Are you thinking about raising money for your classroom, school, or PTO?
Classful
65 Fundraising Ideas for Schools, Classrooms, and PTOs
Are you thinking about raising money for your classroom, school, or PTO?
If so, you’ll need some top-school fundraising ideas to succeed. Although many teachers, administrators, and parents assume fundraising is a straightforward and simple process, it isn’t.
Supporters constantly need new and inventive fundraising ideas that excite and inspire them to donate. So, if you’re always using the same strategies, you’re probably missing out on potential donations. This article will look at creative school fundraising ideas that keep your supporters interested in your goal. But before we dive in, let’s look at how Classful can help you with your school fundraising.
Education resources
Fundraising with Classful
Classful fundraising is a platform that allows donors to support their local teachers, schools, nonprofits, classrooms, and more. Whether you need money for a student’s trip or parent-teacher committees, our three-step donation process ensures you can receive donations from support in your community.
You must sign up to create a business account, sit back, and watch your donations flourish. Alternatively, your school can raise money on your behalf by finding it on the platform and claiming funds as long as you have your school’s permission. Classful offers both teachers and schools numerous fundraising benefits, including:
- You receive your funds immediately – payouts occur every night.
- You don’t have to reach your goals to receive your funds.
- Since we rely on tips from donors, we charge a 0% platform fee on all donations.
- Teachers can choose the funding they need.
- We make communication easy between you and your prospects, donors, schools, or other teachers through our messaging tab.
65 school fundraising ideas
Now that you understand how Classful works, let’s look at some fun and exciting fundraising ideas that will engage your entire school and the local community.
1. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a popular way to raise school funds because it’s simple, cost-effective, and versatile. All you need to do is find an excellent crowdfunding platform and website, sign up, and create a free online fundraising page that’s easily shared via social media or email.
2. T-shirt sale
Everyone loves custom, quality t-shirts, so why not use them to raise money for your cause? With a t-shirt fundraising platform, you can create personalized t-shirt designs to sell, raising money for your school. However, look for platforms that don’t require any payments upfront.
3. Pet day
Organize a pet day to get your whole community involved in your school fundraiser. Community members get together with the pets for a fun afternoon of socializing. All attendees can make small donations to your cause, or you can charge a participation fee. Ensure you have snacks and treats at the event to keep your supporters energized.
4. Talent show
Did you know your students can be your biggest fundraisers? Tap into their talents by organizing a school-wide talent show, where you charge a small admission or participation fee. Assemble a panel of judges and bring prizes to gift the winners.
5. Bake sales
When it comes to school fundraisers, bake sales are quite popular. They’re a delicious option and give parents a chance to participate in a good cause. Ask your student’s parents to cook a yummy snack and put it up for sale at your fundraising event. You can also ask your students to sell them during recess or lunch.
6. Community yard sale
Most of us have collected clutter in our homes throughout the years, and what better way to dispose of them than by organizing a yard sale? Encourage your local community to bring unused or unwanted items to your school for a community yard sale. Also, ensure they’re aware all proceeds go toward your fundraising goal.
7. Email fundraisers
Consider creating an email campaign if you want a personalized approach to school fundraising. Email campaigns target prospective donors one-on-one, motivating them to donate to a good cause.
However, to be successful, include links to your online fundraising page or website and encourage your recipients to share the links with their friends and family.
8. Shoe drive fundraiser
A shoe drive fundraiser is perfect if you want to get more creative with your school fundraising. It engages all age groups and is free and easy to host. To pull it off, collect all gently worn, used, or new shoes in your community and give them to a shoe drive fundraising coordinator. They’ll process your items and give you a check within no time.
9. Online shopping fundraiser
Online shopping fundraisers work by turning your donor’s everyday shopping into support for your cause or goal. As a result, you earn up to 10% on each purchase, but this varies depending on your chosen fundraising platform.
Generally, online shopping fundraisers have low or no upfront investment needs, and they’re incredibly easy to execute. Since its returns are usually high, many teachers prefer this form of fundraising.
10. Text-to-give
In today’s technological world, almost everyone has a mobile phone that they’re glued to. Take advantage of this by organizing a text-to-give fundraiser, where donors text a keyword such as “support” to your text-to-give number and confirm the amount they wish to donate.
