PTAs, PTOs, and volunteers across the country power their fundraising campaigns with FutureFund. 100% of all funds raised go directly to your school!
See how FutureFund works or book a demo to see how it can work for you.
Updated November 2025
Easy to Implement
- Cookies
- Pies
- Cakes
- Pretzels & Pastries
- Ice Cream
- Butters & Spreads
- Jelly/Preserves
- Soup
- Chili
- Homemade Popsicles
Moderate to Implement
[sc name=”emailcta”][/sc]
There comes a time in every parent’s life when their child’s school requires funds for something. Between the art department’s trip to Spain, new equipment for the gymnasium, or new textbooks for the library, most schools need a little fundraising to help offset large costs that enrich their student’s academic experience.
As a member of the PTA, you think to yourself; “how can I run an event to raise money for my kid’s school, but make it fun?” Well, look no further. With the help of the fabulous ideas in this article and a useful tool like FutureFund, you’re sure to run a successful event that will hit your funding goal!
See also: more food fundraising ideas
Why Frozen Food?
Frozen food, according to the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and the Food Marketing Institute, generates almost $57 billion annually in the retail market. Ready-to-heat and easy-to-keep meals are attractive to the average home as they are quick to prepare and can be forgotten about in the deep freeze for months before being cooked and eaten. They’re a great way to stock up on meals without the worry of them spoiling overnight!
Frozen foods offer a great variety of choices to shoppers, from pastries to fully-prepped meals, making it easy for consumers to plan and make fewer trips to the grocery store. When it comes to using frozen foods for your fundraiser, there are tons of benefits:
- Easy to keep and store before the event
- Can source out a place to purchase in bulk
- Lots of variety
What to Do Before Starting Your Fundraiser
Before you throw together a bunch of ideas for your fundraiser, there are some things you should prepare that will help you organize a seamless event. Think logistics and planning, the boring (but necessary) stuff.
Set a Goal
The number one rule for fundraising: how much are you hoping to raise? Be sure to set an achievable goal to work towards before you start.
Find an Easy to Use Platform
Keeping things organized on Google Sheets can seem easy, but with multiple volunteers, dietary restrictions, items, and who knows what else, it’s easy to lose track of things. Using a platform like FutureFund, which is made to help PTA groups organize and collect funds for fundraisers is a surefire way to help your event run smoothly.
Gather Volunteers!
If you’ve ever had to host a kid’s birthday party, you likely know how difficult (and at times, frustrating) it can be to go it alone. When it comes to school events, be sure to campaign for volunteers through sign-up sheets and email blasts. FutureFund offers a volunteer management function that can help you stay organized.
When, Where, and Why?
You want to raise money – great! First off, why are you raising money? A big draw to your event will be the cause you’re hoping to fund. Next, decide when and where you’re going to hold it. Pro tip: Holding your fundraiser adjacent to a pre-existing school event, like a football game, is a great way to ensure great attendance.
Get Brainstorming!
Once you’ve gone through your list of to-dos before beginning your event, now you can start deciding what kind of frozen food you want to center your fundraiser around! Frozen food is incredibly versatile, so you can choose any angle when it comes to themes. Here are 15 great ideas to get you started:
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple to source, freeze, package, and sell |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (ingredients or pre-made dough, packaging) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-3 (baking, packaging, sales table) |
| Ideal For | All grade levels, bake sale add-ons, quick-turnaround fundraisers |
Who doesn’t love cookies? Cookies are a fabulous option for fundraisers because they can be frozen as raw dough, or after they’ve been baked. Plus, cookies can be made in 1001 ways, from chocolate chip to peanut butter-stuffed.
- Pies
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – widely available pre-made and easy to store |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (pie purchase or ingredient cost) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-4 (ordering, labeling, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Holiday season fundraisers, community events, take-home sales |
Pies galore! Whether you’re an apple pie supporter or a pumpkin pie lover, there is certain to be a pie for everyone. Pies can also come in sweet or savory, which means there’s genuinely something for every appetite.
- Cakes
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – requires minimal prep and easy freezer storage |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (cakes, ice cream cakes, or cheesecakes, pre-made or ingredients) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-3 (ordering, freezer management, distribution) |
| Ideal For | School celebrations, parent nights, seasonal drives |
When you think of frozen cakes, there are lots of different kinds you can offer. Typical cakes can easily be frozen, but you can also offer different types of cakes like ice cream and cheesecake!
- Pretzels & Pastries
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – small frozen items, fast turnover |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (pastries, pretzels, or ingredients, packaging) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-4 (sales, storage, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Concession stands, morning events, multi-day fundraisers |
From twisty, salty pretzels to cheese-filled danishes, having a selection of frozen goodies is a great way to garner some sales! You can charge less for these smaller treats, which can also lead to quicker sales!
