Read to Feed Fundraising Ideas

Many leaders using Read to Feed have created brilliant adaptations of the basic program to fit their needs or to further challenge their children. Below are a few more ideas for obtaining sponsors, raising additional funds and alternative ideas for implementing the Read to Feed program.

Tips for Obtaining Sponsors

Student Sponsors
Students should ask family and friends to help the student change the lives of millions of families around the world. They can start the conversation by telling potential sponsors how awesome Heifer’s work is and how the they are going to help. Students can use the stories and animal facts located in the Real Kids, Real Animals: Read to Feed Student’s Guide. They should share their reading goal and encourage sponsors to make a per book/unit of time pledge but also a total amount commitment - someone might make a $1 per book pledge, but not anticipate the student reading 300 books!

Alternative Sponsorships
Many Read to Feed leaders have asked civic groups or local companies to sponsor their children as a group — for example, the local Rotary club or neighborhood bookstore. The feedback we’ve received is that leaders find it easy to tell Heifer’s story to potential sponsors and to promote the idea of children changing the world. People like to get involved in something this meaningful. Use our Alternative Sponsorship template letter as a guide to help you write a letter to local businesses.

Ideas for Raising Additional Funds

Book Exchange!
Kids and their families gather up old children’s books and bring them to the “trading center.” Each child can then purchase any book for 25 or 50 cents, with proceeds going toward the total amount raised for Heifer as part of Read to Feed.

Heifer Hunger Awareness Meal
Encourage students to plan and sell tickets to a meal featuring locally grown foods or cultural meals. For the after-dinner program, students tell about Heifer International and explain why they want to raise money to fight world hunger and save the earth. Guests are encouraged to donate to the Heifer Read to Feed fund.

Showtime!
Have the children write and produce a play to be presented at the end of their Read to Feed program. The play can include a full script, roles for everyone in the group, costumes, props, sound effects, etc. In between scenes, have the children enact public service announcements about Heifer International. Videotape the final performances and sell them to families, either at cost or for a small profit that can be donated to Heifer. It will be a great reminder of a powerful growth experience for the children.

“Children Changing the World” Art Show
Display children’s artwork at a store, library or school. Recruit local celebrities as judges. Children can sell or auction the artwork at a Read to Feed closing ceremony to add to the total contribution. Check out Art for a Cause for more ideas.

Birthday-Wish-To-Save-the-Earth Project
Students pledge to ask parents, friends and relatives to make a donation to Heifer, in their honor, instead of buying a birthday gift.

Recycling to End Hunger
If the local recycling center pays for recyclable materials, encourage students to gather recyclables for cash. Proceeds can purchase animals through Heifer.

Snack Food Fast
Students pledge to give up “junk food” for a week and donate the money they saved to the Heifer Read to Feed fund. Get the entire school involved by going to other classrooms, asking for participation and explaining where the money will go. Place contribution containers in each classroom.

More Ideas for Implementing Read To Feed

Create a Reading Buddies Program

• Pair older students with younger ones who are learning to read, e.g., 5th-grade students with 1st-grade students.
• Have the pairs of “Reading Buddies” meet once a week throughout the school year. The older students help the younger students learn to read, either by reading aloud to them or by helping them decipher words and sentences. This relationship provides younger students with mentors and gives older students an opportunity to feel that they are making an impression on the younger students’ lives.
• Ask adults to sponsor every book (or every 30 minutes) the buddies read together.
• Hold beginning- and end-of-year ceremonies of “Passing on the Gift.” At the beginning of the year, the older students pledge to pass on the gift of reading, while at the end of the year, first graders pledge to pass on the gift of reading to younger children.
• Hold a Read to Feed Reading Buddies party at the end of the year. Announce how much money was raised for Heifer programs. Be sure to print out certificates of participation for all students.

Partner with a Local Senior Citizens Center
Note: Due to logistics of transporting students to and from a senior center, this program may work best for extracurricular groups.

• Create a buddy system with a senior center; match a senior citizen with a younger reader.
• Arrange for the buddies to meet on a regular basis so the young reader can practice reading aloud to the senior citizen.
• Give certificates to participating seniors for “Passing on the Gift” of reading. Also, have the students create “thank you” gifts for their senior partners.
• Choose books that center on a theme of animals or sustainable development. A fundraising component could be incorporated here.

Create Audio Books for Charity

• Using whatever technology is readily available to you and to your chosen charity, have students record themselves reading their favorite books aloud. The books they read could be any of their choosing, or could be based on a theme such as “children around the world” or “animals helping people.”
• Donate the books and the audio recordings to a charity where children are helped. Possible charities include: Children's hospital, Women's shelter or a childcare center in a low-income neighborhood.
• Have students ask for pledges for the number of books they record.
• The funds raised could be used to donate an animal through Heifer International.