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The back to school season is fast approaching, but when it comes to your FundScrip fundraising campaign, are you being creative enough with your gift card choices? There are many ways to support your group by using gift cards during back to school – let’s take a look:

School Supplies

School supplies are probably at the top of your back to school list. Nothing is easier than using gift cards to get all the paper, pencils and other school supplies that your kids will need for their studies.

Recommended Gift Card: Staples

Apparel

We have many clothing and apparel retailers for both kids and parents, so we recommend paying them a visit to buy all the clothes for the fall-winter season to come. By using our apparel retailers' gift cards, you can kill two birds with one stone – raising funds for your group and gearing up for the school season!

Recommended Gift Card: Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Simons, Mark’s, Roots, American Eagle

Department Stores

In department stores you can find everything from school supplies, clothing, and everything else you need for the house. With the back to school season upon us, the retailers in our department store category are a logical choice, especially if you value the convenience of the wide selection!

Recommended Gift Card: Dollarama, Winners, Walmart, Hudson’s Bay, Giant Tiger, Amazon.ca

Electronics

These days it’s a given that we use electronics at school, and our electronics retailers offer a fantastic way to maximise your use of gift cards.

Recommended Gift Card: Best Buy, The Source, Amazon.ca

Gas

Back to school also means restarting all kinds of extracurricular activities! More trips to soccer practices and dance lessons. Gas gift cards, not to mention the ongoing donations you’ll be accruing, will be much appreciated during this busy period.

Recommended Gift Card: Esso, Petro-Canada, Shell, Irving Oil

Tip: If you fill up at Esso, don’t forget to get a Fuel Savings Card as well as gift cards!

Grocery

Although we all visit grocery stores year round, we also tend to visit a lot more during the back to school seasons with all the lunches prep to do! Without a doubt, grocery gift cards are an excellent choice all year long!

Recommended Gift Card: Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, M&M Food Market

Tip: Set up a recurring order for your groceries and gas gift card purchases, that way you’ll never forget, and you’ll raise more money for your group!

Health and Beauty

Once again, these are stores that we visit a lot, and most of them also have both school supplies on display, as well as many other day to day necessities!

Recommended Gift Card: Shopper’s Drug Mart, Fruits and Passion, The Face Shop, Sally Beauty, Sephora

Coffee Shops and Restaurants

Sometimes, especially with our busy schedules, it's very convenient to eat at restaurants, order delivery, or grab a cup of coffee on the go! Restaurants are especially good gift cards to get for your back to school campaign, since they often have a higher donation percentage than most other gift cards.

Recommended Gift Card: The Ultimate Dining Card, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, St-Hubert, Subway, The Keg

Shopping Mall Gift Cards

Can’t find gift cards for that special stationary store you like in your local mall? Try purchasing one of our shopping centre gift cards so you can still support your group while getting the school supplies you need. Just make sure the mall gift card is accepted at the store you want to visit (click below).

Recommended Gift Card: Oxford Gift Card Plus, Ivanhoe Cambridge

Sports and Leisure

For families with children that play outside (all children!) or that participate in sporting activities, fundraising by purchasing sports and leisure gift cards is a must!

Recommended Gift Card: Foot Locker, Cabela’s, Sport Chek, Running Room

As you can see, there’s always a reason to use a variety of gift cards for your back to school shopping! We hope these ideas will help you boost donations for your FundScrip fundraising campaigns!

And be sure to check out our complete list of retailers and promotions, as well as our previous breakdown of 25 retailers who offer 6% or more in donations!