When it comes to back to school fundraiser ideas, we love a good PTA fundraiser over here at Cheddar Up HQ, and some of them are too good not to share. In honor of another new school year, we’re giving you 10 ideas to run yourself, including five real examples created by our Cheddar Up community. We even turned those five into ready-to-use templates so you can get started right away
Already have your fundraiser planned, but need help getting volunteers to sign up? Check out our sign up templates to get started!
5 back to school fundraisers from real Cheddar Up groups
Cookie Grams
The Holman Elementary PTA in Jackson, New Jersey, sold individually-wrapped custom cookies from a local bakery as their back to school fundraiser. The $5 cookies were delivered to the school for pickup, and the PTA took home $1 of every sale.
Grab this Valentine Grams template and rename it to fit any grams fundraiser, cookies included!
Seniors - Chalk Your Parking Spot
On the eve of the first day of school, the Chesapeake High School PTSA in Pasadena, Maryland, hosted parents and students to decorate parking spots as a back to school fundraiser. Tickets, including a box of chalk, cost $22 —and the collection also solicited sponsored spots for students who might be unable to pay.
Yard Sign Fundraiser
Back to school means back to football too, and to celebrate the first game, the team at Fair Lawn High School in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, offered $25 yard signs that said, “You have been SACKED by the FLHS football team.” For this back to school fundraiser, donors could select a specific date to surprise a friend, or for their own yards, and signs were removed after 48 hours.
Birthday Fundraiser
For $25, the Old Bethpage Elementary School PTA in Old Bethpage, New York, will special deliver a box filled with a Happy Birthday certificate, snack of choice, water bottle, and surprise favors for each classmate. Orders are accepted throughout the year — at least two weeks in advance and no longer than two months.
Build-a-Mascot Fundraiser
This back to school fundraiser roars! The PTO at Elizabeth Ide School in Darien, Illinois, offered students their very own DIY mascot. Each $20 bag included a no-sew unstuffed lion, stuffing, Ide baseball shirt, birth certificate and wishing heart.
5 more back to school fundraiser ideas
These back to school fundraisers don’t require booking a gym, planning a big event, or coordinating volunteers all day. Most are simple presales or donation campaigns that run online, making them easy to launch and even easier to manage. Some wrap up in a few weeks, while others can keep raising money throughout the school year.
Clothing and Blanket Drives
Sell a school-year calendar families keep on the fridge. Include holidays, early release days, spirit weeks, picture day, PTA meetings, and other important dates. Sell printed copies or digital versions, and give families a helpful resource while raising funds. Looking for more options? Our calendar fundraiser guide also covers raffle calendars, pick-a-date fundraisers, and other creative formats.
Fall mums sale
Nothing says back to school like colorful fall mums. Partner with a local nursery to purchase mums at wholesale prices, then sell them to families for a profit. Since many people decorate their porches each fall, this fundraiser is an easy seasonal favorite. Start from the flower and plant sale template and swap in your mum varieties and prices.
The unfundraiser
Not every family wants to sell products or collect orders. An unfundraiser (sometimes called a no-fuss fundraiser) gives supporters the option to simply make a donation instead. Set a suggested giving amount, share your collection page, and let families contribute in just a few clicks. It’s one of the simplest ways to raise money while saving everyone time.
Gift card fundraiser
Gift card fundraisers make giving easy because supporters buy gift cards they’ll already use, for groceries, gas, restaurants, coffee, and more. Your school earns a percentage of each purchase, and families don’t spend anything beyond their normal budget. Our gift card fundraising guide explains how to choose retailers and launch a successful campaign.
Coffee fundraiser
Coffee is practically a back-to-school essential. Set up a grab-and-go coffee stand during morning drop-off, or sell bags of locally roasted coffee online so supporters can order anytime. Either option fits naturally into families’ routines, making it an easy fundraiser with broad appeal. Our coffee fundraiser ideas guide shares five creative ways to make it a success.
How to start a back to school fundraiser
Launching a fundraiser doesn’t have to take weeks of planning. With the right tools, you can go from idea to collecting payments in minutes.
Pick one fundraiser
Choose the idea that best fits your school’s goals, timeline, and community. A single, well-run fundraiser is usually more successful than trying to manage several at once.
Set a fundraising goal
Start with a clear dollar amount based on your needs or last year’s results. A visible goal helps motivate supporters and gives everyone something to work toward.
Create your collection page
Add your fundraiser items, donation options, forms, or waivers in one place. With Cheddar Up, you can collect payments and information together, so families can complete everything in a single transaction. No app or account required.
Share your fundraiser
Send your collection link wherever families already stay connected. Email, newsletters, class group chats, social media, or your school website. The easier it is to find, the more participation you’ll see.
Track everything automatically
Watch payments, orders, and participant information update in real time. Built-in reporting helps you stay organized and eliminates the need to reconcile spreadsheets by hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a back to school fundraiser?
A back-to-school fundraiser is a campaign held at the beginning of the school year, when family engagement is typically at its highest. Schools, PTAs, PTOs, and booster clubs often use product sales, donation drives, gift card programs, and community favorites like cookie grams or reserved parking spots to raise money for supplies, student programs, and events throughout the year.
