Every dollar raised is another step toward giving students the experiences they deserve, whether it’s a new playground, better technology, or exciting field trips. PTO fundraising is about more than just money; it’s about shaping a brighter future for students.
Beyond funding programs and activities, school fundraising fuels a well-rounded education and supports extracurricular activities that help kids develop their interests as they grow. Plus, additional funds help your school expand its facilities to accommodate more students.
To inspire your next fundraiser, this post will walk through some of the top PTO fundraising idea categories for schools, including:
- Best PTO Fundraisers: Walk-a-thon Fundraisers
- Most Profitable PTO Fundraisers
- Creative PTO Fundraising Ideas
- PTO Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams
- Fundraising Ideas for High Schools
The best PTO fundraisers will get your students involved in engaging the community. That way, they can develop valuable life skills and feel invested in your school’s fundraising success! With that in mind, let’s get started.
Best PTO Fundraisers: Walk-a-thon Fundraisers
1. Walk-a-thon Fundraisers
Walk-a-thons are one of the most popular fundraising ideas for schools. Students, faculty, and community members can get involved and show support by participating or pledging donations. Compared to product fundraisers and similar campaigns, your PTO can retain almost 100% of its proceeds rather than overspend on upfront costs.
If you are unfamiliar with how a Walk-a-thon fundraiser works, the process is simple:
- Participants gather pledged donations per unit of distance walked.
- Participants complete the Walk-a-thon, tracking their distance.
- Donors fulfill their pledges based on the walker’s distance. For example, if they pledged $5 per mile and the walker completes 3 miles, they give $15.
- The campaign organizer receives the funds!
This same approach works for other fitness-based fundraisers, such as Jog-a-thons and Fun Runs. While incredibly fun, a Walk-a-thon fundraiser can quickly become unmanageable without the right software.
With 99Pledges, you can power your Walk-a-thon for free! The only fees are standard charges of 3.49% plus 49 cents per transaction on credit card transactions. After you launch your campaign, participants can create unique, shareable fundraising pages to secure pledges and spread the word about your event. You’ll also gain access to detailed reports for individuals, classes, and your overall campaign to reward hard work and share results.
Whether you host a Walk-a-thon or another fitness-based fundraiser, our kid-friendly platform provides everything you need to secure pledges for your next fundraiser.
Most Profitable PTO Fundraisers
2. Volunteer-a-thon
With a Volunteer-a-thon, students accept pledges for every hour they spend completing tasks in their community. Students should volunteer for tasks that help people who cannot help themselves or afford the work they need to be done. A Volunteer-a-thon has the potential to raise an enormous amount of money for your school for many reasons:
- It encourages student involvement in the community.
- Elderly and needy community members can get the help they need.
- The proceeds go toward your school.
Your community will love encouraging a healthy work ethic and a sense of volunteerism in your students, making this fundraiser highly lucrative. To motivate participants and empower them to raise funds, create a pledge-based volunteer campaign!
Consider opening up participation to parents and other community members who want to help out, too. Encourage them to check into their company’s volunteer offerings to support their efforts.
For example, they might receive volunteer time off (VTO), enabling them to volunteer during work hours without giving up a paycheck. Many companies also offer volunteer grants in which they promise to donate to organizations (including schools) where employees volunteer. That means even more money for your school!
3. Bake Sale
Bake sales have been a staple of PTO fundraising for a good reason. Who doesn’t love walking by a table lined with sweets and splurging on a brownie or a beautifully iced cupcake? Your PTO members can provide the baked goods and volunteer to manage the table in shifts.
You can host a bake sale near the cafeteria during the lunch block, or even tack this fundraiser onto an existing event, like a school play, or sporting event. Plenty of people will be willing to pay for one of your treats!
For a healthier option that works great after a Walk-a-thon, try offering bananas, water bottles, and granola bars for a small fee.
4. Raffle
Raffles are one of the highest rewarding PTO fundraising ideas for minimal work. You simply have to sell raffle tickets with the promise of a few prizes. Make sure your PTO assembles a range of prizes, the extravagance of which may differ based on the fundraising capacity of your school and the price of your tickets.
After the event begins, the only thing you need to worry about as you host a raffle is managing the money you collect. Make sure your PTO finance officer is prepared for the influx of funds!
5. Charity Auction
The first step toward hosting a successful auction is finding the right auction software to manage the event. Once you do this, your next task is carefully curating your auction items. Your auction catalog could include a mix of items that appeal to both adults and students, such as:
- Luxury spa package at a local spa
- Golf clubs and a round of golf
- Homework passes or VIP school parking passes
- Dinner for two
- Principal for a day
- Custom school spirit basket
While this PTO fundraising idea may take a little extra effort, it has the potential to bring in considerable revenue for your school. Work with local businesses and use an auction package provider to find exclusive experiences to offer.
