The Ultimate School Fundraiser Comparison

During a Read-A-Thon, participants read as much as they can and solicit donations from friends and family to support their reading goals.

Read-A-Thons score high in "Educational Value" because it helps to promote literacy and a joy of reading. Additionally, they have high "Fundraising Potential" because it is one of the few fundraisers, where participants are encouraged to reach outside of the school community to solicit donations.

By utilizing an online platform to host the event, the estimated volunteer hours drops from 20 to 5, which increases the "Time Requirement" ranking. The "Overall Enjoyment" rating also increase due to the class and individual leaderboards offered. However, costs vary widely between platforms. For instance, Read-A-Thon.com retains up to 25% of the total donations, which can be $5,000 or more, while ForOurSchool.org caps the costs at $250. If using a platform like ForOurSchool.org, Read-A-Thons are one of the highest margin fundraisers available.

In a Math-A-Thon, participants try to complete as many math problems as they can, while they solicit donations from friends and family to support their math goals.

Math-A-Thons get our highest rating in "Educational Value" because helps to create a positive association with math and a reason to practice it outside of the classroom. Similar to Read-A-Thons, it gets a high "Fundraising Potential" rating because participants are encouraged to reach outside of the school community to solicit donations.

Utilizing an online platform that allows participants to play math games online is pivotal to the event's high "Overall Enjoyment" rating. Otherwise, students typically receive worksheets that they complete at home, which is really just homework. ForOurSchool.org is currently the only platform that offers online math games.

In a Silent Auction, organizers solicit donations from their community, such as guitar lessons, vacation home rentals, or sport event tickets. Parents or others in the community make public bids on those items. Once a bid is submitted, everyone can see the minimum amount they would need to bid to supplant them. At the end of the event, the person who submits the highest bid for an item receives it.

Silent Auctions get the highest rating in "Fundraising Potential" because items are often donated by the community; however, the number and value of these donations can vary widely. Silent Auctions are often coupled with Gala events, which is why we recommend holding them in the Spring. Many schools will save a few of the larger items to be a part of a live auction during the Gala event. Platforms, such as SchoolAuction.net, can be helpful in not only offering an online option for bidding, but they also often provide functionality to participate in live auctions remotely, which helps increase the "Fundraising Potential".

Soliciting and acquiring donations can be a very time consuming process and require many volunteers to reach out to the local businesses and greater community, which is why the "Time Requirement" rating is so low. Similarly, since Silent Auctions do not involve students, there is no "Educational Value". When coupled with a gala event, the "Overall Enjoyment" rating is much higher and can be one of the most anticipated events for parents.

In a 50/50 Raffle, participants purchase raffle tickets, with half the proceeds going to the winner and half to the school.

50/50 Raffles get our highest rating in "Time Requirement" because there is very little coordination required. By utilizing platforms like Zeffy, raffle tickets can be purchased online, so there wouldn't even be a need to purchase physical tickets.

Similar to Silent Auctions, there is no "Educational Value" to 50/50 raffles because there is no student involvement. The "Overall Enjoyment" rating is also limited because there is very little interactivity outside of purchasing the tickets.

50/50 Raffles are often held during a Carnival which can help to increase it's "Fundraiser Potential".

In a school talent show, students showcase their skills in singing, dancing, comedy, and other talents to entertain their community.

Talent Shows get high ratings in "Overall Enjoyment" because public performances, while stressful for many, can be fun and rewarding experiences. The "Educational Value" rating is also high because students are required to perform in front of a live audience, which can foster self-confidence and public speaking skills.

Unfortunately, Talent Shows receive low "Fundraising Potential" ratings due to the high cost of venue rental and equipment; however, if a school has a fully-equipped auditorium accessible, the ratings is greatly increased. This can be further increased if a platform like Zoom is utilized to livestream the event for those that cannot attend in person.

There is no avoiding the low "Time Requirement" rating. Talent Shows require a lot of time to audition, coordinate, and execute the event successfully and many volunteers are needed before, during, and after the event. Still, it can be a very rewarding experience for all involved.

In a car wash, students and other volunteers wash cars for a fee, with proceeds going towards supporting the school.

Car Washes get high ratings for "Time Requirement" because there is very little logistical complexity to execute the event. You likely need many students to wash the cars, but their involvement can be viewed as an enjoyable and camaraderie building experience, which is why the "Overall Enjoyment" rating is so high, so it is not included in the volunteer hours calculations.

