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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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Mystery art show

Invite local artists, students, and other enthusiastic community members to contribute small paintings or other works for an anonymous community art sale.

Charge an entrance fee and invite supporters to purchase pieces all at the same price—without knowing who their artist is until the end of the event!

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Impact:
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Spaghetti dinner

Host a pasta party where you serve spaghetti, salad, breadsticks, and dessert to attendees for a ticket price. Make your event even better by securing a restaurant as a sponsor.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Holiday wreath sale

Partner with a local nursery to sell holiday wreaths made of fresh greenery. Create a fundraising page where supporters can purchase them with ease.

Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Donut fundraiser

Some bakeries like Krispy Kreme sell their doughnuts at a discounted price to individuals and groups raising money for a good cause.

Create a fundraising page or donation form to promote your efforts and make it easier to sell your sweet treats with multiple payment options wherever you are.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Tree planting day

Plan a day of tree or flower planting to beautify your community. Invite local businesses to sponsor the whole event or an individual plant or tree, and invite donations from the wider community.
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Impact:
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Pi Day

In honor of Pi Day, invite your community to donate to your cause on March 14th. Set the suggested donation amount at $3.14, $31.40, or $314.00, but let supporters know that any amount is welcome.

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Impact:
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Spring cleaning

Rally volunteers together for a spring cleaning of your community space or a street in your neighborhood. Reach out to local businesses to sponsor the event and offer supplies. Then, invite donations from your local community with scan-to-donate signage as you work!

Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Street clean up

Use the longer days of summer to your advantage and schedule a street clean-up to help keep your neighborhood feeling fresh and welcoming. 

Work with local businesses to sponsor the day and encourage donations towards your charity or group. 
Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
1
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Water balloon fight

Celebrate the arrival or end of summer with a water balloon fight, all in the aid of a great cause. Invite individuals or teams to pay to enter and encourage them to set up peer-to-peer fundraising pages to raise donations from friends and family members before the big day.

With team fundraising pages, their individual efforts can be tallied up with their teammates’!

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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Outdoor adventure day

Charge participants a registration fee for a whole day of activities like hiking, fishing, and nature walks. Use free marketing tools to tease different activities and remind supporters of what they need to bring along on the day of!

Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Popcorn fundraiser

Partner with a popcorn supplier and sell gourmet popcorn to family, friends, and community members. Add mouthwatering images to tickets to showcase all the different flavors available.

Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Pumpkin carving contest

See who can carve or decorate the best pumpkin while raising funds for your community group or cause. Award prizes in different categories for kids, families, and talented adults.

Make it easy as pumpkin pie for participants to vote for the winners with a small donation using text-to-donate.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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DIY gingerbread house kits

Make holiday magic easy for families by preparing gingerbread house kits they can buy for a small cost that supports your cause. Offer kits with larger houses or extra decorations for added fun and funds, which you can highlight in your custom your donation forms.

Cost:
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Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Back-to-school sale

Get everyone set up for the new school year with a back-to-school sale. Sell items like stationery, backpacks, water bottles, and other accessories for kids of all ages.

Customize online tickets with the name and image of each product, so your supporters can easily choose between the items on sale.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Dodgeball tournament

Put teams together and face off to see who truly is the best when it comes to dodgeball. Charge teams an entry fee, sell tickets to watch the games, and sell refreshments to raise even more funds.

Invite participants to set up team fundraising pages so they can also compete to see who can raise the most funds for your cause.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Peer-to-peer

Apple bobbing

Set up a stall where people can try apple bobbing in exchange for a small donation. This works well as part of a fall festival or Halloween event where you can set up a range of fun activities for families to get involved with.

Cost:
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Effort:
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Impact:
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Year-end fundraiser

Celebrate the end of the year with a big annual fundraiser. Host an event and attract donations and support with a silent auction, peer-to-peer campaign, and more.

Use the year-end giving checklist to make sure you’ve covered every angle!

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Auctions

Holiday cookie sale

Whip up some sweet treats to sell at your next fundraising event, group gathering, or around town. Consider setting up a station for supporters to decorate their own cookies or create kits for families to bring home in exchange for a donation.

Streamline the buying process with scan-to-donate—which guest can use to make their payment instantly right from their phones!

Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Sledding course

Embrace the winter wonderland and assemble your own sledding course for all to enjoy. Encourage participants to bring their own sleds and contribute to your cause in exchange for a thrilling ride. Simplify donations with scan-to-donate and raise additional funds by selling cozy treats like hot chocolate or soup.

Cost:
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Impact:
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Snowman contest

If you've been lucky to have enough snow, host a pop-up snowman contest for your local area. Invite everyone to take part, tour the entries, and then award the winner with a prize donated by a local business. Use team fundraising pages and encourage people to donate to vote—they’ll be able to see who’s winning on the live leaderboard!

Cost:
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Effort:
1
Impact:
1
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Peer-to-peer

Holiday movie marathon

Create a lineup of classic holiday movies for a community movie marathon. Sell tickets, popcorn, hot chocolate, and other treats to create a delightful (and profitable!) experience.

With user-friendly fundraising event features for online ticket sales and in-person donations, organizing this event can be as easy as hitting play on your favorite festive film.

Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Superhero training camp

Sell tickets to a “training” camp where participants undergo exercises to become superheroes (think obstacle courses and agility tests).

After your event, use email marketing softwareto share your gratitude with participants and volunteers along with pictures you captured of the day!

Cost:
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Effort:
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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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