What Are the Best Fundraisers for Schools?

When it comes to fundraising for schools, it can be tough to settle on a single winning fundraiser idea. The best PTO fundraisers engage students, parents, teachers and community members—but that’s a lot of different people to try to please! So, how do you do it? What are the best fundraisers for schools? Figuring out the answer to this question has long vexed PTO volunteers, educators and parents alike. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of our top fundraising ideas for schools that everyone is sure to love. 

Our favorite fundraisers for schools include:

• Brochure fundraising 
• Concession sales
• In-school holiday shops
• Peer-to-peer candy selling 
• School spirit merchandise
• Walk-a-thon (or any “-a-thon”) fundraisers

Brochure Fundraising

Brochure fundraising is one of the best PTO fundraisers for schools due to its ease of set-up and its timeless appeal. In a brochure fundraiser for schools, the organizer of the fundraiser will work with a fundraising brochure company to select one or more brochure catalogs for students to sell from. Brochures will include a variety of items for sale, like wrapping paper, chocolates and candy, snacks, nuts, cheese and sausages, baking mixes, plants, bulbs and gardening items, gifts, jewelry, and other novelty items. 

At Gifts ‘N Things, we offer three unique brochure fundraiser set-ups to meet the needs of schools in the digital era, including: 

• Traditional brochure fundraising: Sales packets go home with students. Orders are delivered to the school for pick-up and distribution
• Hybrid brochure fundraising: Sales packets go home with students. Orders are shipped to the students’ homes for distribution.
• Virtual brochure fundraising: No physical sales materials are sent home with students. The entire shopping and order process is completed online. Orders are shipped directly to customers’ homes. 

Students of nearly all ages can successfully participate in brochure fundraising. Brochure fundraisers usually have some kind of incentive for participating students, from prize tiers based on profit amounts to cash awards for the top sellers. This spirit of friendly competition can help drive sales and keep students interested in the fundraiser for its duration. 

Concession Sales

One of the most classic methods of school fundraising is to drum up donations by selling concessions at school events, like sporting events and competitions, performing arts events, concerts, and school dances. Some schools may even arrange to have students or PTO volunteers sell concessions at non-school-related events that are held on school grounds, such as craft fairs, holiday fairs or career fairs. 

To get started in school concessions sales, you’ll first need to decide what you’ll be selling. We like individually-wrapped candies, candy bars or other individually-packaged snacks, like fruit snacks, chips and cans of soda, because they eliminate the need to position your concession stand or table near an electrical outlet for heating and cooking implements. Once you’ve chosen your concessions, all you’ll need is a cash box and/or a means of accepting credit card payments, a place to set up shop, and a few friendly volunteers. It’s extraordinarily easy to set up a concession sales fundraiser, which is undoubtedly why it is so popular with schools and PTOs! 

In-School Holiday Shops

While we may be a little biased—we love our holiday shops!—the fact remains that an in-school shopping experience is one of the best, most profitable school fundraisers out there, especially for schools in the K-5th grade age range. 

In-school holiday shop fundraisers bring the magic of Santa’s Workshop to your school’s gym, library, classrooms or outdoor spaces. Volunteers transform your chosen space into a winter wonderland and offer merchandise for sale, usually gifts and other novelty items that students can shop for with their own money. Most young students have never had the chance to select gifts for their family members, friends and teachers all on their own, so this fundraiser is a special chance for them to flex some independence and experience the joy of giving! 

We find that in-school holiday shops are one of the best fundraisers for schools because of their festive flair, flexibility (we offer 0%, 10%, or 20% profit fundraisers depending on your goals and needs, in addition to a set-your-own-prices option,) and contained nature. Holiday shops are 100% in-school fundraisers that do not require any outside sales from students or parents, which many adults appreciate from a child safety standpoint. We also find that schools like our built-in support and benefits, like our cash register mobile app, and online chairperson portal for easy fundraiser management. 

