35+ Simple and Effective Fundraising Ideas for Kids

Explore this list of simple, effective fundraising ideas for kids that your program can use to raise money.
Start a fundraiser with 99Pledges to get your next fundraising idea for kids off the ground.

Kids’ programming can be expensive, and, unfortunately, often underfunded. Whether you’re working with a school, a local sports team, or a club, the expenses add up.

Because these programs can lack funding, it often falls to program leaders like you to raise the extra money needed to cover educational materials, snack times, craft materials… the list goes on.

At 99Pledges, we specialize in fundraising ideas for kids involved in sports teams, clubs, and other group activities. Over the years, we’ve realized that the most successful fundraisers for kids do two things: 1. They get the entire family involved in the fun, and 2. They have high fundraising potential right off the bat.

We’ve compiled 35+ fundraising ideas you can use to fund your program that fit those qualifications. To help you find the right idea for your organization, the ideas are split into four categories:

If you have a general idea of the type of fundraising idea you’re looking for, feel free to use the above navigation to jump to the corresponding section. If not, follow along to explore all 35 fundraising ideas for kids. You’re sure to find one that suits your organization, the time and resources you have available, and the group you’re working with.

Let’s get started!

Our Favorite Fundraising Idea for Kids

1. 99Pledges Fundraiser

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★ 

99Pledges specializes in providing online fundraising solutions for teams and groups.

Online pledge fundraisers are a type of social fundraising in which event participants gather support corresponding to their participation in a fundraising event. Here is a breakdown of the pledge fundraising process:

  • Step 1: Create a pledge fundraising campaign for your group’s walk-a-thon, dance-a-thon, or other event. Participants (for example, those dancing in your dance-a-thon) create personal fundraising pages in conjunction with the team-wide fundraiser.
  • Step 2: Ask participants to share their individual pages online. 
  • Step 3: Participants collect pledges from their families and friends ahead of time. Pledged donations correspond to their participation in your event, such as “X dollar for X hours danced.”
  • Step 4: Track your campaign’s progress.
  • Step 5: After your event, these pledged gifts turn into actual fundraising dollars for your organization.
Learn the pledge fundraising process, our favorite kids fundraising idea.

99Pledges fundraisers are a powerful fundraising tool for a few reasons:

  • They help organizations reach new audiences of supporters via digital fundraising.
  • They expand the fundraising potential of an event far beyond those actually attending or participating in the event.
  • They can be adjusted to fit a variety of events, aligning with the theme of your program.
  • They’re fun for kids!

As you explore the ideas in this guide, consider how you might add pledge elements to boost fundraising potential.

After choosing a fundraising idea for kids, work with 99Pledges to see just how easy fundraising can be.

Easy Fundraising Ideas for Kids

2. Walk-a-Thon Fundraiser

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Walk-a-thon fundraisers draw on the pledge fundraising model in a family-friendly, laid-back, physical-wellness-promoting fundraising event.

These fundraisers are so successful because they’re easy to host and they have high fundraising potential. All you need is:

  • A date and time for the event to take place.
  • A space or route for participants to walk.
  • pledge fundraising software solution.
  • Excited, willing participants!

You simply create a pledge fundraising page for the event overall and organize the walk-a-thon. Encourage kids and their families and friends to create personal donation pages and collect pledges corresponding to their participation in the event.

At the event, these pledged donations should correspond to the distance participants walk (e.g., $5 for every mile walked). The farther participants walk, the more donations your organization receives! Because walking is a more accessible activity, the whole family can get involved.

Read-a-thons are easy fundraising ideas for kids.

3. Read-a-Thon

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

While there is some evidence that reading could improve intelligence, the percentage of American children who read for fun has declined in recent years. Encourage young people in your program to read (and raise donations at the same time!).

Ask the kids to read as many books as they can for the duration of the read-a-thon—you can even incorporate the pledge model into this fundraiser. During the challenge, participants can collect pledged donations corresponding to the number of books they read throughout the month. The more books they read, the more donations they raise!