The "Educational Value" rating is limited to the value attained by the appreciation gained for exchanging labor for money, and learning how to wash a car. The "Fundraising Potential" is also limited by the number of cars that can be washed by hand in a few hours. We estimate that 200 cars can be washed in 4 hours at $10 per car, but this can vary depending on the number of student volunteers.

The funds for this event likely needs to be directed towards a class event rather than a general PTA fund. Otherwise, it may be difficult to convince students to participate.

In a bake sale, students, parents, and other volunteers bake homemade treats ranging from cookies to cakes, which are sold to raise funds for their school.

Car Washes get high ratings for "Time Requirement" because, similar to Bake Sales, there is very little logistical complexity to execute the event. You likely need many volunteers to provide the treats with the cost of goods usually borne by the volunteers themselves, but many are happy to do it and enjoy the process of baking and seeing people appreciate their treats.

The "Educational Value" and "Overall Enjoyment" ratings are also relatively high, but they are based on the assumption that students will be actively involved in the baking and selling process. If student involvement is limited to the buying and consuming of treats, then there is neglible educational benefit and the enjoyment extends only until the treats are consumed.

The "Fundraising Potential" rating is the lowest for any fundraiser listed here because bake sales often involve relatively low-cost items, usually at a cost of $1 or $2 per item. If higher priced items are offered, then the "Fundraising Potential" rating would increase as well.

During a book fair, students browse through a wide selection of books, including popular titles and educational resources, available for purchase.

Book Fairs receive high ratings for "Time Requirement" because most of the logistical work is taken care of by the library or book fair service provider; however, you will likely need a handful of volunteers at the event to help ensure a smooth entry and exits as each class takes part.

Even though Book Fairs encourage reading, the "Educational Value" rating is still relatively low because the event only indirectly supports literacy. Similarly, the "Overall Enjoyment" rating is more based on the selecting and purchasing of the books than the reading. Often Book Fairs are coupled with Read-A-Thons with the books purchased immediately read. In this case, the "Education Value" rating increases.

The most popular service provider of school book fairs is Scholastic, which claims that the average school sells $6,000 in books, netting the schools $1,500 to $3,000 Scholastic dollars. Because payment is made in Scholastic dollars, which can only be used to purchase books from Scholastic rather than from lower cost providers, the "Fundraising Potential" rating is relatively limited. If a school works directly with a local book store who pays the school a percentage of sales, or if the school uses the Scholastic dollars to purchase required books only available through Scholastic, then the "Fundraising Potential" rating would increase.

During a Carnival, students, families, and community members purchase tickets which they can exchange for games, rides, food, and entertainment.

Carnivals receive our highest rating for "Overall Enjoyment" as many students tend to look forward to them all year long.

While Carnivals can bring in a lot of money, they also cost a lot, and can be very weather dependent, so the "Fundraising Potential" rating is average as compared to other popular school fundraisers. An unexpected rain storm can make it difficult to recoup the high cost of rentals, so a Carnival can be a high risk event. That being said, Carnivals are often coupled with 50/50 Raffles, which can increase the earnings potential without increasing the cost.

Along with Talent Shows, Carnivals receive our lowest rating for "Time Requirement" since they are very difficult logistically to execute well. They require a lot of coordination with various vendors and rental providers, require a lot of set-up and clean-up time, and many volunteers are needed for all aspects of the event.

The "Educational Value" of the event is limited to the games that require some dexterity and problem solving, which are not present in all events.

During a Movie Night, students and families gather to watch a film screened by the school, often accompanied by snacks and refreshments available for purchase.

Movie Nights receive a very high rating for "Time Requirement" because they are very simple logistically to execute. They also receive a high "Overall Enjoyment" rating because they are generally loved by all participants and can help build community.

Many schools may be surprised to learn that they need to acquire a license to legally broadcast a movie outdoors, which are provided by companies like Swank Motion Pictures with a cost of up to 50% of the total ticket sales. This does not include the cost to rent equipment and chairs, if needed, so Movie Nights, while fun for the participants, receive a lower "Fundraising Potential" rating. If a school can broadcast the movie indoors, licenses can be acquired from companies like Movie Licensing USA for significantly less.

The "Educational Value" of the event is negligible unless a movie is selected that provides some educational, historical, or inspirational benefit to them, such as Searching For Bobby Fischer, Hidden Figures, or Remember The Titans.