Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Whether you are a school looking to raise money or on a fundraising journey for a school you love, you’ll need to know the best fundraising ideas for schools in 2025 to maximize your funding. Hosting a fundraiser for schools is an excellent way for staff, parents, students, and teachers to come together for the good of the community and its school.

However, getting people excited about a fundraising event can be challenging when you have the same ideas each year. Since the pandemic swept through in 2020, fundraisers have had to think outside the box for unique ways to make money with exciting virtual fundraising ideas. This shift from in-person to virtual became a huge success, but you need the best fundraising ideas for schools to get the job done.

Explore the many profitable school fundraising ideas and why you need them!

1. Bake Sale
Who doesn’t love a bake sale? Bake sales are one of the most popular—and delicious—ways to raise much-needed funds for schools. They’re also a great opportunity to get the parents involved and to show off their baking skills.

To raise money for your cause, ask the parents at your school to prepare a yummy treat to sell. Children can participate by helping their parents bake these treats or selling baked ways to raise money products at lunch or recess.

You can take it a step further with a raffle, where one prize winner can win a beautifully designed and baked cake of their choice from a local bakery willing to provide a voucher.

2. Talent Show
Showcase your school’s many talents with a talent show! Let there be various categories, such as singing, dancing, and comedy. Get local businesses to sponsor prizes for each category and the grand prize of the best winning act at the night’s end.

Prizes can range from:

A local pizza restaurant sponsored a pizza for the winner and 2 of their friends
Tickets to see a movie at the theater
Mall vouchers
Charge a small participation fee and a spectator entry fee. And don’t forget to put together a panel of judges!

3. Guessing Jar

Guessing jars is a cost-effective and easy fundraising idea for schools. All you need is a clear jar, which you can fill with candy, beads, marbles, paper clips, or anything else that will fit in the jar. To increase your potential fundraising opportunities, have several jars in various sizes and allow participants to pay to guess each jar’s contents.

Keep the jar in a busy school area like the primary office for a few weeks. Parents, teachers, and students should be encouraged to enter their estimates into the competition for a small cost.

Allow multiple entries per person, with each try costing them. Let participants pick up the jar and turn it around to look closer.

Ensure you have enough prizes for each winner and runners-up for each jar you have. When the fundraiser ends, the closest guesser receives the candy jar.

4. Virtual Parents Party
Sometimes, parents and guardians need adult time, too! A virtual parent’s party involves virtual cooking classes, happy hour, or live streaming of a local musician’s concert. In addition, you can host an art party, such as painting with a twist. These events are hosted online via Zoom, and parents purchase the tickets. You will mail the items to the attendees’ homes a couple of weeks before the event and have a scheduled itinerary.

To prevent the virtual parent party from getting too crowded, you can set up virtual rooms and divide the groups. After a specific time, switch up the people in the room and keep the entertainment going.

5. Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands takes high school fundraising ideas to the next level. There may be many talented students in your school who would love the opportunity to share their talents. This fundraising idea is easy because you have all the means to host the event: the PA system, venue, and teachers and volunteers who can help.

Charge a small fee for each band to enter and an admission fee for attendees. Involve local celebrities to be judges for the event, such as the local weatherman or radio host, to participate. In addition, you could ask local business owners to be judges and help sponsor the event. There are countless opportunities to reach your fundraising goals.

6. Dog Wash

Not everyone takes their pups to the groomers, and many find bathing their dogs tedious. So why not host a dog wash fundraiser? The kids will love spending time with your furry best friend, too. Post about the fundraiser to local groups and encourage parents, guardians, teachers, and community members to bring the pups for a good wash by student volunteers.

Purchase all the supplies and use the school’s parking lot as the venue. Ensure plenty of kiddie pools to bathe the dogs, hoses, towels, and tasty treats. To take your fundraiser a step further, have music, some food trucks, and sell drinks.

7. School Dance

School dances are just as exciting as prom or homecoming. Students get to go out and shop for new outfits and let loose with their friends. It’s a simple fundraising idea that everyone will love, and almost all the proceeds go back into the school. In addition, students pay a small attendance fee, and you can request donations for décor, food, and drinks from parents and guardians.