Depending on the age of the kids, consider outlining some parameters such as page limit and reading level. You can even provide a book list to make sure participants are challenging themselves. At the end of the month, share the total donations raised and the total books read with participants and supporters—both numbers are worth celebrating!

4. Product FundraisersProduct fundraisers are some of our favorite fundraising ideas for kids.

Cost: $

Effort: ✓✓

Fun: ★★★★

A product fundraising campaign can be a great way to raise money for your cause while getting your kids involved in the selling process. Even better, supporters can get an item for themselves by contributing to your fundraiser, like cookie dough or candles!

To get started, all you need to do is to:

  • Step 1: Partner with a product fundraising company.
  • Step 2: Gather a group of volunteers to sell your products (that’s where the kids and their parents come in).
  • Step 3: Equip your sellers with an online web store or order-taking flyers provided by your fundraising partner.
  • Step 4: Encourage participants to reach out to family and friends to support their fundraising efforts.

Once your order-taking period has ended, your fundraising company partner will distribute the items and charge your organization a wholesale price for the products. You’ll retain the profits for your group. Be sure to provide small prizes for your top sellers to motivate them throughout the selling process!

Raffles are an easy fundraising idea for kids.

5. Raffle

Cost: $$

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Raffles are an easy, yet profitable, fundraising event your team can host independently or in conjunction with a fundraising event.

To hold a raffle, you simply:

  • Choose an item to raffle. It’s important that this item is one that ticket buyers want to win, but isn’t so expensive that your group loses money. Good examples are event tickets or themed experience baskets (e.g., “Ultimate Game Night” basket with snacks and board games).
  • Sell tickets. It’s essential that these tickets are inexpensive enough that supporters will want to purchase multiple, but priced high enough to cover the cost of the item or experience you’re raffling and raise money for your organization.
  • Choose a winner. Draw a winner and give them their prize! If you’re hosting the raffle in conjunction with an event, this usually occurs as the last activity of the event.

Consider asking local sponsors to make an in-kind donation for you to raffle. Whether a local basketball team donates tickets or a local movie theater sets up the ultimate movie night experience, it will be a valuable contribution to your event! Then, all of the proceeds from raffle tickets go toward your organization rather than paying for the raffle items.

The penny drive is a top easy fundraising idea for kids.

6. Penny Drive

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

A penny drive only requires a little effort from your organization to be incredibly successful. These events are great for younger, school-aged children fundraisers, whether for schools, local sports teams, or clubs. But because this idea is so easy to do, it can work for any age group.

To hold the fundraiser, equip teams of your organization’s supporters with large jars and challenge each team to fill their jar with coins. Participants can bring in their own change or ask their families for additional support. The first team to fill their jar wins the penny drive!

For example, if you are a coach in a school setting, you’d give each team its own jar and challenge students to fill their team’s jar with spare change. The friendly competition between soccer and football teams, for example, fuels its success. Even though you may not raise major gifts through this campaign, it can still be a helpful effort for smaller fundraising pushes!

Check out this easy fundraising idea for kids.

7. Teacher’s in Jail

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

While this is traditionally a school fundraising idea, it can easily be amended to fit other organizations such as sports teams or after-school clubs.

The fundraiser follows this structure:

  • Challenge teammates or club members to raise a certain amount of money for your organization.
  • Once they hit that fundraising amount, give them a day off from regular activities by putting their coach, teacher, or advisor “in jail!” For a baseball team, this could mean their coach has to spend practice in the dugout while they have a pizza party or another fun activity.

Set a fundraising goal that’s challenging but not unrealistic for participants to hit. They’ll be so motivated by the promise of a fun break from routine that your organization will hit its goal in no time.

Running shoe drive fundraising are easy fundraising ideas for kids.

8. Running Shoe Drive Fundraiser

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

A running shoe drive fundraiser is the perfect activity for fundraising with kids because you’re working with a population that’s outgrowing shoes, fast.

