The Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Before you start: Things to consider for any school fundraiser

Setting a fundraising goal

When you're running a fundraising event or campaign for your school, it always helps to set a goal first. This enables parents and supporters to clearly see what their efforts are going towards. If your fundraising aim is some new computers, a new library, new classroom or new sports equipment, you need to do some cost calculations first. Then you can set a specific amount as your goal.

How much do you realistically need to make it happen? Can you use any of the school budget? What percentage needs to come from fundraising? This will all help you set your fundraising goal.You'll also need to consider the time you have to raise the funds - is it a full school year or just a term? You don't want to set an unrealistic goal in your chosen timeframe.

Does your school have a history of fundraising or is this the first time? If it's the latter, you'll need to think carefully about what's a realistic goal. Also, your target audience is so important. If parents are struggling themselves, it can be a difficult sell to get a big fundraising goal off the ground.

Choosing the right fundraising event for your school

Finding the right type of event is key to help reach that target. Are the parents at your school all about community spirit? Then a bake sale or school fair could be the way to go. Do they like to party? A school quiz or ball could be a great idea. Does your school have a history of sporting success? A swimathon, fun run or football tournament might be the right approach.

It all comes down to understanding the culture of the school and the parents. But you'll also need the facilities to make it happen. A swimathon is a great idea in principle, but you'll need access to the right facilities, such as the pool at your local leisure centre.

Sometimes less can be more. Simple ideas like bake sales, non-uniform days, school fairs and car washes can all raise a decent amount of funds when executed properly. But if you have the means to do it, there's nothing wrong with going all out with a black-tie ball for parents!

How will you promote your school fundraiser?

You can come up with the best idea ever for a school fundraising event, but it lives or dies on your promotion. You need to spread the word to parents with absolute clarity on what the event is, how much you're trying to raise and how they can get involved.

As a school, you will have a host of ways you communicate with parents, using platforms such as:

• Online messaging portals (such as Tapestry)
• Whatsapp
• Social media
• Letters home / email
• School gate banners or posters

The important thing is that you use the appropriate channel. If holding an online school fundraiser, keeping all the information online is a good idea - you can directly link parents to where they need to go and what they need to do. For events, consider local door drops, gate banners and posters to reach those outside of your parent community. It also doesn't do any harm to speak to the local press to get coverage of your fundraising goals and event.

One of the biggest tools you have to promote the event is the school children themselves. Make sure the teachers are speaking to them regularly about the event. You'll want to get them excited about the event itself but also the end goal of the fundraising. There isn't a better motivator for parents than if their kids won't stop talking about the super exciting school fundraising event.

Local businesses can play a part in your fundraising too. When you engage with local businesses, they'll want to understand the benefits of your fundraising efforts for the children and how just a little help from them can make a big impact. You should also highlight the advertising opportunities this brings for local businesses too.

Don't forget to share how successful your event has been afterwards too, so parents, teachers and the wider community can see that it was worthwhile.

How will you engage your parent community?

There are a few vital things you should do to motivate parents to contribute - be that help on the day of your school fundraising event, or more importantly, donating the funds.

• Explain what the fundraiser is raising funds towards
• What will the benefit be to their children in having the funds raised
• State when you need to reach your target by
• Give plenty of notice and occasional reminders
• Say thank you afterwards

Make the ask simple - parents are busy, so it needs to be clear and concise - what do they need to do, when is it happening and how much would you like them to give. As mentioned earlier, getting the school children excited about the fundraising event is a great way to get more exposure amongst parents.

Top Tip - We offer a selection of promotional tools about our fundraising platform specifically tailored to schools. Including pre-written social media posts, WhatsApp messages and more! Register your school to access yours.

Your school fundraiser schedule and frequency

The parent community may have children at other schools, their children may be involved with extracurricular clubs - they probably receive notice of fundraising events quite frequently at certain times of the year so be sure to stagger yours. Use a selection from the fundraising options below, plenty of variety and some 'always on' raisers alongside events. Make sure you choose an event or activity that's achievable and give yourself plenty of time to prepare. It's also a good idea to use a few digital tools, whether that's crowdfunding platforms, online payment systems or easyfundraising.

