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 idea for your school or district!
Table of Contents
- Elementary School Fundraising Ideas
- Middle School Fundraising Ideas
- Fundraiser Ideas for High School
- High School Yearbook Fundraiser Ideas
- Fundraisers for Athletics
- Fundraisers for Arts Programs
- Fall Fundraiser Ideas for Schools
- Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ideas for Schools
- Holiday Fundraisers for Schools
- Spring Fundraising Ideas
- Online School Fundraiser Ideas
- Principal and Teacher Challenge Fundraisers
- Food Fundraiser Ideas
- PTO Fundraising Ideas
- Create an Online School Store
Elementary School Fundraising Ideas
Fundraisers for elementary schools are a great way to pay for extracurricular activities. They also help foster a sense of school spirit from the oldest to the youngest students because they get to give back to their schools in a tangible way. School fundraising ideas that even the youngest students can get involved in can be a challenge to think of, but there are plenty out there. Keep reading to learn about the school fundraising ideas that you can set up easily. fundraiser ideas for high schools
1. Partner with a School Fundraising Company
Cost: $$ – $$$
Difficulty: Moderate
Many companies specifically partner with schools to help them raise funds. This one can be a challenge for kids who don’t have many family members; however, it’s a classic elementary school fundraiser. Kids take a catalog and sell items like wrapping paper, candles, food, cookie dough and more.
Once the fundraiser ends, orders are placed and the items are delivered to the customers. Many parents often feel they end up doing most of the work as they take the catalog to work. However, this type of fundraiser requires less planning than some others and there won’t be leftover products that weren’t sold.
2. Read-a-Thon
Cost: $
Difficulty: Easy
A love of reading can help your students be successful throughout their education. If you want to help your students practice their reading skills and raise money, consider planning a read-a-thon.
This is like a marathon, but instead of running, students spend time reading. The best way to do this is by having students track their reading time. For example, they read for 15 or 30 minutes and track their time.
This ensures that fast readers don’t get an advantage and slower readers don’t feel left out. Have your students get family members and friends to sponsor them in the read-a-thon. For every 15 or 30 minutes the student spends reading outside of school, they’ll donate a certain amount of money.
3. Bottle or Can Drive
Cost: $
Difficulty: Easy
Only 10 states currently have bottle deposits. However, if you live in one of those states, this is a great opportunity for a fundraiser. If you don’t, many states have recycling centers that will take bottles or cans and pay by the pound rather than by the redeemable item.
States with redemption include:
- California
- Oregon
- Hawaii
- Connecticut
- Iowa
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
- Vermont
If you don’t live in one of these states, you can still have a can drive. Not only will this fundraiser help raise money, it’s an eco-friendly school fundraiser idea.
You need to do some advance planning for this event to give people time to collect cans and bottles.
There are two ways you can do this event. First, you can set up receptacles around the school where students can drop off bottles and cans all year long.
Second, if you don’t want to worry about finding space to store bottles and cans until you return them, plan an event. This can be a barbeque, picnic or potluck.
Ask everyone to bring a dish to share and as many bottles and cans as they can to donate. Have some volunteers on hand with trucks to take the bottles and cans to your local recycling center.
4. Book Fairs
Cost: $
Difficulty: Moderate
Book fairs are a great way to raise money, making them one of the best school fundraising ideas. They are relatively easy to organize and can be a lot of fun for students and parents alike. Plus, they offer a great opportunity to get the community involved in supporting the school.
Book fairs typically involve setting up tables with books for sale in the school gym or auditorium. Students and parents can browse the selection and purchase books they like. The school usually receives a percentage of the sales, so it’s a great way to earn some extra money.
Another benefit of book fairs is that they promote literacy and a love of reading. Students who participate in book fairs often become more enthusiastic about reading, which is great for their academic success.
If you’re looking for an elementary school fundraiser that is both effective and enjoyable, a book fair is a great option.