities page to see available grants.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help make your playground a reality!
