Top 20 School Fundraising Ideas
Hosting a school fundraiser can be overwhelming with all the different choices and options that are out there. We’ve made it easy and listed our top twenty easy school fundraising ideas all in one place for you. These will help make your fundraising events more profitable than ever before.
So, get ready to raise the funds… and crank up the fun… while you help support your school or organization with a fundraiser.
You and your kids will absolutely love them! We promise you!
1: Fun Pasta Fundraising!
If you really want to raise funds for your school, consider Fun Pasta Fundraising. With our easy-to-use apps, our customizable web pages, and our powerful digital tools, you can raise money for your school easier than ever before.
Fun Pasta bags are hearty, healthy food that’s perfect for your community and your family.
Even in tough economic times, our bags of pasta are an economical choice: starting at just $6.50 per bag. Because each one feeds a family of four and lasts up to 24 months in the pantry, it’s the perfect stock-up-and-save food.
Even better, our fun-themed pasta bags can match your school names and colors. Even if you’re social distancing, you can run your entire fundraiser with no contact:
- All transactions can be conducted via web page or app.
- Shipping is fast and free on orders of $55 or over.
- You keep up to 40% of your sales as profits!
Let us help you reach your school fundraising goal. Ready to get started? All you need is an email address. Don’t worry, there are never any upfront costs.
2: Do A Principal’s Challenge
The students are going to enjoy this one. The goal of this fundraiser is to challenge the kids to raise a certain amount so they can see their Principal do something crazy.
Are you wondering how this can be a fundraiser? Have the students vote for which idea is their favorite by placing money in a jar. In the end, the jar with the most amount of money wins.
Ideas for the principal challenge:
- A dunk tank.
- Pie in the face.
- Dye their hair a certain color.
Nothing motivates kids more than getting to see their teachers and principals do something completely out of the ordinary!
3: Have A Grade’s Competition
This fundraiser is perfect for your elementary school students.
Kids always enjoy a game of friendly competition. Divide the grades up into teams and let them compete for glory. Work with your school or team leader to come up with an additional fun prize for the winner:
- A field trip day.
- A gift card to a local business.
- Give them an extra-long lunchtime.
You can raise money by selling shirts to wear during the event. That way everyone knows who is who and they have a keepsake to remember the competition by.
4: Boys Vs. Girls Competition
Nothing gets the competitive juices flowing like boys vs. girls competitions. Let the kids divide up and pick their team captains and have the parents and teachers get involved too.
Make the game something everyone can enjoy, understand, and participate in.
The competition could be:
- A scavenger hunt.
- An obstacle course.
- Capture the flag.
The kids will have fun, plus they’ll raise even more funds!
Custom shirts and tickets to the event are both great ways to raise money for your school and organization.
5: Do A Charity Drive
Teach your kids a valuable lesson in civic involvement by running a school charity fundraiser. No matter what cause you pick, your kids will feel good in the end.
Fun Pasta Fundraising bags of pasta are the perfect food drive items since they last for up to 2 years in the pantry.
You could even have:
- A giving tree during the holidays.
- School supply drive.
- Host a clothing drive – ex. donate old jackets for when the weather gets colder outside.
6: Halloween Bake Sale
Take baking up a notch and host a Halloween-themed bake sale! The fall is always a prime time for fundraising and since kids love Halloween, this would be a perfect time to have a bake sale. So many different creative treats you could bake!
- Ghost cookies.
- Marshmallow spiders.
- Pumpkin spice pretzels with chocolate drizzle.
Another Halloween food idea is a Fun Pasta Fundraiser – we have many different autumn and Halloween-themed shaped pasta. They last longer than any baked goods and you don’t have to make a mess in your kitchen either.
7: Have A School Crafting Fair Fundraiser
Here’s a really cool school fundraising idea: combine it with a crafting fair. Because Fun Pasta Fundraising pasta bags can also be used in crafting projects, it’s the perfect way to add a little bit of crafting creativity to your fundraiser.
You can also add:
- Paintings
- Crochet
- Melted Crayon crafts
Sell the crafts as a way to raise money. Someone may find some new art for their walls or refrigerator!
8: T-shirt School Fundraisers
T-Shirts are always a popular item! It’s such an easy and fun way to show your school spirit. You can design them in many different ways to match your campaign:
- Have your school logo and colors
- Include the name of your organization
- Design your mascot and sports team on the shirt.
Your little fundraisers will have a keepsake that will last for years. They’ll be proud to show off their fundraising spirit.
There are many online companies that will design, print, and ship your t-shirts to you in just a few easy steps. Bonfire is a great option!
9: School Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are cool, exciting, and so fun to plan. All you need is a team, a theme, and items to hide.
Make the theme relevant to popular shows, a subject the kids are learning in school, or the classic treasure hunt – don’t forget the treasure map.
Sell tickets to the event to raise money and be sure to have a prize for the winner:
- A class pizza party from a local restaurant.
- A trophy.
- A treasure box of popular toys.
