The PTAs that raise the most usually aren't running the most events. They're running the right few at the right time of year, and they don't burn out their volunteers in the autumn term.
This guide sorts school fundraising ideas by term, with a rough idea of how much work each one is. Pick one or two big events a year and fill the gaps with small ones.
How much work is it?
Each idea below is marked with one of three effort levels:
- Light: one or two people, a few hours.
- Medium: a small team, planned over a couple of weeks.
- Big: the whole committee, planned over a month or more.
A good year usually has one or two big events, a handful of medium ones, and light ones whenever there's a gap.
Autumn term
New families have just joined and everyone is still keen. It's a good time to recruit volunteers as well as to raise money.
Non-uniform day (light). Children pay a small amount to come in their own clothes. It takes almost no organising and almost every child takes part. Some schools ask for a donation for an upcoming event instead of cash, such as a bottle for the tombola or a cake for the bake sale.
Halloween disco (medium). Tickets on the door or in advance, plus sweets and drinks. Run separate sessions for younger and older children if the hall is small.
Christmas cards from children's artwork (medium). Each child draws a picture in class, and a printing company turns it into cards, mugs or tea towels that families order. Most of the work is the paperwork, not the selling, and several companies run the whole thing for schools.
Quiz night (medium). Parents only, teams of six, a ticket price per head and a raffle at half-time. It's often the event that recruits the next year's committee.
Christmas
December is the busiest month of the school year for fundraising, and the easiest one to overdo. Pick the events that suit your school rather than running all of them.
Christmas fair (big). Stalls, a tombola, a raffle, food, and often a grotto. It's usually one of the biggest earners of the year, and one of the biggest jobs. Start booking stalls and asking for donated prizes in October.
Santa's grotto (medium). Run it on its own or as part of the fair. Book slots in advance so there's no queue out the door.
Christmas jumper day (light). Works the same way as a non-uniform day, and can be tied to a national charity appeal if you prefer.
Wreath-making or crafts evening for parents (medium). A ticketed evening with materials included. It needs one person who knows how to make a wreath and a supplier for the greenery.
Spring term
January is quiet and money is tight for families after Christmas, so lighter, cheaper events work best. Spring is a good time for a sponsored event, because the money comes from relatives and neighbours as well as parents.
Sponsored read, spell or walk (light to medium). Children collect sponsors for reading a number of books, learning spellings or walking a set distance. It's a good fit for learning goals, and teachers often support it.
Valentine's or Mother's Day gift shop (medium). Buy small gifts in bulk and let children shop for them at pocket-money prices during the school day.
Easter egg hunt or Easter raffle (light to medium). Ask families to donate eggs for a hamper raffle, or run a hunt in the school grounds after school.
A class duck race (light). Enter one duck per class or house and let families donate to cheer theirs on. More on this below.
Summer term
The weather helps and families are in a good mood. Outdoor events do well, but it's the term with the most competing events in the diary.
Summer fair (big). The other major event of the year. Many of the same stalls as the Christmas fair, plus outdoor games, a barbecue and an ice cream stall.
Refreshments at sports day (light). Tea, coffee, squash and cakes for the parents watching. It needs a table, an urn and a rota.
Preloved uniform sale (light). Families donate outgrown uniform, and you sell it back at a low price. It raises money and helps families at the same time.
End-of-year leavers' disco or film night (medium). Tickets plus snacks, usually for the oldest year group.
Ideas that run all year
Some ideas raise money in the background without a dedicated event:
- Online shopping cashback. Schemes like easyfundraising give your school a small percentage when parents shop online through them. It's slow but steady, and costs families nothing extra.
- Employer matched giving. Many employers match the money their staff raise, or donate when an employee volunteers. Ask parents to check, as it can double the takings from one event.
- Gift Aid on donations. If your PTA is a registered charity, Gift Aid adds 25p to every £1 a UK taxpayer donates. It applies to donations, not to tickets or things people buy.
Why a class duck race works in schools
A virtual duck race is one of the lightest ideas on this list, and it suits schools well because it turns fundraising into a competition between classes.
You enter one duck per class or house, and each class picks its duck's name and outfit. Families donate from the race page, with a message if they like, and the messages appear on screen during the race. On the day, you put the race on the hall screen, press start, and the whole school watches the ducks race. Anyone at home watches the same race at the same time from the same link.
It also avoids most of the worries about raffles and lotteries. In this format nobody pays to enter. Families donate to the school, not for a duck, and the prize goes to the winning class. The extra playtime or a trophy for the classroom both work well. Adopt a duck or race for your class explains how the two duck race formats compare.
It fits any term. Tie it to the last day before a holiday, sports day or the summer fair, when people are already looking forward to something.
A note on raffles and prizes
Raffles, tombolas and anything else where people pay for a chance to win a prize can count as a lottery. In Great Britain, a raffle run at your event itself, with tickets sold only on the day, is normally fine without a licence. Selling tickets in advance, or online, usually needs a small society lottery registration with your local council.
This is general guidance, not legal advice, and the rules are different in Northern Ireland and outside the UK. If you're unsure, check with the Gambling Commission or your local council before you sell tickets.
Planning the year
A simple plan for a primary school PTA might look like this:
| Term | Big event | Smaller ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | — | Non-uniform day, Halloween disco, Christmas cards |
| Christmas | Christmas fair | Christmas jumper day |
| Spring | — | Sponsored read, class duck race |
| Summer | Summer fair | Sports day refreshments, preloved uniform sale |
Two big events a year, a few smaller ones in between, and the online and matched-giving ideas running in the background. Agree the plan at your first committee meeting so volunteers know what's coming and can say which events they'll help with.
Ready to try a duck race?
You can race some ducks in the free demo right now, or read how to run a virtual duck race from start to finish.