Running a PTA takes work—but the right tools make it easier. This guide for volunteers rounds up the best free templates, digital tools, and official PTA resources to help you succeed.
The #1 Alternative to Givebacks for PTAs
FutureFund is designed by and for school groups to solve the unique fundraising challenges you face.
FutureFund vs. Givebacks
There are lots of platforms designed for fundraising, but FutureFund is the only one built by parents and educators to solve the unique challenges school groups face. Here’s how FutureFund compares to Givebacks when you look at the costs, benefits, and features:
FutureFund
Unlimited access to all features
Ready-to-go custom fundraising campaigns
Designed for school groups
Messaging system with custom templates and senders
One-click financial reporting
Easy dispute resolution via automated responses
Compliant with all major financial regulations and data privacy laws for US PTAs and school groups
Givebacks
Manually add products and donations to online store
Messaging system with audience filters
Not school-group specific
Payment tracking and Excel reports
Respond to disputes manually or lose revenue
Manually ensure compliance with Compliance Manager
Why School Groups Choose FutureFund
Our purpose-built features help school groups fundraise more efficiently while engaging parents and giving time back to volunteers.
Faster Fundraiser Setup
Run donation drives, grow your membership, host Pledge-A-Thons and more with campaign templates that make setting up fundraisers faster than ever.
Reliable Dispute Resolution
Use automated responses to resolve disputed payments quickly and avoid losing money.
Built for PTA Compliance
Generate campaign summaries and financial reports in just a few clicks to keep your school group compliant with federal and state regulations.
Better Community Engagement
Send messages to filtered audiences and create personas for targeted, personalized communication that inspires parents and volunteers to act.
Easier eCommerce
Sell school spirit wear, event tickets, and more in a custom online store for your school group.
No Paid Plans
School groups use FutureFund for free! Our costs are covered by small platform fees charged as a percentage of each donation.
FutureFund is FREE for Schools
Schools that sign up get full access to all of FutureFund’s features—it’s always free and it always will be.
Trusted By Schools Everywhere
FutureFund is used by over 1,000+ organizations, including:
Over
Raised For Our Schools Since 2014
J, Morgenthaler
Tassajara Elementary
“FutureFund provides excellent onboarding and support for our organization. The FutureFund Team is based in America and easy to get on a call with to help us troubleshoot problems. Most issues are resolved within 24 hours!”
Made by PTA members and former school faculty
S, Kasad
Bollinger Elementary & Iron Horse Middle School
“The biggest thing we love about FutureFund is how easy it is to keep our group organized! I love the parents directory and volunteer tools because its so easy to get everyone organized and informed!”
You’ll Love Our Purpose-Built
Fundraising Tools
Unlike other peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, FutureFund was created specifically for PTAs and school groups. Our features are designed to solve the problems parents and educators face every day.
Ready Made Fundraising Campaign Templates
Free Online Store Setup
Built-In Payment Processing
Automatic Tax-Deductible Donation Reciepts
One-Click Order Fulfillment
Secure Data Protection
Frequently Asked Questions
How is FutureFund free for school groups?
Instead of charging school groups, we charge a small fee to donors as a portion of each payment they make through the platform. This spreads out the cost of our platform to make things easy for community members while allowing school groups to fundraise for free.
How does dispute resolution lose money for school groups?
With other fundraising platforms, you need to respond to each dispute manually or risk having it settled in favor of the party who filed against you. FutureFund allows you to respond automatically when transactions are disputed, potentially saving you thousands of dollars per year in revenue that would otherwise be lost.
What kind of messages can I send with FutureFund?
All kinds! We have no limits on the kinds of messages you can send through our built-in messaging system. Everything is customizable—including your audience filters and the sender profiles you use to communicate with them.
How Is FutureFund Different from Other Fundraising Platforms?
We built FutureFund specifically to support K-12 PTAs and school groups. Our team are PTA members ourselves, and we understand the relationships between parents, teachers, and students—so we created tools that solve the unique challenges these groups face when it comes to effectively organizing and fundraising.
What are FutureFund’s ready-to-go fundraising campaigns?
Instead of using pre-made templates, FutureFund gives you a variety of easily customizable campaign types to provide specific support for school group fundraisers of all kinds. These include:
- Donation: Collect donations for a project or general fund. Parents specify the amount they donate with an optional installment plan.
- Ticket: Sell tickets to dances, sporting events, or performances and redeem them easily with the FutureFund Turnstile app.
- Purchase: Sell physical products such as yearbooks and spirit wear, or collect money for lab fees and similar expenses.
- Membership: Sell PTA and PTSA memberships—can be used for ASB memberships as well.
- Multi-Level Membership: For selling premium memberships in organizations offering different membership levels.
- Fundraiser: Set a goal and collect donations for a project or achievement. Fundraiser campaigns support the same campaign options as donation campaigns.
- Pledge-A-Thons: Allow students to collect money from friends and family for run-a-thons, read-a-thons, etc.
- External: Link to third party sites for yearbooks, cafeteria funds, or anything else not in FutureFund. This can keep everything parents need in the store without having to remember different sites.
- Sign Up Campaign: Let parents sign up for free programs without having to pay by credit card. A good alternative to products with zero dollar amounts since their purpose and use is clearer.
How Does FutureFund Keep Sensitive Data Secure?
- At FutureFund, we respect your privacy and never share your data with anyone. We offer the same level of privacy and security as your financial institution. Our platform is also built to comply with education-focused legislation across the country, including child protection laws.
FutureFund is FREE for Schools
Schools that sign up get full access to all of FutureFund’s features—it’s always free and it always will be.