Put together a student committee for the dance and have them select a fun theme, such as a masquerade ball, under the ocean, or a Hollywood theme. There is no need to spend a fortune on expensive photo booths or décor. Instead, the committee should be tasked with finding an inexpensive solution.

8. Discount Card Fundraiser

A discount card fundraiser can involve the entire community. Students sell discount cards in their neighborhood, and the donors receive coupons or special offers from local businesses, such as restaurants. These discount cards cost around $10-$20 but can save the purchaser hundreds of dollars.

Making discount cards to sell for a school fundraiser is reasonably straightforward. In addition, it draws a lot of attention to small businesses, and many business owners are happy to get exposure.

9. Car Wash

Car wash fundraisers have proven to be excellent ways to raise funds for local charities, including schools. They are also a fantastic way to get the community involved while students have fun washing cars. The school’s parking lot can be used to set up the car wash.

Partner with local businesses to sponsor cleaning materials and supplies in exchange for free advertising on the day of the car wash.

Get your local radio station to advertise the school’s fundraising efforts. Have loud music for entertainment and snacks available for individuals to purchase while they wait for their cars to get cleaned.

Assign shifts to students to wash cars, and designate a few students to collect money for the car washes and any extra donations. Set up an online donation page on the school’s website to receive additional contributions.

10. Auction off Parking Spots

Ask every high school or college student what their worst nightmare is, and they will all say that parking at school or on campus is the worst! On a busy day, students are likely to circulate the parking lot in the hopes of a spot becoming available.

For a successful fundraising idea, select a few parking spots the school won’t mind reserving for the winning students. Host a live auction or an online bidding war, and see how far students are willing to go for a parking spot reserved for them for the semester or school year.

11. AmazonSmile

AmazonSmile is a minimum-effort way to raise funds for your school. The process is simple:

Register your school with AmazonSmile
Once your school has been accepted to the program, notify your student’s parents and the local community.
Shoppers can add your school as their chosen charitable organization and shop items that are eligible for AmazonSmile.
That’s it! Your school will then receive 0.5% of every eligible purchase they make. No fees or costs exist for your school and shoppers donating to you.

School Fundraising Ideas

A well-planned fundraising strategy creates excitement and pride for the school and gets the community to play a more active role in the student’s education. So, if you’re looking for new ways to reach a larger audience and boost your efforts, choose from these school fundraising ideas and make the most of your event.

    T-Shirt Fundraising

Bonfire – Design your own Shirt on Material you’ll Love

Don’t we all love a good T-shirt? What’s excellent about t-shirt fundraising is combining it with an in-person event. About a month before, have t-shirts made with the school’s name, logo, and event name, so all attending can wear their shirt on the big day.

Getting custom-made t-shirts is easier than you think. There are companies such as Bonfire and Printful school fundraising companies that will boost your campaign, help you save money on printed shirts, and create custom print designs everyone will love. Both sites are free to use, have templates and a step-by-step guide to help you with the design process, and will fulfill and ship the orders, so there is one less thing for you to worry about!

    Online Donations

Receiving online donations is one of the best ways to expand your reach. Create a fun donation landing page and express your school’s needs. What are the objectives of the online donations, the target amount, and how do you intend to use the money to improve the school?

Remember that spreading the word is the tricky part and requires attention. Create a Facebook page for the school if you haven’t got one already, and start promoting your donation requests. In addition, you can send a note home with each student and ask them to spread the word. The great thing about social media is how quickly word can spread. When people start to share your posts, you get more reach and increase funding. That leads us to the next fundraising idea for high schools – social media.

Social Media

Social media ranks as one of the best school fundraising ideas. You can utilize various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Create an exciting post, express your needs, and use hashtags to further your reach.

You can spotlight your initiatives and get followers involved in the school’s fundraising events. Instagram lets you add a donation sticker to your posts. You can go live on social media platforms with a Livestream fundraising event with an easy-to-add donate button so viewers can donate throughout the live event. Lastly, don’t forget the Geotag. This allows your donation requests to be shown to people in your community and establishes your credibility.

