Updated November 2025
Table of Contents
Easy to Implement Fundraisers
Moderate to Implement Fundraisers
- Silent Auction
- Dive In Movie
- Parents Night Out
- Dance-A-Thon
- Touch-A-Truck
- Pet Trick Competition
- Speaking Engagements
- Happy Hour
Challenging to Implement Fundraisers
Looking to maximize the amount raised at your fundraiser? Read this article to get ideas for fundraisers that will make you the most money.
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50/50 Raffle
| Ease of Implementation | Easy |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (raffle tickets) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 (sales, accounting) |
| Ideal For | Any school event; low setup, high ROI |
The only thing the PTO/PTA will need to buy are raffle tickets that they’ll then resell to people who want to participate in the raffle. The winner of the raffle wins half of the money collected for the event, so as long as the tickets are affordable and lots of people know about it, the pot should be big enough for the PTO/PTA to walk away with a pretty decent profit.
Selling tickets and redeeming them online can be easier than you think. You can also do it for free! Learn how with FutureFund.
Carnival
| Ease of Implementation | Ambitious |
| Time to Implement | 8–10 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (rides, food, rentals) |
| Volunteers Needed | 20–30 (setup, games, safety, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Large community or district-wide events |
The price point to actually throw this event can be moderate but with enough attendance, fun activities, and good food, the event will more than pay for itself!
Color Run
| Ease of Implementation | Ambitious |
| Time to Implement | 6–8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (powders, safety gear, cleanup) |
| Volunteers Needed | 15–25 (registration, water stations, logistics) |
| Ideal For | Spring fundraisers; family participation events |
The major price points on this event are the powders/dyes and the goodie bags for the runners after they’re done with the event. Buying them in bulk should bring down the price for them though, so if you have enough people to participate and price the event correctly for the participants, this event should be a hit for the Booster Club!
Silent Auction
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 5–7 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (venue, signage, promotion) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–15 (setup, item tracking, bidding management) |
| Ideal For | Paired with galas, dinners, or seasonal events |
This is another event that benefits from larger crowds. In terms of starting costs to get the event going, all you really need is some space and a few items to auction off. If you can get the items donated from local businesses, that would be even better for the bottom line!
Dive In Movie
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (venue, screen, projector) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8–10 (setup, concessions, safety) |
| Ideal For | Summer evening events; family engagement |
If the school has access to a pool then this event should be pretty easy and cost effective. If not, the event organizers will have to find and rent out a community pool space which subtracts a little from the bottom line. If the event organizers don’t have access to a screen and projector that might subtract a little as well, but investing in one will definitely make future events easier to put on!
With that being said, pair this event with some food trucks and give it a “pool party” vibe starting a few hours before its dark enough to show the movie and the profit share from the trucks should offset the cost of the space by at least a little bit.
Parents Night Out
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 5–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (food, activities, supervision) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–15 (childcare, registration, activities) |
| Ideal For | PTO/PTA groups; community bonding nights |
The key to this event is making sure that you have the space to accommodate all of your students plus an effective way to keep your costs low for all of the child care and supplemental activity. One way to recruit responsible yet cost effective child care is to tap the high schools for juniors and seniors. The ones that plan to go to college will jump at the chance to put the volunteer hours down on their applications. Because everyone is underage there will still need to be adult supervision but it’ll be more in the supervisory capacity instead of actual kid wrangling.
When it comes to dinner for the group, certain restaurants will require that you place the order in advance but they will also give you a discount for getting so much of whatever item you ordered all at once. Other than that, just make sure you’re charging appropriately for the event. If the kids have a good time, they’ll tell their friends and next thing you know you’ll see your profit doubling and tripling in size.
Student Dress Up Day
| Ease of Implementation | Easy |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (none if run in-school) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 (collection, coordination) |
| Ideal For | Quick, low-cost classroom fundraisers |
This super easy event is virtually free for the PTO/PTA to put on because the event itself is a privilege and not a tangible good. For the student dress up day, have the teachers collect the donation to turn in to the PTO/PTA later and the students get to participate in the theme!
Dancing Competition
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (venue, prizes, promotion) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–10 (registration, judging, tech support) |
| Ideal For | School spirit or arts program fundraisers |
The main cost for this event is the space to actually hold the event plus any prizes to be given out afterwards. But if the budget is tight and event organizers have access to a school auditorium, that should work just as well.
After that’s been taken care of, make sure to sign up as many students as you can to compete, then have them collect pledges from friends and family members to support their progress!
Learn how to run your Dance-A-Thon for free here.
Touch A Truck
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 6–8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (permits, space, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–15 (safety, coordination, setup) |
| Ideal For | Family events; elementary school fundraisers |
If the drivers are willing to donate their time, this event will be pretty cost effective. Just collect fees from anyone who wants to get a closer look at the trucks and if the drivers will allow it, you can auction off the opportunity to actually ride in one.
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Pet Trick Competition
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 4–5 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (stage, prizes, sound system) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5–8 (setup, judging, registration) |
| Ideal For | Outdoor fairs, spring festivals |
This is another event that will just require space and maybe a stage outdoors if one can be acquired easily. Aside from that, you’ll just need to collect entrance fees from the competitors and the spectators and possibly find some guest judges to give their expert opinions. With all of that, you should have a hit on your hands!
Lunch And Learn
| Ease of Implementation | Easy |
| Time to Implement | 3–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (food, materials) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (registration, coordination) |
| Ideal For | Clubs, parent sessions, academic boosters |
If your guest speaker is volunteering their time, this event should be pretty profitable for your club. If not, make sure to charge the patrons appropriately and find a topic that’s exciting for a large group of your students!
Speaking Engagements
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (speaker fee, promotion) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5–8 (setup, ticketing, coordination) |
| Ideal For | Educational clubs; alumni events |
Lunch isn’t the only time you can raise money by bringing in guest speakers! Anytime you can find an expert to come and talk to your group, depending on how popular this person is, it’s bound to be a profitable event.
Happy Hour
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate |
| Time to Implement | 3–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (marketing materials) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 (liaison, promotion) |
| Ideal For | Adult-only community networking events |
Happy Hour events are like planting the fundraising seeds for future growth and prosperity. You’re able to form new connections and get to know people on a more personal level that writing letters and placing phone calls can’t achieve by itself.
The key to this event is finding an establishment thats willing to share the profit from the event with your club. Other than that, just get to know the donors and make new friends that you can call on for support in the future!
Street Market
| Ease of Implementation | Ambitious |
| Time to Implement | 8–10 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (permits, booths, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 15–25 (setup, vendors, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | End-of-year or seasonal community fairs |
All event organizers will really need for this event is community space and lots of signs to let people know where to find them! Aside from that, the more variety you have in the actual event, the longer people will stay to explore everything and donate as much as they can.
Restaurant Partnership
| Ease of Implementation | Easy |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (signage, communication) |
| Volunteers Needed | 1–2 (coordination, outreach) |
| Ideal For | PTO/PTA groups; minimal-effort fundraisers |
This event has a really big profit margin because the out of pocket expenses are pretty much nonexistent. If the PTO/PTA want to have signs made/make signs they can but its not required. All they really need is to make an announcement at school, and to send an email out to the parents telling them about the event.
