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Updated November 2025
Table of Contents
Easy to Implement
- Hotdog/Pie Eating Contest
- Movie Marathon
- Comedy Show/Roast
- Sell a Parking Spot
- Social Media Challenge
- Spelling Bee
- Eco-Friendly Plant Competition
- Duct Tape the Principal to the Wall
- Karaoke
- Homeroom Decoration Contest
- Sponsorship Letters
- Scrabble Tournament
- Capture the Teacher/Principal
Moderate to Implement
- Tug O’ War: Teachers vs Teams
- Battle of the Bands
- Design Showcase and Silent Auction
- Color Run
- MORP
- Pool Party
- Lunch and Learn: How to Do a Comedy Set
- Alice in Wonderland Themed Tea Party
- Go to the Prize Box
- Flip Flop Decoration Contest
- Golf Cart Cash Bar
- Haunted House
- Eco-Friendly Science Fair
- Dive-In Movie
- Art Showcase and Silent Auction
- Car Wash
- Pet a Puppy: Finals Stress Relief
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Hotdog/Pie Eating Contest
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – Straightforward setup with pies, tables, and a timer |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (pies/hot dogs and buns, water jugs table covers, small prize) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (registration, setup, judges, clean up) |
| Ideal For | School festivals, community events, add-on for larger 4th of July events |
Have contestants pay an entry fee for the chance to be the hotdog/pie eating champion!
Tug O War: Teachers Vs Teams
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires coordination of teachers, students/sports team |
| Time to Implement | 3–5 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (rope, signage, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8–12 (referees, safety monitors, setup) |
| Ideal For | Spirit week, field days end-of-year pep rallies |
This competition is the perfect opportunity to see who’s the strongest: the teachers or the student sports teams!
Ask 10 teachers and 10 students to volunteer to be on a tug-o-war team to go head to head against one another. Then, allow the students to vote to see who they want to go up against each other by putting money into their chosen person’s lock box.
At the end of the voting period, the top 5 teachers and the top 5 students who have the most money in their boxes will make up the tug-o-war teams that will compete against each other.
Feel free to set this event on a Saturday and turn it into an all day festival-style party, or just have it as a part of a pep rally on an early release Friday.
Battle Of The Bands
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires a venue, audio equipment, and performer coordination. |
| Time to Implement | 6–10 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (stage setup, speakers, lighting, prizes, and signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8–12 (stage crew, judging or scorekeeping, AV support, ticketing, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | High schools, modern or contemporary music programs, and community-wide events |
Allow the students to showcase their musical abilities in a good ole fashioned battle of the bands! Allow 5-7 bands to sign up and pay a registration fee and charge an admission fee for the spectators to come listen.
You can turn this into a concert on the grass style event, where the bands play outside on a bigger stage where theres more space for seating, or you can plan it to be more like an indoor talent show thats inside and easier for crowd control.
Either way, allow the patrons to enjoy the music and vote on their favorite band!
Design Showcase And Silent Auction
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires designer participation & auction |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (tents, tables, stands) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–8 (setup, auction management, admissions) |
| Ideal For | Families, art enthusiasts, community members |
Allow your students to enter their homemade design creations in a showcase with the potential of a patron bidding to take it home. The design creations can include anything: needlework, clothing design, yarn creations. Anything!
This event will allow the students to show a side of themselves that their peers and community otherwise wouldn’t be able to see, and provides them with a creative outlet while allowing for a fundraising opportunity! PTA/PTO can also offer an award for the item that’s sold for the highest bidder.
Color Run
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires careful planning, setup, volunteers, and supplies |
| Time to Implement | 6–8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (powders, safety gear, cleanup) |
| Volunteers Needed | 15–25 (registration, water stations, logistics) |
| Ideal For | Spring fundraisers; family participation events |
Plan a 5k, 10k, half marathon, or full marathon in a color run style! Upon registration, collect a fee and remind the participants to wear as much white as they can for the race. Then set up different color stations at different intervals along the race!
Include a variety of ways to die the participants: precolored water balloons, actual powdered dye, squirt guns filled with water. The possibilities are endless! By the end, the particpants will be exhausted, splattered, and ready to participate in another color run.
