70+ School Fundraising Ideas: Fundraisers for Schools of all Types

Schools are organisations that will always need fundraisers to help them keep going. Government payments only tend to cover the bare necessities, and even then there is never anything to take care of shortfalls, school supplies, clubs, or enrichment of any kind. That means you end up with neglected buildings, shortages, and outdoor spaces in need of care.

By hosting fundraisers, schools have the chance to give students the best chance in their education as well as supplying teachers with everything they need to work properly. You can run bake sales and events on school grounds, but you can also utilise technology and host virtual fundraisers that bring in money for the school and get students and parents alike involved. 

We know your next question is ‘what are the best fundraising ideas?’ The good news is that we have you covered on that front. In this guide, we have the 70+ best school fundraising ideas to help you bring in as much money as possible for your school. All you need to do is start getting students, members of the PTA, and the local community excited. 

What is the Most Profitable School Fundraiser 2026?

There are countless school fundraiser ideas for you to choose from, and if we put them all into a table, it would be overwhelming. So, we took the liberty of choosing some of the most popular fundraisers for schools, how much effort they take, the upfront costs, potential profits, and the grade they work best for. That way, you have a strong starting point. 

As of September 2026, these are the most profitable fundraisers for schools. This table will be updated accordingly as and when it is needed. 

It’s also a good idea to look into a fundraising platform to help keep everything organised. It can be a lot to work with, and that makes it much easier to lose track of donations, which is why you should have everything in one place. All-in-one fundraising platforms like PayBee are perfect for that, and they offer fundraising software that can help you run a whole host of events. 

Your students deserve the best, and that means ensuring that you aren’t exhausted from splitting your time between organising every last detail for events and taking care of students. Platforms like PayBee, Zeffy, and Givebutter all offer free or low-cost services that schools can benefit from and which will help you boost your fundraising knowledge and visibility. 

What is a Read-A-Thon or an A-Thon Event? 

An a-thon event is a form of peer-to-peer fundraising, which means the participants set up their own donation pages in support of the school and collect funds from friends, family members, and anyone else that they might be able to reach while campaigning on social media. In exchange for their pledges, participants will complete a certain activity that they decide on. 

In the case of a read-a-thon, they might need to read as many books or chapters as possible within a set amount of time. For example, they might have set a goal to read 20 books in one month, and people pledge a donation through their page in support of them reaching that goal. It’s popular among students who want to help their schools, and it doesn’t cost anything to run. 

Direct donations through peer-to-peer fundraising also mean that you don’t lose as much money to processing fees. There are loads of different a-thons people can take part in as well. It doesn’t have to be limited to students either; parents and teachers can set up their own pages and challenges for people to donate towards. Some of the most popular a-thons are: 

• Read-a-thon
• Dance-athon
• Walk-a-thon
• Bike-a-thon
• Jog-a-thon
• Cook-a-thon
• Swim-a-thon
• Game-a-thon
• Bowl-a-thon
• Colour-a-thon

Essentially, there is an a-thon for every possible skill. It doesn’t matter what someone excels at, they have the potential to raise money through it and make a difference for their school. They just need to ensure they set up their donation page and actively advertise what they are doing online and within the local community so that they can collect pledges. 

What are Fundraising Auctions and Galas? 

A fundraising auction and gala is a special event that is traditionally held in-person where people have dinner, browse items that are up for auction, and then bid on them, with all of the money going to a good cause. However, they can also be held virtually or in the form of a hybrid event where there is a physical location as well as a livestreaming option. 

Typically, the silent auction and the live auction are the most popular. The former of these is where people look through the items and place sealed bids in a basket near them. These bids remain secret until the end of the night, and the highest bid wins. The latter is your classic auction with a skilled auctioneer and live bidding where people battle against each other. 

Galas are where the dinners and banquets are held, and they tend to pair this experience with a silent auction that takes place at the end. However, it’s not uncommon for raffles and other activities to take place in the run-up to the grand finale. These events can cost more to host, but they bring in a large audience and can raise a lot of money for your cause. 

PayBee actually specialises in galas and auctions, which is what makes them such a good choice for schools that want to branch out in terms of fundraising activities. They can help you host live, virtual, and hybrid events with a host of excellent features that include things like mobile bidding, tax receipts, and analytics to ensure you’re always bringing in funding. 

What is a Fun Run? 

These are pretty popular for school fundraisers, and they are community events that get everyone together for a run or a walk (depending on what you feel is best) in order to raise money. Most of the time, they are held on school grounds to keep the costs down. The best part is that there are multiple ways for you to raise money using fun runs, and they include: 

• Entry fees 
• Food and drink stalls 
• Sponsorships/partnerships 
• Peer-to-peer donation pages 
• Spectator donations 
• School merchandise sales 

Fun runs bring a lot of engagement, and they help boost morale and school spirit to make them even more successful. They’re also easy to customise so that you can turn them into themed events, have colour stands, or even add an obstacle course for an exciting twist. They tend to bring in a lot of money; you just have to ensure that you advertise them and get people hyped.

What are the Benefits of School Fundraisers? 

School fundraisers are essential if you want to fund your programmes and ensure that students and teachers have access to everything they need. Government funding only stretches so far, and while fundraisers have the most benefit for the schools they serve, it’s also good for the wider community. These are some of the core advantages of school fundraisers: 

• Strong support for school programmes and projects. Fundraisers supply schools with the resources they need to fund projects and programmes that wouldn’t be possible without them. It could be anything from new computers and textbooks to funding for the sports team or after-school clubs. 
• Get parents, students, and members of the community involved. It’s a brilliant way to get everyone involved and bring them together to support their local school. If you do it well, you’ll find that it’s one of the most fun and engaging ways to bring money in and build a better connection with the community. 
• Teach students valuable skills. Fundraising is so important for students because it shows them the value of teamwork, communication, and giving back to the community. It’s also good for sparking entrepreneurial spirit in young people, which can be a valuable asset to them later in their careers. 

There are so many different ways to raise money, and everything from Donation Days, Scratch and Give fundraisers, and crowdfunding campaigns can bring in much-needed support from parents, students, and the wider community. By reaching out and hosting events, people are more likely to donate and openly support your school and the students learning there. 

Why is Fundraising Important for Schools?

So many schools are facing financial difficulties from every direction. It can be a challenge just to get enough classroom supplies for teachers to be able to teach properly, and that’s why schools need more help from parents and the local community. Everything from those simple classroom supplies to new textbooks for students requires funding. 

There are also essential programmes that need funding in order to keep running, and raising money to help keep them going is a core part of running a school. Without supporting education, there is no way for us to help future generations have the best learning experience possible so that they can properly prepare for adulthood. 

How Do You Choose the Right School Fundraiser? 

It’s not always easy to know which fundraiser is going to be right for your school. There are so many different ones that it can become overwhelming, but the good news is that you don’t have to limit yourself to one. You can choose several fundraisers to host throughout the school year, and this might help you start figuring out how to decide which ones: 

• Figure out why you’re raising money. How much do you need, why do you need it, and how are you going to use it? Once you have a clear idea of what you need the money for, it should inspire a fundraiser that suits the cause 
• Take a look at your resources. You can only work with what’s available to you, and that means planning fundraising events that work with the budget, volunteers, and time that you have available to allocate to it
• Think about the wider community. What are families like for your students? Do their relatives tend to live close to them or far away? Is the local community interactive or more remote? This is something that will influence whether you have an in-person or virtual event
• Look at which age group you’re raising money for. Daycares have very different needs from colleges, and even middle school and high school are opposites in many ways. You need to cater your fundraiser to suit the school kids that you’re fundraising for.

The most important thing to remember is that you should only take on a couple of fundraising events. You don’t want to put too much on your plate, and you certainly don’t want to overcommit your time, resources, and financing only to find out that you can’t afford them. Take things slowly and remember that there are always more fundraisers in the future. 

