Comments on: pta fundraising ideas?

By: iam1funnychick

iam1funnychick — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:23:59 +0000

We just made $21,000 with a school carnival. It takes a LOT to get up and running, but obviously it’s worth it. We also do a "non-fundraiser" fundraiser. We sent out a flyer saying "We hate fundraisers just as much as you do". We say that if we can get a certain amount, we won’t have to do any selling. We did quite well with this and many businesses contributed. A lot of the parents also had companies that would match their employees’ contributions. Also, it’s tax deductible!

We also started a school store. It’s making about $130 a week. It’s once a week, during lunch hours. The kids are LOVING it!

I don’t know if you are from a small/big city, but we have restaurants where we get a percentage of sales one night a month (you tell them you’re with the school, they put the receipt in a box). We make $180 a month with one burger joint, about $100 a month from a pizza joint, about $60 a month from a chicken joint!

Scholastic Book Fairs are another way to raise money. The kids love them! We make about $5,000 twice a year with them.
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By: elizabeth_ashley44

elizabeth_ashley44 — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:54:59 +0000

The bringing a dollar in to wear something silly to school idea is a fun one, but my school district has stopped doing it. It’s basically saying the kids whose families can’t afford to pay don’t get to participate. I never looked at it that way before, but I’m glad our policy has changed.

One fundraiser that’s really popular at a local middle school is pennies wars. Each class or grade level (or however you decide to divide it up) gets a big water jug. Kids can fill up the jugs with pennies for points. Kids can also put silver coins in other jugs to SUBTRACT points from those jugs. It’s a fun way to raise money through change.

You should also look into local restaurants and other family places to see if they can set up a night for your school. Chic-Fil-A is AWESOME when it comes to local charities- PTA members can work a night by refilling drinks and washing trays and whatnot, and the school will get a percentage of the money made that night.
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By: Lydia

Lydia — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:04:59 +0000

For holidays – before Christmas, Easter – have a craft fair in the gym. People from the community ‘rent’ tables, for maybe $20, and sell their handmade goods. PTA could have a bake sale at the same time.
Family dances are another great way our school raised money – from ticket sales and concession. Family BBQs, too – one in the fall and one in the spring.
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By: Krys M

Krys M — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:46:59 +0000

our PTA sets up two carnivals each year—one in the fall and one in the spring. Each child need to buys tickets to play the games (.25 each ticket or 20 for $5) the parents help man the booths(in half hour or hour shifts). We also have to preorder pizza if wanted. Parents are asked to donate deserts to be sold for .25 each. and the pta rents a pop machine to sell pop at .25 a glass.
They have all kinds of games that are easy to set up like ring toss, cake walk(yup donated cakes are the prizes), basketball toss, a craft table(maybe a small charge for this one, like a $1 or $2), face painting(free or for a fee, maybe a $1)and many more. there are lots of websites that have ideas. And each game gives away small candy prizes to all who play. 2 hour of fun for the entire family!! I know we have a blast every year.

This was for an elementary school(k-5), but could be adapted for older kids.
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By: LEDIA

LEDIA — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:00:59 +0000

McDonald night
My school does that, it raises 700 to 1000 dollars for two hours
McDonald’s give a % of sales, to the school

2 supermarkets, give 5% of gift cards
This is good, most parents buy food. Some people get 200 dollars a month, to buy food, that they will pay anyway

My daughter school does both, and raise money this way
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By: awommack

awommack — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:35:59 +0000

bake sales
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By: foxinsox

foxinsox — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:16:59 +0000

Congratulations on being an involved parent!

Ideas:

1) One school in our area does a "new to you" sale each year. All the items are donated and they raise about 30k!

The biggest problem with this is it requires a LOT of volunteerism!

I think our school could do it by selling spaces in the playground for $20.00 and letting families/crafters/vendors come sell their own stuff. This way there is NO real work for the school…other than advertising and clean up. All vendors would be responsible for the removal of their own items at the end of the day…contact the goodwill to have a truck there at the end of the day for anyone that doesnt want to cart off their unsellables.

2) Field day!

Have some cheesy carnival games (throw the toilet paper thru the toilet seat, pie toss at the principal, find the candy in the bucket of corn kernals) and hotdog cart.

3) Contact a restaurant (like Friendly’s or Perkin’s) They will have a "family night" where your school can come and a portion (10- 25%) of their sales to your school.

4) Box tops for education

5) Money Market (many of the stores…like home depot..grocery stores) if you buy gift cards thru the school instead of thru them will give you 10-25%.

6) Bowling

Have a fun bowling day at one of the local alleys. See if you can get a reduced rate for booking so many lanes and use the extra as profit. Hold contests during the games.

7) Balloon-day

In advance the kids can order/pay for balloons to be delivered to their friends. Parents can order/pay for balloons to be delivered to their children. The cost of the balloons to purchase and fill would be pennies…but they could sell for .75-1.00 each. (or flowers/cookies/etc)

see if one of your movie theaters..(second run or a big complex) would donate an off hours special viewing of a movie and donate the proceeds to the school…or the proceeds of the snack bar!

9) AUCTION

One of the schools in our area has an annual auction. Its a dinner JUST for the parents at the school. They pay to come (contact the high school or community college to see if the culinary students will donate some of their talents) Have some older students in the school available to be servers.

Enlist the art teacher and go to the goodwill (or ask parents to rummage thru their basements for items) Find a desk or chair.. old picture frames..etc) Have the students in each class decorate the items…(kindergarten parents are the best ones to target because they aren’t jaded yet..hehehe) decorate with fingerprints..handprints…etc.

Other auction ideas:

A parking pass! A special parking spot for parents that pick up their kids that let them go to the front of the line..closest spot to their kids dorr and lets them drive right up pick up/drop off and get out of dodge!!!! (One parent paid $200.00 for this!!)

Older students can make jewelry, purses, ornaments.

Many local museums will donate memberships as will karate schools, dance classes, art schools..etc…

10) Contact your local chamber of commerce, kiwanis, rotary, masons, business counil, moms club, mops club, etc…to see if your school can be the benefactor of one of their fundraisers!!!

11) SILLY PRINCIPAL!

Have the principal offer to do something ridiculous! (Ride a donkey thru the lunchroom, shave his beard, dress up like a leprechan, make a hundred snow angels, eat a watermellon without using her hands..whatever)

In each class room have a giant jar.. the kids can bring in their pennies to vote for which ridiculous thing the principal will do….the winning class gets to choose…or..set a goal..if the kids reach $1000.00 the principal will do the silly thing.

good luck!
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By: smile

*smile* — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:06:59 +0000

Our school has tons of dances (elementary). Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, Spring and end of School. It's $1.50 to get in and then they have cake walks (you have to buy tickets) It's 5 tickets for $1.00. Cake walk is 4 tickets. Toss games are 2 tickets. Parents can sell crafts and donate a portion to the school. They have some free stuff like face painting, hair color spraying and dance.
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By: maddy h

maddy h — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:29:59 +0000

1) you could make a mini-carnival. like set up a few stands in someone’s backyard and send out flyers. you could set up games like ring toss or balloon darts!

2) you could have a bake sale!

3) you could host a seniors’ night at a local place, and have games set up like bingo and checkers, and play oldies music.

4) have a ’supper’ where you cook like a pot luck and charge a $5 admission for adults, $2 children, and $3 for seniors.