Although first-time supporters have to fill out an online form for registration, they can easily make repeat donations once they’ve signed up.
11. Silent auctions
Silent auctions are a fundraising staple as they attract many bidders, ensuring your school can raise a lot of money. During a silent auction, your school raises money by taking bids on auction items and selling them to the highest bidder. In most cases, the bidders are parents and other community members.
Pair your silent auction with another event, such as a parents’ dinner or parent-teacher conference, to raise more money.
12. Matching gifts
Not many people know about matching gifts despite their effectiveness in raising money for a good cause. Generally, a company matches their employees’ donations to a charity organization in a matching gift program.
If you have parents or members in the community working for companies with matching gift programs, ask them to contribute to your cause. This way, their employers give you a check matching their employee’s donations.
13. Community grants
A community grant is a lump sum of money that a business or corporation offers to nonprofit or charity organizations. Regardless of your school’s location, you probably have local businesses that like seeing students succeed.
Research the top companies in your area that make community grants to educational institutions and start the application process.
14. In-kind donations
Although most people don’t think of in-kind donations when raising funds, they’re quite effective. For instance, if you don’t have money to purchase specific items in your classroom, you can have a local business or community member donate them.
In-kind donations can be food, decorations, drinks, products for the classroom, and more. Just create a list of what items/services you need and send them to your supporters to decide what they can donate.
15. Peer-to-peer fundraising
With peer-to-peer fundraising, you use the energy of your supporters to raise funds. There are three steps involved in creating a peer-to-peer fundraiser. First, you empower your supporters to create peer-to-peer fundraising pages on your behalf.
Second, the volunteers reach out to family, friends, and the local community by sharing the fundraising page on social media. Lastly, donors support your cause by making donations on the fundraising page. A good example of a peer-to-peer fundraiser is a 5-k run.
16. Giving days
As the name suggests, a giving day is where supporters fundraise heavily for your cause. In most cases, giving days have some significance to your cause, e.g., Menstrual Hygiene Day, where you raise money to purchase sanitary pads for female students.
Leading up to your giving day, promote the event through your social media and email channels to get more people involved in the fundraiser.
17. Cook-off
A well-organized cook-off is a great way to bring your local community together for fundraising action. You don’t have to cook anything fancy. A simple ramen, chili, or BBQ cook-off will do the trick. To raise money, have participants pay an entrance fee or allow attendees to “donate” to vote for their favorite dish.
18. Penny drive
Although penny drives seem counterintuitive, they are more effective in encouraging supporters to donate. Donors are more willing to support a cause when they know they’re simply giving up whatever change they have lying around instead of checks or dollar bills.
19. Tree planting day
Organizing a tree planting day will get your supporters involved in your school’s fundraising. They’re not only eco-friendly but can also significantly boost your ROI. Commit to planting a certain number of trees in your area that matches your fundraising goal, e.g., 20 trees for $2000.
Once you reach your goal, you get together with your supporters to plant trees at the local nature preserve, school, or park.
20. Movie night
All kids love taking a break from schoolwork, and you can take advantage of this by hosting a movie night. You’ll sell tickets to students and parents and popcorn and snacks to attendees before the movie starts.
21. Lip sync contest
Are you looking for a silly and affordable school fundraising idea? A lip sync contest is a great choice. Here, participants lip-sync to their favorite songs, and attendees vote through donations. To take it a step further, host the event at a local bar because they have the props (stage and microphone) to make it successful.
22. Board game tournament
Do you want to get your students involved in your fundraising? If so, organize a board game tournament where kids can compete against each other for a prize. Remember to charge participants an entry donation fee to raise money for your cause. If you don’t have enough board games, ask families and the community to chip in with theirs.
23. Bingo night
Another fun fundraising game idea is bingo night. You must purchase markers, bingo sheets, balls, and a cage and charge a small entry fee for all participants. This can easily cover the event’s costs and leave enough for your fundraising goal.
24. Read-a-thon
Make school cool for your students by adding a competitive element to reading. In a read-a-thon, students recruit supporters to donate based on the number of pages or books they read during a defined period.
To boost motivation, offer students prizes for hitting certain milestones. You can also position different classes or years against each other to make the read-a-thon more interesting.
