10 School Fundraising Ideas that Actually Work & Increase Donations
By Whit Hunter
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When you’re low on inspiration, coming up with clever and engaging school fundraising ideas can be a challenge. School fundraisers are necessary but sometimes, the tried and true ideas feel a little tired. How can you spice it up and get your crowd interested?
Let’s talk about some of the best school fundraisers that your students – and parents – will love!
Best Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Fundraisers for schools are so important for a variety of reasons. While the main reason is to raise money for the school, fundraising also teaches students how to plan events, work with others, be creative, and handle money. It helps them build confidence and develop valuable leadership skills that will benefit them for years to come.
Whether you work with a student leadership team, PTO, or other school-related organization, the key to a successful school fundraiser is to have a plan in place. Work together to explore some new, fresh fundraising ideas for your school.
Some of the best fundraising ideas for schools include:
1. An Online Auction
Everyone loves an auction! Online auctions are great fundraisers for schools because your students and staff can share the link to your auction with out-of-state friends and family. Simply upload your auction items, share the link to the fundraising platform, and let the bidding begin!
Online platforms, like BetterWorld, make it easy to add functionalities like video integration, text message notifications to bidders, online item donation forms, and popcorn bidding. With these special features, your participants will feel just as excited as they would about attending a live auction!
2. Principal Challenge
Any school fundraisers involving the principal are going to be popular amongst students, regardless of age. You can also include the vice principal, popular teachers, or other school leaders to increase the odds of participation.
Ways to push your principal out of his or her comfort zone for a good cause include:
- Slime Your Principal
- Silly String Your Principal
- Pie in the Face
- Tape Your Principal to the Wall
Set up an online donation website for students to solicit donations from friends and family members across the country.
You can even live-stream your principal challenge on the donation site! This is a great way to involve other schools around your district who might want to see your principal in action.
Any sort of silly and fun idea is always a hit with students. Just make sure you get your principal to agree first!
3. Pizza Party
Everyone loves food! In exchange for a few dollars, you can give your students the afternoon off from studying and treat them to some free pizza. Add in some games, music, or other fun activities and turn it into an all-school party!
Not into pizza? Other ideas include a sundae bar or a taco party.
Want to turn it into a competition? Set up a raffle using the tools provided by BetterWorld. The class with the most donations wins the pizza party or sundae bar in the raffle!
Not only is this a creative fundraiser idea for school but it’s also a fun way for your students to relax and bond with their classmates after weeks of hard work.
4. T-Shirt Design Contest
Who doesn’t love a good t-shirt? Selling t-shirts with your school’s name or logo is always a popular fundraiser but why not switch it up a bit and turn it into a contest?
Let students enter school-friendly t-shirt designs into a competition. The one with the most votes wins!
When setting up the online voting, you can use BetterWorld’s ticketing platform. The Custom Questions option is a great place to vote for the winning design.
To make it even more exciting, add an auto-updating Leaderboard so voters can track which design is winning!
It’s a great way to raise money for your school, involve your students in a hands-on way, and build school spirit, all at the same time.
5. Color Run
Races and 5ks have always been one of the best school fundraisers but jazz it up a bit by adding a bit of color! Color runs are fun for participants who are both throwing the dye and running through it. Plus, you can get some really great social media-friendly pictures!
Online ticketing software like BetterWorld makes organizing events like this super easy with mobile check-in, professional ticket branding, and multi-tiered ticketing options.
Turn your color run into a school-wide block party or BBQ to raise even more money. Have snacks, pizza, and drinks for sale. It’s the perfect way to end the school year on a bright note!
6. Trivia Night
Trivia nights are popular everywhere! Why not turn it into a fundraising idea for school?
Choose a topic that is popular with students – think Minecraft, popular music, or Disney movies – and get to work! Charge $10 per team to enter. Have the teams participate beforehand by entering ideas for trivia questions on the Custom Questions section of the BetterWorld ticketing platform.
Build up the excitement and create some healthy competition by lining up some great prizes for the winners. You can increase your profits by selling snacks, too!
BetterWorld makes elegant fundraising solutions for students, parents & alumni
Use high-quality consignment items from BetterWorld partners
Add important videos or live-streaming directly to your BetterWorld page
Save time by allowing donors to upload items directly to your auction
Automatically charge your winners, accept donations, and send receipts with one simple click.
7. Candy Grams
Candy grams are one of the most fun and easy school fundraisers! Stock up on candy, grab some cardstock, and tie it all together with a ribbon. Kids love to give and receive these tasty treats.
Not excited by the idea of candy? You could offer cookies or chips instead. It doesn’t matter what treat you include. Kids just love to send notes to their friends!
8. Obstacle Course Run
Create your own little mini-Spartan race at school. Add obstacles like rope walls, sprinkler runs, or water balloon dodging to a basic 5k. This keeps it fun and interesting!
Charge per entry and boost the competition by having cool prizes for those with the best times.
Make registration super easy by setting up online pre-registration options with day-of mobile check-in. This will keep your obstacle course run moving smoothly!
Still want to collect cash on the day of the event? No problem! With BetterWorld’s platform, you can enter cash or check registrations directly into your event dashboard. This gives your participants registration options while keeping all of your important information in one place!
9. Parents’ Night Out
If you are an elementary school, this one is for you. Round up some high school volunteers and host a parents’ night out in your gym or cafeteria. For a set number of hours, parents can drop off their kids and enjoy a peaceful date night.
Make sure you set up activity stations, offer crafts, play a movie, or have fun snacks and drinks on hand for the kids. Charge per child and watch your donations pour in!
10. Pajama Day
This one is quick, easy, and always a hit. For a few dollars, let your students ditch the dress code and wear their pajamas and slippers to school. Make it easy for parents by collecting funds on an online platform like BetterWorld.
Kids get to be comfy and your school gets to raise some funds. It’s a win-win!
BetterWorld — Fundraising Made Fun
Don’t stick to boring school fundraising ideas. With these fun and fresh ideas, you’ll have the donations pouring in while having fun at the same time!
No matter what school fundraising idea you decide to go with, learn more about how to use the BetterWorld online fundraising platform to organize and collect your funds – at no cost to your school.
Take some of these fundraising ideas for schools and sign up for free at BetterWorld today!

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