This case study has been provided by Dan Chaplen, freelance Schools’ Active Community Coach, who worked with St Matthew’s to support their active, pupil-led approach to fundraising.
Tell us more about your fundraiser?
This year, St Matthew’s introduced a range of active citizen groups across the school, giving children the opportunity to shape activities and take ownership of the environment they are part of every day.
One of these groups is the school’s Charity Committee, which plans one event each half term with the aim of raising £3,000 for three chosen charities: one local, one national, and one global.
For their latest fundraiser, the Charity Committee decided to rebrand the school’s fun run and give it an exciting new twist. Younger pupils took part in their favourite fancy dress, while KS2 pupils set out to achieve a new “St Matthew’s World Record”. The children created 20 different challenges, including completing the most laps while holding a small teddy, running as a team of four, and completing laps wearing odd socks.
How did the fundraising event benefit the students?
The Super Hero/World Record Fun Run was planned by the children, for the children. Excitement built across the school as pupils decided what they would wear and which records they would try to set.
All of the challenges were inclusive, meaning every child could take part. Whether they came in school uniform, PE kit, or a superhero outfit, there was a record for everyone to attempt.
A small change to an event the children already looked forward to created a whole new level of excitement, making the fundraiser even more engaging and memorable.
How did raising money on SuperKind compare to your previous fundraising experiences?
Before using SuperKind, St Matthew’s had always collected donations in cash. As a school of almost 900 pupils, raising anything over £500 had previously felt like a strong result.
Although the school was initially apprehensive about switching to a new platform, they wanted to test whether it would widen participation and increase the overall amount raised.
They were blown away by the response. The event raised approximately £1,500, around three times what they would have expected to raise in cash. This total came from only 200 donations, showing that the average donation value was higher than in previous fundraisers.
With nearly 900 pupils in the school, it has shown St Matthew’s that by increasing awareness of SuperKind, there is significant potential to raise even more in the future.
Thanks to using SuperKind, the Charity Committee is now on track to beat its original £3,000 target by almost £1,000, making a new goal of £4,000 feel really achievable.
Before using SuperKind... raising anything over £500 felt like a strong result... thanks to using Superkind, the Charity Committe is now on track to beat its original £3,000 target by almost £1,000..."
Did you have any feedback from parents/carers about the event?
Feedback from parents and carers was very positive. Families were able to share the fundraising link widely, encouraging donations from friends and extended family in a way that simply wasn’t possible with cash collections.
St Matthew’s is now looking forward to building SuperKind into future fundraising opportunities and seeing what their incredibly generous community can help them achieve.