Key Takeaways
- Create your gift message free at giftstory.ai. If you choose to send it as a Gift Story, a verified tree is planted in the recipient’s name in Tanzania.
- Each ForestNation tree absorbs a field-measured 0.025 tonnes of CO2 per year. The gift keeps growing long after the occasion.
- Corporate campaigns at forestnation.com/corporate-gift-a-forest
Why Tree Fundraisers Work Better Than the Usual Options
Most school fundraisers sell something nobody particularly wants — overpriced chocolate, wrapping paper, cookie dough. Students go through the motions. Parents buy out of obligation. The school raises a modest amount. Everyone moves on.
A tree fundraiser works differently. Students sell ForestNation Tree Kits — physical kits containing a real tree seed, growing soil, and planting instructions in 100% biodegradable packaging. The product has genuine appeal: it is educational, it is a real growing thing, and it connects the buyer to something that lasts. And because the school sets its own profit margin, the fundraising return is significant.
ForestNation has run school tree fundraisers for over a decade. The programme is simple: ForestNation supplies the kits at wholesale, your school sells at a retail price you set, and the difference is your fundraising profit. No cookie dough. No guilt purchases. A real product with a real purpose. Start at forestnation.com/school-fundraising.
How the ForestNation School Tree Fundraiser Works
Step 1: Choose your kits
ForestNation Tree Kits come in a range of varieties — herbs, flowers, and trees — all in biodegradable packaging. You choose the mix that suits your school community and your climate. Every kit includes a seed, growing medium, and planting instructions written for all ages.
Step 2: Set your retail price
You buy the kits at wholesale from ForestNation and sell them at whatever retail price works for your community. The difference is your school’s profit. A kit that costs the school $4 at wholesale and sells for $10 at retail generates $6 per kit sold. A class of 30 students each selling 10 kits generates $1,800. Scale to the whole school and the numbers grow accordingly.
Step 3: Run the campaign
Students take the kits home and sell to family, friends, and neighbours — the standard school fundraising model. But unlike wrapping paper or chocolate, the pitch is easy: “Would you like to grow a tree?” Most people say yes. The product sells itself in a way that most fundraising products do not.
Step 4: Deliver and collect
ForestNation ships kits directly to the school. Students pick up their orders and deliver to buyers. The whole cycle can run in two to four weeks.
What Makes a Tree Fundraiser Educational
The tree fundraiser is one of the few school fundraisers that doubles as a curriculum resource. It connects to science (seed germination, plant biology, photosynthesis), geography (where trees grow, why forests matter), maths (tracking sales, calculating profit margins), and environmental studies (reforestation, CO2 absorption, biodiversity). Teachers who have run tree fundraisers report that students engage more with the product than with any other fundraising item — because they can watch it grow.
ForestNation also plants additional trees in Tanzania through its reforestation programme for every sale made. Schools can use this to extend the educational story: every kit sold plants something in the UK or US AND contributes to reforestation in East Africa. That is a geography lesson with a real-world outcome.
Other School Fundraising Ideas That Work in 2026
The tree fundraiser is ForestNation’s core school programme. But here are other ideas that perform well for schools in 2026:
- Walk-a-thon or read-a-thon: Pledge-based fundraisers where students collect sponsor commitments per lap walked or book read. High participation, no product sales required, parents give directly. Pair with a tree planting commitment: for every £X raised, the school plants a tree.
- Community event with tree kit sales: A school fair or community event where Tree Kits are sold as one of the stalls. Pairs well with a plant-growing competition using the kits.
- Corporate partnership: Local businesses sponsor the tree fundraiser by pre-purchasing kits at retail price to donate to families who cannot afford them. This adds a community layer and often attracts local press coverage.
- Online crowdfunding: A school fundraising page with a specific goal linked to a real outcome — “we want to plant 500 trees this term” — performs better than a generic donation ask. The tree target gives donors something concrete to fund.
How Much Can a School Raise with a Tree Fundraiser?
The amount depends on school size, retail price set, and student participation rate. As a general guide: a primary school with 300 students, each selling an average of 6 kits at a £6 profit per kit, raises £10,800. A secondary school with 1,000 students at similar participation raises significantly more. Contact ForestNation for wholesale pricing and a specific projection for your school’s size at forestnation.com/school-fundraising.
Research and References
- ForestNation school fundraising programme — kits, pricing, and how to start. forestnation.com/school-fundraising
- ForestNation Working Trees field study — CO2 measurement, 5 Tanzania sites. forestnation.com/impact-methodology
FAQs: School Tree Fundraiser
What is a tree fundraiser for schools?
A tree fundraiser is a school fundraising programme where students sell tree growing kits to family, friends, and community members. ForestNation supplies the kits at wholesale. The school sets its own retail price and keeps the difference as fundraising profit. Every kit contains a real seed in biodegradable packaging. Start at forestnation.com/school-fundraising.
How much does a school tree fundraiser raise?
It depends on school size, retail price, and participation. A primary school with 300 students each selling 6 kits at £6 profit per kit raises £10,800. Contact ForestNation for a projection based on your specific school size and kit pricing.
What makes a tree fundraiser better than selling chocolate or wrapping paper?
Tree kits have genuine product appeal — they grow into something real. The pitch is easy (“would you like to grow a tree?”), the product is educational, and it connects buyers to something lasting. Unlike consumables, a growing tree is a reminder of the purchase long after the fundraiser ends. The product also supports curriculum topics in science, geography, and environmental studies.
What are the best school fundraising ideas in 2026?
The most effective school fundraising ideas in 2026 are: tree kit product sales (high margin, genuine product appeal), walk-a-thons and read-a-thons (pledge-based, no product), community events with specific environmental outcomes, and online crowdfunding with a concrete tree-planting goal. ForestNation’s tree kit programme is the only option that combines a saleable product, an educational curriculum link, and a measurable environmental outcome.
