How to Run a Read-A-Thon Fundraiser for Australian Schools and Libraries (2026 Guide)

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When it comes to raising money for schools and libraries, there aren't many educational events that appeal to a wide range of people, ages, and interests. In fact, there might only be one: a Read-A-Thon.

We've done a deeper dive into what a Read-A-Thon is, what goes into planning one, and the platforms best suited to hosting one in Australia. We've also built a set of free templates, including a reading log, pledge tracker, sponsor letter, and goal calculator, so you can stop juggling spreadsheets and start raising more.

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In this article:

• What is a Read-A-Thon?

• How does a Read-A-Thon fundraiser work?

• Run a Read-A-Thon in 10 steps

• Free Read-A-Thon templates (ready to use)

• What AU Read-A-Thons typically raise

• Sample Read-A-Thon timeline

• 5 creative Read-A-Thon ideas

• Best practices for organising a Read-A-Thon fundraiser

• How YMCA Greater Vancouver ran a 2,000-reader Read-A-Thon on Zeffy

• Read-A-Thon platform comparison

• The best Read-A-Thon online platforms

• Launch a Read-A-Thon for free

• Frequently asked questions

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What is a Read-A-Thon?

A Read-A-Thon is a peer-to-peer fundraising event that encourages people, often children or students, to read as many books or pages within a set time as they can, track their reading progress, and collect donations. (A Swim-A-Thon, Write-A-Thon, Dance-A-Thon, and even a Cook-A-Thon are all other popular fundraisers that follow the same format.)

Read-A-Thons are peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns normally organised by schools, libraries, or community groups as a way to encourage students to read, raise awareness about literacy, and raise funds for a particular cause.

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How does a Read-A-Thon fundraiser work?

Read-A-Thons involve participants setting reading goals, tracking their progress, and asking donors and sponsors to pledge money based on the number of books read, pages turned, or hours spent reading.

Read-A-Thons are generally made up of six parts:

• 1. The participants: Readers of all ages, including students, book enthusiasts, and community members, can take part in your Read-A-Thon.

• 2. Your not-for-profit's goals: Your NFP should set reading levels and have participants set their own reading goals based on those levels. Goals could include a number of books to read, a number of pages, or time spent reading.

• 3. Finding donors or sponsors: Participants often seek sponsors, which can be individuals or businesses willing to pledge a donation for each book read, page turned, or hour spent reading.

• 4. The actual reading: The Read-A-Thon normally takes place over a specific period. This can range from a single day to several weeks.

• 5. Students collect pledges: While your readers read, they'll raise money by collecting donations and pledges from donors and sponsors. As an added incentive, especially for younger readers, the not-for-profit hosting the Read-A-Thon will often offer rewards when certain levels are reached.

• 6. Engagement from the entire community: Successful Read-A-Thons often include local community events (think group reading sessions, book clubs, a book exchange, a pizza party, and so on) to encourage kids to read more, raise more money for AU school fundraising ideas, and spread the word.

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Run a Read-A-Thon in 10 steps

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A typical Read-A-Thon is straightforward to organise and run, especially with all the tools available to not-for-profits today, including Zeffy's peer-to-peer campaign solution.

Here is a look at the steps involved in organising your Read-A-Thon:

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1. Define the objectives and fundraising goals of your Read-A-Thon

Begin planning your Read-A-Thon fundraiser by sitting down and deciding what you want your event to accomplish.

• What will the purpose of your Read-A-Thon be? To get students reading, raise funds for a specific cause or school, attract new donors, or all of the above?

• Identify your target audience: students, a community group, or the general public.

• Figure out your fundraising goals. How much does your school or library need to raise?

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2. Set your Read-A-Thon's date and timeline

Choose a start and end date for your Read-A-Thon. This can vary depending on your goals, but you can run a Read-A-Thon that lasts a day, a week, or even a month.

The best AU windows are within a single school term: Term 1 (February to April), Term 3 (July to September), or aligned to Book Week (Children's Book Council of Australia, third full week of August). Avoid running across school holidays; momentum drops sharply. EOFY (30 June) is a national giving peak but is not the natural moment for a school Read-A-Thon. Most schools are not DGR-endorsed (Australian Taxation Office), so the EOFY tax-deduction driver does not apply.

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3. Establish your Read-A-Thon's reading goals

Lay out what readers should achieve during the Read-A-Thon. You can define various levels with appropriate awards, fun activities, and group goals.

Set a single unit of measurement, minutes rather than pages, so results compare cleanly across Year levels and per-minute pledge maths stays straightforward.

