It’s back-to-school time! The beginning of the school year is never too early to get started on raising funds for your students and making sure teachers have everything they need to carry out their lesson plans. With the help of your Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) your school can get a head start on not just fundraising but also building a sense of community and encouraging family involvement early on. Below are three simple fundraisers your PTA can use to help expand and update your school’s resources. 

1. Wish List Drive

Hold a Wish List Drive to help equip your classrooms with everything they need to start the school year right. This type of drive is perfect for back-to-school since sales are going on nationwide, making it easier for the families who want to pitch in. Here’s how to organize a successful Wish List Drive:

1. Generate a Wish List: Have teachers create a wish list of items such as paper, sanitizer, tissues, textbooks, chalk, or whiteboard markers and erasers—anything they might need to support their students’ success! Assess the school’s needs, such as computers, tablets, textbooks, or gym equipment; any items that the donated funds will go towards purchasing.
2. Set a Time and Location for Physical Drop-Offs: Determine how long your drive will last, then give parents a set time and place, such as before or after school in the front office, to drop off checks or money orders. Consider accepting donated items directly, as you never know which households may receive helpful discounts, have access to bulk supplies, or simply have packs of unused pencils or paper lying around that could better benefit students.
3. Distribute Donation Forms: Include the wish list and donation forms in your back-to-school information packets, urging families to help. Post the fundraiser on social media to reach a wider audience. Make sure to set a deadline.
4. Expand Donation Options: Consider creating an Amazon wish list specifically for your fundraiser, making it easy for parents to contribute with the click of a button, or using a crowdfunding platform for families who are more comfortable donating virtually.
5. Give Thanks: Show appreciation for your donors and volunteers by writing thank-you notes or including a thank-you post on social media. Share the results of the Wish List Drive through school newsletters, morning announcements, and the school’s social media accounts.

Wish List Drives are the perfect way for the community to band together to help support teachers from the get-go, providing them just what they need to deliver the best educational experience for their students.

2. Straw Draw

A Straw Draw is a budget-friendly and easy-to-organize fundraiser perfect for encouraging student participation early in the school year. Students pay to draw straws from a basket (or similar container) for the chance to win random prizes. The bright colors and surprise element make it a fun and exciting event that students look forward to. Here’s how to organize a successful Straw Draw:

1. Set Clear Goals: Determine a target amount you’d like to reach through fundraising. Use that target to estimate how many straws you would need to sell to achieve your goal, factoring in a budget for prizes.
2. Plan a Prize Structure: Since each straw will hold a reward of some kind, you’ll want a variety of prizes without breaking the budget. There are plenty of free prizes to incentivize student participation, such as an in-class afternoon movie, extra recess time, or extra credit opportunities. Ice cream or popcorn parties are low in cost but high in excitement for students. Pencils, stickers, snacks, and small toys make great low-tier prizes, movie tickets and meal vouchers make great high-ticket items, and the chance to win “hot” items that are popular with kids right now, such as Roblox gift cards or a Sprayground backpack, will keep them drawing straws for a chance to win!
3. Fill the Straws: Print off your list of rewards. Use scissors to cut out each prize slip, then curl it up and insert it into the straw. Fill a basket or similar container with prize straws and make sure to mix them thoroughly.
4. Choose a Location: Place your basket of straws in a supervised, high-traffic area, perhaps inside the office or in the lunch room, where students will pass by it often and have the chance to participate.
   
5. Determine Your Price: Keep prices low, charging students only a dollar or so per straw, ensuring that financially disadvantaged students can also participate easily.
6. Promote the Event: Alert the community about the upcoming Straw Draw using school newsletters, social media, and morning announcements.
7. Distribute Prizes: If a student wins a pencil, for instance, they might receive their prize right then and there. If they win an in-class movie, it might take some coordination with their teacher to select the best date.

Straw Draws are an exciting and inexpensive way for students to help support their own education, especially after all that back-to-school shopping!

3. Penny Wars

Though paying with cash may have become less ubiquitous in recent years, many parents still have a change jar they’ve been meaning to cash in but haven’t gotten around to yet. Help them unload that burden by asking students to participate in the Penny Wars! A Penny War is a competitive coin drive lasting about a week or two that encourages students to bring spare change and cash donations for their class. The class that collects the most is rewarded. Here’s how to organize a successful Penny War:

1. Set Goals and a Time Limit: Once you determine your goal, e.g., new gym supplies or playground equipment, you’ll have a better idea of how long your event should last. Penny Wars typically last a week or two, perhaps longer if your goals are significant. Make sure the ultimate prize is something your students will want to fight over, like a pizza party or movie tickets.
2. Provide Containers for Each Class: Empty water cooler bubblers are the best option for the Penny Wars, but gallon-size jugs or large, warehouse-sized snack containers make for great options, too.
3. Determine the Rules: If you want to add a more competitive edge to your Penny Wars, consider including a rule about specific coins deducting points if placed in an opposing class’ container. For instance, nickels might take away five cents or “points” per container, incentivizing students not only to donate to their own class container but also to sabotage their opponents for the school’s overall benefit.
4. Promote the Event: Use flyers, social media, and school announcements to publicize the Penny Wars.
5. Track and Announce Progress: Rather than waiting until the conclusion of the event, you might track progress daily and include it in morning announcements, encouraging each class to consider their next “plan of attack”.
6. Declare the Victor: At the end of the war, determine which class raised the most money or points, and announce the winning class on social media to conclude the “war”.
7. Give Thanks: Following the event, remember to thank parents and teachers for their support. Consider sharing photos of the ongoing event on social media.

A Penny War provides students with the opportunity to bond as a class or “team” at the start of the year and gives parents a more accessible way to donate to their child's education if back-to-school costs have left a dent in their budgets.

Conclusion

Fundraising at the start of the year can be tricky. But by selecting the right type of event, it doesn’t have to be! A Wish List Drive pairs well with the back-to-school shopping parents are already out doing, a Straw Draw is an inexpensive way to get students excited to participate in school events, and a Penny War can be a great way to foster a sense of camaraderie in the classroom. These fundraisers are the perfect way to kick off the new school year while helping to build up necessary resources for your school. Happy fundraising!

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