Fun Fundraising Ideas to Raise Money for Schools

Shockingly, as many as one in eight local authority-maintained schools were reported to be in financial deficit between 2022 and 2023. Amongst numerous other endless expenses, including paying teachers and support staff, schools require funding to cover the cost of educational trips, classroom equipment and furniture, staff training, and vital renovations.

This is where the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) comes in. Generally, the PTA oversee the planning and putting-on of various fundraising events throughout the year.

Fundraising can often feel like a catch-22 situation, however: schools are in desperate need of money, yet many families in their community have been impacted by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and have little disposable income left at the end of the month.

In these challenging times, how can schools organise exciting events and still make a profit; and, how can schools strike the balance between fundraising and ensuring that families aren’t stretched to their limits or that children from low-income households aren’t missing out?

Fortunately, with a bit of community spirit and creative thinking, fundraising can be inclusive, innovative, and successful without breaking the bank.

We’ve listed 15 of our favourite cheap and cheerful PTA fundraising ideas that we hope will result in a healthy pot of money for your school.

15 of the best fundraising ideas for schools

1. Fashionable fundraising

When brainstorming ideas to raise money, you can’t go wrong with a classic non-uniform day. Themed and fancy-dress events are great, but the cost of materials and costumes could put some families under pressure and take the fun out of the event. Keep things simple with a good old fashioned ‘own clothes’ day, with each student donating a small sum for the privilege.

2. On your marks...

Many schools host a student sports day… Now it’s time to switch it up a bit!
Timetable a mixture of both child and adult categories for an afternoon to remember.
You could even schedule some children vs parents events but be warned: things could get competitive!

thimbl.’s top five sports day activities for both kids and adults:

• Egg-and-spoon race
• Beanbag race
• Wheelbarrow race
• Three-legged race
• Skipping race

3. A 'fair' deal

While school fairs are typically held over summer and Christmas, there’s no reason why you can’t host one at any other time of the year. You could put on a fair to celebrate autumn, spring, Halloween, Easter, or simply ‘just because’!
With some dedicated planning, good coordination, and a helping hand from invaluable volunteers, fairs are unsurprisingly one of the most common fundraising ideas for primary schools.

Some popular fair staples include:

• Lucky dip
• Tombola
• Face painting
• Facial glitter art
• Temporary tattoos
• Biscuit decorating
• Name the teddy
• Guess the number of jellybeans in a jar
• Football shootout (bonus points if a teacher volunteers to be goalie!)
• Pet show

4. Dance the night away

Many of us have fond memories of our primary school discos, which usually involved dancing to the Macarena, Superman, and Steps’ 5, 6, 7, 8, giddy on Panda Pops and candy bracelets - the good old days!

Even now, the beauty of a school disco is that it doesn’t take much equipment to make it a massive success. All you need is some funky lights, a few refreshments, and a playlist of hits to get everyone on their feet. You can buy rotating disco lights for just £8.99 at B&Q, and 1kg packets of pick and mix sweets can be found on Amazon for £11.99.
Dim the lights, set the disco balls shimmering, and crank up the cheesy tunes.

5. Party like it's 1999

Remember all the wonderful disco memories we talked about in the section above? Recreate the nostalgia and throw a disco for the parents!

thimbl.’s top ten songs for a 90s/00s throwback disco:

• Barbie Girl – Aqua
• Saturday Night – Whigfield
• Reach – S-Club 7
• C’est La Vie – B*Witched
• Cotton Eyed Joe – Rednex
• Wannabe – Spice Girls
• Cha Cha Slide – DJ Casper
• Sk8er Boi – Avril Lavigne
• Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65
• Year 3000 – Busted

You could also sell raffle tickets with the winning number bagging themselves this awesome 90s-themed sweet box.

6. Teachers Got Talent

Calling all teachers with hidden talents…
Is Mr Jones a bit of a dark horse when it comes to breakdancing?
Has Miss Smith been known to rap an entire verse of an Eminem hit?
Could Mr Taylor’s vocal range give Harry Styles a run for his money?
It’s time for the teacher talent show, and we’ve no doubt that this one will be a sellout!

If you can take the heat, you could even invite the children to sit in on a judging panel.
In our opinion, this is one of the most fun fundraising ideas that will make for a truly memorable occasion.

7. Hit the notes, for the notes!

Invite teachers and students to show off their singing skills with a school karaoke session. How about arranging it as an end-of-term treat for the last day before the Christmas or summer holidays?

8. PJ & movie night

Transform the school hall into a cinema with the bonus of a cosy pyjama night. Shrek and Toy Story are modern day classics for younger audiences, while Harry Potter and Roald Dahl’s The Witches are fantastic options for older students.
Hosting your movie night in December? Home Alone and Elf are timeless festive choices.

