Turkey trot fundraiser project: a 45-minute business activity, 6–8

1. Hook (3 min): "If our class organized a turkey trot for a food bank, how much could we raise?"
2. Teach three terms (5 min). Fixed costs are paid no matter how many people come, like a banner. Variable costs grow with every runner, like a race bib. Profit is revenue minus all costs.
3. Post the costs. Fixed: banner $40, sound system rental $60, park permit $25, for a total of $125. Variable, per runner: bib $0.75, water $0.25, finisher sticker $0.50, for a total of $1.50.
4. Set a fee (5 min). Teams choose an entry fee and argue for it. Too high and fewer people sign up; too low and less money reaches the food bank.
5. Break even (10 min). Model one: with a $10 fee, each runner adds $10 minus $1.50, or $8.50. $125 ÷ $8.50 is about 14.7, so the team needs 15 runners to cover costs. Every runner after that is money for the food bank. Teams repeat the math with their own fee.
6. Plan for profit (10 min). Teams estimate how many runners they expect and why, calculate profit, and add one idea to raise more, such as a local sponsor who pays for the banner or a lower family rate that brings more runners.
7. Pitch (10 min). Each team gives a 60-second pitch: fee, break-even point, expected profit and best idea. The class votes for the most convincing plan, not the biggest number.

Differentiation: for students who need more support, give a table to complete for 10, 20 and 30 runners with costs already totaled. For advanced students, graph the cost and revenue lines and mark where they cross. For English learners, post fixed cost, variable cost, revenue and profit, each with a one-line example. For students who find presenting hard, let them present the numbers on a poster while a teammate speaks, or record the pitch.

Quick check: "Your fee is $12 and the costs stay the same. How many runners do you need to break even?" ($12 minus $1.50 is $10.50; $125 ÷ $10.50 is about 11.9, so 12 runners.)

If you try it, share the entry fee your class settled on and the reasoning that won the vote.