.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.png)
All fundraising ideas
School fundraising ideas
Whether you're a parent, teacher, or student leader, we’ll help you say goodbye to boring and hello to the best fundraising ideas for schools. Kick off the school year on a high note with these creative campaigns and events guaranteed to boost school spirit—and your fundraising efforts.
Please enter a valid email address.
%201.png)
%201.png)
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Restaurant takeover
Find a local restaurant that will host your fundraising event and donate at least 10-20% of the profits from the evening to your campaign. To really sweeten the sponsorship, offer lots of benefits for participating restaurants like free marketing and publicity.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/restaurant-takeover
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Fitness class
Ask local instructors to donate a virtual or in-person class for your cause. Sell tickets and boost revenue on the day of by offering snacks, drinks, or branded merch.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/fitness-class
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Water balloons & sponge toss
For this fundraising event, charge a small fee per water balloon or sponge, and let students throw them at each other during a pep rally or outdoor event. For easy participation, offer scan-to-donate and accept multiple payment methods like Apple Pay, Venmo, and more.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/sponge-toss
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Pool party
Charge an entry fee for a fun day in the sun—think pool floats, squirt guns, and water balloons!
To make this fundraising event even more of a hit, sell summery snacks and drinks, too. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
%20(1).png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/pool-party
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Game night
Sell custom event ticket types and group tickets that offer unlimited access to games—or charge a certain number of tickets per game.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/family-and-friends-game-night
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
March Madness
Raise money while cheering on your favorite NCAA players with a bracket competition culminating in a ticketed March Madness watch party.
To take this fundraising idea online, take advantage of livestreaming tools, too!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.webp)
.webp)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/march-madness
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Peer-to-peer
Flower bulb sale
Sell wholesale flowers or request donations from nurseries and landscaping stores to sell to supporters. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage individual supporters to compete to see who can sell the most!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/flower-bulb-sale
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms
Concert for a cause
Work with popular local musicians and performers to host a benefit concert with a percentage of the proceeds going towards your cause.
Want to make sure everyone can listen in and donate, no matter where they are? Livestream your concert to the masses and enable people to contribute to your campaign without leaving the stream.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/concert-for-a-cause
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Bake sale
Everyone loves sweet treats! Whip up some cookies, cakes, or donuts and host a bake sale to raise funds for your good cause.
Supporters don’t have cash? No problem! With Givebutter, you can accept mobile payments through a range of modern methods, including Venmo.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/bake-sale
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
High five booth
Brighten up someone’s day and raise money for a good cause. Set up a booth where passersby can make a donation and receive a high-five in return.
Make the giving process as quick and easy as the high-five itself with scan-to-donate.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/high-five-booth
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Trivia night
At this crowd-favorite activity, you can come up with fun questions, charge entry fees for teams, and raise extra money by providing sweet and salty snacks.
Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.
Make the evening go even smoother with seamless attendee check-ins and easy payment options like Tap to pay, Venmo donations, and scan-to-donate.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/trivia-night
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
The guessing game
Fill a jar with candy at your next event and invite people to guess how many pieces are inside for a small donation. The closest guess wins all the candy!
Use scan-to-donate for quick, on-the-spot giving—just print the QR code on a poster or display it at your stand.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/the-guessing-game
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Movie night
Choose an indoor or outdoor space and host a ticketed screening of a fan-favorite movie—bonus if it’s related to your cause! Sell popcorn, treats, and drinks to raise even more funds.
Use Givebutter’s fundraising event tools like online ticketing, mobile check-ins, and scan-to-donate to keep everything seamless.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/movie-night
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Grill-off
At your next BBQ, invite hobby chefs to compete in a grill-off, where they’ll be judged by a panel of experts—your supporters!
Set up team fundraising pages where everyone can make a donation to vote for their favorite chef. They can also see a live leaderboard and watch the votes land in real time!
Set up team fundraising pages where everyone can make a donation to vote for their favorite chef. They can also see a live leaderboard and watch the votes land in real time!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/grill-off
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Peer-to-peer
Take a pie to the face
Set up a booth and invite people to pay to throw a pie at willing participants like teachers, bosses, or coaches—the more authority, the more satisfying!
With scan-to-donate, pie throwers use your QR code to land on your donation page instantly—no waiting around.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/take-a-pie-to-the-face
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Donate or dare
Pledge to do something wild, exciting, or newsworthy if your campaign hits its goal. Shaving your head is a classic option for this fundraising idea!
