35 School Fundraising Ideas for PTAs and Classrooms
Whether you’re on the PTA, teaching a class or a parent who wants to help, you need school fundraising ideas that work without eating your evenings. Ideas that bring families together, give pupils something to remember and raise money for the things your school needs most. Here’s a taste, with all 35 school fundraising ideas below:
-
Bake sales & Cake sales: The classic, reliable way to raise money fast in the classroom.
-
Summer fetes & Christmas fairs: Big seasonal events packed with games and stalls, perfect for pulling in a crowd.
-
Sponsored reads, walks and runs: Challenges pupils take on, with family and friends sponsoring them online.
-
Non-Uniform days & Dress-Down days: Simple, low-effort days that raise money without any extra planning.
-
School discos & Quiz nights: Fun evenings that get the whole school community in one room.
Two quick checks before you start. Agree the plan with your headteacher or PTA committee. And find out whether your school or PTA is a registered charity, because it changes which kind of JustGiving page you’ll need.
Keep reading for easy school fundraising ideas you can run all year round:
-
Big events: Summer fetes, Christmas fairs, discos, and quiz nights bring the school together for high-impact fundraising.
-
Quick wins: Non-uniform days, sponsored reads/walks, bake sales, and guessing games need minimal setup.
-
Steady support: A termly appeal, match funding and class team pages keep money coming in between events.
-
Collecting online: a parent, teacher or PTA member sets up the page, sets a target and shares the link with families.
Creating memorable moments
When you want the whole school community in one place, a big event is the way to do it. They take more planning, but the payoff is bigger too. These PTA fundraising ideas pull in parents, teachers, grandparents and local businesses, and give pupils a day they’ll talk about for weeks.
Summer fete
Nothing brings a school community together like a summer fete. Add a bring-and-buy stall, a plant and seedling sale and a barbecue, and families get a whole afternoon out while every stall adds to the total.
Festive fundraising
Bring festive cheer to your school with a Christmas fair. Set up craft stalls, host a carol service, and invite Santa to make a special grotto appearance. In the same week, run a Christmas jumper day for a small donation, and ask every class to design a Christmas card the school can print and sell to parents.
School disco
Keep entry free, invite a donation on the door and add a tuck shop for drinks and snacks. Pupils get a night to dance about; you get an easy, cheerful fundraiser that almost runs itself.
Quiz night
Tables of six, a picture round, a few questions set by the pupils. Ask for a donation per table and share your page link for anyone who wants to give more. Quiz nights are one of the best ways for parents to get to know each other, and the competitive ones will be back next term.
Talent show
Pupils (and brave teachers) perform; families come to watch. Donations on the door, and a link to your page for the grandparents watching the video afterwards.
Family film night
Hire the hall, borrow a projector and sell popcorn. Check the film’s screening licence before you book it.
Easy ways to start fundraising
Looking for easy school fundraising ideas without giving up your weekends? We’ve got you covered. Running a successful PTA fundraiser doesn’t need months of planning. Explore these low-effort fundraising ideas that are simple to organise and easy to fit around a busy school schedule. They’ll help you raise the money your school needs, with minimal stress.
Non-uniform day
Ask your students to swap their uniform for their favourite everyday clothes in exchange for a small donation. It’s quick to set up, and the kids will love it. A World Book Day dress-up or a pyjama day works just the same way.
Sponsored challenges
Sponsored challenges get the whole school moving. A sponsored read or walk is the classic, and a sponsored swim, colour run, welly walk or dance-a-thon gives it a twist. Pupils set a personal goal, a parent, teacher or PTA member sets up the JustGiving page, and family and friends sponsor them online. It’s an easy way to build healthy habits while raising money.
A delicious school bake sale
A bake sale or cake stall takes little more than a table and a few willing bakers. Set one up in the playground at pick-up, or run a big breakfast or coffee morning in the hall before school. Our bake sale covers planning, pricing and running the stall.