How do I start a back to school fundraiser?
Pick one idea, set a dollar goal, and create an online collection page where families can pay and sign up in one place. From there, share the link through your school’s usual channels and track payments as they come in. Most groups can go from idea to live fundraiser within minutes using a platform like Cheddar Up.
What are easy back to school fundraiser ideas?
The easiest back to school fundraisers skip inventory and event planning entirely: the unfundraiser, which is a direct donation ask, or a gift card fundraiser that runs on shopping families already do. Each one runs almost entirely from a single shareable payment page.
When should you start planning a back to school fundraiser?
Start planning 4 to 6 weeks before the first day of school so your fundraiser is live during registration and open house season. Product presales like a school-year calendar or a mum sale need the most lead time for design, printing, or ordering. An unfundraiser can launch within a week.
How much money can a back to school fundraiser raise?
It depends on your school size, the format, and your profit margin per sale. Product fundraisers typically return a fixed share per item (Holman Elementary PTA kept $1 of every $5 cookie in the example above), while donation-based fundraisers like the unfundraiser have no per-item cost, so more of each dollar goes to your group. Set your goal from last year’s results rather than a generic benchmark.
Inspired?
Host your back to school fundraiser on our free, foolproof online platform. We automatically track all payments and forms!
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How to Organize a Group Gift the Easy Way: Ultimate Guide
Teacher gifts, coaches gifts, holiday gifts, thank-you gifts, end-of-year gifts, shower gifts, and so on. The group gift list is endless! If you’re wondering how to organize a group gift without getting a headache, you’ve made it to the right place.
If you’ve ever tried to plan a group gift, you know the real challenge is wrangling people. It’s the awkward Venmo requests, the “did you pay yet?” follow-ups, and the mystery of what happened to that extra $14.
The good news? A little structure up front makes a world of difference when you’re ready to start planning for that special group gift.
Below you’ll find a step-by-step guide that will help you coordinate a group gift from start to finish, including group gift giving etiquette, copy-paste scripts, a deadline strategy, and a plan for leftover funds.A group gift is a single present that is purchased by a group of friends, family, and other contributors.
For instance, a group of friends might decide to come together to purchase an expensive stroller from their bestie’s baby shower registry. Normally, one friend wouldn’t be able to afford the gift on their own. But if 3 friends chip in together, it makes the present achievable.
Unleash the Colors: How to Host a Color Run Fundraiser
A color run fundraiser combines the thrill of a fun run with bursts of bright color along the way. Participants start in white and make their way through a course filled with “color stations,” where volunteers toss powder or spray safe, water-based paint so everyone finishes covered head to toe in color.
But it’s more than just a fun event. A color run is a powerful way to raise money from multiple angles. You can collect registration fees, sell extras like t-shirts or color kits, bring in local sponsors, and tap into peer-to-peer fundraising to reach even more supporters.
Even better, it’s easy to organize everything in one place. With a simple collection page, you can manage sign-ups, track payments, and keep donations flowing without the usual hassle.
To get started, there are two great setup options: a standard fundraiser template for straightforward, all-in-one collecting, or a peer-to-peer template that lets participants create their own pages and boost your total even further.
7 Best Online Fundraising Platforms for Your Organization
The best fundraising websites are built to make your life easier. They help you set up a fundraising page, share it with your community, and collect money online without the need for endless spreadsheets or constant follow-up.
Here’s the truth: Not every platform fits every organization. Whether you’re a PTA treasurer raising money for a senior trip or you’re a growing nonprofit ready to level up your fundraising, the fundraising website you choose matters.
In this guide, we’ll walk through what online fundraising websites are, why organizers use them, and what to look for when choosing one. Let’s dive right in! An online fundraising website is a tool that helps you organize fundraising events, collect donations online, and track the success of your campaigns. Think of it as the go-to online place where people can learn about and give to your cause.
The best online fundraising platforms go beyond just payment processing. They allow you to communicate with your team and your donors, manage events, set up peer-to-peer fundraisers, and more.
From coordinating with volunteers to tracking donations, it’s no secret that having the right tool on your side can save time and reduce stress!
How to Host a Trunk or Treat Fundraiser
Planning a trunk or treat fundraiser for your PTA, church, or nonprofit? This step-by-step guide walks through the whole process, from setting admission and pricing trunk spots to collecting sign ups and running the event day. You can set it all up online, and this template gets you started in minutes. A trunk or treat fundraiser is a Halloween event where kids collect candy from decorated car trunks in a parking lot, while the host organization raises money through admission, trunk-spot fees, and concessions. Instead of going door to door, families walk from car to car in a designated parking area, collecting treats from creatively decorated trunks. Each participant, often called a trunker, decorates their vehicle with fun, spooky, or themed displays.
Schools, churches, PTAs, and nonprofits typically host trunk or treat fundraisers in mid- to late October. Because the whole event happens in one contained parking area rather than across a neighborhood, it’s a safe, weather-flexible way to bring the community together and support the organization.