For example, if your not-for-profit represents a primary school, you could encourage regular reading by:

• Awarding classes an excursion once they reach a certain reading level.

• Offering individual readers a homework-free night once they read a certain number of pages.

• Setting aside class time so more students can read books.

• Awarding the Year level in your primary school that has the most participants commit.

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4. Create a reading list to inspire readers

Including a list of recommended books or reading materials can really inspire readers and keep them engaged. You can choose books that suit your target audience or that teach readers about your cause.

To increase participation and help get friends and family involved, you can plan excursions to the library and host a book swap at school so students can share books they love.

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5. Sign up readers and promote your Read-A-Thon

Create a registration process so readers can sign up and encourage participants to set their own goals.

Use social media, posters, your email newsletter, and other promotional materials to generate interest and spread the word.

As an example, if you're hosting a Read-A-Thon for your local library, you could promote it on social media, create custom bookmarks, host reading sessions, create a 'recommended by' book table, and encourage parents, teachers, and schools to get involved.

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6. Reward readers with prizes and incentives

Offering prizes or incentives for readers who reach their reading goals or raise a significant amount of funds is a great way to get students, family members, and teachers excited about asking donors and sponsors to pledge.

Planning this ahead of time ensures you have enough prizes and gives you time to ask local businesses and community members to donate them. A few ideas to get you started:

• Excursions.

• A pizza party.

• A homework-free night for a Year level.

• A fun day of outdoor activities.

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7. Track your readers' progress

Make sure participants are tracking reading progress with physical reading logs, Read-A-Thon templates, or an online platform. Tracking progress is essential for understanding outcomes and a great way to keep students engaged.

We recommend Zeffy's free peer-to-peer fundraising platform, which lets you create your own fundraising pages, but we also suggest a couple of other AU options below.

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8. Start fundraising

Make sure to include a few fundraising guidelines, such as a suggested minimum per minute or book or a flat-rate option, and consider hosting an event to encourage donations and boost your total.

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9. Engage your community with a fundraising event to boost donations

If you have the time and energy, it's a good idea to run a fundraising event during your Read-A-Thon. You can host book discussions, book clubs, reading periods during class, or a drinks-and-book night. Anything and everything to encourage family and friends to donate more.

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10. Keep readers, parents, students, and teachers up to date

Regularly update students, parents, and donors on the progress of your fundraiser. You can include milestones such as:

• Number of books read.

• Funds raised and donations collected.

• Reading time: the total hours students spent reading.

Don't forget to thank everyone at the end, including your readers, donors, sponsors, volunteers, and anyone else who was involved. Organise a fun closing celebration to recognise participants, give out prizes, and celebrate. After the event, ask for feedback from readers, students, parents, donors, and volunteers to learn what worked and what could be improved next time.

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Free Read-A-Thon templates (ready to use)

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Planning a Read-A-Thon means tracking readers, pledges, and totals across dozens of participants. The templates below eliminate the back-and-forth and give your team a ready-made paper trail from day one.

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Reading Log Template

A reading log gives students accountability and sponsors confidence that pledges are being earned honestly. Set a single unit of measurement, minutes rather than pages or chapters, so results compare cleanly across Year levels and per-minute pledge maths stays straightforward.

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Pledge Tracking Sheet

Every participant needs a simple way to track who pledged, how much, and whether it was collected. Build your pledge sheet around these columns:

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After the event ends, compute: total minutes read x per-minute pledges + flat donations = amount to collect.

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Sample Sponsor Letter

A short, persuasive letter sent home with students dramatically increases pledge totals. Here is a template you can customise in under five minutes:

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Fundraising Goal Calculator

Before you launch, work backward from your goal to set realistic expectations. Use the calculator below to model per-student and per-sponsor asks based on your fundraising target and expected participation.

A Read-A-Thon done on paper is a spreadsheet-juggling headache. Done on Zeffy's peer-to-peer fundraising platform, every student gets their own page with a personal goal, pledges are collected digitally, and totals update in real time. No fees, no subscription, and no donor data lost in the shuffle.

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What AU Read-A-Thons typically raise

Knowing what other schools and not-for-profits typically raise helps you set a goal that is ambitious but achievable. Here is what organisers can realistically expect based on common event structures.

Two to three weeks inside a single AU school term is the sweet spot. Shorter campaigns generate strong urgency but leave less time for students to collect pledges from extended family. Four-week campaigns allow more relationship-building but risk losing momentum in the middle. Two to three weeks is the most common window and generally produces the best results per participant.