Share regular updates on your fundraising page and add a goal bar to keep the momentum going and drive more donations.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/donate-or-dare
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms
All you can eat buffet
Host an all-you-can-eat buffet or potluck dinner, and charge a small fee to enjoy a meal together with your community.
A free event ticketing platform can help you organize and manage your evening and check people in from your mobile device without any stress.
A free event ticketing platform can help you organize and manage your evening and check people in from your mobile device without any stress.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/all-you-can-eat-buffet
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Recycling drive
Ask supporters to collect recyclable materials like cans, bottles, or even old tech, then use a local service to turn these items into funds.
Recycling drives work great for long-term fundraising. Keep your supporters engaged and remind them when and where they can drop off materials via your email marketing software.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/recycling-drive
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Scavenger hunt
Set up a themed scavenger hunt in your venue, neighborhood, or even across the entire town. Charge participants a small entrance fee and offer donated prizes for the winners.
Streamline ticket sales and create a central hub with a fundraising event page. All the energy you save can be spent making your event even more exciting!
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/scavenger-hunt
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Crowdfunding campaign
Collect online donations from friends, family, and community members by creating a fundraising page that lays out your needs and the impact that you will make with the money you raise. Use photos and videos to make your story more engaging, and use a goal bar to showcase your progress.
Be sure to follow crowdfunding best practices in order to make your campaign an even bigger success!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/crowdfunding-campaign
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Peer-to-peer
Pages & forms
Video Game Tournament
Host a tournament featuring the most popular video games. Charge entry fees for participants and offer donated prizes for winners. To make it digital, livestream the event so participants can play—and cheer each other on—from home.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/video-game-tournament
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Talent show
Host a talent show and invite supporters to take to the stage and show off their skills. Sell tickets, drinks, and snacks to raise funds for your cause.
Make the experience even more interactive with text-to-donate. Let audience members vote from their seats and help you raise money in real time.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/talent-show
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Tie-dye fundraiser
Invite students to bring t-shirts, tote bags, socks, and other light-colored items of clothing for a tie-dye party. Charge a small fee for entry and supplies, and have some extra clothing items on hand to sell, too.
If you produce a large volume lot of tie-dyed items, create a donation form or buy-now auction to sell them to your community!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/tie-dye-fundraiser
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Crawl for a cause
Build community and explore your city with a themed art, food, or experience crawl. Collect registrations on your fundraising event page, and partner with the featured venues to benefit from a percentage of ticket or food sales at each stop.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Examples
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/crawl-for-a-cause
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
School karaoke
A silly and fun way to raise funds, students pay a small donation to sing family-friendly karaoke songs over the school’s P.A. system or in a special assembly.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
Examples
.png)
.png)
https://givebutter.com/fundraising-idea/school-karaoke
Please enter a valid email address.
All
Events
Pages & forms
Looks like we don’t have any fundraising ideas matching that criteria 🔎
We're always cooking up new ideas, so check back soon for fresh picks!
Dive into our list of best fundraising ideas in the meantime
Explore related fundraising ideas
Get top features for your school fundraiser
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a fundraiser for my school?
Begin by identifying a specific need or cause, such as upgrading facilities or starting new clubs or programs. Next, brainstorm easy fundraising ideas for schools, such as bake sales, car washes, or themed events geared toward your community's interests.
Obtain approval from school administrators, rally volunteers, and promote your fundraising campaign far and wide. Don’t forget to thank all of your donors and attendees for their support!
What are the most popular school fundraisers?
The most popular fundraisers for school ideas appeal to both students and their families.
Setting up concession stands and selling baked goods at sports games and at field days are always appealing fundraising ideas for students, and they can bring in an impressive amount of money for your school.
You can also energize your community with classic a-thon fundraisers—like walkathons, read-a-thons, or color runs—that turn participation into school spirit.
What is the most profitable school fundraiser?
Finding good fundraising ideas for schools that make a big impact can depend on your budget and resources. However, large-scale ideas for school fundraisers like dances or festivals are usually a solid way to raise funds. Because these events engage students of all ages, families, and local communities, they tend to help causes reach their fundraising goals faster.
%201.png)
Subscribe to
The Butter Brief
Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox
Subscribed! Your fundraising journey just got a whole lot butter. 🧈
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Givebutter helps you turn ideas into impact
.webp)
Subscribe to
The Butter Brief
Get fundraising ideas, tips, and free resources right in your inbox
Subscribed! Your fundraising journey just got a whole lot butter. 🧈
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The most-loved fundraising platform
.png)
%201.png)
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
%201.webp){kind=icon}