I am the fundraising coordinator for my children's elementary school for the past three years and have been in charge of the school's only fundraiser. The first year we raised 17k, the next 24k and this year we raised 30k. The idea is a run-a-thon-like event. I have been asked by other PTO's to help set up thier events and have since decided to start a consulting business doing just that...helping PTOs set up run-a-thon events. If you are interested in learning more about it feel free to email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I can give you a call to give you more details. I can tell you that the kids, parents and staff all LOVE the event. You raise money without selling anything!
Everyone likes money. Our school holds a Super 50/50 in conjunction with our largest annual fundraiser, the Card Party (no cards, but loads of great raffle prizes.
A maximum of 500 tickets are sold for $100 each (your school could adjust the amount to accommodate what your market can bear.) The school receives half of the ticket sales, First Prize is $20k, Second Prize is $3500 and Third Prize is $1500.
We have often had a small live auction at the event, offering items donated by a large beverage distributor (golf bags, bikes, ice makers, huge popcorn cart w/ accessories, a ride-on cooler) autographed sports memorabilia donated by major sports teams through their foundations, and spa or fragrance baskets donated by big name companies.
I was at a district (Catholic) schools awards dinner last night, and some of the PTO-lead fundraisers that piqued my interest were:
Cake of the Month Raffle
Bike-a-thon (lead by the pastor - raised $20k)
Penny War (accept all change and dollars, too) where grades compete against each other with daily updates on progress
Cocoa Cafe in winter - selling coffee and cocoa to parents who arrive early to pick up their children (baked snacks may also be sold)
By far, the easiest ways to raise money are to simply ask people....
- business or corporate sponsorship opportunities
- grant writing
- "fair share" where families give a set amount rather than having to do all of the fundraising events to raise the same amount
- annual appeal (ask between Thanksgiving and New Years when giving is statistically highest)
- major donor program
- needs-based appeals (Playgrounds, Tech Labs, books, renovations, etc...)
There's lots of good ideas out there. We are thinking about magazines in the Spring, Cookie Dough in the fall but the parents are getting burned out on it so we may switch to something else. Maybe candles but I'm bored with that.
My school is in the primary stages of holding the race. I'd like to ask you a few questions re:prizes and such could you please send me your email. Mine is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks, Beth
Our school held it's first Race For Education last year and raised 42,000.00 Race For Education is a copyrighted program. It is like a walk-a-thon. The great part is that all most all of the money raised stays at your school. A small portion of the money will be used to mail letters to potential sponsors, but the great majority of the money is profit. We had a good group of 20 or so parents who were committed to the project. I should also mention that we are in Central PA. There is only one elementary school building in our district so there are 840 students in the elementary K-4. If you are interested in more information please let me know and I'll get permission from Race For Education to post their info here.
