Top 7 PTA Fundraiser Ideas

Fundraising is an integral part of the PTA. These events are what help pay for school trips, educational events and other school programs. The great thing about having a PTA is that your school will have a large group of volunteers to leverage. Below are some great PTA fundraising ideas that can help you start raising money for your school.

Dinner and a Movie Night

A movie night is something everyone will love and is relatively easy to plan. Hosting a spaghetti party or pasta night is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to approach this type of event. You cannot technically charge guests to view the film, but you can charge them per plate. When choosing a film, make sure that it appeals to the crowd. Family-friendly movies are a great choice.

Ten dollars per plate is reasonable and should help you attract a large crowd. An event like this could be held in the school’s cafeteria, which would help you save on costs. In this case, you should be able to turn a 100% profit easily.

Family Portrait Fundraiser

Is someone in your PTA a photographer? If you have connections with a photographer (amateur or professional), you can host a family portrait fundraising event. This is a great event to hold during the holidays. The portrait sessions can be held after school hours and in the cafeteria or auditorium.

To host a family portrait event, you will need to find a local photographer who would be willing to lend their time. This shouldn’t be too difficult of a task as both the PTA and the photographer can greatly benefit from this type of event.

For this this type of event, you can charge $10 for the sitting fee, and the funds can go to the PTA. The photographer can then make their money through the portrait packages they sell to the families. They may even be willing to offer special rates for the families that participate.

Silent Auction

Silent auctions are always a reliable way to raise money. They take some work to put together, but they always generate a large profit. To make your event a success, you will need attractive items auction off. Reach out to the local community and get in touch with businesses to see if any would be willing to donate items.

You can also have PTA members put together a basket to be auctioned off. These baskets can be themed. For example, you may have a wine basket or a scratch off ticket basket. These can easily fetch high prices.

Holiday Bazaar

Holiday bazaars are popular fundraising events simply because they are so effective. Many schools choose to host these events in their gymnasium. Not only is the location convenient, but there is plenty of space for tables and anything else you may want to incorporate into your event.

Finding items to sell will likely be the most difficult part of the planning process. There are several venders that sell simple items for fundraising purposes. These are typically small gifts that are perfect for kids to give to their moms and dads.

In addition to the items you sell, you can also sell refreshments. Hot apple cider and fresh baked cookies are simple and inexpensive.

Restaurant Night

Restaurant nights are another great choice and always attract a large crowd. This is a fundraising event that benefits both the PTA and the restaurant. First, you must find a local restaurant that would be willing to host such an event and donate a portion of the proceeds to the PTA.

Through advertising and the restaurant’s reputation in the community, you should be able to attract a large crowd. The restaurant receives more customers and the PTA benefits as well. Pizzerias are a great choice for this event simply because pizza appeals to just about everyone and the meal is more affordable than many sit-down restaurants. The greater the appeal, the larger your crowd will be.

Carnival

Carnivals take a lot of work to plan, but they always raise a lot of money. In this case, you can not only charge an admission fee, but you can also charge for raffle tickets, to play games and for concessions. The goal here is to get as many donations as you can to keep costs down. Maybe a local business would be willing to donate food or prizes. Perhaps you can find some local entertainment who would be willing to donate their time. Try to get creative and think outside of the box. Raffle tickets are where you will make a large portion of your money, so do your best to secure a great prize.

Candy Sales

One of the most basic and simple ways to raise money is to sell candy. This can be door-to-door, or you can set up a stand outside of a local grocery store (if they permit you). Candy sales always raise quite a bit of money and the candy bars are typically inexpensive to purchase.