- Pizzas
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires freezer space and vendor coordination |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (bulk pizzas or ingredients, packaging) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (order takers, distribution day helpers, order tracking) |
| Ideal For | Large school-wide campaigns, sports fundraisers, all grade levels |
When it comes to savory options, pizza is a great way to offer options that almost everyone is going to be attracted to. After all, who doesn’t like pizza?
- Ice Cream
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – minimal prep, sells quickly |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (ice cream tubs, cones/cups, toppings) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (serving, money handling, setup/clean up) |
| Ideal For | Warm-weather events, field days, summer festivals, after-school sales |
This idea is a bit easier for quick sales, as ice cream can be served and consumed right there at the fundraiser. Offer a choice of cup or cone and a few toppings for some exciting options that parents and kids alike won’t resist!
- Locally Sourced
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires coordination with families and food handling guidelines |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (labels, packaging) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6+ (parent volunteers for items, collecting items, labeling, organizing, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Community-centered events, cultural nights, holiday markets |
Just like a local bake sale, have kids and their parents bring in various homemade items (frozen, of course) to sell. You’ll often get a lot of great variety with this option, plus you might even get to try several recipes passed down for generations!
[sc name=”blogpostcta”]
- Butters & Spreads
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple to make or buy, freezes well |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (ingredients or purchased spreads, jars) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-3 (prep, labeling, sales) |
| Ideal For | Farmers market-style fundraisers, add-ons to larger events |
Butters and spreads are versatile items that can be made savory or sweet, and are easy to purchase or prepare! Whether you want to make up a block of garlic butter or buy some cinnamon spread at the local grocer, you’re set.
- Jelly or Preserves
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – straightforward prep and freezing |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (fruit, jars, labels) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-4 (prep, packaging, sales table |
| Ideal For | Seasonal markets, all grade levels, family events |
This option is great if you live in a rural neighborhood where there are lots of fruit farms or community members with gardens. Homemade jams, jellies, and preserves are easily frozen and even easier to label and sell!
- Fresh Meats
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate to difficult – requires strict storage and sourcing logistics |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (freezer space, bulk purchase from farms) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-8 (order tracking, storage, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Rural schools, community hunts, farm partnerships |
If there are farmers or avid hunters among the parent population at your school, selling fresh-caught or locally-raised meats can be an attractive option. Be sure to source out some vegetarian or vegan-friendly options too for those that might not eat meat!
- Soup
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – easy to batch, freeze, and label |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (ingredients, cooking) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-4 (cooking, portioning, labeling, sales, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Cold-weather fundraisers, holiday markets, take-home meal drives |
One thing that is great to freeze is soup! There are so many different combinations of soup that can easily be portioned and frozen for easy transport and selling.
- Chili
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – cooks and freezes easily (optional cook-off adds complexity and fun) |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks (3-4 if adding chili contest) |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (ingredients, containers, optional contest prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (cooking/portioning, sales, distribution; more if running a cook-off) |
| Ideal For | Fall events, sports fundraisers, chili cook-off add-on |
Like soup, chili is easy to portion and freeze. Up the ante with this idea with a precursor event – a chili off! Have volunteers submit their prize-winning chili recipe to be judged, and then portion and freeze the remainder to sell to the masses after the contest.
- Juices
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires juicer access and freezer capacity |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (fruits/vegetables, bottles, labels) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (juicing, bottling, labeling, sales) |
| Ideal For | Summer sales, family festivals, all grade levels, health-conscious community events |
If you or someone on your PTA owns a juicer, get to work! Juices can easily be frozen to be enjoyed at a later date, and so many different combinations can be made. Whether you’re doing classic orange or getting healthy with a kale apple pineapple, we’re sure your juice combinations will sell fast.
- Potatoes
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires prep (cutting, cooking) before freezing |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (potatoes, seasoning, packaging) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (prep, cooking, portioning, sales, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Year-round fundraisers, meal kit add-ons |
Potatoes are considered one of the most versatile vegetables for many reasons. They can be prepared in so many different ways! Tater tots to garlic mash, shoestring to scalloped, potatoes can be prepped, frozen, and enjoyed however you see fit.
- Homemade Popsicles
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – minimal ingredients, kid-friendly prep |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (fruit/juice, molds, sticks) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-4 (preparing, sales, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Spring/summer events, outdoor festivals, field days |
With the right molds, popsicles can be made in a variety of ways. You can make them creamy or icy; multicolored or just your favorite color. If the weather is warm outside, consider having you and your volunteers prep a bunch of frozen treats for folks to purchase and enjoy.
We Have Faith
Whatever you need to raise money for, with some of our starter ideas, we’re sure your fundraiser will be a resounding success. Also, consider a free trial of FutureFund to see if it can help you and your PTA group get organized and keep everything in order!