School Fundraising Ideas That Aren’t Food

There are a lot of school fundraisers that centre themselves around food, and not everyone finds that enjoyable. There are allergies to consider, intolerances, and general preferences that might get in the way of fundraising. So, while this guide does have plenty of fundraising ideas that aren’t food, these are some of our favourites. 

#1 Mini Golf Tournament 

Mini golf is a lot of fun, and a friendly tournament keeps up the competitive spirit while ensuring it’s enjoyable. You can have participants make donation pages and use peer-to-peer fundraising to raise money through pledges as they battle to the end and see who wins. You can even have a prize set aside for the winning student. 

If you don’t want to use donation pages, or you want to raise money in addition to them, you can also charge an entry fee for participants that goes towards the money raised. You can also accept donations on the day by setting up live kiosks or QR codes so that spectators can give what they feel like throughout the event. 

#2 Obstacle Course

This is a fun team-based activity where groups work together to make it through an obstacle course, and the fastest team ends up with a prize. They can set up donation pages for their teams so that people can make pledges in support of them and raise money for the school. You can have them wade through mud pits, climb walls, and literally jump through hoops if you want.

#3 Book Fair and Signing

Hosting a book fair at your school is a wonderful way to raise money and improve children’s literacy. You can even invite a local children’s author to the fair to hold a book signing and an inspiring talk about the importance of reading and the incredible worlds that people are capable of creating using their imagination. 

You can sell entry tickets for the event to raise money as well as have concession stands available that serve things like tea, coffee, and cakes. If you manage to get your books donated by a literacy organisation, you will also save a lot of money on overheads and the money you make from selling books on the day can go straight to the school. 

#4 Fish Tank Fundraiser 

This one is very simple to set up, and it has a big impact on children because it shows them just how easy it can be to raise money just by setting your spare change aside. All you need to do is get a fish tank, something that can be bought very cheaply from a thrift store or donated to you, and set it up in a secure but accessible location within the school. 

Every day, students drop their spare change into the fish tank and watch as it fills up. You can have your goals for the tank and what the money is going to be spent on written above it to make it clear, and it works as an incentive as everyone in the school bands together to raise money for something important, whether it’s the school dance or vital classroom supplies. 

Elementary School Fundraiser Ideas

The best kind of fundraising for elementary schools is events that are hands-on and interactive. You want the kids to get involved and have fun because they’re the ones who are helping to raise money, but you do also need to take the parents into account. Balancing the fundraisers you have on offer is the best way forward with this, which is why these are our top 3: 

1. Bake sale
2. Rubber duck race
3. Parent’s night out 

Of course, there are plenty more events that you can run and use to get everyone involved. We also know that elementary school kids don’t always have the best attention span in the world, which is why we picked these events as the best fundraisers for your school to try out. Hopefully, they keep parents and kids alike engaged. 

#5 Bake Sale

The beautiful thing about bake sales is that they will always be one of the most loved fundraising events at schools. You can have it as a standalone event or pair it with things like school carnivals, pet parties, or even a fundraising gala. Plus, you can have students and their parents bake the cakes or look for donations from local bakeries in the area. 

In our experience, home-baked goods always do better, but the option for backup is there if you need it. While most bake sales are in-person events, you can also host them virtually and have people purchase the cakes they want and collect them at a predetermined time and place. As long as it works for you and your school, that’s all that matters in the end. 

#6 Calendar Sale

You can get all of your students involved in designing and creating a school calendar that parents and members of the community are able to purchase. Filling it with student artwork from different grades, photos, or collaborative pieces is a wonderful way for you to showcase their talent while also raising money for the school through product sales. 

The theme is up to you, and while varied artwork tends to be quite popular among parents and supportive community members, you can also make it more tailored to the department that might need the money. For example, if you’re raising money for the theatre or sports department, you might fill the calendar with things that are related to them instead. 

Since it’s a calendar you’re designing, you can also put important school-related dates in there as a reminder for parents. Things like upcoming trips, parent-teacher nights, major tests, or even fundraisers that you have planned for the remainder of the school year. That way, everyone knows when the next event is so that they can come and support the school. 

#7 Scavenger Hunt

Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt, and it’s the perfect interactive activity for elementary school kids. It’s also a very easy one to set up because all you need to do is sell tickets for people to be able to take part in it, which means it can be a standalone event or part of a bigger fundraiser, like a carnival, festival, or field day. 

It is also fully customisable, which means you can alter it to the students taking part and any event or cause that it might be part of. For example, you can have them collect pictures of wildlife or museum exhibits, or you can have them collect items that you have carefully hidden, and they use clues to find them. 

You can also have students register to take part in teams instead of alone, which teaches them valuable teambuilding skills that they will benefit from later in life. If you make the scavenger hunt timed, then you also get an added element of excitement to it. Just remember that the winning team or person needs a prize, and that’s what they’re battling for. 

#8 Shoe Drive

Shoe drives are really important giving events. You raise money for your school, which is great, but you also send the shoes that have been donated to developing countries where people need those shoes to keep their feet protected. It shows kids the importance of helping others and how incredible it feels to make an active difference in the world.

But how does a shoe drive actually work? Here are a few simple steps to set it up:

1. Use a shoe drive fundraising company like Funds2Orgs to provide your school with the packing equipment and marketing materials for the drive (all free of charge)
2. Get students and parents to reach out to friends, families, local businesses, or churches and places of worship to ask for gently worn or unused shoes to be donated
3. The school then arranges for the shoes to be dropped off, packed by student and parent volunteers, and then collected by the organisation you’re working with

Successful shoe drives can lead to hundreds of pairs of shoes being donated, especially in elementary school where kids grow out of them so fast, and thousands of dollars in revenue for your school through donations in support of the drive and grants. 

#9 Parents Night Out

Every parent needs a break sometimes, especially since elementary school-aged kids can be a lot to handle. It’s an overwhelming time with social changes, new responsibilities, and getting used to school. It isn’t an easy transition for kids or parents, and a parent’s night out is the perfect opportunity for parents and teachers to get to know each other a little better. 

Usually, it takes place close to the start of the school year when everyone is new. It also tends to be hosted at a local restaurant, and this gives you a great opportunity for a collaboration where a percentage of the earnings that night are donated to the school by the eatery. But your parent party doesn’t have to be an opportunity to bring in more funding. 

It’s actually the perfect time to show parents how your fundraising efforts go towards supporting their children’s education and potential learning opportunities. You also have the chance to see which parents would be interested in volunteering to help with fundraisers and if any of them have ideas that might be useful for the future. 

#10 Rubber Ducky Race

The rubber duck race is an absolute classic that everyone loves. It’s perfect as part of a carnival or as its own event, and everyone can place a bet on a numbered duck and watch as they all race down a stream to see which one wins. Usually, the person with the winning duck gets a prize, and you tend to raise good money through ticket sales. 

However, we also know that not everyone has access to a stream or the space to make their own for an event. That’s why you can also try a virtual duck race where the ducks are labelled as different things you’re raising money for, and they move across the webpage as money is donated to them. That way, people are encouraged to donate to get them to the finish line. 

#11 Family Picture Day

So many parents want family photos, but they can be very expensive and aren’t affordable for everyone. Having your usual school photographers take family pictures at your next fundraising event is a fantastic way to bring in more money for the school, even after the photographer has been given their percentage (if they want it), while also bringing joy to your students’ families.

#12 Hay Rides

This is another fantastic fundraiser, and it’s especially popular in the fall. All you need to do is rent a few trailers (or borrow them), fill them with hay, and then get some volunteer drivers to pull them around a scenic part of your festival or carnival. Rides are paid for in the form of donations, and you’ll find that even the younger kids are quite eager to go for a ride. 

#13 Trunk or Treat

This is a fun twist on the Halloween classic, and what happens is you get parents or members of the community to volunteer their cars during your event and fill the trunks with candy and treats. The young kids can then move between the cars to collect candy and show off their costumes in a safe environment while also raising money for the school through ticketing. 

