Explore our favorite teaching tools.
Like our service projects, this list is continuously evolving. If you don't see your favorite books or websites, we welcome your suggestions in the comment section below.
Preschool and Early Elementary
The Giving Box: Create a Tradition of Giving with Your Children by Fred Rogers (Running Press, 2000). Ages 7 and up. The folktales and fables in this small volume encourage children in the spirit of giving. A “giving box” is also included — a simple way to make donating to charity a family ritual.
The Kid’s Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference by Barbara A. Lewis (Free Spirit Publishing, 2009). Ages 8 and up. Find services ideas—big and small–that inspire or interest you and learn how to expand on them.
Late Elementary
Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World by Garth Sundem (Free Spirit Publishing, 2010). Ages 9-13. Children from around the world, motivated by their own beliefs and ingenuity, found creative ways to raise money for causes that they believed it.
Better Fundraising for Kids http://www.better-fundraising-ideas.com/fundraising-ideas-for-kids.html Find fundraising ideas for churches, schools, sport, and other sectors that can be done by kids.
Young Adult
A Kid’s Guide to Giving by Freddi Zeiler (Innovative Kids, 2006.) Ages 12 and up. A Kid’s Guide to Giving challenges young people to give to charitable causes, whether through monetary donations, donations of items, or volunteering.
Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens: Starting Your Own Business-A Guide for Teen Entrepreneurs (Kids and Money) (Volume 2) by Debbie Madson (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014). Find ways to make—or raise—money by drawing on personal interests and talents and creating a job that is a perfect fit.
The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change by Adam Braun (Scribner, 2014). Take inspiration from the story of Adam Braun, who went from working for a hedge fund company to starting a charity after a chance encounter with a young boy.
Go Fund Me www.gofundme.com Set up an online profile of your charity or project and raise money online. You can post videos, updates, and even offer incentives for people to donate.
Adults
Robin Hood Was Right: A Guide to Giving Your Money for Social Change by Chuck Collins, Pam Rogers and Joan P. Garner (W.W. Norton & Co., 2000). Supports the dictum “Change, not charity!” Explains how to give your money to get at the roots of social problems, rather than supporting short-term “band-aid” solutions. Provides guidance for choosing worthwhile causes and strategies for social change.
Fundraising for Dummies by John Mutz (Wiley Publishing, 2000). An introduction and step-by-step guide to fundraising.
How To Make Fast Cash: Fun and Legal Ways To Earn More Money In A Weekend (Welcome Abundance) (Volume 1) by Judy Helm Wright (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013). Filled with ingenious ways to make “easy” money, this book contains suggestions that could be utilized for fundraising purposes.