Make the auction event itself appealing by designing your auction around a theme where attendees can dress up and have fun!
6. Themed Gala
Hosting a themed gala is the perfect fundraising event to bring in some major donors. If your PTO has the fundraising capacity to pull this event off, you could gain some real momentum with your fundraising. Charge admission to all members of your community, school board, staff, and students (with students getting a slight discount on their tickets to encourage their attendance).
Attendees can eat a nice meal and listen to some live music while mingling with other people passionate about your school and its programs. While this fundraiser may incur overhead costs, the fundraising potential of a quality event will outweigh its production costs.
7. Doughnut Sale
Support your school by partnering with a local doughnut shop to host a doughnut sale fundraiser. You can sell these doughnuts by the dozen, half dozen, or in singles. For a simple approach, you can host a Krispy Kreme fundraiser. Choose from three options:
- Pre-sell Products: Supporters can fill out pre-order forms. Then, you’ll tally up orders and deliver doughnuts.
- Digital Dozens: Sell virtual cards that people can redeem for a dozen doughnuts at any Krispy Kreme.
- One-Day Sale: Pick a day and location for your PTO’s fundraiser. Then, purchase a selection of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and watch them sell like hotcakes—or hot doughnuts in this case.
Regardless of how you choose to sell them, you will easily be able to find people willing to take some of the doughnuts off your hands.
Keep the pricing reasonable so students can afford it, and sell them in convenient locations (e.g., major footpaths between classes, the gym during basketball games, or the cafeteria during lunch). Nothing helps you get through a stressful day quite like a doughnut does, and you can capitalize on this to raise all the funds you need for your school.
Creative PTO Fundraising Ideas
8. Matching Gift Drive
A matching gift drive is a great way for your PTO to raise money because it allows parents to support the organization without digging deeper into their own pockets! Matching gifts are a type of philanthropic contribution that many employers make, but these funds frequently go unclaimed because employees don’t know about the program. In fact, an estimated $4-7 billion in matching gift revenue goes unclaimed each year.
Here’s how matching gifts work for PTOs that are registered as 501(c)(3) organizations:
- A supporter donates to your PTO.
- They submit the necessary forms to their employer to claim a matched gift.
- Their employer confirms the gift with your PTO.
- The employer sends the matched gift to your group!
This PTO fundraising idea pairs perfectly with every other idea on this list since it supports your fundraising campaigns after you’ve collected donations through other means! To advertise your matching gift drive, email your supporters with information on these programs after they’ve donated.
To make this strategy more effective, consider investing in a matching gift database. Using this tool, supporters or PTO members can research specific companies, determine eligibility, and find the required forms.
9. Shoe Drive Fundraiser
If you’re looking for a unique fundraising idea to engage students, look no further! A shoe drive fundraiser is a creative way for your school to raise some impressive revenue and teach kids and teens a lesson in small-scale global philanthropy.
You may be asking yourself, “Why shoes?” There are several reasons why shoe drive fundraisers are a reliable and effective choice for school fundraising:
- Kids are constantly outgrowing their shoes.
- Parents appreciate the chance to declutter their homes, especially for a good cause.
- Everyone has an extra pair or two that they no longer wear.
- Donating gently worn, used, and new shoes is an easy way to repurpose footwear.
All you need to do is set up bins around your school. Then, encourage students to bring in gently worn, used, and new shoes that they no longer need. Once your campaign wraps up, notify your shoe drive fundraiser facilitator and they’ll pick up the collected shoes.
Best of all, you can turn it into a peer-to-peer fundraiser by encouraging students to collect them from their friends, families, and neighbors. No matter how you approach it, parents will be happy to clear out some clutter and support your school at the same time.
10. Spell-a-thon
Spell-a-thons can help your school raise money while encouraging students to hone a valuable skill: spelling. This is perfect for younger grades who are still developing their ability to read and write effectively. The kids would view the opportunity as a welcome challenge.
With this PTO fundraising idea, your students collect pledges based on how many words they can correctly spell out of a predetermined number (e.g., a person can donate $1 for every correctly spelled word out of 50, for a maximum donation of $50). This can quickly become very lucrative for your school. Plus, it’s as easy as holding a spelling test in each class!
11. Teachers in Jail
What student wouldn’t jump at the opportunity for some free time at school? Whether your students are after extra recess time, a movie morning, a pizza party, or a study hall period, they will absolutely love the opportunity to do anything but classwork at school.
