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More Ideas
 
ICE CREAM OR YOGURT SHOP
Organize a fundraising night with a local ice cream or yogurt shop (or even a local restaurant). Arrange with the owner or manager of the shop that on a set night for every customer your school brings into the shop, a portion of the sale will be donated back to the school. Advertise with flyers to all students. The kids will have fun socializing with their friends and the shop will enjoy the added publicity and increased business. Also consider teaming up with a local pizza shop.
DUES & DONATIONS
Many PTOs collect dues from its members. Dues are paid at the beginning of the school year and range anywhere from $5 to over $100 per year. Paid dues entitle the member to voting rights at the PTO meetings.
In lieu of a set fee, the PTO may opt to collect donations at the beginning of the school year. In this case, families donate cash to the PTO. The amount donated is up to each individual family. Small schools of under 200 students have been known to collect $3,000-$4,000 using this method. The school PTO receives 100% of the money raised and parents receive a tax-write off for their donation.
Online donations are also becoming more popular because students can email family and friends around the country asking for their support.
DONATION DROP BOX
Every school should have a Donation Box in their front lobby. Make a box from a simple plywood box construction base and a clear plexiglass box placed on top. The plexiglass should have a swing top with a locking latch (to remove and safeguard the collected cash) and a thin slot to drop the money through. Paint and decorate the box with children's handprints or inspirational sayings from the students. Place the unit on wheel casters so the box can easily be moved to the location of any event.
COIN COLLECTION
Save your pennies because they add up! So do nickels, dimes, and quarters. Pick one day each month and ask each student to bring in a set number of one type of coin. In September, bring in 25 pennies; October, 5 nickels; November, 3 dimes; December 1 quarter; and so on. In just these 4 months, 200 students will have collected $260 dollars! Keep the amounts small and chances are every student will participate. Let them drop them into the Donation Box.
PIZZA SALES
Sell slices of pizza for lunch. As an example, send home an order form selling tickets at the beginning of the month for every Wednesday of the upcoming month. One slice costs the student $5 and 2 slices cost $6. If the pizzas are donated at a discount, the sale of one slice will cover the cost of the whole pizza and all other slices are profit. This works in a school where the kids have to bring their lunch because parents will pay the excess just not to have to make lunch. Try to get drinks and a fruit or cookie donated to offer as part of the paid lunch.
BOOKSTORE BOOK FAIR
Team-up with a local bookstore. One school in Concord, MA offered a Fall Book Fair at a local bookstore. Teachers, friends, and authors offered book readings and signings throughout the day to entertain the children while the parents shopped. The school received 10% of total sales, including gift certificates. Also available was a Teachers' Classroom Wish List so parents could purchase teacher's gifts.
PLANT SALE
Have a plant sale at school. Ask a local nursery to support your fundraiser by donating or selling plants to you at a discount, in exchange for advertising of the nursery's name on all flyers. Parents familiar with splitting perennials each year, may also be willing to donate some plants from their own gardens.
Sell flats of various plants (annuals & perennials in 4" pots) for $1-$2 above the purchase price. Also, ask the nursery if you can sell gift certificates for them (sell a $25 gift certificate, $20 goes back to the nursery for the sale, and the school keeps $5 as profit for the fundraiser). This is a great idea since gift certificates will draw traffic to the nursery and will likely result in sales above and beyond the certificate value.
Purchase clear, lightweight plastic bags in bulk to wrap the sold plants or save plastic grocery bags. Consider having this sale the week prior to Mother's Day or during Teacher Appreciation Week so plants can be purchased and given as gifts to mothers and staff.
NIGHT OF SHOPPING
Many malls and stores now offer a night of shopping for those who have purchased a ticket to the exclusive event. This is generally offered around the November/December holidays. The mall/store will open after hours to allow people related to the school to buy tickets to enter to shop. They generally offer special discounts and in some cases silent auctions, entertainment, and prizes.
The ticket sale money goes to the school and maybe even a portion of the sales. As an example, one Massachusetts school sold tickets for $10.00 each - the school received $7.00 of each ticket and $3.00 of each ticket went to the Simon Youth Foundation (Simon Mall, Burlington, Mass.). Contact the management office of a mall or discount department store near you to see if they offer this popular promotion.
SPORTS TOURNAMENT
Organize a sports tournament (basketball, softball, soccer, etc.). Arrange to have several teams compete against each other. Teams can be made up of parents, students, and school staff. Charge a small admission fee to each player ($5-$10). Proceeds will go directly to the school. Reserve the school baseball or soccer fields or basketball court, depending on the type of tournament. Be sure to obtain appropriate approvals from the town or school to host the tournament on school or town property. You can also have a concession stand and sell water, sports drinks, and snacks for a profit.
FUNDRAISER INSURANCE
As parents we all have so many fundraiser requests come our way during the school year. At the beginning of the school year, why not sell fundraising insurance. The buyer would be free from participating in any fundraisers for the school year. Insurance can be sold for any dollar amount ($25 to $150). To determine the price, estimate how much money you generally raise per person each year. You may also want to make up insurance cards - wallet-sized cards printed on colored card stock stating "Fundraiser Insurance, Good toward all fundraisers at the XYZ School, For the period September 1st, 200X-June 15th, 200X."
SPIRIT DAY
Pajama Day, Hat Day, or Tie Day. Turn any day into an event. Where your pajamas to school just for fun. Or decorate hats or one of Dad's old ties and offer a small prize to the funniest one. Charge $1.00 for participation. Distribute popcicles or lollipops to anyone that joins in the activity.
INDEPENDENT VENDORS
Tupperware, Discovery Toys, Avon, Jafra, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Lia Sophia Jewelry, and Silpada Jewelry are typically sold through independent salespeople at in-home parties. However, these salespeople are always looking for new and innovative ways to promote their business and welcome the idea of working with a school on a fundraising event. Consider offering a book party for one week by distributing catalogs or flyers featuring products for sale to all school parents. Typically the vendor offers 50% of their profit to go to the school. To locate an independent representative in your area, search online. Or, ask around since it's highly likely that a parent in your school is a representative themselve or knows someone who is.
LOLLIPOP BOUQUET
Make a lollipop bouquet using lollipops and colored tissue paper. Secure the bouquet with an elastic band and ribbon. Distribute flyers to purchase the bouquets for someone special. Parents may buy one for their child, a student may buy one for their teacher, or friends may buy them for each other.
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PTO Ideas has provided you with ideas for planning an event. This information should not be used as a legal reference and may not be all-inclusive. We suggest consulting with the head of your school or any other essential professional.
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