15+ Unique School Fundraiser Ideas

Human Fruit Slot Machine Fundraiser

Coal Valley PTA in Coal Valley, Illinois, incorporated a human fruit machine into their fall festival. To turn this game into a fundraiser, attendees pay for tickets to play the slot machine. Check it out in action below!

@ptotoday This #humanfruitmachine will be everyone’s fave stop at your school’s Fall festival! More unique school fundraiser ideas at PTOtoday.com/trending 📸 Coal Valley PTA in Coal Valley, IL #fyp #ptolife #ptopresident #ptapresident #fallfestival #schoolfundraiser #fundraising #games #schoolvolunteer #humanslotmachine ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

Stuffie Sleepover Fundraiser

As a kid, having your favorite stuffed animal spend the night at your school is pretty much the coolest thing ever. In true fashion, creative PTOs have taken this fun idea and turned it into a successful school fundraiser. Think about how much you want to charge (e.g., $5 or $10 per stuffed animal). Once the animals are dropped off, have a few volunteers available to take photos of the stuffed animals doing fun things in classrooms and on school grounds: playing with the parachute in gym, cutting shapes out of construction paper, reading in the library, and eating a snack in the caf. (This is also a fun follow-up activity after a Stuff a School Mascot event!)

Adamsville Primary School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, had a lot of success with their first ever stuffie sleepover. The PTO shared it was a 95% profit fundraiser, with their only expense being the photos they shared with families after the event. They charged $10 per stuffed animal and offered three drop off times for families (parents could bring a stuffed animal to the PTO meeting, students could bring their stuffed animal to school in a sealed bag with the ID tag, or parents could drop it off afterschool). Adamsville PTO had four volunteers at the school on a Saturday for around 3.5 hours to take photos of 47 stuffed animal friends at the playground, cafeteria, gym, music room, tech room, art room and classrooms. The PTO returned the stuffed animals to classroom teachers on Monday morning for students to take home. Each student received three photos from the PTO: a group photo of all the stuffed animals, a photo of their stuffie with the school mascot, and a photo of their stuffie doing something fun at school.

Photo credit: Bernie Andersen, Adamsville Primary School PTO, Bridgewater, New Jersey

Candy Cart (or Snack Shack) Fundraiser

Stock up on candy or snacks at Sam's Club to sell at a "candy cart" or "snack shack" during lunch or after school one or two days a week. (Psst: we heard Takis are a hot commodity at elementary and middle schools🔥) 

Jeans Day Fundraiser (free Jeans Pass Canva template) 

Ask all the teachers you know and they'll agree: a jeans day is the bomb diggity. Here's how it works: Your PTO sets the price - for example, charge $10 for a sheet of five jeans passes. Parents select how many jeans day passes they want to purchase for each teacher and your PTO keeps the funds raised. Once purchased, teachers receive their jeans passes and scan the QR code to "cash in" on their jeans day. Use our FREE Jeans Day Pass Canva template 

Deck the Lockers Fundraiser

Forget about decking the halls...deck the lockers instead and raise money for your school during the holiday season! Ask families to donate rolls of wrapping paper. Then, charge a set amount for each locker and staff door. Volunteers then "wrap" the doors for a festive school spin on decking the halls! Cass City Red Hawk PTO charged $4 per locker and $5 per staff door and raised just over $1,600. More fun holiday traditions for schools 

@ptotoday Deck the lockers! This festive fundrasier raised just over $1,600 ✨ 📸 Cass City Red Hawk PTO #ptolife #schoolfundraiser #ptopresident #ptamom #ptomom ♬ Deck the Halls Fa La La - Fat Cat

School Cookbook Fundraiser

Highlight the uniqueness and diversity of cultures that span across your school community by sharing collected recipes from families, teachers, and school staff in a school cookbook.

Hat Pass Fundraiser

Endy Elementary PTO sells an annual "hat pass" for $25 that allows students to wear a hat every Friday ("Hat Day") for the school year. Parents can also purchase a one-time hat pass for $1.

Sock Hop Dance Fundraiser 

Invite parents and students to dress up in attire from the 1950s attire for a fun night at a sock hop dance! 

School Spirit Rock Fundraiser

Rent the rock for birthdays, teacher celebrations, and more. As an alternative to a rock, some schools use their school marquee, sign, or a banner with text they can easily change out. Charge $10-$25 for a parent to "rent" the rock and feature a special message. 

Adult Prom (aka "Mom Prom") Fundraiser

With this fun fundraiser, parents get to take a trip down memory lane by getting dolled up for an adults-only prom at school! Try a fun theme, like the 80s or 90s decade, to get parents pumped to attend. 

Croc Charms Fundraiser

Our kids' Crocs are having a moment. Leave it to a PTO parent to turn Croc charms into a school spirit building fundraiser...a great way to build school spirit while tapping into a trend students love. Custom straw toppers are another great trendy item to consider! 

Pie a Teacher Fundraiser

A "pie a teacher" fundraiser is a great one to do on Pi Day (March 14), National Pie Day (January 23), or any time of year, really! Students purchase a ticket for 50 cents to cast a vote for a teacher they'd like to see get a pie in the face. Those teachers are some good sports!