#14 Used Uniform and Clothing Drive

Not everyone can afford a brand new school uniform, and the same goes for regular clothes that can be worn to school. Regardless of which category your school falls under, a uniform drive is a good way to help students find gently used clothes and uniforms that they can wear to school each day without feeling self-conscious and to give their families some financial peace. 

Members of the community will drop off the clothes and uniforms to the school, and volunteers then sort through them, check that they are in good condition, and potentially make minor repairs if they are needed. After that, the items are either given away for free or sold at a very low price to help students in need and give everyone an equal chance to look good for school. 

#15 Read-A-Thon

Read-a-thons are another event that’s important for literacy skills and also encourages students to reach out and network with the community. All they need to do is set up a donation page and collect pledges for reading a set number of books, chapters, or pages within a specific amount of time determined by the student. They can raise a lot from friends, family, and the community. 

Middle School Fundraiser Ideas

When kids get to middle school, they start feeling more independent, and this is also the time when they start to play around with tech and become more accustomed to it. That’s why it’s the perfect time for digital fundraisers and to start appealing to their growing competitive spirit, which is why we recommend these as our top three middle school fundraisers: 

1. Battle of the bands
2. Cookie dough sales
3. Board game tournament 

Since middle schoolers are becoming more tech-savvy, it is also a good time to introduce more digital fundraising to make it more accessible to the community and encourage students to take part even when they are at home. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should say goodbye to the classic in-person events; they are still just as valuable. 

#16 School Spirit Photo Contest

Social media is always going to be a big thing for your school, which is why it makes sense to use it as part of your fundraising. It doesn’t change much since the traditional school spirit photo contests used to be displayed in cabinets on school grounds; the only difference is that you can share them with a much wider audience online now. 

The premise is simple. The student with the best school spirit photo wins a prize and has that photo hung up in the school and published on social media channels. It can also be used on the school website and for any peer-to-peer fundraising pages that you have open. Just remember to make a rule that all photo entries must include a link to the school’s online donation form.

#17 Text-to-Give Fundraising Campaigns

Everyone is busy, and parents are often constantly in the middle of something with work or their kids, which means it can be hard for them to stop and take part in things as actively as they want to. This is why text-to-give campaigns are such a good choice. They allow fast, seamless giving to your school fundraiser with a simple text message. 

While it was at its most popular during COVID and the social distancing that came with it, text-to-give has become a regular part of the giving scene. If you use a Platform like PayBee, you can ensure that links to your school’s fundraising page are sent via text to make donations happen in just a few quick clicks. It saves parents time, which helps you raise more money.

#18 Battle of the Bands

If we’re talking about popular events and fundraisers, Battle of the Bands is right up there at the top. You can sell tickets to the event to raise money, and you can host it as a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event. Virtual and hybrid events tend to have more reach and make fundraisers more accessible to those who want to support your school but can’t physically attend. 

As for the bands, you have two options. Some schools allow their premises to be used for local bands or choir groups that want to showcase their talent and battle it out to become the winners. However, you could open it up to in-school talent and see what the kids have to offer as they set up their own bands and perform. Either way, the community is sure to love it. 

#19 Yearbook Ads

Yearbooks are important to many students, but they can also be expensive to publish and put together. It’s not easy for schools to gather that kind of money, even though the books are put together by a student committee. The costs still add up, especially in printing, and this is why offering advertising space to local businesses can prove beneficial. 

Not only does this mean that the costs of the yearbooks are covered, but it also helps build stronger bonds with the businesses and organisations that you partner with. This is good for your future events as they might be more willing to donate items to your fundraisers, and you can also reach out to any family-run businesses owned by the parents of your students. 

#20 School Library Fundraiser

Literacy programmes are becoming increasingly important in schools, and this is a fantastic fundraiser that gets students directly involved. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for students to work on website-building skills and improve their social skills and networks as they create online donation pages through platforms like PayBee that they can share with their family and friends. 

You can assign the fundraiser to classrooms, and as each group hits core goals in the fundraiser, you can then give them a prize. Usually, the prizes will be books in keeping with the theme of a library fundraiser, and you can even include audiobooks if you want to mix things up. Plus, you can leverage your existing resources to keep the costs low. 

#21 Car Decal Sales

For this fundraiser, students can submit designs for fun car decals that show school spirit, mention the school name, and are generally eye-catching. The winning decals can be printed using one of many online services, and you can then sell the decals at school events or on the school website to help raise money for the school and any supplies you need. 

#22 PJ Day

Having a PJ day is a fun twist on the classic casual Friday, and in exchange for a small donation, students are allowed to wear their pyjamas to school for the day. You can even combine it with costume contests to give students more incentive to take part and donate for the chance to wear something a little different to class for the day. 

#23 Put Your Teacher in Jail

There’s nothing better for students than seeing their teachers locked away behind bars, and it’s definitely a strong motivator for them to donate to the school’s fundraiser. If they reach the goal that you set for them, their teacher will be locked up, and they get a free period. It’s a fantastic incentive, and it’s a lighthearted activity that everyone tends to enjoy. 

You can also combine this with other fundraising activities to bring more money in. As long as you give students the tools they need to get started, they can help with peer-to-peer fundraisers, crowdfunding events, a-thon pledges, and even carnivals. One carnival idea is for donations to put volunteer teachers in the stocks for an hour. It sells out every time. 

#24 Roller Skating Night

Hosting a roller skating night really shakes things up. It’s an incredibly fun social activity, and it gives students the opportunity to get some exercise in. More than that, you can build a connection and partnership with local skating rinks that might be interested in sponsoring your future fundraisers and helping to support your school. 

All you need to do is work out a deal where a set percentage of the proceeds from the night go to the programmes for your school. You can then have your student body promote the event and what will happen on the night while also arranging parent and teacher chaperones. If you’re feeling fancy, you can include competitions and activities for attending students to take part in. 

#25 Board Game Tournament

Board games are still incredibly popular, and they’re actually becoming more mainstream than ever despite how much kids love video games. Board game tournaments are there to test critical thinking skills and strategy, which is a good mental workout for your students, and you can even get parents and teachers involved if you want to. 

If you want to make your tournament as successful as possible, you can ask for students to vote on their favourite board games. That way, you can ensure they are available for the tournament to encourage more of them to take part. Everyone who participates will pay a small fee for entry (their donation) and then compete for various prizes. 

#26 Fun Run/Colour Run

This is one of those events that brings the whole community together. Fun runs can either be held walking or running, and you can have participants collect funds through peer-to-peer donation pages, entry tickets, live donations on the day, or a mixture of everything. They tend to be very popular fundraisers with excellent profit margins and participation rates. 

#27 Popcorn and Candy Sale

Selling snacks is a pretty big deal for school fundraisers, and it’s very easy to set up. Students sell pre-packaged popcorn or candy to people, and they get to keep a percentage of the money they make, which then gets donated to the school. Traditionally, door-to-door sales were quite popular, but things have changed in recent times, and pledge forms are more popular.

The pledge forms are great because parents, friends, and members of the community can commit to a certain number of candy bars or popcorn bags to raise money. You can also have students set up storefront pages for virtual purchases or encourage people to impulse buy the snacks on school grounds. It’s whatever works best for your students and school. 

#28 Cookie Dough Sales

This is a virtual fundraiser, which makes it accessible to everyone, and students encourage people to buy portions of frozen cookie dough from their storefront to raise money for the school. The school keeps a percentage of every cookie dough sale, and the dough itself is shipped by the supplier instead of the school to keep costs down. 

It relies solely on online orders, which means there is no need to worry about wasted food, and everything is done securely through the supplier that you choose. The money is given to the school after the event has ended, and it has a good profit potential because it’s one of the most popular forms of school fundraiser since most people love cookie dough. 