Morp
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires indoor venue, music, and activity planning |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (decor, snacks, DJ/sound system, lighting) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–10 (chaperones, ticketing, concessions, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | High school spirit events, alternative dances, fundraiser-friendly social nights |
Sell tickets to MORP! Morp is prom backwards, which means that everything the students would do for prom, they do the opposite for morp.
Usually get a fancy dress/new suit? Go in sweats. Usually spend a fortune on make up and a fancy hair style? No (or minimal) make up and throw that hair into a messy bun. Usually go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner? McDonalds today baby! If the PTO/PTA wants to decorate, make the space look really relaxed like a students bedroom.
Add silly posters to the walls, include some couches if there are any available, and play music where the students can either dance or sit and just hang out.
Pool Party
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – venue, lifeguards, and safety rules required |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$–$$$ (venue fees if applicable, lifeguard staffing if not provided by venue, concessions, decor) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–10 (check-in, concessions, activity oversight, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Summer celebrations, family events, community pools, sports teams, all age groups |
Come together with your community pool and plan a pool party where the PTO/PTA can either collect all of the funds from the event or they can share them with the pool facility. Allow your patrons to bring whatever floaties or other pool equipment they want, and call up some food trucks to provide lunch/snacks for your hungry swimmers. Some food trucks will allow the organization that invited them to share some of the proceeds from the event so don’t forget to ask when you invite them.
Other than that, provide some music to listen to while swimming and maybe a few bubble machines. The party will be the talk of the town for weeks afterwards!
Lunch And Learn: How To Do A Comedy Set
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – finding a topic expert, coordinating dates and availability |
| Time to Implement | 3–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (speaker lunch, light refreshments) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–4 (coordination, setup) |
| Ideal For | Educational fundraisers or community engagement events |
For a fee, teach the students to write and perform a comedy set from the bottom up. Allow them to test their skills in front of their classmates a few days/weeks after the class by hosting a…
Comedy Show/Roast
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple AV setup and low logistical complexity |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (microphone/speaker rental if not donated, setup, signage, small prize) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (emcee support, ticketing, seating, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Community nights, school assemblies, drama clubs, family-friendly events |
Allow anyone who wants to show their chops to put out their best material in a stand up comedian style show or allow the students to roast a brave individual.
Charge the roasters a fee to participate and feel free to have someone go over the jokes before the actual roast to make sure everyone is comfortable with the material. Event organizers can also charge the audience to watch the show but just don’t forget to let them pick a Comedy King or Queen after the event is over.
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Alice In Wonderland Themed Tea Party
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires themed décor, table settings, costume-friendly setup, and shift scheduling |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (tea, treats, decorations, themed props, tableware) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–10 (setup, serving, registration, cleanup, shift management) |
| Ideal For | Elementary & middle schools, themed events, family-friendly fundraisers, indoor celebrations |
Put together the fantasy land from the Alice in Wonderland tea party scene and collect donations to attend! As always, costumes are encouraged but not required and feel free to have a few sign up slots for the party so the guests come in shifts instead of all at once. That way, it’ll make the party more manageable for the organizers and truly allow each person to have the full tea party experience.
Movie Marathon
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – just need space & movies |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (licensing if needed, snacks, seating) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 to manage setup, concessions, cleanup |
| Ideal For | Family-friendly evening or pajama day event |
Charge a flat fee per person for a movie marathon! Pull a series of classic movies that your students haven’t seen before and show it as a movie marathon on a Saturday or over the course of a long weekend. Think cult classics that the students probably have heard of but have never seen. Provide popcorn and some comfy places to sit, plus some time for snacks and bathroom breaks and you’ll have an event that grows in participants every time you host it.
Sell A Parking Spot
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple auction setup with minimal materials |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (signage, printing, optional customization for the winner) |
| Volunteers Needed | 1–3 (auction coordinator, promotion, signage setup) |
| Ideal For | High schools, campuses with limited parking, orientation days, back-to-school events, auction-based fundraisers |
Is your campus limited on parking spots or are there only a few choice spots that are really popular for the students and/or staff? Auction the parking spot off at an event! The PTO/PTA can also order and post signs detailing who has permission to park in the spot for the school year.