The importance of creative fundraising in your school

Fundraising in schools is a wonderful way to teach kids the importance of charitable giving from a young age. What's more, the money raised can be used to support all kinds of brilliant causes - both locally and on a national level. Schools have the potential to reach a lot of people, which can help maximise donations and increase awareness of specific organisations.

You'll want to make sure your idea has mass appeal - both to kids, their friends, and their families. The more people you can get to attend your event, the more donations you'll receive. So, don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box.

Our list of top fundraising ideas for primary and secondary schools should give you plenty of inspiration!

Checklist for running a successful school fundraiser

To ensure no detail is overlooked, here's a handy checklist to prepare for your school fundraising event:

• Set clear fundraising goals and objectives
• Choose the perfect fundraising event for your school
• Assign tasks and roles among staff and volunteers
• Develop a promotional timeline and materials
• Arrange necessary permits, insurance, or approvals
• Test-run any equipment (sound systems, digital platforms, etc.)
• Monitor collections during the event to safeguard funds
• Share success stories post-event to motivate continued support

With meticulous planning, strong communication, and a dedicated team, your fundraiser has all the ingredients for success. Start checking these items off your list to create an event that leaves a lasting impression on the school community.

Online fundraising ideas for schools

Cashback fundraising for schools

Here's a cost-effective and easy fundraising idea for a school. Parents can collect a free donation for your school when they shop online. You can register your school as a cause on easyfundraising, then encourage parents, staff and PTA committee to sign up in support. There is no cost to sign up for either your school or your supporters.

Then each time they shop with any of the 8,000 retailers we partner with, they'll get a cashback donation courtesy of the retailer, which could be as much as 15% of the total they spend. They just have to visit the retailers website via the easyfundraising app, website or donation reminder and their donation will be raised. Easy, free and something that can run all year round - especially effective during the festive period! From groceries to insurance, fashion to toys, every online buy raises funds.

More than £15m has been raised by schools and PTAs through easyfundraising to date. Find out more about how it works.

Top Tip - Parent's place of work, or your school office itself can raise for you through easyfundraising. Businesses need to buy stationery, materials, travel and accommodation online too. They spend more and shop more frequently than your average shopper!

Host an online charity auction

A fundraising event without the costs of refreshments, the planning of a room layout or the need for many volunteers - perfect! An online auction, held across a free video call software such as Zoom is a handy little fundraiser. Auction off donated items live over video call - you can choose to charge for admission to the auction or allow free entry. Then watchers bid via the chat function within a set time limit. Highest bid wins and the winner is sent a PayPal request straight after with the amount owed.

All you need to offer an online auction is a Zoom and PayPal account, a host and donated items from your community.

Host an online bingo or quiz night

Hosting an online bingo or quiz night within you school community is an effective and efficient way to raise funds for charity. Start by deciding whether to host a bingo or quiz night, as each offers unique benefits.

Choose a suitable date and time, preferably in the evening or on a weekend, and select a reliable online platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. To add further excitement to your online event, consider creating a theme, whether it's a general knowledge quiz or a holiday-themed bingo night. Prepare all necessary materials in advance, such as bingo cards or quiz questions, and gather prizes to motivate participation.

Use social media, school newsletters, and emails to spread the word about your event. You should also consider creating an online registration form to keep track of participation along with charging an entry fee to raise funds.

If you have prizes to distribute, this should be done following the event, along with thanking all participants and sponsors. Finally, collecting feedback from the school community can help improve future events, ensuring they are even more successful.

Crowdfunding campaign

Want to take your school's fundraising into the digital age? Crowdfunding - raising a set amount of money using an online donations platform - is becoming increasingly popular and a great way to raise funds for specific projects.

There are several platforms which can be used for crowdfunding too, from GoFundMe to Crowdfunder. All you need to do is set up a page, add an engaging description of what the campaign is all about, and start collecting. You'll want to promote the page too, whether that's through a school newsletter, the school website, social media or a local news outlet.

