School Fundraiser ideas

[rt2dz]

You are on the wrong website for this. Go HERE!!

You'll even come up with many, many other ideas. You might also want to try the book Beyond the Bake Sale by Jean C. Joachim

One of the things I love are penny wars. You get big buckets, jars, banks, whatever (you might get a restraurant to donate items from bulk supplies. Banks have also been known to donate) and put them in front of classes. The kids then bring in coins for about a month. They get one point for every penny in their container in front of their class. They get points deducted for any other coin in their jar. The deducted points are equal to the coin amount. So, they are putting pennies in their container and nickles, dimes & quarters in other classes containers. They get pretty competitive and can pull in a bunch of money ($1000 range). It costs you nothing. It takes no time on PTOs part after getting the containers (make sure people can't pull money out) except for counting coins. And you could use coin star for that.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

I noticed you are in GA, I am as well. Our school district sells really nice coupon books called "Enjoy the city". It has coupons for restaurants you would actually take your family too (Chick-fil-a, O'Charlie's, TGIF, McDonald's etc.) as well as other services (oil changes, groceries, moveis, and other stuff). I'm sure they have specific areas they serve, but they have been a great fundraiser!

 

[disykat]

We sell wrapping paper and junk. We make 10K and it's our only fundraiser. A McDonald's night nets less than $500. Just make sure your catalog company has a donation option where all your money goes straight to the cause (and publicize it!) and that you get 50% of any merchandise sales(and publicize that too!).

I've run the fundraiser several years and I don't buy the junk - I take the donation option. I'm always surprised at how few people take that option. It's like your raising the dues and not having a fundraiser option - people SAY that's what they want, but they don't put their money where their mouths are.

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

I'm chairperson for a Winter Carnival - games, raffles, food, prizes. We made $8K this year and everyone loves being able to get out on a cold winter night.

 

[clarabelle]

You are on the wrong website for this. Go HERE!!

You'll even come up with many, many other ideas. You might also want to try the book Beyond the Bake Sale by Jean C. Joachim

One of the things I love are penny wars. You get big buckets, jars, banks, whatever (you might get a restraurant to donate items from bulk supplies. Banks have also been known to donate) and put them in front of classes. The kids then bring in coins for about a month. They get one point for every penny in their container in front of their class. They get points deducted for any other coin in their jar. The deducted points are equal to the coin amount. So, they are putting pennies in their container and nickles, dimes & quarters in other classes containers. They get pretty competitive and can pull in a bunch of money ($1000 range). It costs you nothing. It takes no time on PTOs part after getting the containers (make sure people can't pull money out) except for counting coins. And you could use coin star for that.

thanks- I added the website to my favorites!

 

[KelNottAt]

My kids' school sells Market Day products. They make about $1,000 per month. The products ain't exactly cheap, but the meats and veggies are good, the snacks are popular, and the portion controls are really good for those of us on diets.

 

[bigmerle1966]

If you have a Krispy Kreme I know they have fundraiser programs.

 

[SC Minnie]

DD's elementary school had a carnival they called Rodeo Days (their mascot was the colts and the school is built on an old farm). Each class has a booth and game, the kids and parents volunteer to work these. Tickets for 25 cents a piece were purchased to play the games. The school got prizes donated. They had a food sales sponsored by a local restaurant and silent auctions that raised a lot of money. Each class had a theme for their 'basket' and people bid all day long. Some of the 'baskets' were coolers filled with picnic items and yard games, a work/tool bucket filled with various tools, a spa basket, etc.

 

[malibuconlee]

Does anyone do the school carnivals anymore? I still remember doing the cakewalk in the kindergarten room.

How about an auction/garage sale where families donate thing to be sold? It could be stuff they no longer want/need, or you could get families to put together baskets to be auctioned off. Like a movie basket with a movie, popcorn, candy, or a family game night basket with a board/card game pizza gift cert.

I know I hate buying the overpriced stuff from the kids when they come around and always feel guilty about not buying when my nephew is selling. I just don't need it. I'd rather go to a carnival, eat a sloppy joe and diet coke, then play games.

 

[mchames]

The PTA at our elementary school raises over $100,000 a year through the following fundraisers:
Sally Foster Wrapping Paper (I HATE this one, but it brings in ALOT of money)
Halloween Carnival
Scholastic Book Fair (PTA can get books and supplies instead of cash)
Pauction! Its a Party, It's an Auction! (LOTS of WORK, but brings it $$$$)

We also do:
Box Tops
Grocery Store Partnerships (Kroger & Publix)

There may be some others, though these are the main ones.

