A complete guide to PTA and PTO fundraising for schools, covering:
- 13+ fundraising ideas: Fun runs, carnivals, raffles, product sales, and more, including virtual options you can run from anywhere
- Planning essentials: Setting goals, budgets, and timing for a successful campaign
- Collecting payments: How online and in-person methods compare
- Building community: Engaging parents and rallying support for local causes and disaster relief
PTA and PTO groups support teachers and school staff, raise funds for supplemental educational materials and experiences, foster school and family social interaction, and provide a forum for sharing information on issues that affect children and youth.
Fundraising is an integral part of school PTOs, but it can be difficult to determine the best ways to raise money. You need fun, lucrative PTO fundraising ideas to get families excited and meet your goals.
This guide brings it all together – dozens of in-person and virtual fundraising ideas, plus practical tips on planning your campaign, collecting payments, selling school spirit wear, and rallying your community for any cause.
DoJiggy makes PTO fundraising easy with the best free fundraising platform for school and PTO fundraising campaigns.
What we’ll cover
- Top 13 PTO and PTA fundraising ideas
- Looking for online or virtual PTO fundraising ideas?
- Our online and virtual fundraising platform works for schools and PTOs
- Important PTO fundraising considerations
- How to collect PTA payments: Online vs. in-person
- Building a sense of community is key to PTO and PTA groups
- Is there a difference between PTO and PTA groups and fundraising strategies?
- More PTA and school fundraising resources
- FAQs on PTA fundraising and PTO fundraising
Top 13 PTO and PTA fundraising ideas
Many PTAs and schools stick to the old standards – like candy bar sales and Box Tops 4 Education campaigns. While these campaigns can be lucrative, creative school and PTA fundraising ideas set your fundraising team apart and help you raise more. That’s why we’ve created a page packed with the best fundraisers for schools to help your PTO start planning a successful fundraiser.
Here are 13+ of our favorite fundraising ideas that work great for PTAs and school crowdfunding events.
School walk-a-thons or fun runs
Organize a school walk-a-thon or fun run – a healthy PTO fundraising idea! Fun Runs are one of the most common and successful PTO fundraising events we see. Kids love to run!
Color run fundraisers
Make it even more fun for kids with a walkathon theme, such as a color run fundraiser. Color runs are a great way to get middle and high school students excited about the PTO fundraiser.
Reading fundraisers
Reading challenges or read-a-thons promote literacy and a love of reading in children. Top fundraisers can receive prizes or gift certificates from a local bookstore as an incentive for participating.
Serve-a-thons
Serve-a-thons are community service events that get students to help out in the community. Plan an event that students can complete in one day – a painting project, helping in a homeless shelter, or reading to the elderly.
Just ask campaigns
Just Ask Campaigns, utilizing our free donation websites with recurring donations, are a great way to easily raise money. With these programs, the PTO asks parents for a monthly donation, and donation software is key to your success.
School carnivals
School carnivals with outdoor games, bounce houses, refreshments, and live music are always a family hit for elementary PTO groups. These events build community and are a great way to recruit new parents and members to the PTO.
Car washes
Car washes are a classic fundraising idea that everyone can participate in and enjoy. Some groups add an area to wash dogs at the same time. Have the kids prepare sandwiches, offer drinks, and include a bake sale to raise more money.
Obstacle courses
Older kids love obstacle courses. With help from the school’s Physical Education teacher and willing parents (especially those with a military or veteran background), you can create an obstacle course fundraiser right in your school’s backyard.
Fundraising raffles
Fundraising raffles make great virtual fundraising campaigns for PTOs. With our online raffle platform, you can use peer-to-peer fundraising features to sell raffle tickets. This means you can create a competition for the top fundraising students and classes.
Dance-a-thons
Try hosting a dance party or dance-a-thon for your PTO. Again, creating a theme and encouraging students and teachers to dress up will add to the fun. Decorate the gym and bring on the DJ! Students raise money online to participate.
