School camp fund checklist: before, on the day and after

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Before

Cost the camp per child: transport, accommodation, food, activities, relievers.
Decide the voluntary donation to ask, and say clearly it is optional and no child will miss out.
Set a fundraising target for the gap between total cost and expected donations.
Pick 2-3 fundraisers the camp cohort can run (a spellathon, a pre-order product, a stall at the gala).
Apply to community trusts or gaming trusts for transport or activity costs well before the camp.

While it runs

Hold a confidential hardship pool managed by the principal or office; point families to Variety's Kiwi Kid Sponsorship.
Offer payment plans through the school portal.

After

Bank all money in school accounts; credit fundraising to the cohort, not to individual children (estimate).
After camp, report income and costs to families and roll any surplus to the next cohort.
Thank donors, sponsors and helpers, by name where they’re happy with that.

Watch out for

Calling a curriculum camp 'fee' or 'compulsory' breaks MoE rules and erodes trust.
Crediting fundraising to individual children turns a voluntary donation into a de facto fee (estimate).
Leaving grant applications too late; trusts often decide months out.

A curriculum overnight camp can only be a voluntary donation and no child can be excluded for not paying, including in donations-scheme schools. Optional extra-curricular trips can be charged.

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School camp fund: checklist

Before

While it runs

After

Watch out for

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