Peer-to-Peer Candy Selling

This school PTO fundraiser couldn’t be easier: The students do all the work for you! Peer-to-peer candy selling fundraisers equip students with cases of candy bars and encourage them to sell to one another before and after classes, during their lunch hours, and after school. Candy sales fundraisers are most successful in middle schools and high schools, where students are more likely to have their own cash to spend—not to mention big appetites to fill! 

Like brochure fundraising, candy sales can also be boosted by incentivizing students with prizes and rewards. This tactic is especially effective if your participating students are part of an existing group, like a school band or sports team. Friendly competition amongst teammates is a great way to drive sales and engage students.

The bottom line is that students love peer-to-peer candy sales because it allows them to interact with their peers, handle cash, and, of course, eat candy! But PTO members and fundraiser organizers also favor this style of school fundraising, largely because of its popularity and simplicity. Working with a fundraiser provider to source bulk cases of candy at a great rate makes this fundraiser as easy as distributing the cases to participating students and collecting the cash at the fundraiser’s end. 

School Spirit Merchandise

We’ve got spirit—how ‘bout you? Show your school spirit and raise money by selling school spirit merchandise! There are tons of wearables that can be customized with your school’s colors, mascot and logo, from the ever-popular sweatshirts and hoodies to face masks, LED wristbands, and other items like notebooks, folders and pencils. 

Middle schools and high schools can make cash hand over fist by selling spirit merchandise during lunch hours, study halls, passing periods or at events like sports games or concerts. Some schools opt for an order-based system, in which students take home a catalog and order form to select the items they want, then turn it into a teacher or fundraising volunteer with a cash or check to place their order. Others operate their school merchandise sales on a strictly cash-in-hand basis, where students can visit a fundraising table during their free time throughout the school day to shop for items that they’ll take home immediately. 

School spirit merchandise sales is one of the best fundraisers for schools because of the comparatively high price per item—a $34.99 sweatshirt is a much more significant sale than a $3 candy bar!—and because of the high level of enthusiasm shown by students. When other students see their peers wearing their new school spirit t-shirt, hoodie or track pants, they’ll be much more likely to want to buy something for themselves. How’s that for free advertising? 

Walk-a-Thon (or Any “-a-Thon”) Fundraisers

What’s an “-a-Thon” fundraiser? Walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, skate-a-thons, jump-a-thons, hoop-a-thons, read-a-thons—any fundraiser that calls for a sustained action over a period of time can be considered an “-a-Thon!” These fundraisers are popular among PTO volunteers because of their low barriers to entry and low initial investment; an “-a-Thon” fundraiser can be created to suit virtually any participant age range and start-up costs are minimal. 

These events raise funds by charging for participation, encouraging students to solicit donations to “sponsor” their activity,  and selling items like concessions, and raffle tickets during the event. Students are often incentivized with prizes to encourage them to walk further or longer, read more, shoot more baskets, etc.

At Gifts ‘N Things, we’re proud to offer Color-A-Thon, an “-a-Thon” fundraiser that combines the classic “fun run” school fundraising concept with the explosively colorful “color run.” In a color run, participants wear white or light-colored attire and are pelted with brightly-colored cornstarch powders. By the time you cross the finish line, you’ll be covered from head to toe in color! 

Color-A-Thon engages the entire community with a fun, unique alternative to traditional fundraising routes. There is no sales component, and  we’ll help with your event planning to maximize the dollars raised and minimize the amount of volunteers necessary to have a successful color run fundraiser. “-A-Thon” fundraisers like Color-A-Thon put the fun back in fundraising: Students earn T-shirts and other exciting rewards, you’ll raise money for your school, and spectators will enjoy throwing color and bonding as a community. It’s a win-win-win! 

Ready to plan your best school fundraiser ever? Reach out to the experts at Gifts ‘N Things to learn more about our unique fundraising options and find the perfect fit for your school! We’ll help you plan and set up your fundraiser, offering all the support and resources you need for success. Contact us today to get started!