Stocking up on snacks? Head to Aldi for budget buys. 110g bags of popcorn can be purchased for just 99p, and 8-packs of Fruity Blasts juice drinks are available for £1.69.

9. The Great School Bake Off

From cookies and cupcakes to brownies and banana bread, you’ll be hard pushed to find someone that doesn’t love a bake sale. Ask parents, children, and fellow teachers to bring in treats and sell them at a school coffee morning event.

Forking out on the ingredients needed to whisk up a storm can be pricey, but fortunately, the BBC has put together handy lists of three ingredient desserts and budget-friendly bakes.
When announcing the bake sale, you could circulate some of these low-cost recipe ideas, so parents aren’t left feeling under pressure or anxious about spending money.

10. Make a splash

One for the summer months, this event is sure to be a hit with the kids.
Schedule a water fight for the last hour of the day so everyone can go straight home to change or plan it for after school.

Affordable water pistols can be purchased on sites such as Amazon, but the fun doesn’t need to end there! If you’re looking for inspiration, check out this blog for some brilliant ideas, including water limbo, water balloon toss, and sponge relay.

11. Second-hand savvy

Suggest a mass school sort-out, with teachers, parents, and kids donating their unwanted belongings. Once you have a decent number of items, dedicate a whole morning to a second-hand bring-and-buy sale, with all proceeds going to the school.
To make the morning really stand out, you could even put on a fashion show, with teachers modelling some of the clothes on offer.

12. Going once...!

Are any of your students a whizz at origami, a hugely talented painter, or a passionate cross stitcher?
Tap into your students’ creativity by hosting a school gallery and auction where family and friends can bid on the children’s works of art.
Auctions are fantastic ways to raise money and how thrilling for the children to see their work in such high demand!

13. Book smart

Calling all bookworms!
Start a school readathon challenge and encourage students to set themselves a target number of books from the school library to read over a certain period of time. Money is raised through the children asking their family and friends for donations as they ace their way through the challenge.
Donations could be in the form of £1 for each book read or 50p for every hour spent reading.

14.Dare a teacher

Ask each teacher to come up with a fun ‘pledge,’ which will be carried out if a certain amount of money is raised.

Here's a few ideas to get your started:

• Mr Smith will allow his class five extra minutes of breaktime every Friday between now and the end of the term if £3 is raised.
• Miss Jones will wear a pink wig around school for a whole week if £5 is raised.
• Mr Taylor will eat school dinner in the canteen if £10 is raised.

15. A load of rubbish

Fundraising ideas for schools that benefit the wider community strengthen bonds and relationships within your local area.
Gather together a group of keen volunteers and descend on your town for a sponsored litter pick. This is also a great way to teach kids about the importance of recycling and looking after the environment.

Spread the word

Now that you’ve got your events planned, you’re going to want to spread the word far and wide to gain as much support (and money) as possible.

1. Involve the community

Ask whether your closest library, shops, and restaurants would be willing to display posters advertising your event and invite community police officers and local MPs as VIP guests.

2. Seek publicity through your local newspaper or magazine

There are plenty of ways to use the local press to your advantage. Consider placing an advert detailing your upcoming fundraiser, submit a post-event write-up with details of the next activity planned, or ask a reporter or journalist to attend and pencil their own review.

3. Use of social media

As of January 2024, 82.8% of the UK use social media. Whether you’re requesting donations for your second-hand sale or aiming for a sell-out performance at the teacher’s concert, your fundraising campaign is sure to reach a wider audience online. Local community groups are a good place to start when raising your profile.

4. A little help from friends

They say that ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ and the wonderful thing about communities is that someone usually knows someone who can help.
Perhaps a local printing company would be happy to supply some posters free of charge or maybe one of the dads is a bit of a budding DJ and would be willing to lend his equipment for the disco.

How much should I charge?

Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, when it comes to smaller fundraisers for schools, it might be a good idea to allow parents and students to decide on their own donation, rather than asking for a set amount. Some families may be able to give generously, while others might not be able to spare anything.
For larger events, such as concerts and discos, you might consider suggesting a minimum donation to ensure that you’re making your money back on any expenses.

With this being said, it’s important that students and their families don’t feel excluded from fun occasions due to their financial situation. Parents could choose to donate in other ways; for example, by baking goodies as a post-water fight snack, offering to do the facepainting at the fair, or volunteering their time to set up and clear away afterwards.
Every little helps, and while fundraising is essentially carried out with the aim of raising money, it’s equally important to have fun and make memories along the way.

The information contained in this article does not constitute advice and should not be viewed as such.
October 2024.