15 PTO and PTA Fundraising Ideas that Actually Raise Money

1. Run a Shoe Drive and Get Paid to Donate Shoes

Shoe Drives are a great way to fundraise for your school because they are relatively low effort.

• Partner with an organization such as GotSneakers?, Funds2Orgs, or Sneakers4Good
• Collect lightly used shoes at your school
• Send the shoes to your partner organization for free with the bags they provide
• Receive a check for your donation

Your organization can raise between $1.00-$7.00 per donated shoe with GotSneakers? or get paid per pound with Funds2Orgs and Sneakers4Good.

At a school with 500 students, you stand to earn between $500-$3500 if each student donates one pair of sneakers.

2. Host a Talent Show

Whether it’s a showcase or a competition with judges, talent shows are a relatively low-cost method to fundraise because you already have the two biggest requirements: a school auditorium and kids who want to perform. All you need is a sound system, potentially some volunteer judges, and sign-up sheet.

Raise money through ticket sales and potentially through some cheap concessions like popcorn.

In an auditorium with 500 seats, you could raise $5,000 in one night with a $10 ticket price.

3. Guessing Games

How many candies are in the jar?

This is a super easy way to raise money for your school because it only requires:

• Large glass jar
• Bag of candy
• Sheet of paper for parents and students to write their guesses

Charge a low entry fee to guess, make sure to offer a prize for the winner, and run the competition monthly! You can keep the jar at the sign-in desk at the front of the school to encourage steady participation.

If 100 people participate per month, you could raise $100 each month of the school year!

4. Date Night Out for Parents

Babysitters are expensive, so many parents would be excited about a discounted rate. Host an indoor game night for the students at the school gymnasium with a few parents and teachers to lead activities throughout the evening.

Parents can pay an hourly rate to drop their children off for the evening.

5. Prime Parking Spot Raffle

School drop-off and pick-up every morning and afternoon can be a huge hassle and stress for parents. By raffling off the best parking spots in the lot on a quarterly basis, you can earn a ton of money. Charge $20 per raffle ticket and watch the funds climb!

6. Create a Print-On-Demand Merchandise Website

Take the upfront inventory costs out of managing your school’s merchandise store. There’s no reason to guess how many t-shirts, hoodies, and hats to order, and no worries about ending up with boxes of unsold items because you ordered the wrong size.

Platforms like Redbubble and Bonfire handle the printing, shipping, and fulfillment. All you need to do is upload designs and share the store link with the parents.

From there, parents order exactly what they want, the school earns a margin on each sale, and nobody’s garage becomes a warehouse.

7. Host a Family Trivia Night

Family trivia nights hit the sweet spot for PTA fundraisers that lots of events miss.

Cost-wise, trivia nights are minimal. You need a venue – the school cafeteria works perfectly, someone to MC, and a set of questions that can easily be pulled from the internet.

You can raise funds through multiple angles: entry fees, concession sales, and raffles for gifts from local businesses.

8. The “Opt Out” Fundraiser

Parents and families are busy. Participating in fundraising events can feel like a hassle.

Instead of asking people for their time, ask them for their money at the beginning of the year.

Allow parents to donate $50 at the beginning of the year, then promise to “leave them alone” for the rest of the school year!

9. School Yard or Garage Sale

Families can donate gently used items they don’t want or need anymore. Bring all of the items together in the school parking lot or cafeteria and host a giant community garage sale.

10. Temporary “Tattoo” the Teacher

What a fun way to raise money – kids will love seeing their teachers get “inked.” Temporary tattoos are super cheap to purchase and easy to wash off.

Charge a participation fee for each student to “tattoo” their teacher and watch the funds roll in.

11. Holiday Family Photo Booth

Parents love getting annual photos during the holidays. Gather fall or winter holiday-themed decorations, set up a photo booth in the cafeteria or gym, then ask parents to book a time slot for a low fee to get their photos taken.

12. BKV Energy PTO and PTA Sponsorship Program

BKV Energy loves to support Texas education, teachers, and students. If your school sits within one of our serviceable regions, we’d love to discuss sponsoring your school’s PTO or PTA.

Our standard donation is $1,000 annually, plus a custom electricity plan sign-up page on our website. When parents and teachers switch to BKV Energy through the sign-up page, we donate $50 to your organization AND give a $50 bill credit on the third bill to our new customer. It’s a win-win.

All we ask for in return is the ability to hang a banner on the exterior fence of your school by the entrance and for some inclusion in your email newsletters.

Learn more about our PTO/PTA sponsorship program here.

13. Hat Day Fundraiser

Students love wearing hats to school, but they are generally not allowed to. Charge $5 for a “hat pass” on special days throughout the school year to allow students to wear their favorite hats.

14. Duct Tape the Principal or Teacher to the Wall

All you need are several rolls of duct tape and a stool! Find a good-spirited principal, vice principal, or teacher, and ask them to stand on the stool against a wall.

Students and parents can purchase strips of duct tape and begin taping the principal or teacher to the wall. At the end of the night, it’s time for a drum roll. Remove the stool and see if the tape holds them in the air!

This is a great option to combine with another fundraiser, such as a trivia night or indoor garage sale.

15. “Drive-In” Movie Night

If your school has projection equipment or smart boards in classrooms, you can host a movie night at the school. Choose age-appropriate movies, charge an entry fee, and sell concessions.

Fundraising doesn’t have to be complicated or exhausting to be effective. The best ideas on this list share a few things in common — they’re low-cost, easy to organize, and genuinely enjoyable for families. You don’t need to tackle all fifteen at once. Pick two or three that feel right for your school community, rally your volunteers, and get started. The money will follow when people actually want to show up and participate. After all, the strongest fundraisers aren’t just about raising dollars — they’re about bringing your school community closer together in the process.