Per-student totals commonly land in the $20 to $40 AUD range for first-time campaigns with light promotion, and $50 to $100 for schools with active P&C (Parents and Citizens) or P&F (Parents and Friends) networks and digital pledge pages per student. Per-minute pledges of $0.10 to $0.25 feel accessible to family sponsors; flat donations of $10 to $25 are the AU norm from extended family. That range translates to $10 to $75 per sponsor at a $0.25 per minute rate, a meaningful contribution that doesn't feel like a large ask.

Read-A-Thons tend to outperform traditional school fundraisers (like product sales) in net revenue per participant, largely because there is no inventory cost and the cause connection is clear. Every dollar raised goes directly to your school or cause, and when you're running on a zero-fee platform, that is literally true.

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Sample Read-A-Thon timeline

A clear timeline keeps your whole team, teachers, volunteers, parents, on the same page. The structure below works well for a three-week campaign, which is the most common Read-A-Thon length.

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Week 1: Setup and promotion

• Finalise your fundraising goal and reading goal structure.

• Set up your peer-to-peer campaign (one fundraising page per student or per class).

• Send home the sponsor letter and reading log with every participant.

• Post your launch announcement on social media and in your email newsletter.

• Brief teachers and volunteers on their roles during the campaign.

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Week 2: Launch and active reading

• Officially kick off the Read-A-Thon with a launch event or classroom announcement.

• Students begin logging reading minutes and collecting pledges.

• Share a mid-week update with total minutes read and funds raised so far.

• Post a leaderboard (class-level, not individual) to build friendly competition.

• Send a reminder email to parents about the pledge deadline.

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Week 3: Final sprint and celebration

• Send a final push email and social post in the first two days of the week.

• Host any community events (book club, movie night, outdoor reading session) to boost donations.

• Close the reading period and tally final minutes per student.

• Announce winners and distribute prizes.

• Send thank-you notes or emails to every donor. Automated receipts handle this instantly on Zeffy.

• Collect outstanding pledges and close your campaign.

After the campaign closes, send a wrap-up email to your whole community sharing final results: total funds raised, total minutes read, and what the money will fund. That closing message builds trust and sets you up for an even stronger event next year.

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5 creative Read-A-Thon ideas

Give your Read-A-Thon a creative twist to keep students and parents engaged and encourage donors to give.

We've come up with a few fundraising ideas to get your brainstorm going:

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1. A 'Recommended By' book table

A 'Recommended By' book table is an engaging, community-driven way to promote reading by showcasing books personally recommended by members of your community, such as Read-A-Thon organisers, librarians, teachers, students, and other stakeholders. This concept adds a personal touch to the book selection process, allowing readers to discover new titles endorsed by people they know and trust.

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2. Blind date with a book

'Blind Date with a Book' is a creative way to encourage reading by adding an element of surprise and mystery to the book selection process. The idea is simple: books are wrapped in plain paper or decorative wrapping, concealing their covers and titles. Instead of judging a book by its cover, readers make their selection based on a brief, enticing description written on the outside of the wrapping. This description might include a few intriguing keywords, a hint of the genre, or a short teaser about the plot or main themes.

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3. Mini-challenge Read-A-Thon

You can make your Read-A-Thon more interesting by breaking it up into smaller challenges or reading sprints. For example:

• A graphic novel weekend.

• A 24-hour Read-A-Thon.

• A Mystery Monday read where students suggest and read mystery books.

• A 'how many kids can read quietly at the same time' challenge.

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4. Hidden book nooks

Hide a few book nooks in local parks or public areas with hidden books for readers to find. You can provide clues and riddles to guide them to the next book nook and offer rewards for students who find all of them.

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5. Book-to-movie marathon

Instead of just reading books, encourage students to read a book and then host a movie night to watch its adaptation. This gives students a break from reading, helps your not-for-profit raise more by selling popcorn and drinks, and keeps everyone engaged.

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Best practices for organising a Read-A-Thon fundraiser

When it comes to planning and hosting a successful Read-A-Thon, here are a few best practices that can help you avoid common mistakes and make this fundraiser as effective as possible for your not-for-profit.

• Choose a fundraising platform for your school that won't cost you any of your hard-earned donations, so hosting your peer-to-peer Read-A-Thon fundraiser is a real page-turner.

• Make sure your fundraising objectives are clear and that you communicate everything well. Without clear communications or set objectives, it will be challenging to motivate readers and attract donors to your fundraiser.