Virtual talent showcase

To bring your talent show online, choose a reliable platform like Zoom or YouTube Live. Charge an admission fee through ticket sales or subscriptions. Allow audience members to vote for their favorite acts via small donations using platforms like PayPal.

Engage the audience with interactive elements like live chats and Q&A sessions. Ensure a smooth technical setup with good internet and quality equipment. Post-event, offer recordings for sale and gather feedback to improve future shows. This approach will help you create an engaging and profitable online talent show.

Fundraising events for schools

Non-uniform or theme days

A classic, but simple and effective way to raise money for your school or a charity. Give the children the chance to come into school in non-uniform or dressed in a theme, and charge them for doing so. There is the opportunity to run a few of these through the year, it doesn't have to just be during certain term times or national events, be creative with it.

Many schools choose to do this on World Book Day by inviting kids to dress up as a character from their favourite stories. Alternatively, try organising a themed dress-up day around a certain holiday or a topic the kids have recently learnt about. Think Egyptian mummies, Victorian chimney sweeps or Tudor monarchs! Here's a few more ideas for themes:

• Denim day
• Pyjama day
• Superhero day
• Favourite movie character day
• Favorite colour day

There are plenty of options to take the day up a notch too - there could be a prize for best dressed for example to add some extra excitement.

Fun run or sponsored walk

One of the simplest ways to get the school community involved in fundraising is with a sponsored walk or a fun run. Typically, these kinds of events see kids taking part in a walk or non-competitive run while being sponsored by their family, friends and teachers.

How much money someone chooses to sponsor is entirely up to them - no amount is too small or too big! The money raised can then be added together and donated to a good cause. A sponsored run or walk is very easy to organise as schools can usually host on their own grounds or at a nearby local park. What's more, you can promote it by mentioning it in school newsletters, putting up posters around the school grounds or during PTA meetings.

When it comes to collecting sponsorship money, this could be done by each class teacher. Alternatively, why not take things into the digital age by using an online platform? You can also boost your donations by registering your cause at easyfundraising and inviting donors to join. Then, every time they shop with one of 8,000+ different stores online, a small commission will be donated to your chosen cause.

Cake sale or cooking competition

Help parents hone their child's baking skills with a cake sale. Available to purchase at school home time or during a parents evening. Maybe combine it with sports day when parents are on site. You could even host a bake off style competition, giving parents the chance to pay to sample and cast a vote for the winner.

There are several things to bear in mind with a charity bake sale, though:

• Make sure you have good numbers of willing bakers and helpers. It's not uncommon for people to be too busy and drop out last minute.
• Make sure you have a small kitty of change, as many customers will pay cash.
• Be wary of food allergies/dietary requirements. Tell bakers to avoid cooking with nuts and ensure there's at least one vegan or gluten-free option

A cooking competition is a great way to combine culinary skill with charitable giving. This could be incorporated into a school fair or be a separate event all on its own. Keep it simple by organising a homemade jam or chutney contest at your next summer fete that's open to both kids, parents and members of the public.

Or if you want to get the kids involved, why not go all-out with a ready, steady, cook-style competition or a bake-off-inspired event? You could charge an entry fee and then organise a small prize for the winner, with the remainder of the money going to the school.

Talent show

Who is a pro on the piano? A dream of a dancer? Or a master magician? Hosting a talent show at your school provides a great night of fun, and a chance for children to show off their skills and parents to burst with pride! Your main hall is perfect as a host venue and you could also sell refreshments on the night too.

Kids have so many hidden talents, so why not allow them to shine? It could easily be turned into a fundraising event by donating all ticket sales, however minimal they might be, to a charity of your choice.

Sell tickets on the door or in advance, either by asking parents to send cash in with their kids or by using an online donation or ticketing system. Don't forget to register the event on easyfundraising too, to help boost your donations.

In-person charity auction

If you want to raise a bigger chunk of money for the school or a charity, an in-person auction is a fantastic option. It could be organised as its own individual event or be added onto an existing school occasion such as a fair or parent-teacher evening.