    Text-to-Give

Who doesn’t have a cellphone these days? Texting-to-give is a great new way for schools to communicate financial needs to parents and guardians. The average donation for text-to-give fundraising is $107, which can significantly impact your bottom line.

Text-to-give helps you gain ongoing support from the community when school fundraising. Use a text-to-give platform, such as Snowball, that gives you unlimited text, personalized campaigns, and low-cost recurring gift options. Donors will text a word like “donate” to the school’s text-to-give phone number and confirm the donation amount. Their credit card information is saved for future donations, and a recurring donation option will help maximize the funds raised.

    Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is one of those valuable high school fundraising ideas that are a must for any money-raising initiative. An online crowdfunding campaign is conducted on various platforms such as Livingtree and DonorsChoose. Fundraising management software allows you to monitor the progress, tell your school’s story, and get the whole community involved in the efforts.

Here’s how online crowdfunding works:

• Develop a plan for your campaign and build the outline
• Create an account on your preferred crowdfunding site
• Set up the campaign with the fundraising goals and tell your story
• Make the campaign live and start sharing it on social media platforms
• Monitor the progress of the campaign and adjust if you are not on track to meeting your financial goals

    Corporate Philanthropy Programs

Corporate philanthropy is a different school fundraising idea many aren’t aware of, but it can be highly effective. You can contact parents or guardians to inquire whether they own or work for a company with philanthropy programs and find out how to apply.

Three corporate philanthropy programs could benefit a school fundraising program:

Matching gifts: Many companies will match an employee’s donation to a nonprofit. For example, if an employee gifts $100 to the school, the company will match the donation with $100. Each company is different, and some may have higher contributions than the traditional 1:1 ratio, such as 1:2 or 1:4 contribution ratios.

Volunteer grants are a great way to raise money and get the much-needed hands-on help many schools require. Employees volunteer their time to a nonprofit, and the company donates financially. Corporate sponsorships: Companies can sponsor events in exchange for favorable publicity. For example, a company can fund an event such as a bikeathon or fun run; the school can promote the business in return.

    Cookie Dough Fundraising Ideas for High Schools

Palmetto Fundraising Cookie Dough, Chocolate chip, cookies, and cream, or peanut butter – whatever your flavor, we all love cookie dough! Not only is cookie dough a comfort food that takes us back to the sweet memories of growing up, but it can also be added to your list of school fundraising ideas. Host a cookie dough fundraiser and get parents, guardians, students, and the community involved in this tasty idea.

So, how does a cookie dough fundraiser work? It’s simple. Use a company such as SavoryFoods or Palmetto Fundraising. You won’t have to pay any money upfront; they will fulfill the orders for the sale of cookie dough, and you get to keep most of the profits. Give customized catalogs of the various products for sale or host the sale online. This idea takes very little work, and you can raise money for your school in a fun way.

    Pledge Fundraising

Pledges and donations are different. Pledges are promises to donate. For example, you can plan a bike-a-thon, walk-a-thon, or fun run, and people can pledge donations for the distance the participant goes. The pledge is made and paid at a future date.

Pledge fundraising is a great way to raise money for schools and organizations. It is a volunteer-driven program that raises funds in an annual, one-time gift through a personal fundraising campaign. Through pledge fundraising, you collect donations from friends, family members, and neighbors who support your school financially before the event occurs.

The first step to organizing a successful pledge fundraiser is simply organizing the people who will participate. Second, you should decide on the goal of your campaign and how much money you want to raise during that period. Finally, set goals for the number of pledges you wish to receive and divide those tasks accordingly.

    Silent Auctions

Silent auctions are becoming increasingly popular for school fundraising because they offer a fun way for people to bid on items and raise money for the school at the same time. Proceeds from silent auctions help schools solicit more funding, provide more enrichment, and enable more learning. They’re a fun way to socialize and mingle with new people at the event.

Charity Safaris is an excellent company to help raise funds for your school. We can help with the entire process, including auction display, online bidding logistics, and catalog production. Sell one of our hunting trips in South Africa, Argentina, or New Zealand multiple times for the event and raise thousands of dollars for your school. Fill out an online donation request and sell the trip of a lifetime at your school fundraiser.