• Your volunteers are an important part of your Read-A-Thon. Find a platform to help you keep them organised and communicate with them regularly and easily.

• Develop a marketing strategy that includes email campaigns, social media posts, flyers, and posters. Highlight the benefits of participating, such as improving literacy and supporting a good cause.

• Offer multiple ways for donors to contribute, including one-time donations, pledges per book or page read, and corporate sponsorships.

• Publicly recognise top readers and fundraisers through announcements, awards ceremonies, or special mentions on social media or newsletters.

• Partner with local businesses, libraries, or authors to support the event. They may offer prizes, host readings, or provide venues for activities.

If your school runs on a P&C or P&F committee, get committee sign-off before you launch. Most AU state education departments require it, and it protects volunteers. If you're a library or community group, check whether your state has a fundraising threshold that applies. NSW Fair Trading requires an authority above $15,000 per financial year; from 1 April 2026, ACNC-registered charities are automatically deemed to hold one. Consumer Affairs Victoria and other state regulators have their own rules. A classroom Read-A-Thon rarely trips these thresholds, but a whole-school or multi-school campaign can.

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How YMCA Greater Vancouver ran a 2,000-reader Read-A-Thon on Zeffy

The YMCA of Greater Vancouver has a long-standing tradition of community engagement and fundraising, with their annual Read-A-Thon being one of their most impactful initiatives. In 2022, the YMCA used the power of collective reading and community involvement to support their YMCA CommUNITY fundraising campaign, which focuses on providing essential services, programs, and support to individuals and families in the region.

To make this campaign a success, they needed an online platform that would let participants sign up, track their reading progress, and collect donations easily, with the ability to share via email and social media.

Thanks to Zeffy, YMCA CommUNITY attracted over 2,000 readers and raised CAD $25,700, successfully contributing to the organisation's ability to continue offering critical programs and services throughout the greater Vancouver region. Zeffy is Canadian-built and now serves Australian charities and schools, bringing the same zero-fee model to AU not-for-profits.

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Read-A-Thon platform comparison

Choosing the right platform affects how much money actually reaches your cause. Here is a side-by-side look at the main options for Australian schools and not-for-profits:

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The biggest differentiator for most schools and not-for-profits is fees. Platforms that take a percentage of donations quietly reduce what reaches your library fund or school program. Zeffy charges nothing. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no subscription. Every dollar your students raise goes to your cause.

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The best Read-A-Thon online platforms

1. Zeffy: the only 100% free fundraising platform for not-for-profits

Zeffy stands out because it operates with a unique model: it is entirely free for not-for-profits. Unlike other fundraising platforms that charge transaction fees or take a percentage of donations, Zeffy covers all costs. This means 100% of the money raised goes directly to the cause, making it an ideal option for schools, libraries, and community groups that want to maximise their fundraising results.

For Read-A-Thons, Zeffy provides customisable peer-to-peer fundraising pages so every student gets their own branded page with a personal reading goal. Sponsors can pledge digitally, totals update in real time, and donors receive automated donation receipts the moment they give. No paper chasing. No spreadsheet juggling. No fees cutting into your results.

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2. Raisely: AU-designed P2P with a free tier

Raisely is a Melbourne-born fundraising platform built specifically for charities, with strong peer-to-peer functionality and a clean, modern design. The free tier works on an optional donor tip at checkout (the donor can opt out, in which case the charity pays nothing). Alternatively, charities can choose a flat 4% transaction fee with no tip. Plus Stripe processing fees apply. Raisely is a solid choice for a school or community group that wants a branded fundraising website without dev resources, though some users note the roadmap has slowed since its acquisition by Keela in 2023.

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3. GoFundraise: AU-established with per-campaign pricing

GoFundraise is an Australian fundraising platform with a track record in charity campaigns. The fee structure is more opaque than the headline-free competitors: service fees range from 0 to 6% plus GST depending on campaign type, plus 1.1 to 2.1% processing and $0.20 per transaction. It is a better fit if you want a more managed relationship with your platform provider and are comfortable with variable per-campaign costs. For a straightforward school Read-A-Thon on a tight budget, run the numbers carefully before committing.

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Launch a Read-A-Thon for free

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A Read-A-Thon is a fun way to get your community involved, keep everyone interested (there's a genre for everyone at any age), and raise money for your cause.

With Zeffy, every student gets their own peer-to-peer fundraising page, pledges come in digitally, and your real-time goal tracker shows the whole community how close you are to the finish line. No fees, no subscription, and no donor data lost in the shuffle. Keep every dollar you raise.

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Frequently asked questions

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