From spa days to delicious hampers, there are so many prizes you could offer up to entice people to bid. Wondering how you'll secure these prizes for free? As well as appealing to parents who might work for specific businesses and be willing to donate items, you could approach a few local companies. Restaurants and cafes are great places to start as they'll usually be happy to donate a meal or two. You could also ask a hotel if they'd offer up a night's stay or approach an independent shop for a voucher.

Every item or experience you collect will then be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with the money raised all going to your school or charity of choice.

School fair, fête or carnival

This is probably the school fundraiser which demands the most time and volunteers, but it is also one of the highest raising and a great way to bring the community together! A selection of simple stalls, donated prizes and games, raffle, inflatable hire and some challenges such as score a penalty, throw a wet sponge at a teacher and more.

You could also see if any local businesses would like to get involved. They could set up a stall to sell their wares in exchange for donating a fee to your chosen charity. If you're organising a bigger event complete with rides or performances, selling tickets is another sensible way to raise money.

Top Tip - Lots of people on site means there must be a full health and safety audit in place along with car parking marshals.

Recycling drive

If you're keen to give your school's fundraising efforts an environmental edge, consider a recycling drive. While most things can be recycled directly from people's homes, there are some initiatives in the UK that can see you getting paid for recycling certain items. These include:

• Aluminium cans through the Cans for Cash scheme
• Old CDs, DVDs and electricals
• Preloved books
• Used ink cartridges from places like Cartridge Recycling UK
• Second-hand clothes with Cash for Clothes

To incorporate one of these schemes into your school fundraising, simply ask parents and staff to bring in their old items. These can then be gathered together and recycled, with the cash made going straight to your school's chosen charity.

If you're looking for a long-term fundraising initiative, a recycling drive is ideal. You could organise it through individual classes or have a central drop-off point in the school reception area.

Guess how many sweets

Fill a large jar with sweets, ask parents to pay to guess how many is in there. Best run during a parents evening week, parents can see the jar in person and enter on the night. This could have gone in the online section too as an image of the jar could also be shared online through the channels listed above with guesses submitted and PayPal requests sent for entry fee. The prize could be the jar of sweets itself - a simple but effective way of raising.

Book sale

Book sales are a great earner for schools and can be held at various times throughout the year, a handy addition to some of the ideas above – summer fair, on sale at the talent show, or being available on parents evening too. A book sale is not only a great way to raise money, but it also has the advantage of encouraging reading amongst the children at your school. Asking teachers, parents and local community members or businesses to donate books for sale at the school will help increase donations too. Any books that aren't sold could then be used in the school library or classrooms.

Sponsored walking challenge or litter pick

Ask parents to sponsor their child to take part in a walking challenge or litter pick in the local area. Best organised per year group at a time so there isn’t the need for too many volunteers per challenge, you will need to invest in some high-vis vests along with bags, gloves and grabbers if litter picking. Plan a challenging but not too taxing a route and encourage children to get that sponsorship money in.

Read-a-thon or spell-a-thon

Keen to merge school fundraising with an educational activity? Say hello to a read-a-thon and spell-a-thon! These activities see kids taking part in set challenges related to reading or spelling, including:

• Reading as many books as possible in a set amount of time
• Finish a whole series of books by one author
• Allowing others to choose books for them to read
• Being given a list of words to learn and then spelling them out or using them in sentences

Typically, spell-a-thons and read-a-thons are sponsored events where every child receives monetary pledges from family, friends or peers. These could be collected the old-fashioned way in cash or by using an online system such as Just Giving.

Spell-a-thons and read-a-thons allow kids to practice essential skills they've learnt in class while also raising money for a fantastic cause. Why not host one in aid of a charity that supports children's literacy? They're also great if you're raising money to buy new books for your school library or a local community center.

School raffle or lottery

Raffles and lotteries always go down well. You could incorporate a raffle into a bigger school event, whether that's a summer fair or a Christmas carol concert, or organise an ongoing charity lottery which gives parents the chance to win a prize every week or every month.

The latter is a great way to continuously raise money for a good cause, although it'll require a lot more organisation and a steady flow of potential prizes. A raffle is an easier pick as all you'll need is a book of raffle tickets, a small kitty of change and just a handful of prizes.

