Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities

For most schools and organizations, fundraisers bridge the gap between budgets and the money they need in order to operate. Despite the continued rise in childhood and adult obesity and increased attention to humankind’s ecological impact, many fundraisers still rely on the sale of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods or ask supporters to become consumers of incidental items and paper products “to support the cause.”

Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities offers innovative and thoughtful options that raise money for your cause without contradicting the physical activity, health, and ecological messages emphasized in your school or organization. In contrast to traditional fundraisers involving food and incidental products, the ideas in Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities encourage personal, community, and environmental health and reinforce the health and social responsibility initiatives in place in your school or organization. With Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities you’ll learn how to involve not just your school or organization but the entire community in health-promoting, environmentally friendly activities.

With Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities, you’ll find a range of ideas—from ink cartridge recycling to a dance competition—and a unique approach to fundraising sure to energize your students, members, and community to meet and exceed your fundraising goals. For educators, each of the activities outlined in the text is based on National Health Education Standards (NHES) and National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) standards and 21st-century learning outcomes, making this text a great resource for incorporating the health and wellness initiatives of your school into the fundraising plans for your class, club, sport team, or organization.

Activities in the book are grouped according to the level of knowledge, skills, and abilities required for organizing and conducting them. Most activities use similar or commonly used resources often available in a school or organizational setting. You’ll find clear and complete explanations in a standard lesson plan format along with the tools and information you need in order to implement each idea. With background information on various types of fundraisers, how these types are categorized, and guidance on scheduling, implementing, and communication, you’ll have a full picture of what it takes to complete each event.

Get your members and community involved in a project that not only raises money but also gives children exposure to important values such as lifelong wellness, hard work, perseverance, integrity, and civic engagement. Regardless of whether you are new to fundraising or simply searching for new ideas for your next project, Healthy and Sustainable Fundraising Activities offers the tools, information, and inspiration to help you reach your monetary goals in ways that contribute to the health and well-being of your students, members, community, and the environment.

Jenine M. De Marzo, EdD, is an assistant professor of health education in the department of health studies, physical education, exercise science, and sport management at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

De Marzo has more than 20 years of experience teaching health and physical education in public and private school settings with diverse populations. She also has experience in several areas of community and public health as well as over 20 years of experience as a professional and volunteer coach working with youth and young adults in college and community programs.

She is past president of the Higher Education Section for the New York State Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYS AHPERD). She is also a member of the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) International Alliance.

De Marzo, her husband, Christopher, and their three children, Arianna, Vittorio, and Giovanni, live in Rockville Centre, New York. In her free time she enjoys running, camping, and playing softball and soccer.

Anne Gibbone, EdD, is an assistant professor in the department of health studies, physical education, exercise science, and sport management at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. She teaches in the physical education teacher preparation program, specializing in pedagogy and technology integration.

Gibbone earned her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a certified adapted physical educator (CAPE). Formerly, she worked as a physical education teacher and youth athletics coach in a variety of settings and sports, including volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse. She also played and coached both volleyball and lacrosse at the collegiate level. Gibbone has been an executive board member of the New York State Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYS AHPERD) since 2008.

Greg Letter, PhD, is currently an associate professor and program director of the undergraduate and graduate sport management programs at Adelphi University. Prior to his seven years at Adelphi University, he was an assistant professor and program director of the undergraduate sport communication and graduate sport administration programs at Mississippi State University for three years and an assistant professor and program director of the undergraduate sport management and sport management MBA program at Webber International University for one year. Major responsibilities included teaching, curriculum review and development, marketing programs, internship placement, community outreach and service, and alumni tracking and relations.

Greg earned his PhD in administration and teaching with a concentration in sport administration from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in 2001. Before becoming a professor, he spent roughly four years as a graduate assistant under the vice president of administrative affairs and two years as a graduate teaching assistant in the sport administration program at USM. He also has retail management experience at Jumbo Sports, several years of marketing and management experience, minority ownership of Independence Brewing Company (Philadelphia), and roughly five years of teaching and coaching experience in Philadelphia School District, Montgomery County School District (Pennsylvania), and St. Aloysius Academy in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Catherine Klein, PhD, is an online educator in athletic administration for Northcentral University. Klein played for the Canadian national team from 1987 to 1990 and graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She earned her master’s degree from Kent State University in 1991 and a PhD in sport administration from the University of New Mexico in 2007. She has coached youth, high school, college, and university soccer teams all over the United States. Klein now resides permanently in Ontario, Canada, where she is actively involved in youth sport settings.