School fundraising is a community effort. To raise the funds your school needs to create enriching educational experiences for students, you must unite administrators, teachers, and families behind your goal. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources schools can use to incorporate creative, engaging fundraisers into their calendars.
There are many school fundraising companies dedicated to making it as easy as possible for your school to rally its whole community around its funding goals. In this article, we’ll explore the basics you need to know and walk through a list of top fundraising companies for schools to jump-start your research. Here’s what we’ll cover:
When it comes to school fundraising, remember: You don’t have to do it all alone.
By partnering with the right school fundraising companies, you can reduce the workload on your staff and volunteers while unlocking new fundraising potential for your school.
School fundraising companies are companies dedicated to helping schools raise money by providing tools, services, or products for fundraisers.
These companies come in many shapes and sizes, which means your school is bound to find an option that resonates with your goals and audience. Typically, these companies provide tools or services for schools that support:
Whether you’re interested in hosting a back-to-school fundraising event or engaging students and their families with seasonal treats during the holidays, you can turn to a fundraising company to facilitate your efforts and help you raise more.
Parent and guardian participation in school activities has been decreasing, with only 52% reporting that they engage with school fundraising. This means that schools need to start getting more creative with their fundraising strategy and partner with companies that will help them inspire more community involvement.
Begin by exploring these popular school fundraiser companies:
Hosting a Read-A-Thon is a no-brainer when it comes to raising funds in a way that’s meaningful to your school, its students, and their families. After all, this event accomplishes two key goals: promoting a love for reading and raising funds.
Plus, there’s no upfront cost to starting one of these fundraisers, and very few volunteers are required to manage it.
To launch a Read-a-Thon, all you need to do is create a free account and encourage students to read as much as they can during the timeframe you set. Students will receive their own fundraising page displaying their reading progress, where friends and family can make donations to show their support. Check out this brief video overview for a closer look at the Read-A-Thon platform:
As the video explains, your school has two flexible profit options to choose from:
Both options come with a free, enticing add-on: a contest that gives students the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip for four to Disney. With all of these incentives, your students and their families are bound to be excited to participate in your school’s Read-A-Thon and help you exceed your fundraising goals.
Wearing branded t-shirts and other apparel is an easy way for students and other community members to show their support for your school. Bonfire is a school fundraising company that helps schools run t-shirt fundraisers. During this process, your school will:
At the end of your school fundraiser, the company will handle printing and shipping the clothing to buyers. Your school collects 100% of the profits.
Not every school fundraiser requires directly asking people for monetary donations. If your school wants to add a little variety to its fundraising calendar, consider organizing a shoe drive by partnering with Funds2Orgs.
The process is simple. Your school collects gently worn, used and new shoes from students and their families. Then, once the collection period is over, the company will pick up the shoes and send your school a check based on how many pounds you gathered. This fundraising idea is sustainable and suitable for schools for all ages since students tend to grow quickly out of their shoes.
Schools, nonprofits, and individuals turn to GoFundMe to launch crowdfunding campaigns, which are ideal for reaching a wide audience of donors online. To get started, your school will create its own fundraising page and set a goal. Then, you’ll use social media and other marketing channels to share the page with students, their families, and other community members.
The page will display your school’s fundraising progress during the campaign. Once it’s over, you’ll receive the funds you earned regardless of whether you met your goal. However, the platform will automatically deduct a transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 from every donation.
If your school wants more customization options and engagement capabilities, consider exploring GoFundMe alternatives to find the tools you need. Some of the top crowdfunding platforms, for example, allow you to incorporate your school’s branding and logo, support peer-to-peer fundraising, and even come with a built-in event module for managing events alongside your campaign.
Your school may have many community members who are willing to support your fundraising efforts, but they lead busy lives. ShopRaise is a school fundraising company that puts convenience first.
Simply sign up your school and encourage students and their families to download the ShopRaise app. Then, as they conduct their ordinary shopping through participating retailers such as Walmart or Petsmart, your school earns up to 10% from each purchase. Plus, you can run this online fundraiser year-round to create a reliable and consistent revenue stream.