High School Fundraiser Ideas

High school can be tough on kids. It’s when they start finding themselves and seeking more independence, but they also struggle with the concept of fitting in and figuring out their place in the world. Fundraising events can help bring students together for a while, which is good when things get a little tense, and we quite like these as our top three high school fundraisers: 

1. No screen time challenge 
2. Trivia/Bingo night 
3. Smartphone and tech classes

It’s not just about bringing students together; it’s also about reminding them how important it is for them to give back to the community. It shows them the real impact of fundraising on their school and the programmes and equipment available to them, giving them their own sense of community on school grounds. We’re all trying to do our best for kids, and this is a start.

#29 T-Shirt Contest and Sale

Student artists need an opportunity to shine, and this is the ideal opportunity to showcase their art to a wider audience. Have a competition for students to design T-shirts that will be put up for sale on the school website and at events. The winners will have their designs printed, and you can keep a good stock of shirts for your fundraisers with unique and expressive designs.

You just need to find a T-shirt printer with reasonable rates, and once you have that, you’re unstoppable. You can put them on the school website, as we already mentioned, but they will do fantastically as part of crowdfunding campaigns, sporting events, and end-of-year parties. Plus, students can proudly tell the world that they designed the shirts. 

#30 No Screen Time Challenge

This is probably the hardest challenge high school students will face. Everyone spends a little too much time in front of a screen, and we all need a break, so why not make it a challenge? You can even extend the challenge from students to teachers as well, which creates a sense of solidarity between them as they encourage each other to take part. 

The way it works is that they collect donation pledges from friends, family, and members of the community who want to support them and the school. They donate a specific amount for every hour that students stay away from their screens over the coming days or weeks. The student who raises the most money for the school ends up with a prize. 

#31 Food Trucks

Food trucks are always a massive hit, and they bring in a lot of extra revenue for your school events. Usually, you agree with the food truck you hire to give you a percentage of their profits for the day as a donation, and it’s great for giving the food trucks you hire more business outside of your fundraisers as well as boosting visibility for your event. 

While they are fantastic as additions to your events and fundraisers, they can also make an exciting standalone treat. Some high schools even partner with an ice cream truck and have it come on hot summer days to sell ice cream to the kids. Just remember to give the trucks you partner with proper thanks and brand recognition on your fundraising pages. 

#32 Spirit Wear Contest

This works very similarly to the T-shirt contest in that students create their own designs that will be used on school merchandise, but these designs need to feature the school mascot or show school spirit in some form. The school or community votes for the winners, who receive a prize, and their design is then printed on merchandise. It’s a great way to bring the school together.

#33 No Uniform Day

If your school has uniforms, no uniform days are one of the most successful forms of fundraising. Students get the chance to dress in their own clothes (within reason) for the day in exchange for a small donation that they hand in through online donation forms or during class registration. You can do this several times a year, and it usually becomes quite profitable. 

#34 Formal Outfit Sale

You’ve probably heard of prom dress drives, and this is similar, but it’s more exclusive. It doesn’t just cater to clothing and accessories for young women; it expands to everything young men need for prom night as well. It can be used to help students find clothes for prom, homecoming, or the winter formal; you just need the donations to make it happen. 

You can ask the local communities for donations as well as the families of students, but you need to ensure it’s done in plenty of time before the sale starts. Make sure the clothing is in excellent condition, that it is properly stored, and keep a few volunteers handy in case any minor repairs or adjustments are needed. Any money raised can go back to the school. 

#35 Emergency Kit Sale

Gift baskets are always big sellers during fundraising events, and having a well-stocked emergency kit is always a major seller for raffle tickets. The concept is very simple. The basket has enough items in it to ensure a person or family is properly prepared for a variety of emergencies, and it’s a popular basket for Cub Scout events. 

It doesn’t have to be a major disaster kit either. You can have something like a blackout kit that includes flashlights, batteries, candles, snacks, and a radio. It could be a driving kit that has jumper cables, jacks, and instructions for things like changing a tyre on the side of the road. Similarly, a baby emergency kit might include diapers, wipes, and blankets. 

#36 Farmer's Market

The farmer’s market is a twist on the usual bake sales and concession stands that you find at school events. It’s more health-conscious, yes, but it also means that you get to support a local farm and supply everyone with delicious homegrown produce. You might even offer them the chance to set up a stall at your event in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds. 

You can work with local farmers to make bulk purchases of fruit and vegetables before your major school events. Some schools even use it as an opportunity to sell fruit to spectators at school basketball or football games, while others set up their own little market stalls at carnivals and fundraising events to sell produce from local farms, which are organised. 

#37 Smartphone and Tech Class

High school students usually know a lot more about smartphones and the latest tech than their parents do. It’s something that has been the same for every generation as tech progresses, and you can easily put it to good use in the form of a fundraising event. To get started, all you need to do is bring your technically skilled students together for a tech and smartphone class. 

These classes are a brilliant way for students and adults to come together and learn more about how their phones and computers work, go through troubleshooting issues, and become more savvy about online safety and scams. They can also show them apps that could be helpful. The classes cost a small fee for those who attend, and that fee is taken as a donation to the school. 

#38 Trivia or Bingo Night

This is where students, parents, and members of the community pay to take part in a trivia night or a bingo game night. The entry fee is taken as a donation to the school, and the winners of the event are given donated prizes as thanks for their participation. You can also offer snacks and drinks or host a raffle during the event to bring in more money. It tends to be a fun night out. 

Student Council Fundraising Ideas

Student councils are an effective way for students to get real-world experience and learn how to manage things like finances and running events. While they always have proper supervision, it gives them a taste of what responsibility is like, which is why we have some great student council fundraisers that they can run comfortably while still bringing the school a good ROI. 

#39 Pancake Breakfast

One of the most popular breakfasts is pancakes, and since they’re cheap and easy to make, you’re able to turn a delicious meal into a fantastic fundraiser. All you need are the ingredients for the batter, syrup, fruit, and any other toppings that might be appealing. You can host it in the school cafeteria, sell tickets, and use the school website to promote the event alongside flyers. 

#40 Book Swap

Hosting a book swap brings in all the cosy vibes and encourages students to start reading again. So many people have books that they haven’t read in ages or never picked up, and this is an opportunity for them to swap the books they weren’t interested in for something that sparks excitement. The best part is that you can easily host it from the comfort of the school library. 

You can ask for a small donation in exchange for taking part in the swap, or you could turn it into a discount book sale for second-hand books; the choice is yours. Either way, it’s a good idea to serve cake and hot drinks for people to enjoy with their newly chosen books. Concession stands are excellent accompaniments during fundraisers. 

#41 Penny Wars

This is one of the easiest ways for students of all ages to raise money for their school, and it is also known as a coin war or coin drive. The way a penny war works is that students bring their spare change into school and put it into designated containers over the course of one or two weeks. Each container represents a goal that a classroom or grade is working towards. 

At the end of the penny war, the change in each container is counted, and the class or grade that has raised the most money wins. The funds go to the school programmes they were raising money for, and the winners usually get a group reward like a pizza party or school movie night. It’s usually plenty of incentive to get the funds flowing and engage students. 

#42 Zombie Walk/Run

This activity is particularly popular during Halloween, especially among teens. There are several ways to do this fundraiser, but the most popular are a costume parade, a sponsored race where participants dress as zombies, and a game of tag that essentially works as humans vs zombies. All of these options tend to be a lot of fun and a huge success. 

The best way to raise money is through donation forms and collecting pledges. You could also have participants make a small donation in order to take part in the event. Peer-to-peer fundraising will always work best for the sponsored run, and it gives students a chance to work on their social networking skills while also raising money. 

#43 Spelling Bee

A spelling bee is a very simple event, which makes it comfortable and easy for a student council to run, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. However, instead of charging an entry fee, you could have spellers set up donation pages to spread the word and collect pledges from potential donors in their social networks. These donations then increase with their rank in the contest. 

