There are a lot of school fundraising ideas to choose from, which makes it hard to choose the right one, or one that will actually generate income for your district. To save you from having to search for ideas, we did the research for you. We drew on our decades of experience, where we’ve worked with thousands of schools, to find some of the top-performing fundraisers that help districts grow revenue for key programs.
To help you sort through the list, we created a table separating the ideas by category. We also provided additional ideas by linking to how-tos and other fundraising ideas for schools. Read on to find the perfect school fundraising options for your district!
Table of Contents
1. Partner with a School Fundraising Company
2. Read-a-Thon
3. Book Fairs
4. 50/50 Raffle
5. Auction
6. Raffles
7. Walk-a-Thon
8. Bake Sales
9. Car Washes
10. Penny Drive
11. Coin War
12. Direct Donation Campaign
13. Crowdfunding
14. Family Sports Day
15. Spelling Bee
16. Talent Show
17. Trivia Night
18. Annual Fund Campaign
19. Spirit Week for Middle Schools
20. Family Fun Night
21. School Carnival
22. Board Game Tournament
23. Watch Party
24. Gala Event
25. Sports Team Spirit Night
26. Color Run
27. Roller-Skating Night
28. Bowling Night
29. Dance-a-Thon
30. Shoot-a-Thon
31. Youth Sports Camp
32. Dodgeball Tournament
33. 10,000-Step Challenge
34. Concerts
35. Lip Sync Battle
36. Battle of the Bands
37. Art Show
38. Family Picture Day
39. Costume Contest
40. Craft Night
41. Painting Night
42. Virtual Game Night
43. Pancake Breakfast
44. Food Truck Day
45. Restaurant Fundraiser
46. Pizza Party
47. Chili Cook-off
48. International Food Fair
49. Farmers Market Fundraiser
50. BBQ Cook-off
51. S'mores Night
52. Cake Walk
53. Taco Tuesday
54. Ice Cream Social
55. Smoothie-Making Challenge
56. Tea Party
57. Bingo Night
58. Parents' Night Out
59. Community Carnival
60. Local Business Partnership Day
61. Virtual Auction
62. Karaoke Event
63. Superhero Day
64. Pajama Day
65. Hayrides
66. Yard Raking Service
67. Spring Cleanup
68. Caroling
69. Homemade Decorations
70. Gift-Wrapping Station
71. Christmas Tree Disposal Service
72. Holiday Shop
73. Valentine's Day Cards
74. Bonfire
75. Pumpkin Carving Contest
76. Apple Bobbing
77. Movie Night
78. Scavenger Hunt
79. Halloween Fashion Show
80. Holiday Gala with Silent Auction
81. Holiday Concert
82. Polar Plunge
83. Ugly Sweater Contest
84. Holiday-Themed Quiz Night
85. School Valentine's Day Dance
86. Spring Fling Dance
87. Spring Concert
88. Spring Sports Tournament
89. Spring Planting Party
90. Fitness Challenge
91. Spring Craft Fair
92. Spring Picnic
93. Oktoberfest
94. Thanksgiving Dinner
95. Community Yard Sale
96. Bottle or Can Drive
97. Dog Wash
98. Babysitting
99. Talent Marketplace
100. Teens Teaching Tech Night
101. Cooking Class
102. Corporate Sponsorship Program
103. Sponsor-a-teacher
If you’re looking for school fundraising ideas that work even when you don’t have a lot of staff or volunteers available, online fundraising for schools is a great idea. Because you rely on school fundraising software to manage online events, it takes less staff. A lot of the work for online fundraisers can also be done during your staff’s normal working hours because it’s online.
104. Facebook Challenges
105. Virtual Punish the Principal
106. Public Wish List for Your School
107. Online Student Art Sale
108. Yearbook Subscription Drive
109. Create an Online School Store
110. Rubber Ducky Regatta
111. Obstacle Course
112. Time Capsule
113. Engraved Bricks
114. Book Club
115. Pet Pageant
116. Personalized Ads and Pages
117. Photo Booth
118. Coach Challenge
119. Pie Auction
120. Raffle Baskets
121. Themed Gift Basket Auction
122. Spend a Day in a Tree
123. Perform at the School Assembly
124. Spend a Day in "Jail"
125. Pie in the Face
126. Condiment Catch (or Silly String)
127. Lunch With the Principal
128. Principal for a Day
129. Funny Outfits
130. Faculty Talent Show
131. Community Yard Sale
132. Greeting Card Sale
133. Customized Water Bottles
134. School Merchandise Store
135. School Spirit Wear and Merch
136. T-shirt Sales
137. Custom Cookbook
138. Discount Card Sales
139. Candy Bar Sales
140. Flower Sale
141. Used Book Sale
142. Carnation Sale
143. Candygram
144. Basket of Goods Sale
145. Lemonade Stand
146. Donut Sale
147. Sandwich Day
148. Bagel and Cream Cheese Sale
149. Alcohol-Free Apple Cider Sale
150. Hot Chocolate Bar
151. Soup Sale
152. Nacho Bar
A successful fundraiser requires careful planning. It’s important to get all your ducks in a row before doing anything else, as this will lay the foundation for a well-executed event.