A running shoe drive fundraiser goes like this:

  • Step 1: Partner with a shoe drive organization for the fundraiser. They’ll send collection supplies and specific instructions for the drive.
  • Step 2: Encourage kids and their friends and families to search their closets for new and gently used athletic shoes that they’re no longer using.
  • Step 3: Collect the running shoes at your next fundraising event, and package them in pairs to send to a trusted running shoe drive fundraising coach.
  • Step 4: Send off the shoes. Once they’re received, your organization gets a check in return!

These fundraisers have benefits for all involved. First, your participants get rid of unwanted or ill-fitting shoes. Second, the running shoes are recycled in a planet-friendly manner. And last, your organization receives donations in return!

This effort is often most successful when paired with a larger fundraising event, such as a walk-a-thon, 5K, or another event where it would make sense to ask participants to donate their shoes.

9. Matching Gift Programs

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Matching gift programs are a powerful way to increase donations made to your organization without requiring any extra effort (or funds) from your organization or its supporters. These programs typically only apply to organizations that qualify as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, so check your status before launching a matching gift drive.

Through these programs, businesses pledge to make donations matching those made by their employees to approved nonprofit organizations. That means you get two gifts for the price of soliciting one!

Learn more about this easy fundraising idea for kids.

To get started, simply have donors make a gift to your organization as usual (through a fundraiser, for example). Then, the donor will submit a matching gift request to their employer and the company will review the request. The company with verify the original donation and, if eligible, your organization will receive a second check from the company.

Chances are, quite a few of the parents, family members, and other supporters giving to your organization work for companies with such programs. The biggest obstacle to receiving a match is simply educating these donors about the opportunity! Spread awareness of matching gifts by promoting resources to supporters and helping them determine whether their employer offers matching gifts.

Learn about the balloon pop party, a great fundraising idea for kids.

10. Balloon Pop Party

Cost: $$

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

A balloon pop party is a simple, yet exciting, fundraiser. Everyone who participates wins—whether it’s your organization by raising donations or the supporters purchasing balloons to pop!

This fundraiser is fairly straightforward, following this process:

  • Your organization gathers a variety of small-to-medium-sized prizes, such as gift cards, small gifts, and maybe even coupons.
  • You blow up balloons, placing small pieces of paper corresponding to each prize within.
  • Supporters purchase these balloons at the event.
  • In unison, supporters pop their balloons and their prize is revealed!

It’s important that you choose prizes that are interesting to your supporters while also being inexpensive enough for your organization to raise gifts through the process.

A principal challenge is a great fundraising idea for kids.

11. Principal Challenge

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Just as with the “Teacher’s in Jail” fundraiser, a principal challenge is often used as a school fundraising idea, but you can adapt the name to something like “Coach Challenge” depending on what will work for your organization.

Traditionally, this fundraiser goes as follows:

  • A fundraising goal is set for your group.
  • Once that goal is reached, the program leader completes a silly challenge. For example, they may have a pie thrown in their face or spend an afternoon in a dunk tank.

To make this fundraiser more special to your team or club, you can theme the silly challenge to align with your activity. For example, a soccer coach might play as the goalie, allowing team members to attempt to throw water balloons into the goal.

The straw draw fundraiser is a top easy fundraising idea for kids.

12. Straw Draw Fundraiser

Cost: $$

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

A straw draw fundraiser is similar to a balloon pop fundraiser but significantly quieter.

Once again, you’ll solicit small or medium prizes to give through this event. If you can get local companies to donate these items to reduce your costs, even better!

Each of these gifts is associated with a straw during the event. At the event, supporters pay to “draw a straw” and discover which gift they’ve won.

Because this fundraiser doesn’t have major gift-raising potential, it might be helpful to loop it in with a larger fundraising event. It’s a great way to raise more through an event and provide additional value to supporters.

Creative Fundraising Ideas for Kids

13. T-Shirt Fundraiser

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

T-shirt fundraisers are a fantastic creative fundraising idea for kids. It allows them to express their personal style while also spreading the word about your team and its fundraiser with each purchase.