#44 Walk-A-Thon and Jog-A-Thon

This is a classic form of peer-to-peer fundraising, which is what makes it so easy to run. Participants, who can be students or community members, create their own donation pages and reach out for pledges for their participation in a walk-a-thon or jog-a-thon. They might be raising money to run a race in a certain amount of time or walk a specific distance. 

Regardless of the goal they set, the pledges are what bring the donations in. You can even give it more of a community feeling by hosting it on the school track or at the local park. Platforms like PayBee are fantastic for fundraisers like this because they make it easy to set up donation pages and ensure the money raised goes straight to your school with no hassle. 

PTO, PTA, and Booster Fundraising Ideas

The parent-teacher organisation does a lot for the school. They are the ones behind the scenes helping to raise money for supplies for classrooms and organise trips. But like any part of the school, they need funds so that they can work on school dances, experiences, and other activities that enrich the lives of the students. That’s why we really like these fundraising ideas.

#45 Gift Cards/Scrip

The way this works is that you buy gift cards at a discounted price (usually from a wholesaler) or they are donated to you for the event. People then buy them for their retail price in order to raise money for the school. The profit is the amount of money you make at the end after any potential costs for the gift cards. It’s simple, easy, and it brings in a little extra cash. 

#46 Restaurant/Dine-Out Night

You can partner with a local restaurant to host a dine-out night where you agree with the owner that a percentage of the proceeds made that night will be donated to the school. Normally, the percentage you get back is between 10% and 30%, depending on the restaurant, their estimated sales, and your relationship with them. 

It’s a really good idea to advertise the night that this is happening so that you can encourage parents, teachers, and members of the community to dine out at that restaurant on the night that it happens. It brings in more funds for the school and the restaurant while also ensuring the community shows support for the good the restaurant has partnered with. 

#47 50-50 Raffle

Raffles are incredibly popular, especially for schools, and 50/50 raffles remain one of the most loved variations. They work perfectly for PTO fundraisers because there is a lot of incentive to buy tickets and take part when the grand prize is half of the money raised. The other half goes to the school so that it can buy supplies or put the money towards programmes it needs. 

You can have it so that guests can buy tickets online or in-person, making it a hybrid event for more reach and accessibility. The raffle can be promoted on the school website, and you can showcase what the school needs the money for and how you plan to allocate any of the money raised alongside what your financial goals are. 

#48 Spaghetti Dinner

The whole point of a spaghetti dinner is to gather everyone together to share a meal. You make a massive serving of spaghetti with garlic bread, sides, salads, and anything else you can think of alongside some refreshing beverages. It encourages the whole community to come together, and the fundraising part can be done in a couple of different ways. 

You can sell tickets to the event so that people have to purchase their seat at the table, and the money from those tickets goes to the school. You can also make the seats free and spend the time with everyone at the table talking about what the school needs and how they can help, with the option for them to make a donation after the meal. Or you can combine the two. 

#49 Classic Raffle

Everyone loves a classic raffle, and you can easily source donated prizes from parents, the community, or local businesses. The raffle can be hosted as a standalone event or part of a school carnival or virtual gala, and you can sell tickets in advance so that everyone is ready as well as on the actual day of the event. 

With most raffles, those who win a prize don’t know what they’re going to get. The tickets are randomly assigned to prizes on a display table, which gives people an incentive to buy tickets, and each ticket is either called out or pulled from a hat until a winner is found. It keeps things exciting, and it does tend to raise quite a bit of money when the prizes are good. 

PayBee is especially good if you want a platform that you can use to reliably host raffles. They help with event ticketing as well, which keeps everything organised, and you can keep track of donor information and analytics so that you know which fundraising techniques are working and which ones need to be altered. It’s important when schools already have so much happening. 

#50 Seasonal Catalogue Sales

The way seasonal catalogue sales work is that your school partners with a business that offers goods for sale through catalogues in exchange for a percentage of the amount made from any pre-orders during a predetermined time period. That means you can encourage older students, parents, and members of the local community to check out the catalogue items. 

Usually, the catalogues are available online and in-person, which makes it much more accessible to everyone who might want to make a purchase. You can advertise the catalogue sale on the school website and in any newsletters sent to other parents and teachers so that they are made aware of the dates and the importance of the funds being raised. 

College and University Fundraising Ideas

Higher education seems to be getting more expensive every year, and students are always in need of books and equipment to help with their studies. As if the growing financial pressure wasn’t enough, there is also the added stress from new responsibilities, living away from home, and taking studies into their own hands. That’s why these college fundraisers are so good: 

1. Pet therapy room 
2. Device drive
3. Discount card fundraiser 

These are the fundraisers that offer the most financial or emotional support, giving university students what they need to make it through the next three or four years. Raising money also gives them a sense of community, especially when they are working with a society, which can be so crucial for students who haven’t made connections yet. 

#51 Device Drive

This is the kind of fundraiser that has a direct benefit for students. Online learning is becoming bigger, and since most papers are submitted digitally, that means students need to have access to computers or tablets so that they can write and hand in their work as well as take notes during class. Device drives are a lifesaver for students with limited income. 

The purpose of a device drive is to build a stronger bond with the local community, as you ask for lightly used electronics that college students will be able to use and benefit from. It can even be used as part of a larger fundraising event for things like high-speed WiFi for students, more library computers, or general assistance with making technology more accessible. 

Since you don’t really raise money with a drive like this and you’re relying on donations to help students, it is important to work closely with local businesses and offer them things like advertising space in exchange for their donated tech. Outside of this, you will be relying on the kindness of the local community, and you will need volunteers to check the condition of the tech.

#52 Viral Video Contest

Viral videos are huge, and they make for an affordable way to spread the word about your college fundraisers. You can use them to showcase your fundraising pages and link to your online donation forms while also letting your viewers know about your upcoming fundraising events and college activities. This can be part of the requirement for the contest entry. 

The viral video can be filmed by sorority or fraternity students or even individuals or groups of friends. As long as they are filming and posting the challenge set by the university and adhering to the rules, their entry should count. The challenge can be anything from fitness to highway cleanups, and students should be able to earn prizes for the videos with the most likes or views.

#53 Pet Therapy Room

This is the best fundraising idea for helping to lower student stress and anxiety levels, and it’s so popular that the majority of universities have pet therapy rooms available. In exchange for a small donation, students can play with therapy pets for a set amount of time, something that is particularly popular and successful around finals. 

You can partner with a local shelter or an accredited pet therapy organisation to arrange the space and the pets in question. It’s a wonderful opportunity for you to work alongside mental health and animal charities and nonprofits that might be able to share their resources with you. Plus, it reminds your students to take care of their mental and physical wellbeing. 

#54 Giving Kiosk

The giving kiosk is easy to set up when using donation tools, and this is a spot where students and visitors can make quick donations to good causes. It can be used as a point for volunteers to talk to visitors about the various school programmes benefiting students while also raising funds and recruiting new volunteers into the fold. 

It keeps the student body in constant contact, and you can use QR codes that direct people straight to the online donation pages alongside card readers for speedy donations. These are tools that PayBee provides as a standard, and they can be highly beneficial for universities that are looking to raise as much as possible to help the campus and students. 

#55 Discount Card Fundraiser

Discount card fundraisers involve your university partnering with local stores, retailers, and restaurants in a bid to get them to offer a discount to anyone who presents a discount card from your school to them. Usually, this discount is around 10-15%, and the discount cards can be sold to students for anywhere in the $5-$50 range to help raise funds for the university. 

While it does benefit your college, it also gives students the incentive to shop locally and visit restaurants in the area. By supporting local businesses, they contribute positively to the economy, which can build an even stronger connection between them and your school. All you need to do is organise the volunteers that are going to make the fundraiser work.

