A Turkey Trot is a themed fun run held in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Participants collect pledges and flat donations beforehand, then run or walk a set course on event day. The format is identical to a fun run; the difference is the timing and the theme, and both do real work — the holiday framing gives the ask a natural occasion and the calendar slot sits in a quiet stretch of the school fundraising year.
Why it works
- It occupies a genuinely open window. Most school fundraising happens in September and in spring, which leaves November largely uncontested.
- The theme is universally understood and needs no explanation to donors.
- Extended family are already gathering, already thinking about the holiday, and are unusually reachable in that week.
- It works outdoors in most climates in November, and works indoors or as a walk where it does not.
When to run it
November, tied to Thanksgiving week.
Planning it, start to finish
- Choosing your date around the Thanksgiving break
- Course options when the weather is uncertain
- Theme, costumes and the parts kids actually care about
- Turning the holiday timing into a better ask
- Running it as a community event rather than a school-only one
Working from a printable plan is easier than a thread — see the planning checklist and the pledge sheet template.
Turkey Trot 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.
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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 Turkey Trot, 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 Turkey Trot
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 Turkey Trot
- 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
When should a school Turkey Trot be held?
The week before Thanksgiving break, or the last school day before it. Holding it during the break loses the school-day participation that makes the event work.
What if the weather does not cooperate?
Have the indoor version decided before you announce the date. A gym-based walk with the same theme and the same pledges works, and a plan announced late reads as a cancellation even when it is not.
How is a Turkey Trot different from a regular fun run?
Mechanically, not at all. The differences are timing and framing — a November slot in an otherwise quiet season, and a theme that gives donors an occasion for the ask.
Start your Turkey Trot 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.