Set a fundraising amount that students must meet in a specific amount of time in order to “place their teacher in jail” and get a little bit of free time, while, of course, remaining supervised the entire time.
Set a reachable goal, like asking each class to raise $100 within 24 hours. You will quickly begin to see the donations flood in, and you’ll be able to raise the money you need in no time!
12. Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament
Everyone knows the stress of playing rock-paper-scissors, staring into the eyes of your opponent, and seeing their dismay as your rock crushes their scissors. Why not turn this into a fun tournament for some of your older grades?
Middle schoolers and high schoolers love this PTO fundraising idea because you can offer the winner an awesome prize at the end of the tournament (and we’re not just talking about bragging rights).
Ask students to pay an entry fee to sign up for your tournament and then face off against their classmates until one rock-paper-scissors champion remains. Students will get really enthusiastic, and, as long as you provide a desirable prize for the winner, you will have no problem raising the money you need.
13. Parents Night Off
Finding an affordable babysitter for an evening out without the kids can be challenging for some parents. The chance to support their kids’ school and get a night out on the town will be utterly irresistible.
Allow parents to donate a set amount to your school, and in return, your staff volunteers can entertain the kids with dinner and movies in the school gym for a few hours. Parents will jump at this PTO fundraiser idea, and the students will love the opportunity to hang out with their friends after school hours are over.
14. Family Fun Day
A perfect fundraiser for late spring when summer is on the horizon and both students and teachers are itching for some fun, this PTO fundraising idea provides parents the opportunity to attend a fun event with their kids and get to know the school’s faculty and staff. On a Saturday toward the end of the school year, organize a family day where students, parents, and teachers can enjoy games, food, and some songs from your school’s band and chorus.
You can raise money for this fundraiser by charging an entrance fee as well as selling concessions throughout the event. For an added bonus, sell tickets that attendees can trade to play games!
15. Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are an excellent way to involve students in fundraising! While it is a bit more challenging than your run-of-the-mill school fundraiser, the potential benefits outweigh the extra effort.
The process is relatively simple:
- Decide on a theme.
- Encourage participation.
- Designate a location and time frame.
- Incentivize involvement with prizes.
For a modest fee, your students can engage with this epic PTO fundraiser and follow clues that lead to their final goal. Keep the fundraiser oriented toward academics by creating clues related to the subjects they’re learning about! Here’s a fun example:
“Your next clue awaits where cells divide and grow, on slides and scopes arranged in a row. Where microscopes zoom to explore what’s unseen, this biology hotspot is key to your team.” (Answer: The microscope station in the science lab)
16. Rock-a-thon
Want to raise money for your school by simply encouraging staff, students, and community members to spend hours rocking in their chairs? This PTO fundraising idea for schools will allow participants to collect pledges based on how long they can sit in a rocking chair.
Participants can read, play games, watch movies, or just hang out with their friends during this fundraiser. There is only one rule: you must be in the rocking chair and moving at all times. Students of all ages can participate in this fundraiser and, as an added bonus, you can even open it up to the wider community so people who love your school can participate.
PTO Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams
17. Hit-a-thon
A Hit-a-thon fundraiser can help your school sports team members hone their hitting ability while raising money to support their team. Sports teams need money for travel, uniforms, and equipment, and it can be a challenge to get the players interested in fundraising. With this PTO fundraising idea for sports teams, players can accept:
- Donations for their participation.
- Pledges based on the number of pitches they hit out of a set number.
- Pledges based on how many feet the ball is hit.
Check out this quick rundown of how a Hit-a-thon works:
Using 99Pledges, Evergreen Little League raised $15K with its Hit-a-thon fundraiser, compared to just $5K without our platform! Your sports team can take advantage of school spirit and community support with this exciting fundraiser, too. With campaigns like this, make sure you get all participants to sign the appropriate waivers so you can have fun without any risk of liability!
18. T-Shirt Fundraiser
Nothing says school spirit quite like a one-of-a-kind t-shirt designed for your school. Host a t-shirt fundraiser and sell your school’s unique t-shirts to students, staff, parents, and community members who want to show their support. These fundraising products are perfect for tacking onto an event like a Walk-a-thon because many individuals will want a memento from your fundraiser!
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of creating a custom t-shirt. There are software platforms that enable your school to design and sell t-shirts with very little extra cost or effort. For example, Bonfire offers hundreds of design templates, making it easy to create professional designs quickly.
Best of all, they don’t require you to hold inventory, so your team isn’t at risk of ordering too many shirts and wasting resources. Simply design your t-shirt and any other products. Then, direct families to your fundraising store.
