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
Table of Contents
Easy to Implement
- Comedy Hour/Roast
- No Run Run
- Movie Marathon
- Pot Marbles
- Pringles Ping Pong Bounce
- July 4th Bake-Off
- Sell Patriotic Pretzels & Dipped Oreos
- Pie Eating Contest
Moderate to Implement
- Swim-A-Thon
- Dance Marathon
- Spin Class
- Knit, Crochet, Spin-A-Thon
- 24-Hour Relay
- July 4th 5K
- July 4th Pool Party
[sc name=”emailcta”][/sc]
Swim-A-Thon
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires pool access and lifeguards |
| Time to Implement | A-thons require 8–12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (facility rental, safety staff) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6–10 for check-in, lap counting, safety |
| Ideal For | Summer events, schools with swimming facilities |
Stay cool and earn money for a good cause! Host a swim-a-thon where patrons donate either per minute in the water or per lap swam during a certain time frame.
This activity is pretty customizable: you can gather all the participants together to do it in a single pool or allow for everyone to do it separately while logging their time. After the allotted time is up, allow the participants to collect from the donors and everything goes towards the Booster Club!
See also: 20 Summer Fundraising Ideas for Your School
Dance Marathon
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – needs music, space, and schedule |
| Time to Implement | A-thons require 8–12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $$ (DJ, lights, snacks) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5–8 for check-in, supervision, cleanup |
| Ideal For | Engaging older students and high-energy events |
In a similar vein to the traditional “a-thon” style fundraiser, the dance marathon is where participants sign up to dance for a period of time, usually around 24hrs.
You can have the dancers pay to enter the marathon and/or have them find sponsors and secure donations from peers. The dancers are traditionally supposed to stay moving for the whole 24hrs, but you can provide rest options to the dancers if you so choose. Having different activities for them to engage in during the course of the marathon plus food to keep everyone fueled and full of energy is essential. Also don’t forget to use social media to your advantage and drive up spectating and fundraising even more.
This event is extremely customizable and requires a fair bit of planning to make sure to keep it entertaining and safe. Done well, though, you’ll be sure to set the PTO/PTA up for a great start to the new school year!
Comedy Hour/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 |
Have any budding comedians in your community? Here’s an opportunity to let them try out their material in front of an audience and raise some money for your cause! Host a comedy show featuring new local comedy talent. If a prominent community member is feeling especially brave, he or she can volunteer to be the subject of a comedy roast. However you set it up, charge an entry fee to be in the audience and offer a reward to the most popular comedian of the night!
Spin Class
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – needs studio partner |
| Time to Implement | 3–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (if studio donates space) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 for coordination & sign-in |
| Ideal For | Parent fundraisers or teacher wellness events |
Find a local spin studio and ask them to host a spin event for the Booster Club where the club and the studio can share the proceeds. If you have your own bank of spin bikes, you can ask an instructor to donate their time to lead it and collect donations from the participants to sign up!
No Run Run
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – minimal equipment with simple, low-speed activity stations |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (cones, timers, signage, optional small prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (station monitors, registration, scorekeeping) |
| Ideal For | PE classes, family fun days, pledge-based fundraisers, outdoor events |
Host a no run run event, where your patrons play a series of sllooooow games. Slow activities can include competitions to see who can do the LEAST amount of pushups in a minute, the LEAST amount of crunches in a minute, or the LEAST amount of pull ups in a minute.
The catch? Competitors’ feet have to stay moving the whole time. Its a lot more difficult than it sounds. Move to the track or set up some cones to see who can go the least amount of distance in a minute. Have fun with it! The donations come in when the competitors secure pledges from sponsors and collect donations via their friends and family.
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 |
Who doesn’t love a good trilogy or multipart series? Set up a day (or weekend depending on the series) to host a movie marathon, featuring the movie series of your choice! Patrons pay a flat fee to experience the franchise from beginning to end and the PTO/PTA can provide popcorn, drinks, and other concessions.
Knit, Crochet, Spin-A-Thon
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – requires a-thon pledge prep and coordination |
| Time to Implement | 8–12 weeks (standard planning period for a-thons) |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (yarn if not donated, needles/hooks if providing supplies, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4–6 (registration, pledge tracking, event supervision) |
| Ideal For | Craft clubs, community events, multigenerational events, indoor fundraisers |
Host a knit, crochet, and spin-a-thon in your community! Participants can find sponsors to donate based on yards worked during a certain window of time with all proceeds going towards the school’s Booster Club.