Challenge kids in your organization to draw their ideal t-shirt design. Put the designs to the test, allowing all of the kids within your group to vote on their favorite. Use the winning design to create t-shirts for your fundraiser.

Sell these shirts to supporters like families, friends, or other members of your community. When supporters wear the shirt, it will be like free advertising for your organization!

Learn about scavenger hunts, one of our creative fundraising ideas for kids.

14. Scavenger Hunt

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

While a scavenger hunt may require more preparation, the kids involved will appreciate your effort.

Charge a small admission fee for kids to participate, and encourage the whole family to get involved. When planning your hunt, be sure to get creative! There are many fun ways to take your scavenger hunt to the next level, such as:

  • Tying the puzzles to your local community. Teach participating kids about your community’s history by incorporating local landmarks and historical sites.
  • Giving it a seasonal theme. Regardless of the time of year, there is always a soon-approaching holiday or season change that you can connect the hunt to.
  • Jazzing it up with pop culture. Are there any books or movies that are particularly popular? Anything the kids just won’t stop talking about? Draw on those trends!

The more creative you are, the more successful the event will be. If your event looks interesting and fun, more people will want to sign up (and enjoy completing it!).

A talent show is a creative fundraising idea for kids.

15. Talent Show

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Provide a platform for the talented kids in your group to show off their greatest skills and raise money.

Plan an afterschool event and invite students to perform the talent that they’re most proud of. At the event, charge a small admission fee for family, friends, and community members to enjoy the show. Students will appreciate the chance to show off their talents to the crowd and parents will enjoy the adorable photo opportunity.

While you can award a winner and make the event a competition, make sure that participants feel encouraged and supported when displaying their talents.

A color run is a creative fundraising idea for kids.

16. Color Run

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

To organize a color run, you’ll simply put a creative twist to the classic 5K run by adding a colorful element.

Plan a 5K run, which includes setting a date, choosing a location, and mapping a course. Then, charge a small fee for race admission and encourage runners to wear white clothing on the day of the run.

Give spectators colorful chalk powder at the race, encouraging them to throw it into the air as runners pass by. By the end of the race, participants will be covered with colorful chalk and ready for fun finish-line photo ops!

You can add a pledge fundraising element to this race by having participants solicit pledged donations that correspond to their completion of the race. At the end of the event, those pledges become gifts to your organization.

17. Viral Video Challenge

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Viral video challenges are all the rage in the current social media climate, and your students will love having the opportunity to make their own!

The steps are easy:

  • Step 1: Create or choose a video challenge. The most successful challenges are often silly in nature, whether that means completing a fun dance routine or getting “pied” in the face.
  • Step 2: Take a video of a recognizable member of your community completing the challenge. This could be a coach or another leading member. Then, post it to social media.
  • Step 3: Challenge another member of your community to take part in the challenge! Aim to host the challenge on a social network that many of your supporters use, whether that’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.
  • Step 4: Donate when the challenge is over!
Learn how to put on this creative fundraising idea.

Each person who completes the challenge should tag the next person in line. After posting their video, participants make a donation to your organization via your online donation page.

Face painting is a top creative fundraising idea for kids.

18. Face Painting

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Hire a professional face painter or ask a talented, creative volunteer from your organization to help out with a fundraiser that kids in your entire community will enjoy.

This will be most successful when you pair it with another, larger fundraiser–for example, a community picnic, carnival, fall festival, or field day. Set up a table with skin-safe paints and ask for a small donation for each face painting.

Create some sample designs that kids in your community will enjoy, whether tied to seasonal themes (e.g., flowers in the springtime) or pop culture moments (e.g., Disney or Pixar’s latest hit animation). This will help kids choose a design and make the process more efficient!

A flower sale is a great creative fundraising idea for kids.

19. Flower Sale

Cost: $$

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Flowers are universally loved, and selling them is an easy fundraising idea for kids.

Increase the chance of success for this fundraiser by planning it in conjunction with a national holiday. For example, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are already associated with gifting flowers. Sell flower bouquets or bulbs tied to the season, whether at the after-school pick-up line or at the end of a club meeting, to parents who haven’t picked up gifts for their loved ones yet.