19. Running Shoe Drive Fundraiser
Looking for the perfect event to pair with your school’s sporting events? Host a running shoe drive fundraiser at any of your athletic events and you will easily raise money for your teams!
A running shoe drive fundraiser allows community members to donate their gently worn, used, and new sneakers to your school. Your PTO, in turn, sends the sneakers to a running shoe drive fundraising team like Sneakers4Good and gets sent a check! The amount of money you raise depends on the number of sneakers you send, so don’t forget to advertise your running shoe drive fundraiser leading up to the event.
20. Field Day
Almost everyone has fond memories of a school field day from their youth. Getting to run around, play games, drink Gatorade, and spend time with your friends instead of attending classes is the highlight of any young person’s week. Raise money with this PTO fundraising idea by charging a small fee per game or allowing parents the opportunity to donate money in exchange for tickets for their kids.
The students will love the athleticism and competition involved in this fundraiser, while parents will be encouraged to donate out of their own nostalgia for their youth. Make sure PTO members volunteer to manage the games and ensure everything runs smoothly.
21. School Olympics
Every few years, the world enjoys the Olympic games and cheers on its favorite athletes. It is exciting and adrenaline-inducing to watch a close race or a near-fall from a balance beam. So, why not replicate this excitement by hosting an Olympic game night right in your own school or county?
One of the best ways for an Olympic game night to work is for your PTO to partner with the other schools in the county and organize a tournament between all of your sports teams. You can sell tickets and concessions to raise money—and trust us, those seats will be full. Your county will want to cheer on its own athletes as they compete for medals and showcase their talents.
22. Shoot-a-thon
Need to find a way to support your school’s basketball or soccer team? Hold a Shoot-a-thon at your school and see how your players improve their playing while raising money for their team.
Community members, parents, staff, and fellow students can pledge money based on how many free throws or goals are scored by the team’s players. Your players will love the chance to show off their skills and raise money for new uniforms, camps, or equipment! Remember to use 99Pledges to easily accept and process pledges from supporters.
23. Best Seat in the House
This PTO fundraising idea takes advantage of people’s desire to be right in the action of an intense game or sporting event. Think of it as a type of raffle. Students can purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win a prime seat during one of the hottest games of the season.
Charge a low fee for the tickets and watch them disappear. Students will want to purchase as many as possible to increase the likelihood that they win. Make the seat a better deal by throwing in concessions and an additional free seat for a guest!
24. Food Truck Fundraiser
Are your spectators growing tired of eating the same concessions every week? Partner with a food truck to add some variety on game day!
The benefit of partnering with a food truck to support your team is they can pull up right next to your school and start serving, and you get a cut of the profits. While you give them a hungry audience, they can help support your team—it’s a win-win! You can even set up a rotation so that, each week, a different food truck attends your sporting event, ensuring no one gets bored with your food and keeps purchasing food.
25. Color Run
As a tried-and-true fundraising idea, a Color Run will appeal to a lot of your students—and members of the community. Invite students, parents, teachers, and community members to participate in your color run that will benefit your sports team. This fun take on a 5K, people will be chomping at the bit for a chance to have fun and get doused with colored powder.
While you can charge a flat fee, don’t forget you can also sell commemorative t-shirts and wristbands for people to wear while running for an extra fundraising boost!
Fundraising Ideas for High Schools
26. Dance-a-thon
Odds are, your school has a gymnasium that would be perfect for this PTO fundraising idea. All you need is an amazing playlist, some volunteers, and a few concessions to sell to participants and spectators. The concept behind a Dance-a-thon is simple: participants must remain moving on the dance floor until only one remains and is declared the winner.
To encourage participation, give your Dance-a-thon a fun theme, such as:
- Silent disco. Hand out headphones to all participants. Then, have a few soundtracks to choose from!
- Dancing through the decades. Create a playlist of music from different decades and move through the decades (such as music from the Roaring Twenties to current pop hits).
- Holiday. If your Dance-a-thon is close to a holiday, make that your theme! Whether it’s a Halloween Monster Mash or a winter Snowball Soirée, students will love dancing to holiday hits.
Create a fundraising campaign for your students to gather pledges. Start the event on a Friday afternoon and watch as it continues into the weekend (remember, the longer the event continues, the more money you raise). Don’t forget to encourage participants to dress up and have fun with it!
27. Character Day
TV shows, movies, and books have given us so many amazing characters to look up to, admire, and aspire to be. Character day allows students to dress up as their favorite characters and parade around school all day, spending a day in someone else’s shoes. Students can purchase a costume pass so your staff can know which individuals are allowed to dress up.