Bike-a-thons
Have the kids bring their bikes and zoom around having fun with a bike-a-thon fundraiser. Little kids can bring tricycles for a trike-a-thon. Family members will love to support the kids with donations for their biking efforts.
Spirit days: Dress-up and dress-down
A small donation to break from the normal dress code – students pay to skip the uniform, or to wear a costume for a chosen theme. Almost no setup, it works as a one-off or a recurring monthly perk, and teachers can buy in too (jeans for the day).
Restaurant give-back nights
Partner with a local restaurant that agrees to donate a percentage of one evening’s proceeds to your PTO. Families show up for dinner, the school earns a share, and the business gets a crowd – pizza parlors and family chains are usually happy to host.
Looking for online or virtual PTO fundraising ideas?
Of course, you are! COVID-19 taught us many things, including that virtual fundraising strategies work. Organizations can fundraise online and draw in a large, inclusive audience. We’ve put together this list of the ten best virtual fundraising ideas for school PTO groups.
Virtual walkathons and fun runs
Virtual walkathons are great fundraisers for schools that can raise a lot of money with few upfront costs. With parental involvement, these are fun and easy to organize.
Virtual happy hours and performances
Get your livestream ready! Virtual performances work great and can be used to highlight school music groups, marching bands, and choirs.
Online product sales with P2P pages
Virtual merchandise sales are a no-brainer for no/low contact fundraising. Our simple stores make it so easy you can get set up and start selling in no time.
Online raffles
Online raffles are a great way for many PTO groups to raise money. 50/50 cash raffles make it so easy, and you don’t even have to get prizes donated. Our raffle software can randomly select and notify winners.
Virtual bikeathons
You can run bikeathon fundraisers virtually with just a few tweaks. Biking is a great socially distant sport, so kids may even bike together. Students create a fundraising page for donations and commit to biking to support the school.
Virtual reading challenges
Readathons get kids reading and raising money for the PTO at the same time. All you need to do is set up the Athon website, where students track the number of books or pages read. Donors contribute based on reading results, and top fundraisers are highlighted.
Charity auctions
All you need are some great auction items and our software. Simply create your fundraising auction website and add unlimited auction categories and items. Set the start time for online bidding and begin advertising your auction. Bids are made online and via text to bid.
Food delivery campaigns
Since many people are staying in to promote social distancing, why not sell food packages online and deliver them to your supporters? Create and sell packages with a theme – for example, Italian Night or Mexican Night. Get PTO members and supporters to volunteer and deliver the packages.
Virtual watch parties
Select an educational movie or documentary to share with students. Supporters register to watch the movie and buy popcorn or other treats on your website. You can launch the watch party with a live stream, letting parents and kids know what to look for and discuss after the film. Users watch the movie on their own streaming devices.
Our online and virtual fundraising platform works for schools and PTOs
Our virtual fundraising platform has the tools your group needs – for free! Whether you are planning a Fun Run, fundraising raffle, online product sales, charity fundraising auction, or a virtual movie watch party, we can do it with you. There are lots of innovative features included for school fundraising during COVID:
- A fundraising home page that links to all your school fundraising campaigns and events
- A free Live Stream platform for virtual and hybrid fundraising events
- Text to Donate (US organizations and phones only)
- Ability to incorporate peer-to-peer fundraising with personal and team fundraising pages into more campaign types, such as online sales campaigns and raffles
- Recurring donations integrated into the P2P and crowdfunding model
- Donor perks can be given to crowdfunding donors at pre-defined levels (ie, donate $100 and get a free t-shirt)
- Mobile giving support, like secure payments via digital wallets (Apple Pay and Google Pay)
- No start-up or monthly fees (just optional donor tips), or an optional low percentage-based option where your group decides who covers the fee, all with Stripe integration that deposits funds straight into your PTA’s bank account
DoJiggy’s fundraising platform makes planning and managing PTO events simple and effective
Important PTO fundraising considerations
Creating an annual fundraising plan is a great way to start the school year. Parents, teachers, and administrators should work together to determine goals, set budgets, manage timelines, and organize the details of PTO fundraising campaigns. Consider these factors in your planning efforts to help make your school’s fundraisers successful:
- What age are the students? Consider what students are interested in and capable of doing prior to selecting your fundraising events. You want to spark your children’s interest with a fundraising campaign.
