Darfield School
Mathathon Fundraiser
FUNDRAISING CASE STUDY
Darfield School partnered with Go Raise It to deliver their 2025 Mathathon fundraiser, achieving an impressive total of $21,358.50 in donations received. As this was Darfield’s first time taking their fundraising online, the Mathathon provided a fun, engaging way for students to strengthen their numeracy skills while seeking sponsorship from whānau and supporters.
All funds received will support key school improvements, including upgraded playground areas, enhanced staging and lighting for events, new classroom laptops, and additional uniforms—helping Darfield students represent their school with pride.
Why Darfield School Chose Go Raise It
Darfield School selected Go Raise It for its ability to deliver a seamless, family-friendly, and highly engaging fundraising experience. Key advantages included:
- Simple for families – The online platform allowed parents and extended whānau to sign up and donate quickly, including supporters from outside the immediate community.
- Engagement-focused tools – Leaderboards, prize displays, and easy sharing helped build excitement and motivate students.
- Reduced admin load – With donations and tracking handled digitally, school staff could focus on celebrating student effort and running high-engagement activities.
- Industry-low 10% fee – Transparent pricing ensured more of the fundraising total went directly to school projects.
The Results
The Darfield School Mathathon delivered strong outcomes:
- $21,358.50 in total donations received
- $800 in sponsorships from local businesses, used to create major prize packs
- High student participation across all year groups
- A smooth, positive online donation experience for families
- Funds supporting significant school upgrades across learning, technology, and extracurricular activities
What Worked Well
Darfield School identified several key factors that contributed to their Mathathon success:
- Prize packs that generated excitement – Sharing videos and photos of the prize bundles online created healthy competition and encouraged students to push for the top fundraising spots.
- Special assembly prize-giving – Announcing winners and presenting the major prizes during assembly helped build school-wide celebration and momentum.
- Frequent random prize draws – Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, office staff drew three names over the loudspeaker.
- Weeks 1–2: Draws for students who signed up
- Weeks 3–4: Draws for students who had received donations
- Final days included additional draws to use up remaining prizes
- Inclusive recognition – While top fundraisers and classes received major rewards, all remaining classes received lollipops to ensure every student felt acknowledged for their effort.
- Clear year-group challenges – Offering 1st and 2nd place prizes for the highest fundraiser in each year level helped drive participation across the entire school.
Prizes
Major Individual Prizes
- 1st and 2nd highest amount raised in each year group
- Prize packs featuring:
- Board games
- Kids’ recipe books
- Sweet treats
- Other items sourced on sale from Mighty Ape
Team & Class Prizes
Top three class prizes included:
- 1st Place: Pizza
- 2nd Place: Ice blocks
- 3rd Place: Snakes
Additional recognition:
- Lollipops for remaining classes to ensure everyone’s efforts were celebrated.
Sponsorships
Darfield School received generous support from several local businesses who collectively contributed $800 towards prize funding. This sponsorship enabled the school to build impressive prize bundles that significantly boosted engagement and motivation throughout the fundraiser.
“Go Raise It made the whole process simple and engaging for our school community, we have already signed up for our 2026 Fundraiser, a colour run and we are looking forward to that event”