Sponsored silence
An hour of quiet in a classroom full of ten-year-olds is worth sponsoring. Pupils gather sponsors, teachers get a peaceful afternoon.
Easy ways to get regular support
Want to keep money coming in without running an event every week? Low-effort primary school fundraising ideas, such as a termly appeal, second-hand uniform and book sales, shopping donations and recycling schemes, tick along in the background while everyone gets on with the school year.
Keep the support coming all year
Once a term, post an update on your page: what last term’s money paid for, and what’s next. A short, specific ask (“£400 for new playground markings”) is easier to say yes to than a general one. Ask parents whether their employer offers match funding, as some companies will match what their staff raise, which could double what a sponsored read brings in. And for whole-school challenges, give each class its own page under one school team page, so classes can cheer each other on.
Shop and donate at the same time
You can raise money for your school by simply doing something you do often, shopping online. Sign up to a free online shopping scheme, and you’ll raise money every time you shop at participating stores. There’s no extra cost to you, and it’s an effortless way to raise additional funds for your school.
Recycling schemes
Turn unwanted items into extra cash with a school recycling scheme! Collect old clothes, printer cartridges or used electronics and swap them for cash. It’s an easy, eco-friendly way to raise money for your school while teaching pupils to look after the planet.
Make it easier for supporters to get involved
A JustGiving page lets grandparents and family abroad chip in too. Which page you need is simple. If you’re raising money for a charity on JustGiving, including a PTA that’s a registered charity, set up a fundraising page. The four steps below show you how. If your PTA isn’t a registered charity, or you’re raising money for a community project, set up a Crowdfunding page instead.
Not sure if your PTA is a registered charity? Ask your treasurer.
Set up your school’s fundraising page:
A parent, teacher or PTA member creates your school’s page in a few clicks. Say what the money’s for.
Set a target:
Give your supporters a clear goal so they can see the impact their money makes.
Encourage Gift Aid:
If you’re raising money for a registered charity Gift Aid adds 25p to every eligible £1 donated, at no extra cost to your donors. It applies to voluntary donations, not to things people buy or pay to take part in.
Share the link:
Send your page link out via parent group chats, emails and social media.
If you’re planning to fundraise outside of school, here are some more fundraising ideas.
Now that you have some great school fundraising ideas, it’s time to set up your school’s fundraising page.
School fundraising: your questions answered
Got questions about fundraising ideas for schools? Here are quick, simple answers to help you get started.
The school fundraising ideas people come back to every year are simple to run and get everyone involved. Classics like summer fetes, festive fairs, school discos and non-uniform days are always big hits. You can also try sponsored reads for an active challenge, or post a termly appeal on your page to keep money coming in.
Raising money can be a great way to strengthen the bond between parents, teachers and students. It can also be helpful when trying to help fund special projects for the school. You can do this by mixing fun community events like school fairs with quick wins like non-uniform days.
The fundraising ideas for primary schools that parents and PTAs come back to mix fun events with simple daily activities. Popular options include PTA summer fairs, school discos and non-uniform days. You can also try a sponsored read for an extra boost. Or set up a background scheme, like shopping donations or recycling, to bring in steady funds all year round.
A bake sale is one of the easiest school fundraisers to run. All you need is a table, some baked treats, and a bit of promotion; no special equipment or set-up is required. Add a fun theme, and share your JustGiving page link so people can give by card as well as cash.
Run a non-uniform day. It takes almost no set-up: just ask pupils for a small donation to wear their favourite clothes for the day. Bake sales and sponsored reads are other simple, low-effort options worth trying too.
No. Raffles, tombolas, 100 clubs and prize draws can’t be run or promoted through a JustGiving page, under our terms of service. Use your page for donations and sponsorship, and check the rules with your local council before running a raffle separately.
Create a Fundraising Page
Create your fundraising page in minutes and start making a difference today.