37 fundraising ideas for schools and colleges

Fundraising ideas for schools have nearly unlimited potential and can make a real difference for your student community. Whether planning a student charity event, a crowdfunding campaign, or another fundraiser, this guide has an idea for you.

Below you’ll find 37 fundraising ideas for schools and colleges, organized from elementary classrooms through college campuses and Greek life, including a student-run school carnival built for high schools.

Looking for ideas beyond schools? Browse these nonprofit fundraising ideas, too.

Fundraising ideas for elementary schools

Start with these classic school fundraising ideas for younger kids—activities every family can enjoy—or browse even more fundraising ideas for kids.

1. Bake sale

Gather students and their families to bake something delicious. Send out a sign-up list ahead of time so you have enough baked goods to sell in exchange for donations.

2. Talent show

Showcase each student’s unique talent to attract a crowd and boost donations. Set up a space to host guests in person, or stream the show virtually with a set price per ticket.

3. Letter writing

Brighten someone’s day with letter writing, a simple fundraising idea for schools to lead with younger students. Have kids write cards to donors or community members alongside their fundraising ask.

4. School supply drives

Get students involved in collecting everything from pencils to notebooks, and turn the drive into a friendly, campuswide effort. A school supply drive is a great back-to-school fundraising idea.

5. Magic show

Organize a few student or parent volunteers to host a magic show, or hire a professional for the day. Offer a few creative raffle prizes, like online magic lessons, to keep the youngest fundraisers engaged.

6. Ice cream night

Enjoy a classic treat with an ice cream fundraiser. Partner with a truck, like Mister Softee or Kona Ice, or a shop, like Cold Stone Creamery or Rita’s Ice. You can also host a make-your-own sundae bar with all the fixings, from cookie dough to chocolate fudge, and charge a set price per bowl.

7. Car wash

Set students and volunteers up in the school parking lot with buckets, hoses, and a few homemade signs. A car wash is one of the simplest ideas on this list since it needs almost no budget and rewards a sunny Saturday with steady donations.

8. Field day

Turn a favorite school tradition into a fundraiser by asking each student to collect pledges for the games they complete, from the three-legged race to the water balloon toss. Field day already brings the whole school together, so it’s an easy one to build on, like a walkathon.

Fundraising ideas for middle schools

9. Color run

Set up a running course dusted with color for students to race through. Runners can fundraise individually for the chance to win prizes and climb the fundraiser leaderboard, and you can make your own colored powder by mixing cornstarch with FDA-approved dye.

10. Danceathon

Have students dance for a set period of time while friends and family sponsor them through peer-to-peer fundraising. Announce incoming donations throughout the event to inspire dancers to keep going and create natural moments for social sharing. This idea also works well folded into an existing field day.

11. Partnership with a local theme park or arcade

Partner with a local theme park, bowling alley, or arcade to host a student outing. Promote how the proceeds will benefit a specific program at your school to build excitement before the big day.

12. Trivia competition

Host a themed trivia competition where students form teams and fundraise together ahead of the event. Ask teachers to volunteer as question writers and hosts, and you’ll have a fundraiser that’s easy for the whole school to get behind.

13. Shoe drive

Collect gently used shoes from students, staff, and neighbors, then partner with a shoe recycling or resale program that pays your school for every pair. A shoe drive is an easy, inclusive fundraising idea for schools that also gives students a hands-on lesson in sustainability, the same spirit behind many an environmental nonprofit.

High school fundraising ideas

These fundraising ideas for high schools lean into competition, school spirit, and the independence older students bring to a project. For more on engaging this age group, see how to engage high school student fundraisers.

14. Obstacle-course event

Tap into the spirit of competition with a fun obstacle course. Have students recruit family members and friends to donate on their behalf through a peer-to-peer fundraising model, then cheer them on as they make their way through the twists and turns you’ve built.

15. Community service hours for college

Host a volunteer fair to connect students with school programs and upcoming initiatives that need support. It’s a natural fit for high schools, which are always looking for consistent volunteers to help at sporting events, teacher appreciation dinners, student dances, and more.

16. Pancake breakfasts

Partner with a local restaurant, join a program like Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraisers or IHOP National Pancake Day, or take over your school’s kitchen with student volunteers to serve pancakes at a set price per plate.

17. School clothing sales

Lean into the sentimental value of school spirit and clothing, especially for high schoolers approaching their last stretch before college.

18. Beach day

Kick-start summer with a beach day as the school year winds down. Invite students to miss a few classes in exchange for a donation.

19. School carnival

Turn your school into a carnival for a day, and let juniors and seniors run the show. Have student clubs and classes staff a game booth, a concession stand, or a photo corner, then tie the whole event to homecoming or a fall festival to boost the turnout. A student-run school carnival is one of the most flexible fundraising ideas for high schools on this list since it scales from a single grade to the entire student body.

Virtual fundraising ideas for schools

20. Virtual races

Host a race entirely online to reach new networks of donors who can’t make it to campus.

