Sharp Insights: School Fundraising Report
Cheddar Up began thanks to a simple school fundraiser, and supporting schools remains an important part of our mission. We launched this nationwide survey to help schools — and their supporting organizations — find ways to operate more effectively and efficiently. We asked parents, teachers, and administrators, and here’s what we found. In short, schools are heavily dependent on supplemental fundraising and many also struggle with volunteer recruitment and retention. We hope these insights can help move the needle.
The Report:
How It Works
Below are the main topic areas, feel free to scroll straight through the survey — or you can jump straight to an area of interest to you.
Schools rely HEAVILY on fundraising efforts
Just 64% of survey respondents believe their school is well funded — that’s a D grade! It leaves parents and schools to fill the gap.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A REASONABLE CONTRIBUTION TO A SCHOOL FUNDRAISER?
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A REASONABLE CONTRIBUTION TO A SCHOOL FUNDRAISER?
96%
say their school has at least one fundraiser a year
1
out of
3
say their school has five or more fundraisers a year
Finding the right fundraiser to drive support
Most schools focus on social events and third-party sales for fundraisers, but third-party sales are the least likely to be supported by parents.
WHAT TYPE OF FUNDRAISERS DOES YOUR SCHOOL HOST?
What type of fundraiser are you MOST likely to support?
What type of fundraiser are You LEAST likely to support?
WHAT TYPE OF FUNDRAISERS DOES YOUR SCHOOL HOST?
What type of fundraiser are you MOST likely to support?
What type of fundraiser are You LEAST likely to support?
Alternate fundraising options
50%
say they would participate in a monthly auto-pay program
2
out of
3
say they would prefer a one-time annual donation
That’s A LOT of cheddar!
The median amount raised from fundraisers in the 2022-23 school year was $8,500! Proceeds of fundraisers are spread across multiple recipients.
HOW ARE THE DONATIONS FROM FUNDRAISERS UTILIZED?
HOW ARE THE DONATIONS FROM FUNDRAISERS UTILIZED?
58%
agree or strongly agree that their school is transparent about how funds are spent
The two sides to volunteering
73% of respondents told us they had volunteered to help with a fundraiser — yet 78% of leaders who took the survey said their top challenges are volunteer recruiting and retention.
Why DO people volunteer?
36% I don’t love it, but wanted to help the school
15% I was asked and felt obligated to say “yes”
Why DON'T people volunteer?
37% I’m not interested in volunteering
10% I’m not aware of volunteer opportunities
2% I don’t have transportation
Why DO people volunteer?
36% I don’t love it, but wanted to help the school
15% I was asked and felt obligated to say “yes”
Why DON'T people volunteer?
37% I’m not interested in volunteering
10% I’m not aware of volunteer opportunities
2% I don’t have transportation
Shake up your fundraisers with these ideas
24% of respondents said their school’s fundraisers RARELY change — it’s time to mix things up and try something new!
Parent-Teacher Organizations: They’re everywhere
Over 90% of survey respondents say their schools have PTOs*, with the highest representation at 96% of respondents from elementary schools.
Parent-Teacher Organizations: They’re everywhere
Over 90% of survey respondents say their schools have PTOs*, with the highest representation at 96% of respondents from elementary schools.
64%
have annual membership drives
$50
median annual membership fee
73%
of respondents have participated in the PTO
85%
are satisfied with their PTOs
*For the purpose of this survey, a parent-teacher organization is defined as a formally recognized group of supporters who raise money to benefit school-wide programs. It will be referred to as “PTO” but can also be a parent-teacher-student association (PTSA), parent-teacher association (PTA), or parent-faculty association (PFA).
Boosting extracurriculars
Booster clubs support a variety of extracurricular activities and are most often found at high schools.
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BOOSTER ORGANIZATIONS ARE REPRESENTED AT YOUR SCHOOL?
WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BOOSTER ORGANIZATIONS ARE REPRESENTED AT YOUR SCHOOL?
(82% of respondents from high schools have booster clubs, 63% from middle schools, and 35% from elementary schools.)
Insights from PTO and Booster Club leadership
71% of leaders said they met or exceeded their fundraising goals for the 2022-23 school year, but fundraising is only one piece of the fundraising puzzle.
WHAT FUNDING SOURCES DID YOUR SCHOOL UTILIZE?
WHAT FUNDING SOURCES DID YOUR SCHOOL UTILIZE?
RATE THE TOP ISSUES FACING YOUR COMMUNITY
RATE THE TOP ISSUES FACING YOUR COMMUNITY
Shake up your fundraisers with these ideas
24% of respondents said their school’s fundraisers RARELY change — it’s time to mix things up and try something new!
Download the full survey
Get ALL the information from our survey and use it to gain insight into your organization and how you can help move it forward!
Cheddar Up uses this information to contact you about our relevant content and product. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time.
Cheddar Up Methodology Statement
Cheddar Up designed and administered this survey taken by 539 respondents who were notified of the survey through Cheddar Up’s subscriber list, social media and partner channels. This report focuses on the 461 respondents who have children currently enrolled in or who work in an elementary, middle, or high school.
See how Cheddar Up can help your school!
Keep your group informed with our messaging tools
Download the full survey
Get ALL the information from our survey and use it to gain insight into your organization and how you can help move it forward!
Cheddar Up uses this information to contact you about our relevant content and product. You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time.
Cheddar Up Methodology Statement
Cheddar Up designed and administered this survey taken by 539 respondents who were notified of the survey through Cheddar Up’s subscriber list, social media and partner channels. This report focuses on the 461 respondents who have children currently enrolled in or who work in an elementary, middle, or high school.
You don’t have to do it on your own
Get ALL the information from our survey and use it to gain insight into your organization and how you can help move it forward!
“The platform is so flexible. I can use it to collect for an event, a donation and even to set up an online store”
Christina Hidek
Greenview Upper Elementary PTA
You don’t have to do it on your own
Get ALL the information from our survey and use it to gain insight into your organization and how you can help move it forward!
“I needed to collect the students’ contact info, t-shirt size, and a signed waiver. Parents provided all of this on the spot along with payment.”
Gloria Halfacre
Venice High School PTSA
You don’t have to do it on your own
Get ALL the information from our survey and use it to gain insight into your organization and how you can help move it forward!
“Cheddar Up has been a game changer! It streamlined the payment process for families and has reduced unpaid fees by thousands of dollars.”