- What is your budget for producing a fundraiser? Is there a PTO fund that you can utilize? What are the upfront costs, and how will your organization cover these?
- What are your fundraising goals? How will funds be used?
- What resources do you have to work with, including parents, volunteers, local business and media relationships that can assist with sponsorships, advertising, and marketing of your PTO/PTA fundraising efforts?
- What tools, including fundraising software, will your PTA use to collect donations and manage all the planning details of your PTA/PTO fundraising campaigns?
- What fundraising ideas does your group have? What events have you tried before? Which campaigns have been successful, and what has failed?
- When is the best time of year for PTO events? Hosting a large fall fundraiser to kick off the year, when everyone is fresh, is most common for PTA groups. See whether this timing works for your school calendar, and identify other campaigns you might include throughout the school year.
- What are your plans for promoting your PTO/PTA fundraising events? Networking, social media, community relationships, local businesses, your school website, event calendars, email blasts, website links, school gatherings, and more can create opportunities to share.
- What message and skills are you teaching students through your fundraiser? Are you choosing healthy options or selling cookie dough? Kids notice these things.
- How will you motivate participants? Will there be prizes or awards for top performers and classrooms? How much competition is your community comfortable with promoting?
- If you’ll order from an outside product or catalog vendor, vet them first: How long have they been in business? Can you see product samples before committing? What happens if an order arrives late? Is there a minimum purchase you’re locked into, and are items prepaid or paid on delivery?
How to collect PTA payments: Online vs. in-person
Raising the money is only half the job; you also need a reliable way to collect it. And PTAs collect for more than fundraisers: membership dues (to cover day-to-day operating costs), field trips and special events, and bigger capital projects like new classrooms, playground upgrades, or tech improvements.
Whatever the purpose, it comes down to two options.
Online payments
Credit/debit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets, and fundraising platforms.
- Convenient: Pay anytime, anywhere; ideal for busy families and event registrations
- Instant: Transactions process immediately
- Self-tracking: Every payment is recorded automatically, simplifying accounting
- Watch for: Transaction fees and the need for a secure, trusted platform
Best for: Tech-comfortable communities and larger PTAs handling high transaction volumes.
In-person payments
Cash or check, collected at meetings and events by treasurers and volunteers.
- Personal: Face-to-face contact that builds community relationships
- Cash-friendly: Works for families who prefer or need to pay in cash
- Watch for: Labor-intensive collecting and reconciling, with more room for record-keeping errors
Best for: Smaller PTAs with manageable volumes, or communities with limited internet or a cash preference.
Which should you choose?
Online generally wins on convenience, efficiency, and record-keeping – most parents appreciate handling another school “bill” from their phone. But cash-preferring communities may still find in-person more practical.
Many PTAs use a mix: online for the bulk transactions, with a cash option kept open at events.
Building a sense of community is key to PTO and PTA groups
A morning coffee meeting is a great way to start the PTA fundraising year, as it brings parents together in a relaxed atmosphere where they can focus on raising money for a good cause. After dropping their children off at school, parents gather for coffee and a selection of artisan pastries. Discuss the importance of helping your school and community through PTO fundraising. Regular follow-up meetings (in the evenings) allow those who cannot attend the first meeting to contribute and get involved.
While most schools and PTO fundraisers aim to raise funds for your school, fundraisers for a local nonprofit organization or cause are also a great way to get your school community working together. Your school can make a difference in your community while cementing a great team for future PTA fundraising. Community work teaches youth to be concerned citizens when parents and teachers encourage them to consider others’ struggles and feel inspired to act.
