Planning A School Fundraising Event

Every school needs more money. It's just a fact of life. Things are tight (financially) all over, and so schools continue to have fundraising events. Schools need the money for books, field trips, parties, and many other things.

Note: unlike some charity fundraising events, donations to a school may not be tax deductible – be sure to let the families know ahead of time whether or not they are.

There are several types of fundraising events that a school can do. Which you choose will largely be determined by the leadership of the school and their preferences.

Selling Something For A Percentage

Some school fundraiser events are begun by having a company representative come to the school and hype the kids (who are the sales people) up to sell the product. The rep will talk about all the wonderful prizes the kids can win, based on their sales. With this school fundraising event, they sell things and get a percentage of the sale price. Common items to sell this way are gift wrap, gift items, popcorn, cookie dough, magazines, candy and other things. With this type of fundraiser, the people who buy the items are getting something in return. On the other hand, the items are usually priced higher than they would otherwise be, to build in that profit for the school.

Hold A Party

Schools can also raise money by having a specialty school fundraising event. Whether it is a “harvest festival,” “multi-cultural fair,” “science fair,” or something else, pick a theme and run with it. Consider charging for admission, for going through a “spook alley,” or for special things, like having a photo taken with the theme character in costume. Maybe have a raffle to win a prize that has been donated by a local merchant – people love to win something for “nothing” - actually just the cost of a raffle ticket – generally $1 a ticket or $2 for three tickets.

Begging For Money – Be A “Member”!

Another alternative is to just ask for money. This type of school fundraising event is relying on the families to contribute some set amount ($5 a family, or $50 a family, depending on your location) to be a “member” of the community club or PTA. While each family can either choose to participate or not, or send a lessor amount if the set amount is too heavy for their budget – children can be encouraged to have their family participate. Some schools will reward the classroom where all families have contributed.