Students at your school will be excited at the prospect of dressing up, but if you want to add extra incentive, you can turn it into a costume contest where classes can vote on the best costume in their class. The class winners can then be voted on during an afternoon assembly and the winner crowned by the end of the day. Competition is always a good motivator for high schoolers, especially if the winner gets a prize!
28. Staging a Play
If one thing can bring in ticket sales to your school, it is a flood of proud parents wanting to support their teens. Organize a school play with your school’s theater troupe and watch the ticket sales go through the roof. You can get other students involved by:
- Having the design club create flyers.
- Asking the film club to create a shareable promo video.
- Letting the photography club take pictures and make posters.
Get your fine arts students involved in fundraising for your school and give parents an opportunity to see their kids’ talents shine, and you will see increased revenue in no time!
29. Balloon Pop Party
Take advantage of your student’s love for games of chance with this PTO fundraising idea for schools. The concept behind a balloon pop party is simple:
- Host an event where you sell balloons for $10.
- Inside the majority of balloons, place $1.
- In select balloons, place $10, $20, and $30.
- In one balloon, place $100.
Once all balloons have been sold, make sure everyone pops their balloon at the same time. While the majority of people will come out with a net loss, a few lucky individuals will actually make a few bucks, and one lucky winner will win the big prize. Your students will love the idea of “free money” and try to purchase more balloons to be the night’s winner!
30. Restaurant Partnership
You would be hard-pressed to find a high schooler who wouldn’t want to spend the evening hanging out with their friends and eating at a restaurant they love. The fact that it supports their school would be an excellent added bonus. Partner with a local restaurant for a “spirit night” where students can dine with their family and friends while a portion of the proceeds goes to your school.
Many restaurants have guidelines in place for these kinds of partnerships, but the most common is requiring a flyer from the school. Participants must take one of the flyers your PTO members passed out regarding the event and turn it in upon purchasing their food. The restaurant then donates a portion of the proceeds based on how many flyers they collect.
31. Used Book Sale
Interest your community’s avid readers and literary-minded individuals with this PTO fundraising idea for schools. Hold a book collection and encourage your community to donate their used books. Then you can hold a used book sale and invite your community to come out and find something new to read.
So many people will love the opportunity to share some of their favorite books when they donate and pick up a couple of new ones at the sale. Any leftover books from the sale can go to your library or be stored away for future book sales!
32. Obstacle Course
It can be challenging to get teens to be active and participate in athletic fundraisers, but if you want your event to reach its full potential, you need to get as many students to participate as possible. The fun challenge of an obstacle course will draw more students to your fundraiser!
Obstacles can include:
- Tire Hop: Jump through a series of laid-out tires without missing a step.
- Monkey Bars: Swing across metal bars without falling.
- Mud Crawl: Crawl under a low net through a muddy or wet area.
- Wall Climb: Scale a wooden or rope wall to continue the course.
- Balance Beam: Walk across a narrow beam while carrying a weighted object.
No matter which obstacles you include, students will want the chance to demonstrate their fortitude of mind and body as they try to complete your obstacle course. You can raise money for this event by charging an admission fee and setting up a pledge-based fundraiser for students to gather support before the event!
33. Prom Dress Drive
Throughout high school, many teenagers look forward to prom. They are excited about dancing, eating nice food, hanging out with their friends, and dancing, but most importantly, they want to find the perfect outfit. However, prom dress shopping is no picnic. It can be expensive and time-consuming for many people.
Host a prom dress drive where students and graduates in your community can donate their prom dresses to your school. Then you can then sell them at a reasonable rate to your students. Your students will love the chance to find an affordable yet beautiful prom dress.
Additional Resources for PTO Fundraising
The kids and teens that attend your school deserve all the events and programs your school can offer. These help them explore their own interests and develop their likes and dislikes.
Try some of these PTO fundraising ideas to ensure your school has everything it needs to keep offering the extracurriculars your students need. If you need more advice as you launch your campaign, check out these helpful resources:
- Everything You Need to Start a Read-a-thon Fundraiser. A Read-a-thon encourages students to develop their literacy skills while raising money for your school. Discover how to make your Read-a-thon a success!
- The Only Guide You Need to Team Fundraising Platforms. A team fundraising platform will power your campaign so participants can focus on engaging your community rather than managing logistics. Learn everything you need to know about these platforms.
- 20+ Amazing PTA Fundraising Ideas for Every Occasion. Still looking for an effective campaign idea? Check out these creative options that might work for your school.
