PTA members sometimes wonder how they can raise funds without relying on commercial fundraising companies or corporations. This list was compiled from many PTA members' ideas:
101 (noncommercial*) Ways
to Raise Funds
- Apply for grants
- Arts & Crafts Fair
- Ask 3 friends to donate
- Ask the alumni for money
- Ask the teachers for money
- Auction
- Auto Rally
- Bake sale
- Baked Potato Feed
- Balloon Bouquet
- Bar-B-Q
- Bazaar
- Bike-a-thon
- Bowl-a-thon
- Candle Sale (Homemade)
- Car Bash
- Car Wash
- Carnation Sale
- Carnival
- Casino Night
- Chili Cook Off
- Christmas Tree Lot
- Coin Toss
- Cookbook Sale
- Cooking Contest
- Crab bake
- Cultural Fair
- Dance
- Dance-a-thon
- Dances (concessions)
- Dessert Night
- Dinner/Dance
- Dinner/Theater Performance
- Donate it yourself
- Dramatic Production
- Dunk Tank
- Emergency Kits
- Faculty Roast
- Family Bingo Night
- Family Portraits
- Family square-dance
- Fashion Show
- Father-Son Night
- Fishing Derby
- Food Booth--Fair
- Formal Dress Swap
- Fruit Basket Sale
- Garage Sale
- Gift basket auction
- Gift Wrap booth
- Golf Tournament
- Hamburger/Hotdog picnic
- Haunted House
- House party
- Ice Cream Social
- ID Tag Sale
- Jog-a-thon
- Jump-a-thon
- Lip Synch
- Lobby the legislature for adequate funding
- Magic Show
- Make-It-Take-It Fair
- Mother's Day Flowers
- Movie Night
- Musical Instrument Sale
- Musical Production
- Newspaper Drive
- Note Card sale
- Pancake Breakfast
- Pass the Hat
- Ping Pong Tournament
- Pizza Party
- Popcorn Sales
- Professional Entertainment
- Raffles (wood, quilt, car)
- Read-a-thon
- Recycling drive
- Roller/Ice skating
- Running the Gym at league basketball games
- Salmon Bake
- School Start-Up boxes
- Science Fair
- Sell Sustaining Memberships to local Businesses
- Senior citizens' open house at the school
- Silent Auction
- Ski Swap
- Slice of Pie
- Smörgåsbord
- Spaghetti Dinner
- Speaker
- Spelling bee
- Sporting Events concessions
- Student/Faculty Basketball
- Sweatshirt/T-shirt sale
- Talent Show
- Tennis Match
- Tour of Gardens
- Tour of Homes
- Triathlon: Read/Walk/Math
- Used Book Sale
- Walk-a-thon
Washington State PTA Committee
Advocacy Topic "Commercial Influences on Children in School"
Compiled by Brita Butler-Wall and Martha Rice*All buying and selling is commercial, of course. These ideas are non-commercial in the sense that no outside corporation is involved; all of the profits go to the PTA, and students do not see advertisements for companies.
October 24, 2002
Seattle Council of PTSAs