This year we're going to try a used book sale where we're going to ask the school families to send in any "gently used" books that they do not want, and during a weekend we'll have the sale open to the town. We're also going to do a reading fundraiser (we haven't named it yet - we're actually having the teachers come up with names, then it will be voted upon) where the students will find sponsors to sponsor them per hour of reading. This will be done over a two week period and the class with the most amount of hours read will have a bagel party. At our Halloween Party we have game stations where the kids pay 25-75 cents to play the games - the most popular table is the "Mystery Grab Bag" table where we fill a pillowcase with little prizes we buy from Oriental Trading and the students pay 50 cents to reach in and grab something. Last year we actually ran out of prizes because the students kept coming back for another try. Just some ideas - good luck!
Wow -- the best you'll get for traditional fundraisers is (35-45%) profit
Corporate donations
Auction
are the only lower overhead (although for an auction the volunteer overhead could be large)
Our usual funraisers were -- Escrip (grocery), Boxtops, Scholastic Bookfairs, Inbruck Holiday stuff, and Masterpeice cookie dough
Our Donuts with Dad, Moms and Muffins, Game Nites, Fair nite, Back 2 schol BBQ were family events not fundraising although all made a small profit
<font size=""1""><font color="#"black"">Liberalism is not an affilation its a curable disease. </font></font><br /><br><font color="#"gray"">~Wisdom of Shawnshuefus</font><br /><br><font color="#"blue""><font size=""1"">The punishment which the wise suffer, who refuse to take part in government, is...
Well, summer is almost over, so I'm starting to look ahead to the coming school year. I am PTO president at a small school (approx. 200) and looking for fundraising ideas that will bring in the most profit for us. My school is not a rural school, but is the smallest of about nine in our community. It also happens to be the one with the poorest families. Candy sales didn't work for us because too much money came up "missing". I am planning a rummage sale for Sept. where HOPEFULLY the community will come through with lots of donations. Since we will have it at our school there is no overhead, so it will be 100% profit. Any other ideas you all could throw at me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and good luck this year!!!!!!!!