Use this creative fundraising idea for kids to raise more for your cause.

20. Cookbook Sale

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Cookbook sales are the perfect creative fundraising idea for kids because they challenge kids to flex their own creative muscles.

Ask group members to create (and illustrate!) a recipe for their favorite food. Students might end up reciting a family-favorite recipe or they might invent something entirely new Regardless of what they submit, it will be fun to see “cooking” through your young participants’ minds.

Compile these recipes into a cookbook and sell copies to parents, extended family members, and even across your greater community. If you want to add a little more value to the cookbook, you can ask parents or other family members to submit “real” recipes for the book as well. The adorable submissions from your students will warm the hearts of your community and equal a highly successful fundraiser.

Learn how to incorporate an art auction, a creative fundraising idea for kids, in your efforts.

21. Art Auction

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Task your students with creating a premier piece of art to auction to your community. Create an event outside of school hours and really play it up. Display the kids’ artwork around a space and allow friends, family members, and members of your community to peruse the offerings.

Whether hosting a live or silent auction, collect bids for the kids’ artwork. Throughout the auction event, educate attendees about your organization and how the donations will positively impact your club or group. Accept other gifts in addition to bids throughout the event and you’ll hit your fundraising goal in no time!

A dog-and-car wash is a creative fundraising idea for kids.

22. Dog-and-Car Wash

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

All you need is nice weather, a space to hold the event, cleaning materials, and excited volunteers. Invite members of your community to bring their cars (and furry friends!) to the event to get them washed in exchange for a small donation.

While the car wash is a tried-and-true fundraising effort, the addition of pets will make the event more exciting and interesting for all involved. Who can resist an event full of cute pets?

Of course, if you’re getting minor students involved in an activity involving live animals, it’s essential to obtain parental permission before doing so. Taking your permission forms to the internet by adding waivers to your website is helpful in making sure every student that plans to participate has permission to do so.

23. Dance-a-Thon

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

What if we told you that you can dance the night away while raising donations for your organization? Incorporate pledge fundraising methods in a fun, fitness-based event with high fundraising potential.

A dance-a-thon, or dance marathon, is an event where participants dance for as long as they can (at times, for 24 hours straight!) to raise money for your cause.

Learn how to host a dance-a-thon, a creative fundraising idea for kids.

Prior to the event, create a pledge fundraising page for the event and allow participants to create their own personal pages in conjunction with it. Then, you can plan the event itself, making sure to curate a fantastic playlist and have snacks and drinks available to encourage participants to keep dancing! Participants should collect pledged donations corresponding to the length of time they dance. 

After all the hard work is done, you can hold the event and challenge everyone to dance as long as they can.

24. Birthday Fundraisers

Cost: $
Effort: √
Fun: ★★★★

With a birthday fundraiser, kids can blow out their candles and make a difference in one fell swoop! Here is how it works:

  1. Determine the specific project for which you want to raise funds.
  2. Select an eCard platform that has fundraising features to collect donations.
  3. Personalize the eCards with your organization’s branding, the child’s name, and a clear call to action for donating.
  4. On each child’s birthday, send out a batch of eCards, encouraging family and friends to donate in honor of the special occasion.

Remember to thank each child for their generosity, especially since they are using their own birthday to support your cause.

If you like this fundraising idea for kids, reach out to 99Pledges so we can help you get started.

Fundraising Ideas for Kids and Parents

25. Bowl-a-Thon

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Organize a bowling tournament for families in your community to compete in. Allow families to register independently or band together and register as teams.

Charge a small fee for admission, ensuring it’s enough to cover the cost of renting the bowling lanes and necessary materials. Then, incorporate the pledge fundraising model by having participating teams collect pledged donations corresponding to either their participation in the event or the number of pins their team successfully knocks over.

Consider using gift wrapping services in your efforts, a great fundraising idea for kids and parents.

