Issaquah Valley Elementary’s annual Fun Run crossed the finish line in a big way this year, raising $44,823 and fully meeting the school’s fundraising goal. Organized by the school’s PTA Fun Run Committee and led by coordinator Amy, the event brought together students, families, teachers, and volunteers to support a wide range of programs that directly benefit the school community.
Funds raised through the Fun Run will help support the Cougar Store, teacher stipends, the Snack Shack, the Cougar Community Fund, Trunk or Treat, the Science Fair, staff grants, the Art Docent program, field trips, library resources, and many other student and community programs throughout the year.
A Community Project from Start to Finish
This year marked Issaquah Valley Elementary’s first year using PledgeStar and also the first year in recent memory that the PTA handled the Fun Run independently rather than working with a full-service fundraising company.
In previous years, the school had partnered with companies that managed much of the event, but Amy explained that the associated fees often consumed a large portion of the fundraiser’s earnings.
“You’d pay upwards of 40 to 45 percent in fees for their services and website fees,” Amy said. “We really wanted to be good stewards of PTA money.”
After reviewing eight or nine different fundraising platforms and speaking with other schools in the district, the PTA selected PledgeStar because it offered the flexibility and reporting tools they needed while keeping costs manageable. That’s why PledgeStar’s capped $1,195 platform fee, which gave the PTA confidence that more of the money raised would go directly back to school programs instead of operating costs, was one of the factors that sealed the deal.
One of the biggest deciding factors was the ability to customize what families could see directly on the fundraiser homepage. Since classrooms competed for prizes based on fundraising totals, visibility and engagement were especially important.
Top class prizes included:
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A Silly String Party
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A Glow Party
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An Indoor Snowball Fight
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An Extra Art Class
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An Extra Recess
“For that kind of competition to work, families need to easily see how classes are doing,” Amy explained. “With a lot of fundraising sites, that information is buried. PledgeStar allowed us to display exactly what we needed.”
Reports, Prizes, and Giant Golden Shoes
Once the fundraiser launched, Amy said she was surprised by how robust the reporting features were.
One of the committee’s favorite student incentives involved a giant golden shoe displayed during lunchtime prize drawings. Students who registered and sent at least two fundraising requests were entered into daily prize wheel drawings leading up to the Fun Run.
“I was worried about how we were going to manage all those names every day,” Amy laughed. “But the reporting system made it so much easier.”
The ability to generate reports based on how many requests were sent, the date they were sent out, classes that raised the most money helped the committee efficiently organize incentives and prize tracking throughout the campaign.
Teachers in Inflatable Costumes Steal the Show
Of course, the highlight of the event came after the fundraising goal was reached. As the grand prize celebration, 20 teachers raced each other in inflatable costumes while students cheered them on.
“It was really, really fun,” Amy said. “The teachers were great sports.”
The playful race became a memorable moment for students and staff alike and helped reinforce the community spirit behind the event.
Looking Ahead
Although running the event independently for the first time felt intimidating at first, Amy said the experience ended up bringing the community together in a meaningful way.
“Not having an outside company at the school made it feel more like a community project,” she shared.
Strong volunteer involvement, responsive support from the PledgeStar team, and positive feedback from families helped make the transition successful.
For Issaquah Valley Elementary, this year’s Fun Run was more than just a fundraiser. It was a reminder of what a dedicated school community can accomplish together.