Sticker Machine Fundraiser 

A sticker machine is a great passive fundraiser. Sticker machines run around $400 (like this sticker machine from CandyMachines.com). If your PTO plans to stock the machine with your own stickers, you'll also need these empty flat vending folder sleeves. Stickers that are popular with students include Pokemon, Squishmallows, Taylor Swift (of course!) and seasonal/holiday stickers, like Halloween. Tip: before stocking your machine, be sure to look through all the stickers if purchasing online; occasionally PTOs have come across a few that are not appropriate for school. 

Sticker Picker Fundraiser

During a "sticker picker" fundraiser, your PTO sells stickers (for example, one sticker for 50 cents, or three stickers for $1.00). Here's the fun part: first, you'll need to mark a few lucky stickers on the back. Whoever gets the lucky stickers win a prize!

Celebrate National Rubber Ducky Day with an Adopt-a-Duck Fundraiser

This fun adopt a duck fundraiser is a great one to do ahead of National Rubber Ducky Day (January 13). Charge students a flat fee (like $2) to adopt a rubber ducky.

@latoya.turner4 The LHS SGA needs your help in finding a home for our new friends!!! Adopt-A-Duck for $2!! #co2024 ♬ Happy Cute & Playful - Yevhen Lokhmatov

Flocking Flamingos or a "You've Been Ducked" Fundraiser

Here's how a flocking flamingo fundraiser works: parents pay to have a friend's yard flocked with a dozen pink flamingos which are placed on the lawn or porch overnight. They are asked to pay a fee that your PTO sets (e.g., $20-$30) to have “flamingo removal experts” remove the flock. "Flocking insurance" can also be paid to ensure the flock doesn't end up in your yard. The fun isn't just for flamingos, though: try a seasonal theme, like ghosts yard stakes for a "You've Been Boo'ed" fundraiser in October, or leave rubber duckies in yards to celebrate National Rubber Ducky Day on January 13 ("You've Been Ducked").

@christenrush PTO FLAMINGO FLOCKING FUNDRAISER 🦩🩷 #pto #fundraiser #doitforthekids #pta #ptomoms #friends #shenaningans #momsoftiktok #dontbesuspicious ♬ Don't Be Suspicious - Parody Mix - Pojammer

Potty with a Purpose Fundraiser

Looking to one up that flocking flamingo fundraiser? Potty with a Purpose is a popular fundraiser among high schools as a fundraiser for prom, but it could also work as a regular school fundraiser, too (just think of all the buzz it'll generate!). When the colorful potty shows up in your yard, you can pay to have it removed and delivered to a friend's yard. And of course, there's the option to pay a "potty insurance" which guarantees said potty from showing up in your yard again. (Ummm...worth it 😂)

@baronessofbliss Most creative fundraiser ever! #smalltown #fundraiser #prom #virginia #swva #appalachia ♬ original sound - Amanda Killen

Penny Wars (Coin Wars) Fundraiser

Sometimes referred to as "coin wars", a penny wars fundraiser is a great way to earn quick cash for your school. Here's how to organize a penny wars fundraiser.

@ptotoday This popular #schoolfundraiser is easy to organize and can raise a LOT of money quickly! Learn how to organize one at www.ptotoday.com/penny #pennywars #ptopresident #ptapresident #fundraiserideas #ptolife ♬ SHIMMY SONGTRADR 30 HIT WONDER - Artist manager manager

Bubble Run Fundraiser

A bubble run is a fun spin on a school fun run. To make the bubbles, PTO leaders in our community recommend this Foam Daddy Cannon, a tripod stand, and hypoallergenic Foam Daddy gel solution (1 gallon makes 400 gallons of foam, which lasts approximately 2-3 hours). You can also use this bubble maker for foam parties - a fun prize to motivate students to meet school fundraising goals!

@ptotoday Bubble run - such a fun spin on a school fun run! #schoolfundraiser #funrun #ptolife #ptopresident #schoolvolunteerlife ♬ Chichiquetere - HCTM

Turkey Feather Fundraiser

During a Turkey Feather Fundraiser, every classroom has a featherless turkey that needs feathers. Students purchase feathers for $1. The class who collects the most feathers for their classroom turkey gets to see their teacher dress up as a turkey for the day (check out this comfy turkey onesie from Amazon). This is a fun, easy fundraiser to do ahead of Thanksgiving break!

@saraa_jamess The money we raised from this fundraiser goes right back to our students! We will be using it to purchase incentives for all of our students’ hard work and great behavior ❤️🫶🏼 #schoolfundraiser #schoolspirit #turkey #teacher #kindergartenteacher #kindergarten #disguiseaturkey #disguiseaturkeyproject ♬ original sound - Sara James

Duct Tape the Principal to the Wall Fundraiser

A popular fundraiser at elementary schools, families pay to purchase strips of duct tape. At the end of the fundraiser, PTO volunteers get to duct tape the (very good-spirited) principal to the wall. Here's everything you need to know about duct taping a principal to the wall.

Cereal Drive Fundraiser

A cereal drive fundraiser is a great community service project that gets the whole school involved in helping your wider community. A great time to do a cereal drive is during the Thanksgiving season, or in the spring ahead of National Cereal Day (March 7). Set a goal and encourage families to donate boxes of cereal. The cereal fundraiser culminates with a cereal drive domino train set up throughout the school.

@ptotoday Awesome idea that your PTO or PTA can champion in November! Nice work, @neisdschools 👏🎉 #thanksgiving #schoolvolunteer #ptolife #ptomom #ptamom #ptodad #ptadad #cerealdominoeffect ♬ original sound - PTO Today ✨School Family Media

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