It should go without saying, but outlining your ultimate goal(s) for the fundraiser is the most important stage of planning. If you don’t know what you’re aiming to achieve, you won’t be able to tailor your activities accordingly.
Goals provide a target for what you’re hoping to get out of the fundraiser, whether it be raising a certain amount of money or funding a particular project. From there, you can determine the best course of action step by step.
For example, if your goal is to raise $10,000, you should first identify individual or group donors that are likely to contribute. Then, you can work on creating an event that will appeal to that type of donor and reach out to them. As a final touch, you might consider offering some sort of reward or incentive for donations above a certain threshold.
Good marketing isn’t just an effective business tactic — it’s essential to hosting a fruitful fundraiser. It’s especially important if you’re hoping to engage those outside the school community, as they don’t often receive the same sort of regular communication that parents and alumni do.
Marketing in 2024 is easier than ever, thanks to the numerous digital technologies at our fingertips. You can reach a wide audience through social media channels, email, and other forms of online communication. School fundraising videos can be especially useful.
Utilize marketing best practices, such as well-placed keywords and compelling visuals, to promote your event. This is a great way to get people interested and talking about the fundraiser.
Don't overlook legal considerations when planning your fundraiser. By ensuring compliance with local and federal regulations, you can maintain public trust and uphold the integrity of the institution. This will not only encourage more donations, but keep you out of a mess of legal trouble that may end up eating at your generated funds.
Be sure to look into local laws around charitable solicitations and tax exemptions. These differ depending on where you live and what types of donations you’re gathering, so do your research.
You also want to be transparent with your donors about how funds will be used. Make it clear where their money is going, and let them know about their impact later down the road when the results become clear.
There’s no doubt about it: fundraising can be a pain. It often involves complex planning — and a lot of time and resources. The good news is you don’t have to go at it alone. Online payment solutions like Vanco make school fundraising a breeze.
One of the key benefits of using Vanco to fundraise is that you can keep all payments and online donations in one convenient location. Additional features include:
Setting up your online payment portal is easy and allows you convenient access to your finances. Vanco also makes it easy for donors to make recurring payments by securely saving their preferred payment info.
Great question! The best way to make your event accessible to everyone is by offering tiered donations. If you’re hosting an event with a ticket entry price of $50 per head, that can put off those in lower income brackets. Offer a mix of low- and high-priced items/services so that everyone can contribute what they are able to.
Consider, too, the needs and interests of the community at large. If you live in an outdoorsy community, you can boost engagement by hosting a sporty fundraiser.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to technology. You can really get as creative as you want when leveraging social media to promote your event. Look at which of your school’s existing social media accounts get the most engagement, and focus your promotion there.
You can also use digital platforms to conduct polls and surveys. Get a feel for what kinds of events the community enjoys. Post pictures both before and after the event to encourage more people to participate in your next fundraiser.
Payment platforms like Vanco make it especially convenient for donors to make payments — and for schools to manage those payments. Technology is truly a godsend for fundraisers, so be sure to take advantage of any and all tools available to you.
Schools can encourage student giving by demonstrating real-world impact. The beauty of philanthropy may not “click” for students if they aren’t given concrete examples of how their donations are benefiting their school.
If in the past you raised money through a gala event, for instance, you might create a slideshow explaining how the money was raised and what it was ultimately used for. That way, students can see that their money is actually going to a good cause.
It can also be helpful to offer incentives for donating. You might host a raffle or some other type of drawing for student donors, with the most generous donors receiving the most entries.
Absolutely! These partnerships can — and should be — mutually beneficial and can be a great way for schools to not only raise money but form stronger connections with local businesses. Companies can sponsor school events in exchange for advertising opportunities like logos on event materials.
You can also partner with local restaurants or shops to have a “school night,” where a percentage of profits are donated to the school. This encourages community members to patronize the business while supporting the school.
Some businesses may even donate items that you can sell. Be sure to publicly thank them for these donations, promoting their brand to the local community.
As you explore these innovative school fundraising ideas, it's crucial to be well-informed about the legal aspects and compliance strategies involved in public school fundraising.
To ensure your fundraising efforts are both successful and legally sound, we highly recommend reading our detailed article, Understanding Public School Fundraising Laws: Compliance and Strategies.
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