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Elementary school fundraising ideas

The best fundraising ideas for elementary schools offer fun for the whole family and bring in some major funds, too. Rally parents, students, staff members, and the surrounding community with these fresh and creative elementary fundraiser ideas.

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Superhero run

Participants pay an entry fee to partake in a costumed fundraising run. Encourage runners to raise more for your cause with their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and award prizes for race winners, best super hero costumes, and most donations!

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Lip sync competition

Invite community members to sign up and submit their songs for an unforgettable lip-sync battle. Recruit a volunteer panel of judges to select the winners—and don’t forget prizes for the winners!

Sell tickets for this fundraising event online, streamline check-in, and accept extra donations with the same easy platform.

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Multicultural fair

Showcase dishes and traditions from around the globe and celebrate the diversity of your community with a multicultural fair fundraiser. Sell tickets and set up food, drinks, and gift booths for attendees to enjoy.

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Parents’ night out

This fundraising event can be a fun gathering for parents, or you can make it an opportunity for grownups to drop off their kids for a few hours in exchange for a donation to your cause! Charge an hourly rate or a flat “entrance fee” and give caregivers some priceless peace and quiet.

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Night at the museum

Secure a sponsorship from a local museum and invite families and community members to pay a donation to enjoy a crowd-free evening of fun.

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TikTok dance-off

Challenge participants to create a dance and post their video to social media. Each person must tag someone and donate once they’ve completed the challenge.

For easy and simple sharing, create a custom donation form that’s optimized for mobile!

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Impact:
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Peer-to-peer fundraising

Multiply your reach with a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in which individuals reach out to their own networks of family, friends, and coworkers to solicit donations for your cause.

Create teams to add some fun competition into the mix—and bring in more donations!

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Impact:
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Pancakes for parents

Charge a small entrance fee for a dropoff pancake breakfast just for kids, allowing parents to take some much-needed time to rest and relax.

Make the whole process even more convenient for parents with easy online ticketing and scan-to-donate options at the door.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Toy drive

Set up a toy drive to allow your community members to turn their generosity into thoughtful gifts for kids over the holiday season. Ask for toy and cash donations, then distribute toys to those most in need and use funds to buy extra gifts.

Let everyone know when, where, and what to donate with the help of email marketing software.

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Postcard drive

Handwritten, personalized messages can have a huge impact on your fundraising efforts. During your next campaign, ask volunteers to write and address postcards to your contacts to ask for donations. 

Add a modern twist to this old-school tactic and have volunteers include an easy-to-read, short URL that goes right to your fundraising page. 
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Impact:
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Flamingoed

Invite supporters to make a donation to have lawn flamingos placed on their friends’ yards. Volunteers will sneak them onto recipients’ lawns so they awake to a pink surprise!

To make pulling off this silly fundraiser a breeze, create custom fields on your donation form, like the address of the Flamingo recipient.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Naming rights

Supporters cast their vote with donations to name a bench, tree, garden, sculpture, or pathway.

Create custom labels on your donation form for various donation amounts (for example: $100 = named brick in a sidewalk).

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Virtual telethon

Plan exciting entertainment, such as talent showcases and cooking lessons that you can share with your audience entirely online.

Plan a day or evening program, then livestream it to your community right from your event page, so members can make a donation without clicking away from the show.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Used book sale

Reserve a space and have your community donate their used books for the cause. Set a price for each book and use scan-to-donate or Venmo to easily accept payments on the spot.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Virtual bake sale

Sell homemade or donated treats through a donation form or event page and organize volunteers to make deliveries after purchase! For some additional funds, allow recipients to make a donation alongside their purchase. 

Cost:
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Impact:
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Auctions

Street painting competition

Choose a theme and secure a paved area where supporters can register to paint their own parking space or designated square.

Ask a local business to donate painting supplies, then invite the community to vote for their favorite design by making a donation ($1 = 1 vote) using a scan-to-donate QR code.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Virtual scavenger hunt

For this totally remote fundraising event, charge a registration fee and ask participants to use their computer or mobile device to complete various challenges. Share instructions and updates and announce winners from a livestream hosted right on your event page.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Virtual concert

Ask local musicians or bands to perform for a livestreaming audience and invite viewers to make donations or purchase tickets to attend virtually right on your event page.

Make sure to feature a donation thermometer on your page to encourage viewers to make extra donations and get you closer to your goal as they enjoy the music.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Cupcake wars

Have kids prepare their favorite cupcake recipe to sell at a cupcake-only bake sale. To add some friendly competition in the mix, invite supporters to vote on their favorite treats by making a donation to the tastiest cupcake’s team fundraising page. Watch the results roll in on the live leaderboard and offer prizes for the winners!

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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24-hour relay race

Create the ultimate relay race for rival schools in your district and charge an entrance fee for spectators. Encourage each school to create a team fundraising page where friends and family can show their support with donations and progress toward their goal in real time.

Cost:
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Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Peer-to-peer

Improv night

Invite community members to try their hand at comedy while earning money—and a few good laughs—for a cause. Sell tickets and raise even more at your event with snacks and drinks.

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Karaoke night

Host an unforgettable night for your community to come belt out their favorite songs. Charge a small entry fee or accept donations for participation.

To encourage even more donations during the party, display mobile giving options and your progress toward your goal using live display.

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Virtual auction

Take the bidding online by allowing participants to browse your silent auction catalog, place bids, and win from anywhere!

Use auction software that makes the bidding process smooth and simple for you and your donors.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Fundraising page

Pancake breakfast


There’s nothing like pancakes to bring a community together. Charge an entry fee for an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, and ask a local restaurant to sponsor the event to make your fundraiser even sweeter.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Count the jellybeans

Fill a big jar with jellybeans or other individual pieces of candy and have guessers write their number estimation next to their name. Use scan-to-donate and other easy mobile payment options to accept donations for guesses on the spot, and offer a worthwhile prize to the person that comes closest!

Cost:
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Impact:
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Frequently asked questions

Starting a fundraiser for your elementary school usually begins with identifying a need, like new playground equipment or computers. Ideally, this is done in partnership with stakeholders like the PTA and school administrators. No one should take on a fundraising effort alone, so your next step is to assemble a team of volunteers to brainstorm ideas. A book sale? A fun run? A trivia night? The sky’s the limit! 

Great fundraising ideas for elementary schools that have stood the test of time include events like fall or spring carnivals, bake sales, and walkathons. These evergreen activities appeal to families, engage more community members, and provide fun for everyone.

Regardless of how you collect donations, the best school fundraising ideas for elementary schools get both students and parents involved and even bring local restaurants and businesses in on the action.

The profitability of any fundraiser can vary depending on resources, expenses, and community support, but large-scale events like galas and silent auctions tend to be the most profitable. Alternatively, crowdfunding campaigns that allow supporters to make small donations on a donation page are also effective for raising money sustainably throughout the school year.

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