25. Spelling bee
Are you looking to incorporate learning into your fundraising action? If so, consider hosting a spelling bee contest. During a spelling bee, students gather pledges for every word they spell correctly. You can add a special twist by holding a teacher’s spelling bee at the end.
26. Dogwash
It’s no secret that pet groomers can be expensive. To offset this cost for dog owners, organize a dog wash event in an empty parking lot or at your school. Ensure you’re offering affordable services to encourage parents and teachers to bring their furry friends for a grooming session.
27. Car wash
A car wash event is an easy way to raise funds for your school. Set up a car wash in your school’s parking lot on the weekend and have students take shifts washing cars. You can accept cash or card payments or text-to-give donations.
28. Sleepovers
Students love the idea of experiencing school outside the regular “school time.” So, host a sleepover where kids raise funds to spend the night in school with their friends. You can set up designated sleeping areas in libraries, classrooms, or cafeterias.
29. Haunted house
Switch things up with your fundraising account by organizing a haunted house event. Since Halloween is a big holiday, take advantage of the opportunity to decorate the school with spooky items such as spider webs. Both students and teachers will be dying to buy tickets to your haunted event for a fun evening of horror and socializing.
30. Babysitting
If you teach Pre-K and elementary kids, consider babysitting your students in exchange for donations. Busy parents and guardians appreciate teachers who can watch their kids after school hours as they work or have an evening to themselves. Remember to include snacks and games for the kids to keep them occupied.
31. Dunk tank
Dunk tanks are perfect for students wanting to get revenge on teachers while raising money for charity. All you need is different donation amounts that buy a student multiple tries to hit the bullseye. Participants can also donate a fixed amount to dunk a teacher without throwing.
32. LemonAID stands
Many teachers consider lemonade stands a cliché when raising funds. However, they’re still effective in encouraging supporters to donate, especially during hot weather when one needs a cold drink to cool down. You can ask students to set up lemonade stands on their driveways or have one at the school entrance.
33. Fashion show
Get ready to show off your runway skills with a fashion show event. You can turn a field or gym into a fashion runway and encourage students, teachers, and parents to participate. Charge an entrance and participation fee and purchase prizes to gift winners.
34. Art auction
If your students love creating art, partner with them to create an auction. Before the art auction, ask students to produce pieces you’ll display to community supporters for purchase. You’ll be surprised at the number of people willing to buy beautiful artwork for a reasonable price.
35. Discount card fundraiser
A discount card fundraiser involves selling cards in exchange for coupons and deals at local restaurants and businesses. Generally, your students make Christmas, Valentine, or birthday cards and sell them to family members and neighbors, giving them discounts.
36. School dance
A well-planned school dance allows students to create exciting memories with friends. Therefore, offer your learners a chance to raise money by purchasing tickets to dance for fundraising purposes. This can be the annual prom, homecoming dance, or any other dance event.
37. Used textbook sale
At the end of each semester, students remain with books they might never use again. Instead of throwing these books away, host a textbook sale to encourage students to sell back to the store. You can then use the proceeds of the sale to fund your goal.
38. Restaurant fundraiser
Please support your local community by partnering with a local restaurant to host your fundraising event in exchange for a portion of their sales. This creates business for the restaurant owner and ensures you can easily achieve your fundraising goal.
39. Coin jar
Get local businesses involved in your fundraiser by asking them to place small jars at their registers for donation. Ensure the jar includes a brief background of your cause and that they’re visually appealing to attract potential donors.
40. School calendars
Everyone needs a calendar, and creating one from scratch using school resources is a great way to raise money while keeping expenses low. Ask other teachers and students to create calendars or use a professional printing service to produce calendars with student artwork, class photos, or school events. Sell your calendars to the local community, particularly parents with students in your school.
41. Trash bag sale
Get innovative with your school fundraising efforts by selling trash bags to your student’s family members, neighbors, and friends. To minimize expenses, buy the trash bags at wholesale prices and sell them in different quantities.
42. Comedy night
Holding a comedy night fundraiser is a great way to get everyone together for an evening filled with laughter. You can enlist your students’ talent or local comedians to tell jokes and stories at the event. To guarantee success, promote the event ahead of time to ensure more attendees purchase tickets.