#56 Matching Gifts

Working with companies that have matching gift policies can be highly beneficial to your school. You’ll need to do a little research to find out which companies have these policies in place, but once you have the list, you simply need to reach out with your request and showcase what you plan to use donations for and how it can benefit your school. 

The way matching gifts work is that an employer matches the total donations made by their employees. This is usually a dollar-for-dollar ratio, but there are some employers that will match double or triple the amount. It gives employees incentive because they know their support will be matched, and you can make the process easy by setting up dedicated donation pages. 

Best School Fundraising Ideas for Hybrid Events

Hybrid events have completely changed the landscape of fundraising. They allow you to reach a wider audience and make things like galas more accessible to those who can only attend remotely. Since the point of a hybrid event is combining in-person and virtual participation, you have the chance to make even more money for your school. These are our top suggestions. 

#57 Hybrid Auction

The best way to earn money is through the classic charity auction, and the beauty of hybrid auctions is that they allow you to boost your earning potential exponentially by combining this traditional in-person event with a hybrid variation. It means that people can place bids physically and virtually at the same time, generating even more hype than usual. 

You will also want to ensure most of the auctioned items are donated to save money, and we have some fantastic auction ideas that might help you get some inspiration. You can also use an all-in-one fundraising platform like PayBee that will give you access to all the tools and features you need to run a successful and profitable auction for your school. 

#58 Hybrid Talent Shows

Talent shows are a staple and a classic, and it’s something that gets parents and teachers alike excited as they watch students perform on stage. Traditionally, they are in-person events, but by using video call software like Zoom, you can easily transform it into a hybrid event that allows your performers and audience to attend remotely if they need to. 

This way, you can also sell more tickets as those who can’t attend physically can watch from home. It’s a fantastic way to make parents who might be travelling for work or who are disabled feel included in their children’s events. You can even make recordings of the event and sell them for a small fee so that students and parents can treasure the night. 

#59 Hybrid Poetry Slam

This is a popular fundraiser for high school and college students alike, and it is also one of the cheapest to set up and run. You can invite students to read their poetry for a live and virtual audience, making it a hybrid event, and charge a small fee for them to participate that you take as a donation. It is then up to the audience to decide who the winner is. 

You can take the opportunity to collect additional donations from audience members during the event, and having virtual options means there is easy access to school donation pages for online viewers alongside physical kiosks at the venue. Students can read from their home or at the venue, and the winner receives a prize at the end once the votes are counted.

#60 Hybrid Job Fair

Job fairs are highly effective for colleges, but they can also work in high schools as an introduction to the job market and what to expect. It’s a good way to attract recruiters and hiring managers, and the fundraising comes from the companies that want to set up a stall or host a talk at your fair. Since it’s hybrid, companies can attend physically or virtually. 

Some job fairs sell tickets to students, but we recommend keeping it free for them and raising money through the companies. The students get the chance to make connections with companies they might want to work with after graduation and practice their networking skills, and your school ends up with a nice amount of money raised from the attending businesses. 

#61 Hybrid Dance-a-thon

Dance-a-thons are a lot of fun, and since COVID started pushing events online, dances have entered the virtual space. You can have students attend via livestream, and they can use video software to interact with each other. If you’re feeling really fancy, you can spice up your virtual dance party with costumes, DJs, karaoke competitions, and even music videos. 

Turning your dance-a-thon into a hybrid event is also fairly easy. You have one physical venue that people can attend and then link it to virtual dances happening at multiple locations so that they can all link and interact. Students raise money for the dance-a-thon using donation pages and pledges for the length of time they dance. All you need to do is provide the good energy.

School Fundraising Ideas for In-Person Events

Everyone loves a good event, and there are so many good ones you can host for your school. Whether you want to host a festival or a sale, there are fundraisers that will bring everyone together and help you raise as much money as possible for your school. But we also know you want your events to be engaging and stand out, which is why we have a few suggestions. 

#62 Luncheon Fundraiser

This is always going to be popular because it’s the perfect excuse for parents, teachers, and supporters in the community to get together for a good meal and to donate to the school. The simplicity is part of what makes it so successful, and ensuring you have plenty of food and a good atmosphere is how you get the donations rolling in. 

You can also make your luncheon bigger than usual by using a fundraising platform like PayBee to create an accessible database that keeps track of your guests, the food you’re ordering, and the donations being made. You can even use the system to get everything in place so that you can print visitor names on cards to make the table a little fancier. 

#63 Themed Festivals

Carnivals, fiestas, and themed festivals are fun and popular fundraising events that will be successful for any school that hosts them. It’s something the kids love, and even the adults tend to get involved and let their hair down for a little while. It’s the perfect way to bring teachers, parents, and students together. Some of the most engaging festival ideas for schools include:

• Christmas themed 
• Spring charity 
• Barbeque
• Pie-paloozas 
• Chilli cook-offs
• Harvest festival 
• Carnival day 

You can charge for the tickets to enter, which are one of the main sources of donations for the event, and then take a percentage from any hired concession stands or food trucks in exchange for them being on the grounds and part of the event. You can use QR codes and live kiosks for additional donations, as well as online donation pages to encourage more giving. 

You might want to consider event ticketing for an event like this because it can become crowded and get out of hand quickly. Using a platform like PayBee, which has been designed to support nonprofit events, allows you to keep track of guests, send out tickets, and ensure that you don’t end up with an overcrowded festival that doesn’t end up bringing in much cash. 

#64 Pet Party Fundraiser

Pet parties are a great way for you to bring pet lovers in the community together to raise funds for your school. You can host a pet parade for them to show off their furry friends, have a pet costume contest for the holidays, or even start a pet treat bake-off competition for the tastiest snacks. All you need to do is charge a reasonable entry fee as a donation. 

It’s also a good opportunity for you to partner with your local shelter and have them bring adoptable pets out to meet people and show them who needs a home. Local pet stores and bakers make for fantastic fundraiser sponsors, as do veterinarians, which is brilliant for raising additional money while also helping to advertise local businesses. 

#65 Dog Wash

Dog washes are a brilliant way for student volunteers to get involved with the community while also raising money for their school. All the participants have to do is make a small donation in exchange for their dog being washed. You can use the opportunity to take plenty of photos for the school website and for future fundraising events. 

The only cost you might have is supplies for washing the dogs, but you can work in partnership with pet stores or grooming parlours to get them donated instead. You can even offer dog treats to the owners or have concession stands that they can browse and buy from while they wait for their dog to be ready. It’s another way to earn a little bit of extra cash. 

#66 Plant Sale

Everyone loves a home full of plants, which is what makes a plant sale such a good fundraiser. It’s perfect when paired with things like bake sales and festivals, and you can even partner with local garden centres and plant nurseries to provide pre-potted plants and bulbs for your sale. You should also make sure to feature low-light indoor plants to reach a wider audience. 

If you want to mix things up, you can also offer things like themed bouquets for Christmas and Valentine’s Day alongside wreaths and garlands. Every purchase is a donation to your school, minus any costs that might have been associated with the event. Hopefully, they will be minimal if the plants are donated or part of a sponsorship agreement. 

Best School Fundraising Ideas for Virtual and Cashless Events

Virtual school fundraisers have become very popular because they’re easy to host and they are a brilliant source of income because of the wider reach and accessibility. While many of the fundraisers in this section can be hosted as an in-person event, it’s very easy to transform them into a virtual one that brings everyone closer together and encourages more donations. 

#67 Virtual Cooking Classroom

Many schools have online classrooms available now, and you can use this to offer virtual cooking classes to those who need it. Teachers or parents can volunteer to host the event, or you could partner with a local restaurant and have one of their chefs run it. If you can, you should try to get the ingredients for each class donated to save on costs. 

The ingredients are sent to the participants or picked up from a designated point, and they should have their own utensils for cooking at home. Each class will be paid for, and you should calculate the ticket price based on the cost of running the event so that you make some profit. That profit can then be donated to the school after the class. 