21. Viral video challenges

Boost your reach by joining trends already popular on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

22. Twitch livestream event

Head over to Twitch to livestream a gaming tournament, cooking class, battle of the bands, or another live event, and raise money for your cause in real time, the same way many Twitch charity streams do.

Fundraising ideas for college students

23. Short poetry contest

Invite students to sign up and read an original poem to an audience that votes for their favorites. It’s a no-cost, high-reward fundraising idea.

24. Device drive

Think of a device drive as the modern book sale. Schools that bought extra tech to support remote learning can use this opportunity to collect unused devices and get them into the hands of students who need access.

25. Tie-dye event

Bring college students together around tie-dye, a trend that never goes out of style. Sell tickets to students and their friends to reserve a spot and cover the cost of supplies.

26. Outdoor movie premiere

Find a large lawn or park on campus, set up an outdoor projector, and lay out blankets or chairs for a movie night everyone will remember.

27. Pet therapy room

Ease stress on campus with the calming effect of pet therapy. Host a room of friendly animals available for an hour at a set price, and watch the supporters line up.

Fundraising ideas for college sports teams

28. 5K race

Get competitive with a 5K race near campus. Instead of charging for participation, ask each runner to commit to a fundraising goal.

29. Tournaments

Have fun with a Frisbee-throwing tournament, a bowling challenge, or a Jeopardy-style trivia tournament. It works like a 5K, without ruling out anyone based on athletic ability.

30. Partner with local businesses

Capitalize on the campus hot spot where students grab a bite, hang out, or meet up, and partner with that local business through corporate sponsorships.

Download your guide to pitching corporate sponsors to get started.

31. Giveaway

Get your fans involved directly by offering a season pass or team merchandise to the donor who raises the most for your program.

Fraternity or sorority philanthropy ideas

32. Ticketed fashion show

Team up with student designers or a local boutique to host a fashion show that students of all ages can attend for a small fee, like a fundraising gala.

33. “Win-a-date” auction

Get ready for laughs, and maybe even a love connection, with a win-a-date event. Partner with another fraternity or sorority to assemble a ticketed auction for potential dates from a roster of eligible participants.

34. Late-night food delivery

Raise real money with high traffic to your donation form through a late-night food delivery fundraiser for students studying late or wrapping up a night out when most restaurants are closed.

35. Coffee shop pop-up

Gather all the fun add-ins to build your own signature coffee bar on campus or at a local college event, and raise money for your program one cup at a time.

36. Greek life carnival

Bring in other Greek life organizations at your college to host a carnival together. Have each organization build a booth, game, or activity to share the workload and build a bigger event than any one group could pull off alone.

37. Alumni night

Invite proud alumni back to campus to see what’s new. Make them feel special with an alumni night for graduates of your fraternity or sorority and their families.

Bring fundraising ideas for schools to life with tech

Before you get started with any of these ideas, think about how the right tech can make your next fundraising event for schools even easier to run:

• Campaign templates: Find a fundraising idea that works and repeat it across your school or year after year with a template. That gives you consistent branding to match your school’s website, saves time whenever a new campaign needs to go live, and lets you update details across multiple campaigns at once.
• Hybrid, virtual, or in-person events: Turn any ticket-based fundraising idea into a seamless event for any audience with a simple registration process, silent auctions and mobile bidding, text-to-donate, and a live fundraising thermometer to keep students engaged.
• Modern checkout experience: Add an embedded donation form and the payment options your donors already use, so you never lose a gift at checkout. Think Venmo, PayPal transactions, and digital wallets, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Microsoft Pay.

Learn more about GoFundMe Pro’s platform to bring these fundraising ideas for schools to life.

Looking for more? Check out how to raise money for school trips, browse help for teachers, or explore crowdfunding for teachers.

Fundraising ideas for schools FAQs

What is the most profitable fundraiser for schools?

The most profitable fundraisers usually have the lowest overhead, like a bake sale, a car wash, or a peer-to-peer campaign, paired with an easy online donation form so no one misses out on giving. Events with ticket sales or auctions, like a fashion show or a big raffle, can raise even more once you factor in sponsorships.

What are some easy, low-effort fundraising ideas for schools?

Letter writing, a shoe drive, and a simple crowdfunding campaign are some of the easiest school fundraising ideas to run since they need little setup, budget, or staff time.

What is a school carnival, and how do you plan one?

A school carnival is a single-day event where students, staff, and families run game booths, food stalls, and activities to raise money together. To plan one, pick a date tied to an existing tradition like homecoming, recruit student clubs to staff each booth, and set up an online donation form so guests can give even if they’re out of cash.

What are some good high school fundraising ideas?

Beyond the ideas above, high schools tend to see strong results from peer-to-peer campaigns, like the obstacle-course event, ticketed events like pancake breakfasts, and school spirit sales like clothing drives, since older students can run most of the planning themselves.