Go To The Prize Box
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires purchasing, wrapping, and displaying prizes |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (box items $10-$20 each, wrapping supplies) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–4 (setup, prize distribution, restocking) |
| Ideal For | Add-on prizes for contests, carnival booths, younger students |
Plenty of teachers already use this activity as a reward system in their classrooms, but the PTO/PTA can elevate it with a touch of mystery, which would make it the perfect prize for a raffle contest!
Go to Walmart or Target and spend $20-$50, or whatever the event price range is, for a wide array of items that students would be interested in. Bring the things back and wrap them, in either wrapping paper, plain brown paper, or newspaper depending on the theme for the event. Then, allow the students to pay for raffle tickets and if their number is called, they get to pick one of the items from the box!
Wrapping the items is just an idea as even non-wrapped items in the box would still work. Also feel free to pair this event with a bigger, festival or carnival style event to add even more opportunities to collect donations.
Flip Flop Decoration Contest
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires art supplies, sample flip flops, voting system, and vendor coordination |
| Time to Implement | 3–5 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (flip flops for samples, decorating supplies, printing for order forms) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–6 (setup, supervision, collecting votes, managing orders) |
| Ideal For | High school seniors, art-focused students, spirit weeks, keepsake-based fundraisers |
Give your students the opportunity to decorate a set of flip flops! Allow the students to vote on which pair they like the most, then pass around order forms for the students to place their orders. Once you’ve gotten all the forms back in, send the winning pair out and have them made as the artist intended.
This event would work especially well with high school seniors and allow them to have a keepsake from their final year as students in their hometown.
Social Media Challenge
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – minimal setup, relies on digital participation and promotion |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (graphics, signage, optional prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–4 (promotion, post approval, donation tracking) |
| Ideal For | Middle and high schools, social-media-active communities, trend-based fundraisers, quick-turn events |
Are there any big social media movements sweeping TikTok or Instagram? If so, feel free to jump right in! The Ice Bucket Challenge allowed the ALS Foundation to raise over $220m over the course of a few months. In the event of another challenge of a similar nature, have the students donate to participate and post it on the school’s website or Instagram page.
Golf Cart Cash Bar
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires approval from golf course and safety training for student volunteers |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (snacks, drinks, cooler supplies; optional cart rental depending on course policy) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4–8 (cart drivers, snack/drink sellers, safety supervision) |
| Ideal For | Schools with strong golf communities, adult-oriented fundraisers, charity tournaments, team sports, school clubs |
Are there any golf courses in the community? Check with the course and see if they would allow some of the students to run a golf cart cash bar one day to raise money for the school! If they’re in high school then its doubtful that they’ll be over 21 but they can sell sodas, juice, and snacks to the golfers as they go about their games.
Spelling Bee
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple academic competition with minimal supplies |
| Time to Implement | 2–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (trophies or medals, word lists, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (pronouncer, judges, registration, timekeeper) |
| Ideal For | Elementary and middle schools, academic enrichment events, literacy-focused fundraisers |
When is the last time the school held a spelling bee? Allow the students to register and pay a fee to participate. The last person standing gets to take home THE GOLDEN BEE!
Haunted House
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate to High – needs space and actors |
| Time to Implement | 6–8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (props, décor, lighting) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–20 for acting, setup, ticketing |
| Ideal For | Larger schools with drama programs or strong volunteer base |
Have the students come together to put on a haunted house during Spooky Season, complete with fake blood and Jason masks. The PTO/PTA can pair this event with a series of other things in a Fall Festival like event with plenty of games and opportunities for patrons to donate.
Eco Friendly Plant Competition
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple contest with minimal setup and classroom-friendly materials |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (prizes, signage, optional plant-care materials) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–4 (registration, judging, setup) |
| Ideal For | Science classes, environmental clubs, Earth-focused events, eco-themed fundraisers |
Allow the students to put their best plant foot forward in a competition to find which plant is the best for the environment. Bonus points if they bring in a living example of it to show their peers.
Eco Friendly Science Fair
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires project display space, judging structure, and event coordination |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (display boards, signage, prizes, optional refreshments) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5–10 (judges, registration team, setup/cleanup, crowd guidance) |
| Ideal For | STEM programs, environmental initiatives, schoolwide science events, innovation-focused fundraisers |
Have the students put together their best idea for reducing the size of the human footprint on the planet. The PTO/PTA can have the science fair contestants pay an entry fee, have the spectators pay a fee to walk through the fair, or both! Best idea gets a prize!
