Fundraising in Fall Semester 2022
The fall semester is fast approaching and it’s time to start thinking about the fundraising events your club is going to hold this year.
The start of a new school year brings a whole host of great opportunities for fundraising and social events, and the fall semester is the perfect time to kick it all off! Fall is a season packed with holidays and festivals that you can take advantage of to hold regular fundraisers throughout the semester.
College semesters are pretty long, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead with your fundraisers and hold regular events throughout the season to maintain a steady stream of funds for your cause. The great thing about the fall semester is that there is a different holiday or festival almost every other week! From back-to-school socials to Halloween and Thanksgiving, you can create a jam-packed calendar of fantastic fundraisers that will keep members and supporters continuously involved.
To help you get started planning your fall fundraisers, we’ve put together a complete fundraising plan template for the fall semester 2022 so that you can start your planning ahead of the game.
Fall Semester – the highlights
This is a long one. It covers two seasons and a whole host of festivals and celebrations. From August to December, the fall semester sees the end of summer and the leaves changing colour, to Halloween and the start of Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities. That’s a lot of ground to cover!
Photo by Designecologist.
When does fall semester start?
It starts in August when kids head back to school after the summer break. This year, fall semester 2022 begins around the third week of August, but some schools and colleges are different.
When does the fall semester end?
It typically runs until December. If you’re at college, there are some weeks that will be dedicated to exams instead of teaching, so you may finish sooner or later depending on your timetable.
Photo by Helena Lopes.
How long is the fall semester?
Generally it is around 15-17 weeks, and there’s a lot to cram into that time! There are a lot of events and festivals that happen across the fall semester months, which is why it’s the best semester of the year – especially for any groups or clubs who want to hold some themed fundraiser events!
The most popular events during the fall months are:
- ‘Back to School’: the lead up to the start of the new semester and the first few weeks, including welcoming new students and club members.
- OktoberFest: Traditionally a German festival, OktoberFest is celebrated in many places across the US. This year, OktoberFest is from September 17th – October 3rd.
- October Fall Break: a one week break halfway through the Fall semester.
- Halloween: October 31st – Halloween is a very popular US holiday!
- Labor Day: November 6th, 2022 – the first Monday in November, a national holiday.
- Thanksgiving: Thanksgiving is November 24th, 2022, and the Thanksgiving holiday runs from the 24th to 27th of November.
- Giving Tuesday: November 29th, 2022. Giving Tuesday is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
- Christmas: Christmas celebrations can start early in December as most people will head home at the end of term, which is usually in the third week of December.
Why is fundraising important in the fall semester?
The fall is the best time to kickstart your fundraising efforts as a club, team, or academic group. As an organization that relies on funds to hold events, go to sport competitions, and generally maintain activities, you want to make sure that you start the semester in a strong financial position.
At the start of the year there will be new students looking to join clubs and teams and get involved with different groups. Fall fundraisers can serve as a great way to raise awareness of your club across the college and encourage new students to sign up and join your group. This will strengthen your club, team, or sorority or fraternity simply by having more numbers, and it also means that you’ll likely have more successful fundraisers.
With these new members signed up, the fall semester is the perfect opportunity to welcome and get to know everyone! Social fundraisers throughout the fall semester provide a great way to make new friends, and can also be a fun way for new students to explore the campus and local area if you hold fundraisers such as Campus photo competitions or pub crawls.
Photo by Helena Lopes.
Finally, the fall semester has so many key national holidays and festivals that it would be crazy not to take advantage of them and host some incredible fundraisers!
Your fall fundraising plan template
When you’re looking to hold some fundraisers throughout the fall semester, it’s a good idea to sit down and plan out what events you want to hold across the year to make sure you cover all the big dates.
We’ve put together a basic fall fundraising plan template to give you an idea of how a fall semester of fundraising could look for your club or team.
| EVENT | WHEN | DETAILS |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Fundraiser | Late September: first two weeks of the semester | Organize a relaxed get-to-know you social event to welcome new members and kick off the new term. A Restaurant fundraiser is a great way to catch-up with new old friends and explore the local area. Dine at your favourite spot and get a % of all sales donated to your cause! Find local restaurants giving back near you. |
| Campus Fundraiser | Mid-October | Get everyone out to enjoy the Campus in the changing seasons of the fall semester with a Campus fundraiser. Host a Campus Photo Competition or an open-air Movie Night and raise funds through ticket sales! |
| Halloween Fundraiser | October 31st | Dig out those scary costumes with a seasonal Halloween fundraiser - this could be Pumpkin Carving, a Halloween ‘Fun Run’, or a spookie Movie Night. Charge entrance fees to raise funds. Why not organize a Halloween restaurant fundraiser and encourage everyone to dress up when they dine out? Best costume wins a prize! Check out restaurants for your fundraiser here. |
| Mid-semester fundraiser | 2nd week of November | Keep those mid-semester blues away with a fun, social fall semester fundraiser such as a games night or restaurant fundraiser. Enjoy good company and switch off from work for an evening. |
| Thanksgiving Fundraisers | Thanksgiving weekend: November 24th | Plan your Thanksgiving fundraiser for the week ahead of the long weekend before people head home. A Pot Luck Dinner is a popular Thanksgiving fundraiser. Bring together all club members to enjoy and share home cooked food, and take donations for everyone attending. Other popular Thanksgiving fundraisers include a ‘Turkey Trot’ fun run, a Thanksgiving raffle, or Pie competition! |
| Christmas fundraisers | Throughout December | Get festive with Christmas fundraisers throughout the month of December! Some popular ideas include gift wrapping, creating Christmas cards or decorations to sell, a Christmas bake sale, or Carol Singing. Why not also tie in the Christmas fundraiser with an end-of-semester social event. Host a Christmas restaurant fundraiser to celebrate the end of the year and fundraiser for your cause. Check out fundraiser restaurants for your Christmas meal. |
Funds throughout fall
Hopefully now you have a good idea of how to plan ahead and have a successful fall semester of fundraising for your group. Fall truly is the perfect season for fundraising – with new students and so many great events, everyone will be excited to take part in some fun, festive activities and support your cause.
If you’re looking for some more college and fall fundraiser ideas, check out these articles that have a load of great suggestions:
And of course, don’t forget to find out which local restaurants are offering restaurant fundraisers in your area to kickstart your semester of fundraising!
So, grab your calendar and map out a packed fall semester fundraising plan for your club this year!