#68 Virtual Celebrity Meeting

This is much easier to organise as a virtual event because it’s hard to get celebrities to show up in person, even for charitable causes. Livestreaming technology has made things like this much more accessible, and while it is usually easier to get local celebrities to make an appearance, virtual events have a higher chance of scoring famous actors and musicians. 

You will need a reliable livestreaming service for the event, which is why we recommend fundraising platforms like PayBee that integrate livestreaming, ticketing, and online donations, and you can charge a fee for people to attend. The celebrity you book could do a reading, host a panel, or have a Q&A for the audience. It’s whatever works for them and your school. 

#69 Online Shopping Fundraiser

So many families do their shopping online, which is something you can make work with your next fundraiser. All you need to do is partner up with local stores that agree to give your school a certain percentage of their sales in exchange for being promoted through an app or browser extension on your donation page. 

As soon as the download is complete and the participants start shopping, your school starts raising money. But you can also do it through tracked online purchases while continuing to advertise the retailers that are offering support. It’s a lot easier with things like mobile checkouts, especially when you use a platform like PayBee that already has this as a dedicated service. 

#70 TED Talk

The TED Talk never died, and you can raise plenty of money either through attendance fees or by requesting donations at the end of the talk. Both methods are highly effective, and you can choose the talk to be on a topic that resonates with current events in your school, for families in the area, or the local community as a whole. 

You have the option to hire a speaker, someone who is articulate and charismatic, but you can also select a student who has something compelling to speak on and is passionate about it. You might find that people are more compelled to attend a TED Talk hosted by a student from the local area because they want to support the school and the kids who attend it. 

#71 Online Giving Day Fundraiser

The most popular giving day is Giving Tuesday, and it is held on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year. It is one of the biggest fundraising days of the year because it encourages people to donate to charitable causes and put good back into the world. In fact, you’ll find that a lot of people will put money aside specifically for Giving Tuesday. 

This is why nonprofits put so much effort into getting themselves out there for the event, and you should do the same for your school. Share the event on social media, encourage peer-to-peer fundraising, and update your donation forms so that your school’s mission and goals are clearly highlighted to interested parties. It’s a wonderful way to get the additional funds you need. 

Fundraising Campaign Competition Ideas

Fundraising campaigns can be made much more exciting by adding a competitive edge. Since peer-to-peer fundraising focuses so much on individual donation pages gaining traction and raising money, you can quite easily turn them into a contest between the people raising money as well as the donors. You just have to remember to keep it friendly and lighthearted. 

In some instances, you might have prizes available for the winners and those who raise the most money, but you can also feature their names on a dedicated wall in the school as thanks. You might also want to start using a fundraising platform like PayBee where all participants can make their own webpages to raise money, and donations are sent directly to your school. 

#72 Digital Treasure Hunt

This is where students are sent online to find virtual treasures, such as specific images, GIFs, or links to videos on platforms like YouTube. The starting clues can be hidden in your donation page, which gives them incentive to visit and donate, and you can include video calls or text messages during the hunt to give further clues. 

Each team pays a flat fee to enter the hunt, or you can set it so that each participant has to make an individual donation to the campaign in order to start. Either way, the money will be used for your school, and the winning team or student will get a prize for finding everything on the list first. It’s fun, engaging, and it brings in some good donations. 

#73 Grocery Delivery

This is actually a really important part of working with the community, and it can help people who find it hard to go grocery shopping due to health issues, mental health, or their age. It’s more suited to college students because of the delivery aspect, and it’s a great way to make them more active in the local community by delivering groceries to those who need them. 

Volunteers deliver the groceries community members have ordered, and the delivery fee is what goes towards your school’s fundraising. They also have the option to tip their driver, which means giving a little more to the cause either in cash or through your online donation page. It brings everyone together for a popular and much-needed service. 

#74 Video Game Tournament

Gaming tournaments are huge moneymakers for schools, and it has the potential to raise thousands, if not more. Your school can partner with gamers who have made it their job to stream games on platforms like Twitch, and they encourage their viewers to donate money to your school through donation buttons, raffles, and other incentives they come up with. 

Sometimes donation pledges are based on how long someone plays without stopping, reaching certain levels, or breaking records. So many gamers and streamers do this for charitable causes all the time, and they have raised millions for charity. It’s called Geek Philanthropy, something we have explored a lot, and you can benefit greatly from it. 

#75 School Mascot Sale

School spirit is important in fundraising because you want students to be passionate about the place they study in. It’s the only way for things like merchandising to work, which is exactly what a school mascot sale is all about. You can have your school mascot turned into a cute plush that students can buy at sporting events, fundraisers, luncheons, and festivals. 

It’s especially successful if your mascot is an animal that you can turn into a plush, but it usually catches on pretty well and becomes a popular sale item on the school website and during events. You can even use them as prizes, and you should make sure to include them as part of your future fundraising material when planning and promoting your next big event. 

School Fundraisers with No Upfront Costs 

Not every school has the budget for something big and fancy, and that’s when you need a fundraiser with no upfront costs. We know how hard it can be, and it’s why we have a free tier at PayBee so that you can raise money without worrying about paying for a subscription just to host an online event. Our digital tools are there to help you succeed and expand. 

We want you to get to the point where you have money to spend on in-person galas and silent auctions, but until then, there are some fantastic ideas for events that are engaging, exciting, and sure to bring in donations. That’s why these remain our top suggestions for your next free school fundraiser. 

#76 No Spending Challenge

The challenge here is that none of your supporters can spend money for a whole day. That means they can’t get a coffee from their local coffee shop, no takeout or restaurants for dinner, and no paid movies or video games. They then tally up what they would have spent that day if it were the same as usual and donate the total amount to your school. 

You can make it more fun by issuing a double or nothing challenge where anyone who does end up spending money has to donate double the amount that they spent to the school. You can advertise it in newsletters to parents as well as on your social media pages to gain traction and encourage people to click on the link to your donation page. 

#77 Naming Contest

All you need to do is allow students to come up with a name for something in your school, like the mascot, library, or cafeteria. You’ll need to implement rules and guidelines to keep it appropriate, but you can use any kind of fundraiser to make it into a contest. Raffle tickets are usually the best bet here, and you can collect donations from entrants and sponsors.

#78 Invent a New Ice Cream Flavour

Elementary school kids will love this one. You can partner with a local ice cream shop that makes custom flavours, and every child in the school submits their own unique recipe for a new ice cream flavour. The ideas are voted on by students, and the winners get to have their ice cream flavours made by the shop, and the shop donates a percentage of the proceeds to you. 

#79 Eco-Friendly Art Night

Improving environmental awareness is important for students of all ages, and you can invite their families to take part in an eco-friendly arts and crafts night. Each family needs to bring a bag of non-perishable, reusable trash items, while the school supplies things like glue, poster boards, and other art supplies that they normally have available. 

Everyone makes their own collages or pieces of art, and it teaches everyone the importance of recycling and taking care of the natural world. You can charge a small fee for entry, and then the art pieces that have been made can be auctioned off at the end of the fundraising event in a bid to raise more money for the school and show off the work of students and their families. 

#80 Coupon Books

For this fundraiser, you can work with local businesses, restaurants, and services to put together a little coupon book filled with discounts that people can use if they decide to buy the booklet. The average price of the coupon book tends to vary from $10 to more than $50, depending on what’s inside and how good the deals are. 

You can make the books physical or digital, although the latter is more popular because it’s harder to lose it and easier to remember to take with you to the store in question. Some fundraisers have the books up for sale, some auction them off, and others make them raffle prizes. It all depends on what you think will work best for your school.

What Fundraiser Makes the Most Money for Schools? 

It’s a tough choice between school carnivals and festivals and peer-to-peer fundraising events, which include the a-thon fundraisers. They are both incredibly effective at raising money, and they are engaging enough that students, parents, and community members tend to get involved readily and come out to show their support for the school. 