Mary

 

[cinmell]

My daughter's school sold Yankee Candles thru GBI Marketing (I think that was the company). Our school also does an Auction, Las Vegas Night, Pumpkin Patch (sell snacks and pumpkins to decorate, have games, etc.), Bunny breakfast in April, a Christmas Children's function to sell homemad decorations and decorate gingerbreads, and had hot chocolate and read Polar Express and book fairs. Our Guild runs most of these activities and raffles. They also held a night in December where you paid $25 and you could decorate a wreath (supplies were either donated or given to our school at a heavily discounted price by local retailers).

Smaller things they do are boxtops for eduction, cans/bottles drive on the first Saturday of each month and they also ask families to turn in used printer cartridges and old cell phones. They can turn them in for $$$.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

My favorite fundraiser is the school carnival. Our school usually nets about $25-30,000 from it. Each classroom has a carnival game that costs 1 or 2 tickets (sold in advance 4 for $1, 3 for $1 the day of). Except for the cake and cookie walk (where the prize is the cake or cookie), game prizes are usually tickets (of a different color! ), which are later put together and the kids can use them to "buy" prizes, a la Chuck E. Cheese's.

In the meantime, there is a silent auction going on in the gym. Each class puts together a theme basket to be auctioned off. Donations are also collected from local businesses as well as parents. There's everything from a $10 gift card to a cheesy little indoor amusement park, to a weekend in a condo in Vail.

The first year is the hardest, because you have to put together all the props for the carnival games. After that, you just reuse them each year.

I love it because it's fun, it raises a lot of money, and you don't have to ask others to buy things. I hate the sales fundraisers.

 

[clarabelle]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Kirby]

You couldn't do this until next fall but how about contracting with a local nursery and selling poinsettas? The drill team at my son's high school netted over $13,000 doing this last year.

The elementary school my daughter went to did real well with Yankee Candle.

What about a read-a-thon? Find people to pledge so many cents per hour spent reading. This has worked well here. And offer prizes to the top reader of each grade. The prize for this this last year was a ride to McDonald's in a limo and a free dinner there. Not great for an adult but the kid's loved it!

Do you have a golf course near by? Set up with them to run a golf tournament. Have companies pay to sponsor a hole.

 

[soccerchick]

My DD's school does many of the things listed here. One I didn't see thoughm was Bingo. I think it raised about $2500 and they combined it w/Halloween and people could wear their costumes ~Spooky Bingo. THey do it again in the spring, but it sells out in the fall.

Our school Carnival is for Mardi Gras and it is similar to what was described a few posts above. Each class has a booth, they do the cake walk, rock climbing, moon bounce, food, etc. I like it because I don't mind spending the same amount I'd spend to go to the movies and get snacks on family entertainment right up the street w/ proceeds going for a good cause.

Other things I've seen done were jump-rope-a-thon, read-a-thon, and Scholastic Book fairs. Other restaurants around here I've seen do the sponsor night include Cold Stone Creamery, Maggie Moos, Red Hot and Blue, and Jerry's Pizza.

 

[Poohnatic]

See's candies

www.marketdays.com. This is a once a month program, but it can reap huge profits for the school. I've missed it since I moved to Florida, and keep thinking I should bug the PTA prez about it.

Suzanne

 

[PaulaSue]

Thanks for ALL the ideas. I will pass along the web site to our PTO president. I would LOVE to do a different one this year. We do the gift/wrap one and it is really getting old fast.

Our school district only allows each school to do one fundraiser a year. Our mayday and book fair is always at our cost to the parnets, we don't make a dime, most of the time lose money. We do box tops and cans since school doesn't count that as a "real" fundraiser.

 

[ahutton]

The fundraiser I buy from every year (a coworker's son is in band) is live wreaths and garlands at Christmas. They are a little expensive, but really nice and lots of people at our office bought them.

The other one we go to every year is market days with lots of local artists and shop owners. The Booster Club charges a $3 cover for the school and they have huge participation.

 

[fb309]

The school near here sold candles; made quite a bit of money on it, I think.

 

[bobcat]

Wreath and pointsettia sales have been very good for my kids elementary PE program. They have paid for climbing walls at both schools, new playground equipment, and lots of extras.

I like Zap a Snacks as a fund raiser. Good quality and easy to do.

Penny wars have been popular at our school.

I was suckered, um I mean asked, to be our Jr. High PTSO president this year and we recycle printer cartriges, do Box tops, do a concession stand at the basketball games, and our big fundraiser has been a walk a thon.

I love seeing all these ideas!