24 Hour Relay
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – extended event requires heavier coordination and safety planning |
| Time to Implement | 6–8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (permits if needed, lighting, water stations, snacks, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10–20 (shift coverage, timing, safety monitors, concessions) |
| Ideal For | Sports teams, athletic clubs, community fitness events, pledge-based fundraisers |
Weather permitting, host a 24 hour relay! This idea is pretty open ended as you can designate whatever type of relay fits your community. Have serious runners, bikers, or swimmers? BOOM! You have your 24 hour relay event.
The rules are the same for all events: participants may enter the relay in teams or solo but at least one person from the team must stay moving the entire time. Participants can pay a flat fee to enter and/or get donations from friends, family, and local businesses.
Pot Marbles
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – minimal materials and quick setup |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (flower pots, marbles, spoons, prize items) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 (booth operator, scorekeeper, prize table) |
| Ideal For | Carnival-style events, outdoor festivals, add-on booths at larger fundraisers |
This activity would work beautifully as part of a bigger party style event! People that wish to play stand on an upside down flower pot and use a spoon to put nearby marbles into the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot. Theres a flat fee to enter and the winner, whomever puts the most marbles into the pot within a minute, gets a small prize.
Pringles Ping Pong Bounce
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – low-cost and portable |
| Time to Implement | A-Thons require 8–12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $ (cans, balls, decorations) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2–3 for scorekeeping and setup |
| Ideal For | Side activity at carnivals, fun skill-based challenge |
This is another activity that would work really well as part of a larger event! Set up a few empty pringles cans (add sand or dirt at the bottom to keep the ball from bouncing out/the can from blowing away) and encourage people to bounce their ping pong ball into one of the cans.
Each can could mean the participant gets a certain prize or a certain amount of points which add up to the type of prize they could get once their turn is up. Event organizers can collect a flat fee for a certain number of tries (like $3 for 5 balls) or collect on a per try basis ($1 for 1 ball).
July 4th Bake Off
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – entries & judging |
| Time to Implement | 3–4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (plates, forks, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8–12 (intake, judging, sales) |
| Ideal For | Families, summer festivals, July 4th event add-on |
Have participants present their star-spangled best dessert for judging! The PTO/PTA can collect a flat fee per person and the participant can try out as many of the baked goods as they want and vote for the winner, or you can collect a donation in exchange for tickets which they will then use to “pay” to try the baked goods.
You can also have the people judge the baked goods and pick their favorite or have a judging panel come in and pick their favorite. You can even throw in categories if you want: best looking dessert, best tasting dessert, overall best dessert. The winner can get a prize, bragging rights, or both. The possibilities are endless!
Sell Patriotic Pretzel Rods And Dipped Oreos
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – baked donations + table setup |
| Time to Implement | 1–2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (packaging, labels, ingredients) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4–6 (bakers, sellers, setup) |
| Ideal For | Lunch hours, sports games, parent nights, festivals/carnivals |
Never underestimate the power of a good bake sale! Pretzel rods drizzled in red and white chocolate and oreos dipped in blue candy melts with white sprinkles will always be a delicious yet simple item that turns a profit.
[sc name=”blogpostcta”]
Pie Eating Contest
| Ease of Implementation | Easy – Straightforward setup with pies, tables, and a timer |
| Time to Implement | 2–3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $–$$ (pies, table covers, small prize) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3–5 (registration, setup, judges, clean up) |
| Ideal For | School festivals, community events, add-on for larger 4th of July events |
What’s more American than apple pie? A pie eating contest! Collect a flat fee to give competitors the opportunity to be the pie eating champion of 2022!
July 4th 5k Run
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – permits & logistics |
| Time to Implement | 8–12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $$ (permits, water stations, safety gear) |
| Volunteers Needed | 20–30 (course marshals, registration, first aid) |
| Ideal For | Whole school, community events, part of a wider July 4th festival |
Organize a 5k for the 4th of July weekend! Have the participants register and pay in advance so you know how many people will be attending. You can specify a trail and put together goody bags for everyone once they finish the race and include music and some activities for anyone who feels like partying after they finish.
July 4th Pool Party
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate – venue, lifeguards, and safety rules required |
| Time to Implement | 4–6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$–$$$ (venue fee 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 |
Enjoy the sunshine with friends at a themed pool party! Party goers pay a fee to enter and get to come in and enjoy splashing around and catching up with friends. Depending on your venue, you can add some concessions for when people get hungry and possibly even play a movie in the evening to cap off a great day!
Are you looking for more fundraising ideas? Check out our seasonal fundraising idea articles for ideas no matter the time of year!
