25 Tried-and-True School Fundraising Ideas

The question that teachers find themselves asking these days is not, “DO I need to spend my own money supplying my classroom?” – it’s “Where in the world am I going to find enough money to supply my classroom??”

There is no doubt in our minds that the majority of schools are underfunded, and the average teacher spends more than they want to admit filling in the gaps. One solution that frequently saves the day? Fundraisers! School fundraising can work wonders on your budget, but let’s be honest – running that same bake sale year after year can get really dull, really fast! And do you really want to add “researching fundraiser ideas” to your never-ending to-do list?

We understand! Which is why we’ve done the research for you and found 25 school fundraising ideas to help you step up your fundraising game – ALL tried and recommended by other teachers!

1. Butter Braid

We’ve seen this one come up time and time again in all kinds of teacher groups and forums as one of the best fundraisers available. Their slogan is “fundraising made simple” … and we agree! It’s super easy to organize a fundraiser with them – the tasty butter braids honestly sell themselves!

2. Fun Pasta Fundraising

Another fun culinary idea for making money! This easy-to-run fundraiser offers simple online tools that makes marketing and tracking your sales a breeze. Your buyers get to choose from tons of fun pasta shapes, from footballs to flamingos!

3. Dip Mix Fundraiser

Who doesn’t love a good dip? This super easy, high-profit fundraiser offers a dip for all occasions with their collection of twelve “dip-licious” choices.

4. Little Caesars Pizza Kit

No one says no to pizza, especially when it’s from Little Caesars! Thousands of schools and organizations have used this fundraiser to earn some big dough!

5. Joe Corbi’s Pizza Fundraising

Another one for the pizza lover! These guys have been making pizza for 35 years and their yummy pizza kits are sure to make your school a ton of money.

6. Jamba Juice Fundraiser

Ditch the lemonade stand and get with the smoothie stand. This healthy school fundraising idea is a delicious way to earn some money and sure to be a hit!

7. Double Good Gourmet Popcorn

Here’s another super easy online school fundraising idea! Not only is their popcorn the BEST you’ve ever had, their customer support team is on point and ready to help you make some big coin!

8. Cards for a Cause Fundraisers

This one by Usborne Books & More offers unique, high quality greeting cards for all occasions. Getting started is easy and their dedicated consultants will go the extra mile to help you achieve your goals.

9. Square 1 Art

What we love about this school fundraising idea is that it focuses on student accomplishment. They offer creative and easy-to-implement art-based fundraisers for your school.

10. Mabel’s Labels

Let’s be honest – we’re teachers, we LOVE labelling! How could this fundraiser not be a hit?? Not only does it have the potential to raise funds for your school, but it will make your life so much easier!

11. Emily Press Labels

Another great label fundraiser idea! Can you tell we love the idea of making labelling AND fundraising even easier? Parents already need to label everything for their kids, so why not make money from each sale for your school? It might just shrink your Lost & Found pile too!

12. Attractions Dining and Value Guide

This one will depend on where you live, as it is not yet available country-wide, but the money-saving coupon book is a wonderful school fundraising idea! It features hundreds of coupons from your local area and is very simple to get started!

13. KidStuff Coupon Books

Here’s another coupon-book style fundraiser idea. This one does offer options across the country, making it incredibly flexible and easy to sell.

14. Funding Factory

We all know teachers have a very unique love-hate relationship with their school’s copier. What if you could make that experience a tiny bit more productive? FundingFactory turns your used toner and inkjet cartridges into cash to fund your classroom!

15. Yankee Candle Fundraising

Be careful you don’t end up buying the whole stock yourself! These beautiful and scent-sational candles will sell out in no time!

16. LulaRoe Fundraising Match Program

This is a super unique option that we’ve heard about from a few teachers. If you have a local retailer in your area, you can organize a fundraiser with them where they will match the donations!

17. Tupperware Fundraiser

An oldie but a goodie! This classic fundraiser is fun, easy, and never disappoints.

18. Thirty-One Gifts Fundraiser

We’ve seen this one mentioned a lot in teacher forums! There truly is something for everyone with this trendy school fundraising idea.

19. Auctions

Another classic fundraiser idea. There are so many ideas for this that is it hard to narrow it down, but why not try auctioning off some unique student-made art projects? Parents love seeing their kid’s artwork and would be incredibly proud to see others putting value on it, knowing it was going to a worthy cause.

20. ____-a-Thon

Read-a-thon; bike-a-thon; sing-a-thon; chess-a-thon; dance-a-thon – you get the idea! The options are endless. Not only does this offer a chance to make the school some money, but it also gives your students a chance to hone in on some unique skill-sets!

21. Flower/Plant Sale

This one is a great school fundraising idea for springtime! Partner up with a local garden shop and sell anything from annuals, perennials, vegetables and herbs!

22. Bingo

No one has a bad time a Bingo! Spice it up a bit by making it a pot-luck style buffet and have parents and community members bring food items to share.

23. Chili Cook-Off

This is a super fun one for back-to-school! If the weather holds, have this fundraiser outside and get attendees to bid on their favorites. Charge per plate and watch the money roll in and the people roll out once they’re full on delicious homemade chili!

24. Spaghetti Dinner

Another good back-to-school idea that you could pair with a meet-the-teacher open house night. Spaghetti is a super easy, super cheap meal to prepare and you could charge per plate to raise money for your classroom.

25. Create a Class Cookbook

This idea is great for raising funds and for preserving nostalgic family recipes! Every student has the opportunity to get involved and the profits could go a long way in helping your school.

Well there you have it! You’re bound to find a school fundraising idea in here that suits you. Remember, when you find an idea that works for you and your school – share it! The most important resource that teachers have is each other. Share your ideas and help other teachers find success in fundraising as well!

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