When a crisis or natural disaster hits, locally or across the country, your PTA is well positioned to rally the school community quickly. Let’s look at a few ways to help.
Fundraise for relief
Money is the most flexible resource; it can be sent wherever it’s needed most.
Relief windows are short, so pick fast-to-launch, low-planning formats like dress-down days, restaurant give-back nights, yard sales, or a quick crowdfunding campaign.
Run a donation drive
For a nearby disaster area, coordinate with a local nonprofit on what’s actually needed (non-perishable food, specific clothing).
If you’re far from the affected region, skip the goods drive as shipping often costs more than it helps. Fundraise instead so supplies can be bought locally.
Partner with a pet shelter
Displaced pets are easy to overlook. If a shelter near you has taken in rescues, host an adoption event; if not, fundraise online to support them.
Host a blood drive
Disasters spike demand for blood – team up with a national blood center to run a drive at your school.
Is there a difference between PTO and PTA groups and fundraising strategies?
The mission of PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) and PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) groups is to connect home and school by expanding opportunities for parents to be involved in the fabric of their school community. These parent groups can also be called Parent Advisory Councils (PACs), especially in Canada.
School PTA and PTO organizations both aim to enrich and support the lives of children, parents, and educators. The difference between PTO and PTA groups depends on whether the group is affiliated with the National PTA or is independent (PTO). Nearly 75% of parent groups are independent PTOs. Local groups that choose to join the PTA must pay dues and follow state and national group rules. In return, they receive member benefits and a voice in the larger organization’s operations. PTO is a more general term and refers to groups independent of the National PTA. These groups typically focus on what’s happening within their school or school district.
School fundraising is a primary focus for these groups, though the California State PTA standards and others advise using the 3-to-1 Rule. That is, for every fundraiser, at least three non-fundraising programs should aim to help children or advocate for school improvements.
PTOs and PTAs differ little in fundraising strategies. Both host similar fundraising events and provide resources, communication, and encouragement for school and community involvement. PTO and PTA organizations support and speak on behalf of children and youth in their schools and before government agencies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.
More PTA and school fundraising resources
Our website offers more great school fundraising resources and ideas to boost your school’s PTO fundraising efforts. Whether you are a parent looking for elementary school fundraisers or high school fundraising ideas, a sports coach, or an art teacher, we have compiled free resources to support lucrative school fundraising campaigns.
We developed our list of school fundraising ideas and resources through hands-on experience helping hundreds of schools across the US and Canada raise money through online fundraising.
If your school is looking for fundraisers that work, check out our school fundraising resources and fundraising software today.
FAQs on PTA fundraising and PTO fundraising
Rules vary by state and district. PTAs affiliated with the National PTA must follow its bylaws and pay dues, while independent PTOs set their own. Many follow the 3-to-1 rule: three non-fundraising programs for every fundraiser. Always confirm your nonprofit’s local requirements.
Some of the easiest, lowest-effort options include dress-up and dress-down days, restaurant give-back nights, product sales, and car washes. Online campaigns like raffles, spirit wear stores, and recurring “just ask” donations are also simple to launch and require little upfront cost or planning.
Set up an online donation page and share it widely through email, social media, and your school website. “Just ask” campaigns with recurring monthly giving work well, as do peer-to-peer pages where students and classrooms fundraise directly. Local business sponsorships can boost donations too.
Usually, yes – if your PTO is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations are generally tax-deductible. Membership dues or purchases (like spirit wear) often aren’t fully deductible, though. Confirm your organization’s tax status and check IRS guidance, since rules vary by situation.
PTAs fund things the regular school budget doesn’t cover: supplemental learning materials, field trips and special events, enrichment programs, teacher and staff support, and bigger capital projects like playground upgrades or new tech. Membership dues also cover the group’s day-to-day operating costs.
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