PTA Fundraiser Ideas: 6 of the Best Strategies for Your Next Event

Have you found yourself looking for easy to execute PTA fundraising ideas? Don’t worry! You don’t have to be a seasoned professional to run an extremely successful fundraiser. As a matter of fact, there are so many really good PTA fundraisers that you could pull off without a hitch, benefiting both your school and the community. Many of these ideas can be organized and run entirely from your computer. A classic PTA fundraising idea, such as a bake sale, can also be a great way to engage everyone.

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Planning and Preparation

Before diving into the exciting world of PTA fundraising, it’s crucial to lay a solid foundation with thorough planning and preparation. This ensures that your efforts are focused, efficient, and ultimately successful. Here are some key steps to get you started.

Setting Fundraising Goals

Setting clear and achievable fundraising goals is the cornerstone of any successful PTA fundraiser. Here’s how you can set your goals effectively:

1. Identify the Purpose: Start by pinpointing exactly what you want to raise money for. Whether it’s new school equipment, educational programs, or extracurricular activities, having a clear purpose will guide your efforts and motivate your community.
2. Assess Your Resources: Take stock of your PTA’s resources, including time, money, and volunteers. Understanding your capacity will help you set realistic goals.
3. Research Potential Fundraisers: Look into various fundraising ideas and their potential revenue. This will give you a sense of what’s achievable and what might resonate with your community.
4. Set a Specific Goal: Based on your research, set a specific and achievable fundraising goal. Having a concrete target will help you measure your progress and stay focused.
5. Create a Timeline: Establish a timeline for your fundraiser, including planning, execution, and follow-up. A well-structured timeline ensures that you stay on track and meet your deadlines.

Choosing the Right Fundraiser

Selecting the right fundraiser is crucial to its success. Here are some factors to consider when making your choice:

1. School Community: Choose a fundraiser that appeals to your school community, including parents, teachers, and students. The more engaged your community is, the more successful your fundraiser will be.
2. Resources: Select a fundraiser that aligns with your PTA’s resources, including time, money, and volunteers. Ensure that you have the capacity to execute the fundraiser effectively.
3. Competition: Avoid choosing a fundraiser that may compete with other local events or fundraisers. This will help you maximize participation and support.
4. Seasonality: Consider the time of year and choose a fundraiser that is seasonal or timely. For example, a bake sale might be more successful in the fall, while a car wash could be perfect for spring.
5. Fun Factor: Choose a fundraiser that is enjoyable and engaging for participants. The more fun people have, the more likely they are to support your cause.

Easy Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Fundraising Ideas

Coming up with a fundraising idea that will get everyone excited and raise enough money to fund your activities for the year can be tough. Here is a list of some of the best PTA fundraisers that we've come across.

1. Online Auctions

Everyone loves a good auction! They’re a great way to get community members involved in your PTA fundraising. Online auctions are even better because they don’t come with the overhead costs in-person auctions incur.

Start by reaching out to local businesses and asking for donations. Most mom-and-pop type stores are happy to help their local schools raise some money while they benefit from the marketing exposure it gives them.

Don’t forget to look to the families of your students, too. Everyone has some form of connection to small businesses and other companies who would be happy to donate to your school.

Once you have all of your items, online auction platforms, such as BetterWorld, make it easy to set up your auction site. Pair high-quality photos with captivating descriptions of your items to encourage people to bid on them. Video integrations and live-stream functions can help to create an exciting and interactive feel for your website.

Online auctions can be easily shared on social media and through email and text messages. Let all friends and family from all over the country bid on items to help raise money for your school!

2. School Store

Give your school community an excuse to show their school spirit! School stores are a great PTA fundraising idea.

Online platforms make it easy for you to set up shop and sell spirit-wear items such as hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other accessories. Pick out some fun designs, add your school logo, and get ready to bring the money in!

Keep your store open for the entire year or set a designated timeframe for your sale. Consider hosting a special Spirit Day where students and staff can wear their newly-purchased gear to school.