School fairs and carnivals offer multiple forms of income for the school, which means you can raise even more money thanks to all of the food, beverage, merchandise, and game stands that are set up throughout the day. You can even host smaller fundraising games like raffles inside them, which makes the whole thing more exciting and gets people involved. 

The a-thon fundraisers rely on peer-to-peer fundraising, which means each participant needs to set up a donation page so that they can collect money for the school in exchange for performing a predetermined task. This might be walking or running a certain distance, reading a set number of books, or even a gaming marathon. Regardless of what it is, it always brings in pledges. 

Both events get the wider community involved, which is what makes them so successful. Carnivals also bring in up to 70% profit while a-thons can bring in as much as 95%, making them fantastic options for your next fundraiser. These are also fundraisers that PayBee can help with, making the planning, donating, and hosting that much easier for your school. 

Do Online or Catalogue Fundraisers Make More Money? 

Typically, online fundraisers bring in more money than catalogue ones. They actually have very similar profit percentages, but you get higher average orders with online fundraising, which is what brings the total up so much. This is because you’re reaching out to current students, staff, and parents as well as the alumni who want to support the school. 

However, schools that decide to run both online and catalogue events actually see up to 40% more total revenue than if they only hosted one. It shows that catalogue fundraising is far from dead and that you can combine the pair for an incredibly effective fundraiser. Plus, the profits are fairly good with each format, which means your school will benefit quite a bit. 

How Much Can an Elementary School Raise? 

The amount that an elementary school can raise depends on the number of students, the percentage of people who participate, and the value of the average order. For example, an elementary school with 600 students that has a 90% participation rate and an average order of $55 will easily bring in over $13,000. 

Schools with smaller numbers of students and fewer participants will bring in less, which is to be expected. However, if the average order is a lot higher than at a larger school with more participants, they have the potential to bring in more. It really depends on how your fundraiser goes, which is why advertising and getting the community involved is so important. 

What is the Most Profitable Middle School Fundraiser?

Talent shows and Battle of the Bands tend to bring in up to 70% profit, making them one of the most profitable middle school fundraisers. They’re exciting and give the students a chance to really get involved with the school and showcase their talent for everyone to see. Plus, being able to host them as a hybrid event means you get even more reach. 

Parents want to see their children happy and will gladly pay for tickets to get them on stage and come watch, just as they will often buy a digital or physical recording of the show that they can watch later. They’re fundraisers, that much is true, but they are also core school memories that everyone wants to remember fondly and keep going as a tradition. 

How Do I Start and Plan a School Fundraiser?

It can feel a little overwhelming, but the good news is that it’s not hard to plan a school fundraiser, which means starting one is just as simple. All you need to do is follow these steps and watch as everything falls into place:

1. Set your goals. What do you need the money for? How much do you need to raise? You need to have the specifics ready before you can do anything so that you can be transparent about where the money is going. This will also allow you to set a timeline for the fundraiser
2. Find your volunteers. Usually, your volunteers will come from the PTO, and they need to be ready and willing to help undertake every detail of your upcoming fundraiser. You should walk them through the planning process and ensure they have all their questions answered
3. Determine your budget. Next, you figure out how big your budget is and what you can spend on fundraising. It’s important that you make this as accurate as possible and even add a little extra just in case you go over 
4. Take a look at fundraising platforms. Sometimes a fundraising platform can be really beneficial because everything is in one place and organised so that donations, advertising, and event details are kept in order. PayBee is a perfect example of a budget-friendly all-in-one fundraising platform that allows you to plan your events, collect donations, manage guest lists, and set up donation pages
5. Choose your fundraising event. Once you have the budget, you can decide on the format for your fundraiser. This means you’ll have a clearer idea of whether something like a school carnival is on the cards for you or if you need to stick to things like a-thons 
6. Start promoting the event. Now you can start spreading the word through the school website, newsletter, social media, and any other local platforms that might be able to improve your reach and let everyone know that your school is raising funds. Get the excitement flowing and make sure people understand just how important it is
7. Look for sponsorships and gifts. This is a good time to start looking for sponsorship deals that might benefit your school, especially with prize donations, alongside matching gifts that could help benefit your school in the long run
8. Host the event. All you have left is to start the event and keep it running. If you’re using a fundraising platform, you usually get event-day support so that you have assistance if anything goes wrong, and outside of that, you just have to keep the atmosphere exciting and encourage everyone to donate and have a good time

It really is that easy, and fundraising platforms are a massive help when sorting everything out and making events more accessible to you, your volunteers, and your donors. They aren’t a requirement, but they will make life easier. Outside of that, it’s important to stay organised, keep calm, and do your best to make it a memorable event so that you can host more in the future. 

Your Printable School Fundraiser Checklist 

To make the process as smooth as possible for you, we have compiled this handy checklist that you can print out and keep with you during the planning, event, and follow-up. Everything you need is here, and we know you’re going to run a fantastic school fundraiser. 

4-6 Weeks Before the Event 

• Set your financial goals and budget 
• Choose your volunteers 
• Select the fundraiser that works best 
• Decide on a date, time, and location for the event 
• Confirm how you will be accepting donations 

2-3 Weeks Before the Event 

• Start your marketing and promotion 
• Get in touch with local businesses for donations 
• Solicit companies for sponsorships 
• Make final preparations for the event 

On the Day of the Event 

• Ensure that volunteers have been properly briefed 
• Test all of your equipment 
• Check that donation methods are working 
• Keep a record of guest information for future records 

1 Week After the Event 

• Make sure that funds have been counted and deposited properly 
• Send thank-you notes to all of your guests, donors, and volunteers 
• Encourage recurring giving and gifts in update messages 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Fundraiser Makes the Most Money for Schools? 

There are actually a few fundraisers that make the most money for schools, and they include things like bake sales, cookie dough sales, and other speciality food items. Bake sales are fairly easy to set up, and things like cookie dough are part of brochure fundraisers. Between them, they have the power to bring in around $3,000-$12,000 for your school. 

Do School Fundraisers Qualify for 501(c)(3) Tax Deductible Receipts?

Yes, if your school is 501(c)(3) registered, then the fundraisers held there will qualify for tax-deductible receipts for those who donate. Of course, product purchases will only qualify if they pay above fair market value (FMV), and any raffles or games are not tax-deductible. However, direct donations are always tax-deductible so long as they have a receipt. 

What Affects the Profit of a School Fundraiser? 

The participation rate is the thing that affects school fundraisers the most because without enough people taking part, you aren’t going to see much profit. However, you also need to take the average order value into account, the length of time the fundraiser goes on for, and the percentage of the school’s earnings that count as profit towards the event. 

Is Event or Product Fundraising More Profitable for Schools? 

Product fundraising almost always does better in schools than standalone events. A lot of this comes down to the fact that there are usually minimal upfront costs, if any, and a lot of the products are bought through online catalogues or brochures. However, events are important for building a strong community around the school, and they generate more interest in fundraisers.

Can Small Schools Still Run Profitable Fundraisers? 

Yes, small schools can still run profitable fundraisers, and even those with less than 100 students can still bring in over $1,000. You just need to get as many people involved as possible, as a higher participation rate has a much better chance of success. As with any fundraising effort, low participation means you won’t end up with very much at all. 

Get Started on Your Next School Fundraiser with PayBee

There are so many fantastic ideas here that your next school fundraiser is sure to be a massive success. Everything from fun runs and walk-a-thons to auctions and competitions has the potential to bring in a lot of money; you just need passionate participants to help spread the word and encourage donations. But you could also use the help of a fundraising platform. 

At PayBee, we pride ourselves on being an all-in-one platform for nonprofits, which means we have the tools, support, and knowledge you need to host a successful event. You can even try our free demo to see if you like the features that we offer and to check if we work with your school’s needs. Get in touch today and see what kind of difference we can make.