If you’re looking for other types of silent auction items, TheShareWay provides a guide on 400+ companies that donate hotel stays, beauty products, gift cards, and more.

Email Campaigns

More than 4 billion people use email, and 77% of marketers say they have seen an increased engagement with their email marketing campaigns over the last year. So, if marketing companies and businesses leverage emails to gain followers’ support, why not do the same for your school and community?

An email fundraising campaign is simple once you have an email list. You can send reminders to subscribers of fundraising events, express the school’s needs, and request help from the community. What’s great about email campaigns is that you aren’t just driving traffic to your fundraising page but can also gain ongoing financial support.

Companies that give Donations for Raffles

Raffles is an engaging and effective way to raise money for your nonprofit organization. One way to support your organization’s mission, increase outreach, and raise funds is by looking into companies that give donations for raffles. 

The Best Fundraising Raffle Ideas 

Before you reach out to a company for a donation request, you should have a few raffle ideas for fundraising. However, if you do not know where to start, consider raffle prizes the following fundraising raffle ideas for your next nonprofit event. 

Raffle Drum

If you have just received a high-quality donation and do not have any planned upcoming events, consider creating a single raffle for your nonprofit. You can sell tickets (the price will depend on the value of the prize) and promote the Raffle online. In addition, setting an end date will increase excitement and encourage donors to act quickly. Finally, you can announce the winner online after the end date to increase engagement. 

50/50 Raffle

A 50/50 raffle may be the best option for your nonprofit organization if you are hosting a significant event. A 50/50 raffle involves participants buying tickets for a chance to win a prize if their name or number is drawn. The prize is 50% of the money raised during the event. The other 50% goes to the nonprofit organization holding the event. This is a good option for fundraising because it is a simple and familiar process. 

Online Raffle 

Due to the pandemic, many nonprofit organizations had to turn their outreach online to continue their work. As it turns out, online raffles can effectively increase funds. This is because online raffles can reach a larger audience and increase awareness of your cause. 

Companies That Give Donations for Raffles 

While events are an effective way to fundraise, planning and securing the resources required for an event can be daunting. Luckily, there are many businesses, both local and corporate, that offer in-kind donations for raffles. Here are eight companies that can provide donations for your next Raffle or event. 

Charity Safaris

Charity Safaris is a fundraising organization that offers international hunting trip packages to qualifying charities and nonprofits across the United States and Canada. The organization works closely with reputable hunting outfitters. It is one of the largest fundraising websites operating in the United States.

Charity Safaris collaborates with auctioneers and coordinators to work as a charity auction site. After a winner is selected, Charity Safaris guides the winner throughout the process and gives them all the necessary resources and information they need to go on their trip. Charity Safaris’ destinations include South Africa, Argentina, and New Zealand. If you want to apply for a donation, you can check out their website and online donation request. 

Fundraising raffle ideas

JetBlue Airlines is a major American airline that offers point donations to qualifying nonprofit organizations. These points can be used for flights, hotels, and other rewards. 

JetBlue accepts in-kind donation requests online. However, they request that all proposals be submitted at least three months before your event. You should hear back within four weeks. JetBlue even provides an online portal to check the status of your request. 

 Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Group is the second-largest cruise line in the world and hosts cruises throughout the Americas. In addition, it offers in-kind cruise donations to nonprofit organizations that strongly focus on ocean conservation, environmental preservation, and education. 

Royal Caribbean requires that requests be made 90 days before your event. It does not support health-related charities, individual schools, or organizations that discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation. 

Check out their website if your nonprofit organization focuses on the environment or education. 

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team. They compete in the National Hockey League and are based in Newark, New Jersey. 

The team seeks to enrich the community where their fans work and live, so they offer in-kind game ticket donations to qualifying nonprofit organizations. They only assist organizations in New Jersey, specifically in the Newark area. 

However, the New Jersey Devils are just one example of the various National Hockey League teams that offer in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations. If you have a National Hockey League team in your area, consider seeing if they provide raffle donations. 

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