Product fundraisers are a classic way for schools to engage their communities and meet their fundraising goals. ABC Fundraising provides a wide array of products that your school can choose from, including:
Rather than having students collect orders from friends and family in person, ABC Fundraising offers options for setting up a live fundraising web store and home delivery for out-of-state purchasers. Depending on the product, your school can raise up to 70% to 97% profit from these product fundraisers.
With a 98.7% customer satisfaction rate, JustFundraising is another school fundraiser company that makes it easy to sell top-quality products and raise money for your school. The following fundraisers cost no money upfront to start:
Plus, you’ll receive a personal fundraising assistant to guide you through the process. They’ll return emails and phone calls within one hour during the business day to ensure that you have everything you need to run a successful fundraiser.
If your school is looking for unique products for its next fundraiser, explore Fundraising.com’s extensive offerings. For example, your school can sell:
Like JustFundraising, Fundraising.com provides your school with a dedicated account representative to help you create a fundraising plan tailored to your goals.
Believe Kids Fundraising takes product fundraising for schools to the next level with innovative tools and features that make it simpler for your community to participate. For example, Believe Kids will equip your school with:
In addition to the traditional cookies and popcorn, Believe Kids offers seasonal catalogs with 100+ items, including jewelry, kitchen accessories, and snacks.
Chocolate consumption in the U.S. has reached 1.28 billion kilograms this year. If your school is looking for a fundraising idea that will resonate with the majority of your community, partner with World’s Finest Chocolate. This school fundraising company is an appealing choice for several reasons:
This chocolate bar fundraiser wraps up in as little as two to three weeks, with dedicated fundraising specialists supporting your school throughout the process.
There’s nothing like an auction to bring your school’s community together for a night of excitement and entertainment. SchoolAuction.net’s platform comes with all the tools you need to host an engaging auction, whether live, virtual, or hybrid. For example, your school can:
SchoolAuction.net has helped schools raise over $1 billion in funds. Start a free trial to try out the tools for yourself.
One school fundraising company that is particularly appealing to schools with younger children is Chuck E. Cheese. If you’re fundraising for an elementary school, partner with Chuck E. Cheese and invite your community to an evening of games and pizza. As long as your school has at least 75 enrolled students, you’re qualified to request a fundraiser.
Chuck E. will even visit your school on the day of your event to help promote it to students and their families. Your school will earn 20% of all sales made during the fundraiser, including games, food, and drinks. Plus, all teachers in attendance will receive a free meal!
Who doesn’t love a doughnut? Krispy Kreme provides several fundraising options for schools and nonprofits looking to raise funds by selling these delicious desserts:
At the end of the fundraiser, your school will receive 50% of event sales back to support your funding needs.
Pizza parties are wildly popular across schools, so why not turn this popularity into a fundraising opportunity? Little Caesars Pizza is a fundraising company for schools that want to benefit from the awareness of a well-known brand.
Simply register with the company and set a week for delivery. Then, for two to three weeks, enlist students to sell pizza kits, bread kits, and cookie dough to your community. Your school will earn $6.00 for every item sold, delivered in bulk to your location on a scheduled delivery date. From there, your volunteers can sort the orders and invite supporters to pick up their purchases.
Restaurants are warm and lively gathering places for almost any occasion, whether you’re bringing families together for the back-to-school season or wrapping up the school year with a bang. Panera allows schools and other nonprofit organizations to schedule fundraising events at a local bakery-cafe, contributing up to 25% of net sales during each event. Supporters can either dine at the restaurant or order online and provide a promo code to contribute.
Your school can host one of these fundraising events once every 30 days. Additionally, Panera has a gift card fundraising program through which your school can purchase Panera gift cards at a reduced cost and re-sell them at full price.
Your students have a lot to keep track of between school, extracurriculars, and their personal lives. Mabel’s Labels sells personalized waterproof labels and tags to help families keep their students organized and prevent items from ending up in the lost and found.
All your school has to do is sign up for an online Mabel’s Labels fundraiser and earn 20% of every purchase supporters make. There are no time restrictions, meaning you can raise money all year, and the company will handle the fulfillment of each order.