26. Gift Wrapping Services

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔ 

Fun: ★★★★★

This fundraiser is most effective if you’re holding it during a holiday season, whether Christmas, Hanukkah, or even Mother’s or Father’s Day. 

Through this fundraiser, representatives from your organization set up tables in a public place and offer to wrap gifts in exchange for a small donation. Advertise these services to supporters of your organization and encourage them to spread the word as well. After all, the success of this fundraiser depends on the number of people that show up to participate.

To maximize your profits from this fundraiser, consider tying in another element like customizable holiday-themed eCards. Along with promoting your gift-wrapping services, ask supporters if they’d like to send a custom eCard to a friend or family member in exchange for a donation to your campaign.

Regardless of the time of year, remain inclusive of the various holidays that might occur during your fundraiser. Avoid being highly representative of one religious holiday at the cost of neglecting other celebrations. The goal is for everyone interested in gift-wrapping services to feel welcome during your fundraiser!

Learn how to incorporate coupon books, a great fundraising idea for kids and parents, in your efforts.

27. Coupon Books

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔ 

Fun: ★★★★★

Coupon books require a bit more coordination, but they hold high fundraising potential and provide benefits to those giving to your team! A similar fundraiser that will take a little less time to put together is a discount card fundraiser. Instead of putting together a book of coupons, you’ll just need to print them on a card.

Search your community for local businesses (like restaurants and retailers) that are willing to participate in your coupon book fundraiser. These businesses agree to provide coupon discounts for the fundraising book, which is then sold to supporters for a small donation.

Participants purchasing the book receive a variety of coupons, making their local shopping experience more thrifty and positive. Local businesses get advertising from being featured, energizing your community’s companies and economy. Finally, your organization receives a donation for each book sold.

Consider using this fundraising idea for kids and parents, a parent's night out.

28. Parent’s Night Out

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

A parent’s night out event is the perfect fundraising idea for kids and parents alike.

You can either plan a fun event for parents—such as a trivia night or a nice dinner—or simply provide childcare for a few hours one evening while parents plan their own night out.

Invite parents to bring their children to school or your program’s facility for a few hours at the end of the day and accept donations for the childcare services. Plan fun activities for students during the event, whether that’s movies, board games, or crafts. The kids will appreciate getting to hang out with their friends during the evening, and parents will appreciate the organized childcare with a provider they already trust!

Is it time for you to use this fundraising idea for kids and parents?

29. Bake Sale

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Ask parents in your community to bond with their kids in a kitchen setting, making family-favorite baked goods to sell in your next fundraiser.

Recruit teachers or parents from your parent-teacher organization to host your bake sale table. Open for operations during student drop-off, after-school pickup, and even during lunch. Aim to sell a wide variety of goods in exchange for small donations to your organization.

Be mindful of food allergies, such as nut and gluten allergies. If baked goods contain common allergens, make sure to note that when you display them. Further, make sure to offer allergen-free snacks so everyone can enjoy!

30. Volunteer-a-Thon

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Bring kids and their family members together in a fundraiser that benefits both the greater community and your team.

There are two popular ways to hold a volunteer-a-thon:

  • Option 1: Organize one mass volunteer day where participants band together to complete one large project in your community. One example of this would be a park clean-up or rejuvenation project.
  • Option 2: Create a volunteer challenge spanning a certain time period, such as a month. Challenge participating families to complete a certain amount of volunteer hours in your community over that time period.
Learn how to host a volunteer-a-thon, a great fundraising idea for kids and parents.

The steps to holding a volunteer-a-thon are simple. First, create a pledge fundraising campaign. Then, ask participants to collect pledges that relate to their future volunteer efforts. Finally, hold the volunteer event in your community.

Parents will appreciate the opportunity to instill strong service values in their children, and your community will benefit from the improvements your volunteers make. Your organization may even receive more donations from outside sources inspired by participants’ good deeds!

Consider using this fundraising idea for kids and parents to get everyone involved.

31. Best Seat in the House

Cost: $$$

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Raffle off tickets to an interesting local event, giving the winner a VIP experience.