Dive In Movie
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires coordinating with the local pool and lifeguards |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (venue, screen, projector) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8–10 (setup, concessions, safety) |
| Ideal For | Summer evening events; family engagement |
Partner with your local pool to host a movie night! Charge an entry fee and allow the participants to bring all the floaties that they need to be comfortable during the movie.
Art Showcase And Silent Auction
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires designer participation & auction |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (tents, tables, stands) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–8 (setup, auction management, admissions) |
| Ideal For | Families, art enthusiasts, community members |
Give your students the opportunity to show their creative side in an art showcase! For a registration fee, allow them to bring their sculptures, paintings, drawings, or anything else they’ve created for the chance to have a piece of their art actually sold in a silent auction. The PTO/PTA can also include the chance for the artists to win a prize for their art being the most expensive piece sold that night!
Duct Tape The Principal To The Wall
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – fun, low-cost stunt with massive student engagement |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (duct tape, plastic sheeting, safety mats) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (crowd control, tape sales, safety monitoring, photography) |
| Ideal For | Spirit weeks, pep rallies, assemblies, school-wide celebrations |
Charge students $1 per strip of duct tape to tape the principal to a sturdy wall. Don’t forget the photo at the end to savor the moment and relive that it happened.
Karaoke
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – machine/venue |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (equipment, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5–8 (host, door, tech) |
| Ideal For | Families or adults-only |
Charge an entry fee to a karaoke night and see which one of the students can keep up vocally with Adele or Beyonce.
Car Wash
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires setup and supplies |
| Time to Implement | 2–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (soap, buckets, sponges, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–20 (washers, sign holders, traffic directors, cashier) |
| Ideal For | Sports teams, summer weekends, community events, high schools |
An oldie but a goodie! An old fashioned car wash is a great way for the community to get to know the students and for the students to make a little extra money for the Booster Club.
Homeroom Decoration Contest
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple goal-tracking and classroom-based decorating |
| Time to Implement | 2–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (decorations, prizes, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–5 (promotion, judging, donation tracking) |
| Ideal For | Elementary and middle schools, spirit weeks, classroom competitions, motivation-based fundraisers |
Give the students a donation goal and once they reach it, allow them to compete in a homeroom decoration contest! The winner of the contest can be who makes it to their donation goal first and gets to decorate their homeroom first or who is the best at decorating their homeroom after their goal is reached while giving them a head start according to when they reached their goals. Winner gets a prize to share with their homeroom!
Sponsorship Letters
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – low-cost, writing-based outreach activity |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (paper, envelopes, postage unless emailing) |
| Volunteers Needed | 1–3 (coordination, proofreading, distribution) |
| Ideal For | Athletic teams, A-Thon fundraisers, clubs needing equipment, community-supported programs |
Have a group of your students sit down and write letters to businesses asking for sponsorships and donations! This works especially well for a-thon events or teams looking for support for pricier items that the school can’t cover themselves.
Pet A Puppy: Finals Stress Relief
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires partnering with a shelter and managing safety/space |
| Time to Implement | 3–5 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (donation to shelter, cleanup supplies, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4–8 (supervision, check-in, crowd flow) |
| Ideal For | High schools, exam-week stress relief events, wellness initiatives, student-life programs |
Collect a fee to allow stressed out upperclassmen to take a mental break to pet/cuddle some adorable puppies!
Scrabble Tournament
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – requires boards, timers, and simple bracket organization |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (Scrabble boards, score sheets, small prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (registration, timekeeping, judging) |
| Ideal For | Literacy clubs, game nights, indoor fundraisers, multi-age competitions |
Collect a registration fee to hold a scrabble tournament! Have several boards going at once so event organizers can proclaim a winner the same day!
Capture The Teacher/Principal
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – simple donation-based incentive with minimal setup |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (signage, rope, themed decor, jail backdrop) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–5 (promotion, donation tracking, supervising the reward period) |
| Ideal For | Elementary and middle schools, spirit weeks, high-energy donation drives, behavior incentive events |
Set a donation goal for your students that, once reached, “locks the teacher/principal away” for a day/hour and gives the students a free day/period.