Charleston Wrap is a school fundraising company with programs designed to meet the specific needs and goals of schools. Choose from more than 2,500 products ranging from personalized items to home decor—the majority of which are exclusively manufactured by the company itself. Supporters can purchase these items online, expanding the reach of your school’s fundraiser.
To help you maximize your fundraising potential, Charleston Wrap provides free resources such as:
Plus, schools can access 24/7 interactive reporting to assess their fundraiser’s performance throughout its duration.
School is an opportunity for students to both learn about the world and how to express themselves. Art to Remember gives families the chance to purchase meaningful keepsakes featuring their students’ artwork while raising money for your school.
The process looks something like this:
This fundraising idea is perfect for elementary and middle school families who want to show their support for their students’ artistic journeys. Your school can earn up to 37% of purchases made.
One easy way to build a sense of community around your school is through food. With Morris Press Cookbooks, you can compile cherished recipes from teachers, students, and alumni to encapsulate your school’s culinary identity into a book. Creating and selling your school’s cookbook involves these easy steps:
This school fundraising company has a No-Risk Guarantee, promising that every organization participating in its cookbook program will sell enough to cover the printing costs.
If your school is looking for a green and eco-friendly fundraising idea, partner with Flower Power Fundraising to sell flower bulbs to your community. Your school will have its own website for online ordering and receive 50% profit on every sale.
Flower Power Fundraising has three programs throughout the year:
With no upfront costs and a 100% growth guarantee, this fundraiser is bound to satisfy your school and its supporters.
Your school plays a major role in students’ lives, even long after they’ve graduated. Brick Markers is a school fundraising company that gives students and their families the chance to leave a lasting mark on your school.
To start this fundraiser, your school must identify an area to install custom bricks purchased by supporters, like a walkway or wall in the front lobby. Then, the Brick Markers team will help you create a fundraising plan and set up a custom website for your school. Your school will receive a profit as students and other community members purchase bricks, then Brick Markers will deliver the bricks for installation. To earn extra revenue, you can even offer donors the option to buy a replica of their brick to keep at home.
Raise Craze’s online platform allows your school to go beyond traditional fundraising and earn donations by encouraging acts of kindness. Students will set up an individual fundraising page, collecting donations as they complete their chosen acts of kindness within the community. Throughout the fundraiser, your school can track the amount raised, the total number of participants, top-performing classrooms, and more.
There are no upfront fees for creating an account. Once donations start coming in, your school will receive 90% of the money earned through the fundraiser.
After exploring these top school fundraising companies, you’re likely eager to jump in and start engaging your community. Before you do, however, take a look at these frequently asked questions to guide your decision-making and planning:
There’s a reason why there are so many fundraising companies for schools—every school differs in terms of its goals, budget, needs, and audience. To land on the best partner for your next fundraiser, consider:
Additionally, reach out to peers at other schools to see if they have any recommendations based on their past fundraising experience. Explore online reviews to learn from other schools and their fundraising results to narrow down your options.
To maximize your school’s fundraising potential, look for a fundraising idea that can continually engage students and their families from one year to the next.
For example, a Read-A-Thon is easy to set up and highly flexible, meaning your school can adapt it with themes and incentives to promote more participation. Your school can launch one during Read Across America in March or encourage students to bundle up in the winter with a holiday-themed Read-A-Thon. Plus, Read-A-Thon is trusted by more than 5,000 schools nationwide, helping them raise over $20 million every year.
In fact, 50% of Read-A-Thon’s customers come from word-of-mouth. Thanks to Read-A-Thon’s referral program, when a member of your school refers the platform to a friend or colleague, you’ll earn up to $1,000 when they launch a Read-A-Thon at their school. It’s a win-win opportunity!
As you continue exploring school fundraising companies, remember to thank all of your supporters for helping you transform your school for the better. Ask for their feedback to learn which fundraisers are most popular and adapt your strategy over time.
Whether you’re raising funds to invest in new technology for your classrooms or expand your extracurricular offerings, keeping the purpose of your fundraising front and center is key to winning support from your whole community. After a successful fundraiser, report back on the impact of the funds you earned so all your contributors can see how they made a difference to your students.
If you’d like to learn more tips and ideas to supercharge your school’s fundraising strategy, check out these additional resources: