The Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools, Clubs & PTOs/PTAs
Thinking up fundraising ideas for schools can be a challenge. The best fundraising events for school kids, parents, teachers, and clubs, are easy to organise, creative, effective, and, most importantly, fun to do.
But how do you know what the best fundraiser for a school club or age group is?
We’ve put together a complete guide of school fundraising ideas, organized by age group, to help you find the best option. In this article, you’ll find everything you need to start your fundraising, from fundraising ideas for sports teams, to creative high school fundraising ideas, and ideas for preschoolers too.
School Fundraising Ideas by Educational Age
There are a whole lot of school fundraising ideas out there, but some will work better than others depending on the age range of the group.
Good fundraising ideas for high schools will be very different to fundraising ideas for elementary schools or preschools, which will likely require more input from parents and teachers. Middle and high school kids will enjoy more independence and creativity, and the ability to organise their own events, such as a bake sale or a charity car wash.
When choosing the right school fundraising ideas for high schools, middle schools, and elementary-age kids, it is also worth considering potential costs and the level of effort required to organize the event.
We’ve included a range of good fundraising ideas for schools that are simple and have no extra cost, to some more adventurous events which are ideal PTA fundraising ideas or for larger groups with more resources.
Elementary School Fundraising Ideas
Here are some top elementary school fundraising ideas that work, and all are easy to organize and perfect for younger kids!
Restaurant Fundraiser
A restaurant fundraiser is a great elementary school fundraising idea. Kids love to be taken out for a treat, so why not make it into a fundraiser? Organize a meal with a local restaurant and a percentage of sales will be donated back to your cause.
Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash
Jump Rope Challenge
A jump rope challenge is the perfect kids fundraising idea. It’s simple to organize, gets kids moving, and is an activity that everyone wants to master in the playground.
Set up a jump rope space in the playground with a couple of teachers and charge a small fee for kids to enter. The person who gets the most jumps wins a prize!
Coin Challenge
A coin challenge is another simple fundraising idea for schools. Ask children to bring in all their spare change from home and make a trail around the school by lining up the coins. See how far you can get and all the coins go towards your cause at the end.
Middle School Fundraising Ideas
Here are the top middle school fundraising ideas, perfect for slightly older kids.
Restaurant Fundraiser
Raise funds with a group restaurant meal! Kids will love the opportunity to go out to eat, or order in, and it’s even more fun when done with a group of classmates!
There are so many restaurants to choose from, from pizza to pastries! Choose your restaurant and set the date.
Playground Challenge
Get kids active with this fun school fundraising idea! Set up an ‘assault cause’ in the school playground and get kids to participate for a small charge. A playground challenge is an effective fundraising idea, simple to organize, and the kids will love it!
Photo by HT Chong on Unsplash
Handmade Greetings Cards
Making greetings cards is a great fall fundraising idea. With the holidays coming up, kids can design seasonal greetings cards which they can sell to friends and family for a small fee.
High School Fundraising Ideas
Here are the top high school fundraising ideas, including some great food fundraising ideas!
Bake Sale or Restaurant Fundraiser
Who doesn’t love food fundraising ideas? Enjoy a meal out for charity, or put together a bake sale to raise funds!
Put those culinary skills to work with a bake sale, the perfect fundraising idea for schools.
Get a class to bake some goods and sell them at lunch break to other students. A bake sale is always a successful fundraiser, and everyone can enjoy some delicious treats!
Photo by Brian Chan on Unsplash
Alternatively, head to a local restaurant for a fundraiser there. Choose from a range of local restaurants giving back near you and set the date. You could also order takeout if you prefer instead of dine-in for a covid-friendly fundraising idea.
Food fundraisers are wonderful school fundraising ideas. Both a bake sale and a restaurant fundraiser are very easy to organize, and high school kids will love the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen or dine out!
Litter picking
Keep your school grounds clean and raise funds too. Kids can volunteer to collect litter around the school grounds and get friends and family to sponsor their efforts. It could be sponsored per hour, by weight of litter collected, or by ground covered.
PTO and PTA Fundraising Ideas
PTO fundraisers can be more ambitious and fun for the whole family. With a few more resources to spare and more manpower to help organize, there are lots of great PTO fundraising ideas to choose from.
Restaurant fundraiser
Organise a restaurant fundraiser for a night off from cooking for all the parents and teachers. With a restaurant fundraiser, you can choose to dine-in or order take out. Either way, there’s less washing up!
What better way to relax for an evening? Simply book your event and enjoy a delicious meal. A percentage of sales will be donated back to your cause!
Car boot sale
A car boot sale is a great fundraising idea for schools. It’s a chance to clear out the clutter while supporting the planet by recycling unwanted items to others.
Choose a weekend and set up the school playing field or parking lot ready for cars. Charge a small fee for cars to park and participate, and then collect a percentage of sales or ask for all funds raised to go towards your cause. A car boot sale is one of the more profitable pto fundraising ideas available.
Photo by Artificial Photography on Unsplash
Quiz night
A quiz night is fun for everyone and relatively simple to organize. Spread the word and rent out the sports hall for an evening. Alternatively, take the quiz online for a covid-friendly school fundraising idea. Charge a small participation fee for groups to enter.
There are lots of great quizzes available online, and a simple prize for the winning team will make the event more exciting.
Fundraising Ideas for Clubs
There are so many great fundraising ideas for clubs that are easy to organize and very effective. Get kids involved and be creative with your fundraiser!
Restaurant fundraiser
Organise a restaurant fundraiser meal or a post-club takeout one evening! Order from a restaurant giving back with GroupRaise and everyone can enjoy some delicious food after a club meet.
There are lots of local restaurants available for takeout that are giving back, so there will be something to suit all tastes!
Charity car wash
A car wash is such a good team fundraising idea. Choose a day to offer car washing, either at your club or somewhere you will attract customers, and get club members to sign up for an hour slot of car washing.
Car washes require no extra costs and are a great fundraising idea for schools clubs. Raise money quickly with every car that comes by for a wash, and the kids will have fun too – especially if it’s a hot day!
Photo by Elly Johnson on Unsplash
Talent contest
A talent contest is a fun fundraising idea for school clubs, and something a little different. It may require more organization, as you will need a venue and a way of publicising the event to parents, teachers, and friends.
Get kids to sign up to showcase their talent and get a panel of judges (club leaders or parents) to vote for the top three at the end and give out prizes.
Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams
There are lots of great fundraising ideas for sports teams to choose from. Why not put those sports skills to use with an active challenge, or perhaps recycle old sports kits to raise money!
Sports challenge
A sports challenge is a great fundraising idea for sports clubs.Organize a distance or time challenge for everyone in the club to take part in, such as a cycling challenge, where kids can tag in and out as they wish.
A sports challenge is easy to organize. All you need to decide is your choice of sport and find a good location to do it. Get kids to sign up to a time slot to do their bit and see how much they can raise from sponsorship.
Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash
Charity sports kit sale
Kids grow quickly, so it’s likely there is some old kit lying around the house that they no longer fit. A charity sports kit sale is a great cheer or soccer fundraising idea, or for any club that has a specific kit. It’s also super easy to organize and requires no extra cost.
Collect old sports kits from club members and organize a day for a kit sale after training. All proceeds go towards your cause!
Restaurant fundraiser
Organize a restaurant fundraiser but make it themed! Why not come dressed as your favourite sports personality? Or choose a category, like ‘tennis stars’, and the best dressed gets a free dessert!
Let’s get started!
So what are you waiting for? Now you have a whole list of fun and effective school fundraising ideas to choose from to start your fundraising. Get creative, try something new, and get everyone involved with these fundraising ideas for kids, parents, and teachers too.
Our favourite of the fundraising ideas for schools is definitely a restaurant fundraiser – easy and delicious fun for everyone! Be sure to check out local restaurants where you can book your fundraiser meal and enjoy great food while giving back.