You can make the scavenger hunt individual or split the team up into groups. Either way, this is an extremely fun and creative way to raise money.
10: Tik Tok Challenge
School kids (and even adults) are going crazy for Tik Tok, so why not challenge them to come up with the most creative Tik Tok fundraising videos that they can.
And since they watch it all the time, it is a great place to advertise your fundraiser.
Examples are:
- Creating fun dances.
- Creating funny (but also appropriate) videos.
- Find a creative way to tell us why we should donate.
With Fun Pasta Fundraising, the built-in social media tools make it easy to share your fundraising page across all platforms. And you can customize your web page with photos and links to videos, so the kids will have a blast designing their fundraising site.
11: Have A Fundraising Concert
Here’s a great way to encourage your school kids to show off their talent, while they raise money, whether for their band, their musical program, or more. Have them plan a special fundraising concert and set up fundraising stations at the school.
To raise money:
- Sell tickets to the event.
- Set up donation boxes.
- Have them vote on their favorite performer – one dollar per vote!
Your guests will love supporting the cause, and the kids will love performing.
12. Throw A School Art Auction
Let your kids auction off their art pieces, while raising funds. It’s the perfect way to encourage their creativity while helping them feel proud of what they’ve made.
Benefits of a School Art Function:
- It’s a chance to get the kids to be creative.
- Gets the kids excited to see their art be put on display.
Plus, you might even get some cool art pieces for your house!
13: Run A Fundraising Stand
Instead of selling lemonade, you can sell pasta!
Because Fun Pasta Fundraising bags of pasta don’t melt, you can have your pasta stand in almost any weather.
Advertise it and let the parents drive up and pick up their orders – they can pay for it all by credit card through your web page and on the app.
14: Virtual School Fundraisers
Especially during the time of COVID-19, conducting your school fundraisers through digital channels makes more and more sense.
That’s where Fun Pasta Fundraising can help with your fundraising efforts: our entire fundraising program is digital. Run it right through your phone, and promote it on social media easily. No cash, no checks, and no forms to mail in.
Other great virtual fundraisers:
- Virtual 5K
- Crowdfunding
- Online Auction
15: Stadium Seat Cushion Fundraisers
Whether you’re trying to raise money for the cheerleading program, the football team, the school, or for a good cause, everyone loves a stadium seat cushion for game days.
There are many ways to design it:
- School colors
- Team name and mascot
- Support your favorite players with personalization
16: Powder-Puff Football Game
Have sports teams or organizations that need to raise money? Put them on two different teams and plan a powder-puff game.
Most known to be played by groups of girls, don’t let that stop you from including all genders.
A fun twist:
- Need to raise money for the cheerleading and dance squads? Put them into two teams and make the football team be the cheerleaders. It’ll be such a great way to get a laugh from the stands.
To raise money all you need to do is charge admission. People love a good game and if you promote it right, you’ll have all sorts of spectators.
17: Car Wash Fundraiser
This one is classic and great for high school students. To get started, partner with a local gas station, auto parts store, or local restaurant and ask them if they are willing to host a car wash in their parking lot. Hold out signs for all the drivers passing by to see and try your best to get them to come in for a quick wash.
It’s much cheaper than heading down the road to the automatic one and plus, they are helping their local community in the process.
Tips for a great car wash:
- A local auto parts store is a great option because you can purchase the supplies needed in the store. You’re also helping them at the same time.
- Make lots of bright signs! Mention the team, school, or organization you’re raising funds for.
18: A Dog Wash
How about instead of a car wash, you make it a dog wash! Groomers are expensive and no one really enjoys giving their dogs a bath. Give them a more affordable solution and start a dog wash fundraiser. All you need are a few kiddie pools, dog shampoo, a water hose and hookup, and LOTS of towels.
Where do you host a dog wash fundraiser?
- An empty lot – your school parking lot on a weekend, for example.
- Head to your local park.
- A dog park would be the perfect spot.
Be sure to encourage friends, family, students, teachers, and faculty to come support and give their dog a fun bath!
The dogs may not like it too much but the owners sure will!
19: Door Decorating Contest
Get the students’ creative juices flowing, make your classroom door look awesome, and raise money all at the same.
Door decorating contests are always a hit in the classrooms. You can choose the theme for them or let the kids decide their own. Grab some craft supplies and begin decorating.
Are you still stuck on a theme? Here are some of our favorites:
- Halloween
- Superheroes
- Animals
To vote, have the students, teachers, and other faculty put money in a jar based on their favorite doors and the one with the most money wins! Give the winning class a pizza party or ice cream social to celebrate their creative victory.
20: Dunk Tank
This works great if your school is hosting a field day or carnival but can also be fun as just a standalone event too. Gather a handful of brave and bold teachers, principals, and other school faculty that are willing to get dunked for a good cause.
Keep it simple by offering $1 per throw.
Students will love the chance to dunk their favorite teachers into a tank of water!
Ready to get started with a Fun Pasta Fundraiser?