A Trike-a-Thon is a riding event for children too young for a run. Participants ride tricycles, balance bikes or scooters around a short marked course while sponsors give a flat donation or pledge per lap or per minute. Because preschoolers cannot reliably count anything, the event is normally scored by time or simple participation, with a parent on the course alongside each child.
Why it works
- It is the only movement fundraiser genuinely designed for children under five, which is a segment almost nobody writes for.
- The equipment is already on site at most preschools and childcare centers, and families bring the rest.
- It doubles as a family event, which is how a new preschool community meets each other.
- Riding is already a familiar activity, so nothing has to be taught on the day.
When to run it
Spring or early fall, whenever the weather allows outdoor time.
Planning it, start to finish
- Scoring by time or participation rather than by laps
- Course layout for very short legs and short attention spans
- Helmet policy and equipment families bring from home
- Licensing ratios, outdoor time and visitors on site
- Running it in classroom rotations so staffing never breaks ratio
- Reaching grandparents, who are the real donor base at this age
Working from a printable plan is easier than a thread — see the planning checklist and the pledge sheet template.
Trike-a-Thon fundraisers for every kind of group
What works changes with who is running it. See guidance for PTOs, booster clubs, elementary schools and more on fundraising by group.
You are not doing this alone
Every Get Movin' group is paired with a Personal Event Coach — a former PTO/PTA volunteer who has run this before. Get Movin's company president and all of its fundraising coaches are former PTO/PTA members, teachers and volunteers. For a Trike-a-Thon, that is someone who has run this format before and knows where it goes wrong.
Your coach:
- strategizes your budget goal with you
- brainstorms incentives that actually motivate your participants
- advises on promotion and timing
- steers you away from the pitfalls they have already watched other groups hit
You also get the FundHub Event Toolbox — 100+ guides, templates, playlists and printables. Meet the coaches.
The platform behind your Trike-a-Thon
FundHub is Get Movin's online donation platform, built specifically for schools, teams and community groups by former PTO/PTA leaders. It carries 35+ tools. These are the ones that matter most here:
- Personalized student webpages. A parent sets one up in about five minutes, and each page raises an average of $140.
- One-click sharing to social, email and text, plus a sharing report showing how many parents are actually using it.
- Volunteer Organizer. Post positions with dates, times and headcount; parents self-select their shift instead of a chain of emails.
- Incentive Tracker. Enter your incentives and FundHub produces the distribution list by class or student automatically.
- Instant, customizable donation reports for students, classes and the whole group.
- Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your Trike-a-Thon
- Book a call or a FundHub demo and get matched with your Personal Event Coach.
- Your coach helps you set the goal, pick the date and choose incentives.
- Your group page and student pages go live; parents set theirs up in about five minutes.
- Families share by text, email and social; the coach checks in through the campaign.
- Event day, with volunteers organized through FundHub.
- Funds arrive by automatic ACH transfer after the event.
What it costs and what you keep
Get Movin’ groups keep 95-97% of every dollar raised. Donors pay however they want — cash, check, credit or debit, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple and Google Wallet. Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
Full detail on the pricing page.
Common questions
How do you score a Trike-a-Thon when children cannot count?
By time or by participation. Set a short riding window, have every child ride for it, and score everyone the same. Counting laps introduces an accuracy problem the children cannot solve and an adult has to solve for them, which defeats the point.
Do children need their own trikes?
No, and requiring one would exclude families. Most centers already have enough for a classroom rotation, and families who want to bring a trike, balance bike or scooter can.
What licensing issues apply?
Ratios, outdoor time, equipment and visitors on site are all governed by your licensing requirements, and an event does not suspend any of them. Confirm with your licensor before you set a date, particularly if families outside the center will attend.
How long should it run?
Fifteen to twenty minutes of riding per group, run as classroom rotations rather than as one whole-center event. Longer produces tired children and no additional donations, because sponsors pledged beforehand.
Start your Trike-a-Thon fundraiser
Get Movin’ has powered 10,000+ events and raised more than $200 million for groups like yours since 2007, with 1,300+ five-star Google reviews.
Take a FundHub tour with a coach, or book your event. Questions first? Contact us or call 248-895-0206. Also useful: the free school grant guide, the parent and donor FAQ, and our fundraising webinars.