Your organization simply procures tickets to raffle, sells tickets, and chooses a winner. Popular events to raffle tickets from are:

  • Local sports team games.
  • Plays or concerts coming through the area.
  • Museums, the zoo, or other local culture mainstays.

Because the event tickets will probably be a pricier item, you can sell tickets for a higher price than you might in another raffle setting. Soliciting the ideal donation amount can be tricky, so be sure to carefully total your costs and set a price that will allow you to make a worthwhile profit.

Learn how to incorporate this great fundraising idea for kids and parents, the restaurant percentage night.

32. Restaurant Percentage Night

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

During a restaurant percentage night, your team partners with a local restaurant to raise funds for your cause. The restaurant agrees to give a percentage of sales from a given date to your fundraiser in return for your organization promoting the event.

Parents will enjoy eating out (rather than cooking) and having their choice of restaurant pre-decided. These families can contribute to your cause with little extra effort on their end, doing something they were going to do anyway—eating dinner as a family.

Because it’s a fundraiser and you’ll be promoting it heavily to supporters, the restaurant stands a good chance of experiencing increased business because of it. This is a great selling point to recruit local restaurants to participate.

A trivia night is a great fundraising idea for kids and parents.

33. Trivia Night

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Gather students and their families together to test their trivia knowledge. Accept donations for entry into the competition and reward a winner at the end of the night!

Engage participants young and old with trivia spanning the ages. Interest parents and guardians with pop culture and history trivia, and entertain your team members with Disney or Pixar questions.

To amplify the fundraising potential of this event, consider incorporating an element of pledge fundraising into the event. Allow families to register as teams and collect pledged gifts corresponding to either their participation in the event or the number of trivia questions answered correctly.

Consider hosting a family photo day, a great fundraising idea for kids and parents.

34. Family Photo Day

Cost: $$

Effort: ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

It’s a common sentiment for many parents that kids just grow up too fast! Thankfully, photos help preserve memories from those cherished childhood years forever.

Hire a photographer for the day and set up in a picturesque location in your community. Invite families to have their portraits taken at a discounted rate.

Parents and guardians will appreciate that the entire family is included in the photo, rather than one essential member standing behind the camera. Plus, they’ll appreciate the discounted cost and convenience of having the logistics sorted out for them.

35. Lawn Service Fundraiser

Cost: $

Effort: ✔ ✔ ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Recruit volunteers from your organization, whether it’s framed as a PTA or booster club fundraiser or a campaign that invites members of your leadership (such as sports team coaches) step up to the challenge.

Offer lawn services to busy parents and other members of your greater community. This includes:

  • Mowing and edging lawns.
  • Weeding garden beds.
  • Clearing brush in wooded areas.
  • Cutting down shorter, easily managed trees.
Is this fundraising idea for kids and parents the right fit for your organization?

Lawn care is a chore that few people want to dedicate their weekends off to completing. By donating to your cause, they can have it done for them, potentially for a better price than hiring professionals.

Learn how to incorporate this fundraising idea for kids and parents in your efforts.

36. Chili Cook-Off

Cost: $

Effort: ✔

Fun: ★★★★★

Bring your community together to enjoy home-cooked chili and bring in donations at the same time.

Challenge students and their families to cook their most-prized family chili recipe and bring enough to share. Organize an event for members of your organization to come together and sample the various chilis enrolled in the competition.

Raise funds by charging for admission into the competition for participants as well as admission into the event for taste-testers. Ask attendees to vote on their favorite recipe or consider bringing in an “expert” judging panel from your community to rate the submissions.

At the end of the event, crown a crowd favorite and a judge-chosen winner.

Additional Resources

With any of these school fundraising ideas for kids, you’re sure to plan an exciting calendar that will engage the whole family and raise the needed funds for your cause.

If none of these ideas seemed like the right fit for your organization, we’ve written about a few more that you can consider. Check out these other resources for fundraising ideas for groups and the tools you might need to support your efforts:

By working with 99Pledges on your next fundraising idea for kids, you can get back to your students, players, or members.