Awesome Campus Events on a Budget: Our Top 5 Low Cost College Event Ideas
If you’ve spent time as a member of your student activities board, you know how much time goes into putting together great events. First, you have to come up with new campus event ideas. This can be a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. Then, you have to plan exactly how you’ll coordinate and carry out the events. And, of course, you’ll need to ensure that you have enough student volunteers involved to pull everything off. There’s also the often overlooked but incredibly important task of promoting your upcoming campus events. After all, without proper promotion no one will show up — and it’s impossible to have a successful event without attendees!
In addition to all of the above, though, there’s one essential limiting element that’s easy to forget about, but which is vital to keep in mind. We’re talking of course about budget.
Every campus is different when it comes to budgeting for student events. Some colleges and universities have larger event budget than others. But no matter how big your budget is, you’re likely to hit a wall at some point. Particularly towards the end of the school year, it’s easy to find yourself in a situation where you’ve spent the majority of the annual budget. But, of course, the need to put together awesome events continues unabated. So, what do you do? Throw up your hands and give up until next year’s budget kicks in?
No way! There are plenty of fun campus event ideas out there that don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. In this blog post, we’ll lay out our top 5 favorite budget-friendly college event ideas. Ready? Let’s get started!
- Community Service Events
While they may not sound as exciting as a live concert or college comedian, getting students together for a community service event can be an inspiring experience that builds lasting relationships between students on campus. And best of all, these events are totally free! Just find an organization in your area that needs student volunteers, decide on a day and time, and you’ll be good to go!
- Environmentally Friendly Event Ideas
Going green is important to lots of college students, and environmentally friendly events are sure to attract crowds. There are a ton of options when it comes to developing low cost environmental events for students on campus. Consider a campus gardens clean up day: bring students out to your campus’ garden for spring planting prep. And if you don’t have a campus garden already, create out! Another great option is a “learn to compost” style event. Find someone in your community who has a lot of experience with composting (your extension office is a good resource here), and invite students to learn how to reduce their carbon footprint by composting their food waste.
- TEDx With Professors and Community Members
TED talks are super popular these days, and the thought of organizing one might sound both daunting and expensive. But TEDx independent events are easier to put together than you might think. You don’t have to invite expensive international speakers, either: you already have experts at your college who would be happy to speak! Invite college professors and other members of the community to speak on a range of exciting topics.
- Scavenger Hunts
At first glance, the idea of a scavenger hunt might seem a bit childish. But think about it for a minute: getting together with groups of friends, racing around campus trying to solve puzzles and win prizes, competing against other teams…doesn’t that sound like a blast? Scavenger hunts can be practically free to organize, especially if you can get a local business to donate the prize for the winning team.
- Professional College Entertainment
Wait, what? Professional college entertainment on a budget? No way, you say. You’ve been to a NACA conference, and you know how expensive professional entertainers are. Plus, booking them is a ton of work. Right?
Not anymore! ArtistHub connects college student activities boards with talented musicians, speakers, magicians, comedians, and more. Browse through our roster of awesome entertainers and book via the website. You’ll save time and money! Ready to get started? Sign up now for your free ArtistHub account.
