I do not think it is wrong at all to have kids donate to their school if they choose. I know the students in my son's school has NO idea how many programs the PTO funds and in these economic times I feel they should be allowed to pitch in.

Our PTO raises between 30-50,000.00 each year we have been doing it for five years. It has made a big difference for the children's learning. We were able to get some new computers for our computer lab and playground equipment. We take care of our teachers during teacher appreciation week and it helps to furnish supplies and furniture for our classrooms. We are a private school with a lot of great parents and community involvement. Our auction si very important to our school every year.

We do what Michael is talking about with Spiritandpride.com. They do logo clothing and are easy to work with. We even receive points/money just for returning no thank you order forms!

And something we did that was a lot of fun for the kids, sort of along the lines of a penny war, was have a "Fabulous Feet" Contest. Basically took pictures of teachers feet. Posted them without identifying them and then had the students "vote" on the best feet by money donations. Each cent raised was 1 vote. The teacher with the most votes at the end of 2 weeks received a certificate for a pedicure. The pedicure was donated, as were the pictures, etc. so it cost us nothing but brought in almost $300. Not a huge some but better then nothing.

Something else I would suggest, if your school will go for it, would be to create your own "family" program. Our school has a lot of parents who own their own stores, etc. We offer the family a chance for free advertising as a PTO supporter in our newsletters and in exchange they make a donation to the PTO whenever someone uses their company due to the ad. We have done it with karate lessons ($25 for each new member who signed up) and a trash pick up company ($10 for each new customer) just to name a few. The largest catch is making sure the parent tells the company "I saw your ad here... etc."

SoccermomX4-- I'm afraid that the event you hold should have a gaming license as well.
The are having a raffle and selling tickets for the items-- there are 2 types of licenses you can get-- check with your district or local agency to see which one you need.
I believe you'll have to get the one that's 25.00-- but check into it...

I just recently suggested Penny Wars to our Exec Board. Their concern was that the kids would go into their piggy banks and use their own money. Some of the members thought that would be wrong. What do you think

We had a very successful fundraiser called Kidstuff Coupon Books. It is similar to the Entertainment book. The cost is $25 each and the school made $12.50 for each book sold. Here's how it works: Each family receives a book. If they choose to keep it, they send in a check for $25 to the school. If not, they just return the book to the school. Kidstuff will send you a UPS voucher to return them at no cost. They also do not charge for any lost, stolen, or damaged books. We have 265 families in our school and made a little over $2,000 in October, just in time for parents to use the coupon books for their Christmas shopping. Coupons are valid from August to December the following year. Best of all, no door-to-door selling. Their website is kidstuffcouponbook.com. No, I don't work for them! I'm just a happy PTO president. Good luck!