Question: Carnival Traditions that aren't working.. HELP!

I need guidance. Keep in mind, this is a small school. K-12 is less than 250. Our group hosts a carnival every year but it is a hot mess honestly. I'm looking for ideas on how to change for the best. Currently there are class candidates for K-6. Those candidates are asked to donate anything they can on a list for points (cakes, gift certs, decor, etc). Candidates with the most points wins a cheap tiara and hat. The classes have their own games. Tickets they receive are given a cash value later and the class gets that money. They also contribute a basket for silent auction, which they also get the money for... PTO provides the prizes for the games, but doesn't really see money from them. PTO earns from a cake walk, food, and auction items (donated by candidates). PTO makes very little money. It shouldn't work this way. Parents hate the candidacy, but we need the donations to function. The baskets (sometimes we have more than 12) either go silent auction for $10 or $100, no where near their value. Changes happening - candidates are going away, but a class donation competition is coming in. We want to reward 2-3 classes with extra field trips, but I'm not sure how to reward points in fair ways. Do you reward on how they contribute as a whole to carnival, or how well their game goes?? How do we assign games, make money, but reward the classes in a way they are motivated to donate and attend. The high school grades aren't as vested, but we want them to be. Love any and all ideas!

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