43. Gift wrapping service
Anyone who’s ever tried to wrap a holiday present or birthday gift knows how overwhelming it can be. You can make a little extra money by wrapping gifts for other students, faculty members, or parents.
44. Gingerbread house competition
Create some friendly competition and raise money by organizing a gingerbread house contest. You can position classes or age groups to compete against each other and set some basic guidelines. Then, have parents and community members donate to vote for the gingerbread house they like best.
45. Field day
Set up a field day during spring to raise funds for your school. You can fundraise by selling tickets to participants, charging an entrance fee, or selling merchandise such as water bottles and t-shirts.
46. Penny wars
Whether you teach elementary kids or high school kids, penny wars are a fun fundraising game option. Give each grade a large glass jar that’s clearly labeled and have them fill it up in a defined period. The team with the best total wins the competition, and you get funds for your goal.
47. Principal challenge
Consider a principal challenge if you’re looking for a silly and hilarious way to raise school funds. Here, students pay money to see their principal do something ridiculous, such as dyeing their hair or getting pied in the face.
To raise more money, have different containers set up for various punishments and let students donate. The principal gets to perform the jar with the most money.
48. Pajama day
Pajama day is a simple and free fundraising action that allows students to stay in pajamas during school hours. During a school-wide pajama day, you charge students to wear their pajamas throughout the day, giving parents a break from having to worry about getting their kids dressed for school.
49. Teachers in jail
Students love the thought of revenging their teachers with some form of punishment. Take advantage of this by putting fellow teachers in “jail” for a class period. Students will collect a certain amount of money to get the rest of the class period to themselves, giving them funds for their goal.
50. No uniform day
If you’re a teacher in a private school, this fundraiser is for you. Charge each student $1 to dress in their home clothes to school. Depending on the size of your school, you can raise enough money for your cause.
51. Lock-Ins
Every student loves an overnight student lock-in because it allows them to spend time with their friends and play fun games throughout the night. All you need to do is set up a sheet for sign-ups and the donations required. The goal is for kids to stay awake as long as they can.
52. Chess tournament
If you have students that love playing chess, set up a chess tournament for them and raise money simultaneously. Charge participants a small tournament fee and attendees an entrance fee.
53. Student/teacher basketball game
You can host a basketball game between students and teachers for comedic relief. Ensure the players aren’t part of the school’s basketball team, as they’re more likely to defeat the teachers. To raise money, you can charge a small attendance fee.
54. Breakfast at school
How many of your students come to school early? You can raise funds by selling breakfast to faculty members and kids who arrive early. If you want to raise more, advertise your breakfast offers to encourage students to come early for some pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
55. Easter egg hunt
An Easter egg hunt is a fun holiday fundraising action for younger students. Plan the egg hunt on the weekend and charge everyone an entrance fee. To keep things exciting and fun, time the egg hunt and award the child with the most eggs.
56. Hot chocolate
During the winter, raise funds by selling hot chocolate to students and teachers. Nothing excites kids more than a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly morning or afternoon.
57. Color run
Color runs are becoming quite popular for raising school funds, and it’s evident why. Students love the brightly colored powders that rain on them while creating new memories. Sell basic white shirts before the event and charge a small participation fee to raise funds.
58. Coloring contest
Tap into your student’s creativity by hosting a coloring contest. Assemble a panel of judges to decide who’s the winner and charge an entrance and participation fee.
59. Debate completion
These are quite popular in college and high school and can quickly raise funds for essential needs and causes. Let students sign up in advance, allowing them to pick and prepare debate topics. Many people will buy tickets to see the tension and the opposing views during the debate.
60. Popcorn sales
Did you know popcorn is a hot seller among students and adults? Set aside funds to purchase a commercial popcorn machine that will come in handy during school events or football games.
61. Flower sale
Right before spring, sell flowers to parents, teachers, and the local community to raise funds.
62. Pizza day
Work with local restaurants to organize a pizza day, where students order a pizza of their liking ahead of time. You’ll then split proceeds with the local business.
63. Spa night
Partner with local spa professionals to organize an evening of pampering for people and split the proceeds.
64. Charity ball
Organize a ball for the local community and students and encourage donations of any amount throughout the event.
65. Recipe book
Create a school recipe book that you can sell to teachers and the locals at an affordable price.