Quiz night or bingo

Again, these could be hosted online, but by hosting in person, you can integrate some of the other fundraising options above too - half time refreshment sales etc. - a fee to enter with donated prizes. There are a host of free to use resources online for creating 'pub quiz' rounds as well as bingo card templates which can be made for free using software such as Canva. You can also find free bingo number generators like the one linked below - you'll need to brush up on your number nicknames though!

Bingo number generator.

Bring and buy sale

A Bring and buy sale is a fantastic way to engage the community and raise funds in your school. Encourage everyone who attends to donate items in good condition, whether they are unwanted school supplies, uniforms, books, or toys. This event provides an excellent opportunity for families to purchase great value second-hand items and contribute to fundraising efforts at the same time!

To make it even more effective, consider setting up a permanent stall in the school office where people can continuously donate unwanted items. This way, the sale can be an ongoing initiative, allowing for continuous fundraising and community involvement.

Alumni fundraising

Alumni fundraising is a powerful way to garner support for your school by reaching out to former students. This approach is particularly effective if you maintain an engaged database of ex-students with whom you regularly share school news and updates. Beyond monetary donations, alumni can offer valuable contributions in the form of free or discounted professional services, such as discounts on new equipment through their current employers.

Additionally, former pupils might have their own innovative school fundraising ideas and a network of contacts they can leverage for further assistance. By tapping into the goodwill and resources of your alumni, you can create a robust support system that benefits the entire school community.

School disco

A school disco is one of the most eagerly awaited events in the school calendar! To make the most of this event, set a suggested minimum ticket price, encouraging those who can afford to pay a bit more to do so. Clearly stating that the proceeds will benefit the school and can inspire more generous contributions.

To boost the evening's profitability, consider setting up a tuck shop where students can buy snacks and drinks between songs. This not only adds to the fun but also provides an additional fundraising opportunity. By combining ticket sales with a tuck shop, you can ensure the school disco is both a memorable and financially successful event.

Summer garden sale

A summer garden sale is a fantastic way to fundraise for your school. Organise a sale featuring seeds, bulbs, and a variety of indoor and outdoor plants. Encourage people to take cuttings, propagate their plants, or collect seeds, ensuring you have plenty of items to sell without incurring any costs for stock.

To enhance the appeal of your sale, make sure to include pictures of what the plants will look like when fully grown. This visual aid can help potential buyers envision the beauty of the plants in their own gardens, increasing the likelihood of sales. By using the school community's gardening enthusiasm, you can create a successful and cost-effective fundraising event.

School sleepover

Host a supervised sleepover on school grounds where students can enjoy a variety of activities. Set up movie screenings with popular family-friendly films, organise storytelling sessions with engaging tales, and plan games like scavenger hunts or board games.

To raise funds, you could charge a participation fee along with a small tuck shop where students can purchase drinks and snacks. Promote the event through school newsletters, social media, and parent-teacher meetings. Ensure safety with adequate supervision, a clear schedule, and emergency contact information.

This fun and secure environment will provide students with a memorable experience while supporting school fundraising efforts.

Car wash

Set up a car washing station in the school parking lot and have students, teachers, and parents volunteer to wash cars for donations.

Why not consider a traditional and classic fundraising idea - a car wash! Organise a car washing station in the school car park where students, teachers, and parents can volunteer to wash cars for donations.

Ensure you have all necessary supplies like hoses, soap, sponges, and towels. Set up different stations for washing, rinsing, and drying to keep the process efficient. Charge a set donation amount or allow people to donate as they wish. This activity not only raises funds but also fosters community spirit and teamwork.

Street food evening

Invite local food trucks to set up at school for an evening. The school can take a percentage of sales or charge vendor fees.

Invite local food trucks to set up at the school for an evening event. This can be a great way to bring the community together while raising funds. The school can either take a percentage of the sales or charge vendor fees.

Ensure there are a variety of food options to cater to different tastes and dietary needs. Set up seating areas and possibly some entertainment like live music or student performances to enhance the atmosphere. This event not only supports local businesses but also provides a fun and engaging experience for everyone involved.

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