Raising money for your school or an important charity doesn't have to be difficult. There are lots of easy fundraising ideas that can make a big impact, and they're totally accessible to kids and families. From selling cookie dough to a used book sale, these ideas really put the "fun" in "fundraising." None of these fundraising ideas are difficult to organize.
Creative Pre-School Fundraising Ideas
The littlest kids can make a big difference with fundraisers everyone will love supporting. Try one of these ideas.
Raise Flowers to Sell
Fundraising potential: $
With the help of some parent volunteers, kids can raise flowers and then sell them in pots. Pick simple-to-grow varieties like zinnias to maximize your chances of success and keep the whole process simple. You may even be able to get donations for the pots, seeds, and soil, making the investment in this fundraiser very low.
Set Up a Family Photo Booth
Fundraising potential: $$
Everyone loves family photos, especially when there are adorable preschoolers involved. You can set up a photo booth and enlist the services of a local photographer. To raise money for the school or a special cause, families can pay for holiday cards, prints, or digital files of the images.
Host a Craft Party
Fundraising potential: $$
Preschoolers love crafting, but they aren't the only ones. You can organize a crafting party with donated supplies. Plan specific projects adults and kids of all ages might enjoy and then sell tickets to attend the event. There are lots of craft projects to try, but string art and seasonal wreaths would both be very popular.
Have a Family Slime Night
Fundraising potential: $
Nothing is quite like the messy fun of playing with slime, and the whole family can get involved. Have all the supplies to make slime on hand and charge admission for the family slime night. Families can come and make slime together to bring home.
Offer a Parents' Night Out
Fundraising potential: $$$
It's not always easy to find a babysitter, especially during busy times of the year like the holiday season. Get together with childcare providers to offer supervised fun for the kids while the parents go out to dinner, catch a movie, or do some shopping. Parents pay to drop kids off, and you can even partner with area restaurants to make the deal even sweeter.
Great Fundraisers for School-Aged Kids
Older kids can handle more involved fundraisers. Instead of just being run by adult volunteers, fundraisers for school-aged kids can put the kids to work too. Try one of these great ideas.
Hold a Balloon Raffle
Fundraising potential: $
A balloon raffle involves blowing up tons of balloons, putting prizes or prize certificates in some of them, and attaching them all to a large wall. People can buy tickets to throw darts at the wall of balloons, keeping the prize from any balloon they pop. This is a great addition to a school carnival, but it also works well on its own as a fundraiser.
Have a Used Book Sale
Fundraising potential: $$$
Everyone has books they've finished reading, and often, kids will outgrow books as they get older. Ask families to donate all their used books and then organize a used book sale as a fundraising event. Kids can get involved with sorting and pricing the books and even work the fundraiser.
Do Some Face Painting
Fundraising potential: $
Face painting is the highlight of many events, but you can have it be the main event too. Ask for parent volunteers who can do the face painting and then charge a few dollars per person for kids and adults to get their faces painted.
Make Some Dough Selling Cookie Dough
Fundraising potential: $$$
This classic fundraiser has potential to earn some significant money, especially if you partner with a company that has many varieties of dough. Another option is to partner with a local bakery to sell the dough. This allows you to cut out the middleman and split the profits with the bakery instead of with a company that handles fundraisers.
Hold a Get-the-Grade Fundraiser
Fundraising potential: $$$
For this simple fundraiser, kids can ask friends and family members to sponsor their grades each quarter. The sponsors pledge a certain amount for each A and B, and then when report card time comes, kids can collect the money for a good cause. Some schools may not want to do this due to concerns about conflict of interest, but it can be a good way to support other causes.
Cool Fundraising Ideas for Teenagers
Teens can get in on the fundraising fun too, and they don't have to do it the same way they did when they were younger. These teen-focused fundraisers will help raise money for school or another good cause.
Offer Gift Wrapping Services
Fundraising potential: $$
Teens can help by wrapping gifts during the holidays, and families are willing to pay for this help. Host a gift wrapping fundraiser, where families can bring in the gifts they need to wrap and teams of students and staff can tackle the wrapping for a fee. You can ask local companies to donate gift wrap or give you a discount on the supplies.
Hold Cooking Classes
Fundraising potential: $$
Partner with a local chef or restaurant to hold cooking classes. Teens can work as assistants, preparing ingredients and helping out in lots of ways. Families or couples can pay to take the cooking class, which will teach them to make a tasty family meal or special occasion dish.