3. Crowdfunding

Schedules can get crazy sometimes. As much as people want to participate in events and in-person fundraisers, sometimes it’s just easier to write a check.

If this sounds like a familiar story in your school community, online donations through crowdfunding might be a good idea for your next PTA fundraiser. Set up a donation page that provides details regarding what you’re raising money for and why it will help the school. Personalize it by including a few student-drawn pictures of your plans.

Then ask your students and staff to share the link with their friends and family to solicit donations of any amount to help your school achieve your goal.

For example, if you need a new scoreboard for your football field, set up a crowdfunding campaign! If you have a large school and everyone donates $5 or $10, you’ll be keeping score on your new board before you know it!

4. Host An In-Person Event

Just because you have the digital technology to run PTA fundraisers from home doesn’t mean you have to do away with in-person events altogether! In-person events are excellent opportunities to raise funds while fostering community spirit.

Events such as school block parties, pizza days, movie nights, or dances are still extremely popular, especially for elementary and middle schools.

Use your online fundraising platform to sell tickets, collect RSVPs, sign permission slips, or send text message reminders to parents and guardians about your event. Some online platforms, such as BetterWorld, also make it easy to combine all of the information from your in-person ticket sales and your online sales into one place.

5. Raffles

Tried and true, raffles are always a go-to school fundraiser idea and for good reason! Especially when organizing engaging activities like sports tournaments and bingo nights that involve the community. They’re usually super successful!

Raffle off one or two big-ticket items or hold a larger raffle with a lot of smaller items. Either way, you can use an online donation site to sell raffle tickets, collect the money, and pull the winner at the end of the raffle. This guarantees that your winner will be chosen at random.

You can even use your PTA fundraising platform to notify your winners and collect their information. This eliminates all of the after-raffle headache of notifying your winner and arranging delivery of their items.

6. Monthly Giving

A lot of large companies encourage their employees to give back to their communities. Tap into this generosity by raising funds through a PTA fundraising website.

Set it up so that people can donate once or enable a monthly auto-withdrawal donation. Some businesses will even match what their employees donate!

Want to take it a step further? Let your students personalize their websites and share on social media. You never know who will donate if you just get the courage to ask them.

Maximizing Fundraising Potential

Once you’ve planned and chosen your fundraiser, it’s time to focus on maximizing its potential. One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating perfect donation forms.

Perfect Donation Forms

Creating perfect donation forms is essential for maximizing your fundraising potential. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

1. Clear and Concise Language: Use simple and straightforward language to explain the purpose of the fundraiser and how donations will be used. This helps donors understand the impact of their contributions.
2. Easy-to-Use Interface: Ensure that your donation form is easy to use and navigate, both online and offline. A user-friendly interface encourages more people to donate.
3. Mobile-Friendly Design: Make sure your donation form is optimized for mobile devices to accommodate donors who prefer to give on-the-go. A mobile-friendly design ensures that you don’t miss out on potential donations.
4. Secure Payment Processing: Use a secure payment processing system to protect donors’ sensitive information. Security is a top priority for donors, and ensuring their information is safe will build trust.
5. Recognition and Appreciation: Express gratitude to donors and recognize their contributions. A simple thank you can go a long way in encouraging repeat giving and building a loyal donor base.

By following these best practices, you can create effective donation forms that will help you maximize your fundraising potential and achieve your goals.

Embrace PTA Online Fundraising Technology: Online Donations

Whether you want to host an in-person event or an online giveaway, one thing’s for sure. Using an online PTA fundraising platform like BetterWorld will make school fundraising easier and boost school spirit and participation.

An easy-to-use platform eliminates the need to piecemeal technology together. Everything you need from signup forms to ticketing functions — all in one place!

The platform also has everything you need to create beautifully, school-branded donation pages that collect money electronically. All of our sites are fully optimized for mobile or desktop viewing. Our easy-to-use templates and full social media integration make it easy to share whenever, wherever.

Don’t waste time trying to reinvent the wheel. Schedule a demo with one of our friendly BetterWorld team members now. See how we can help you host the best PTA fundraiser ever!