Host a Tech Support Night
Fundraising potential: $$$
Everyone has broken gadgets and confusing computer challenges, and often, no one is better at fixing technology problems like teens. Kids can offer their tech support services, and community members in the technology industry can volunteer their time. Community members can pay a fee to bring in their gadgets for help.
Hold a Prom and Homecoming Dress Sale
Fundraising potential: $
Often, there's no reason to hold on to a formal dress after the event has passed. Yet, styles don't change so quickly that these dresses are no longer in fashion. Older teens can donate their gently used prom gowns and homecoming dresses, and younger teens can buy them to support the school or another important cause.
Offer a Hair Color Event
Fundraising potential: $$$
Partner with local hair stylists to offer highlights in funky colors. Some stylists may even donate their time. Anyone who wants a cool new look can pay a fee that will benefit a good cause.
Most Profitable Fundraisers for Kids of All Ages
According to Get Fully Funded, a non-profit funding site, the most successful fundraisers generate four or five times as much money as they cost to hold. These are some ideas that maximize your profits so you can support a good cause.
Hold a Read-a-Thon
Fundraising potential: $$$$
There's no overhead cost with a read-a-thon, so this is a highly profitable fundraiser. You'll need a team to organize the event. Kids can work to read as many books as possible in a short period, and friends and family can pledge money for every book read.
Run a Best Pet Competition
Fundraising potential: $$$$
This is another event with little or no overhead. Organize the competition with judges from the community and have community members pay to have their pet compete. You can have awards for different aspects of pet greatness, such as "best trained," "cutest," and "most original."
Host a Special Speaker
Fundraising potential: $$$$
If you can partner with a local celebrity to speak at your event, you can keep the set-up costs to almost nothing. Sell tickets with assigned seats, making the best seats more expensive. Then publicize the event and the school or charity you're supporting.
Organize a Family Fun Run
Fundraising potential: $$$$
Like a read-a-thon, a fun run has little overhead cost. Families can get involved and find sponsors for their teams. Then everyone runs or walks to support a good cause while the community cheers.
Host a Gala for the Grown-Ups
Fundraising potential: $$$$
Dressing up is super fun, and adults don't have much of a chance to do it. If you organize a benefit gala with a DJ and charge for tickets, you can make lots of money for your organization. Try to get the DJ to volunteer his or her services if possible to help keep the costs down.
Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Kids
Sometimes, it's not possible to hold a fundraiser in person, and there are also some advantages to virtual events. Family and friends can contribute and get involved, even if they don't live nearby. Try one of these virtual fundraisers.
Hold an Online Bake Sale
Fundraising potential: $$
Even if you can't hold a bake sale in person, you can have a virtual bake sale by posting photos of your baking process, offering recipes, and selling virtual cookies. People can support your sale by pledging for the cookies or recipes. To organize this type of event, you'll need a good website, or to keep it super easy, you can partner with a business that hosts virtual sales.
Have an Online Silent Auction
Fundraising potential: $$$$
A silent auction is a good way to raise money for a cause, but it doesn't have to be an in-person event. You can show photos of the items in the auction on your school or organization website, and then people can submit bids via email. It's an easy event to organize, and if the items in the auction are donated, it has great potential for earning funds.
Host a Video Game Tournament
Fundraising potential: $$
Everyone loves video games, and you can have a simple fundraiser that involves this fun hobby. Set up teams of kids to play and have community members sponsor each team. Then hold an online tournament to see who wins. No matter which team comes out ahead, your charitable organization will be the winner.
Organize a Virtual Book Club
Fundraising potential: $$
Kids can organize a virtual book club with families in the community. Everyone can pay a fee to be in the book club, and the proceeds can benefit your organization. Then each month, the organization can host an online discussion about the books.
Host a Webinar Everyone Will Love
Fundraising potential: $$$
If you have a local expert who will volunteer to be a special guest, you can host a webinar that community members will pay to attend. Pick a topic that appeals to the whole family, such as drawing, cooking, and other fun hobbies. The setup is easy, since most people can use Zoom and other programs to attend.
Make a Difference in the World
Kids can be very effective fundraisers when they have some easy and fun ideas. From charity events for kids to options for supporting your school, there are lots of kids' fundraising ideas to make a difference in the world.
