School PTOs are essential because they have so many things to offer parents and teachers in the community. However, school PTOs cannot do their good work without raising money to fund their endeavors. There are a number of easy ways to raise funds for a school’s PTO that depend on how much time the PTO is willing to put in and how much money the PTO is looking to raise.
1. Holiday Gift Sale
PTOs know better than anyone that Christmas is the most wonderful time, but it can be hard to fit in all the activities including buying gifts for family and friends. The PTO could put together gifts that school families could purchase for everyone on their wish list. It could be baked goods, school t-shirts, coffee mugs, or anything that the school PTO thinks other people would be interested in buying.
2. Sell Christmas Ornaments With School Logo
In this fundraiser, you can design a custom Christmas ornament with the school’s logo on it. Parents, teachers, and staff can purchase these ornaments to hang on their Christmas trees. This fundraiser will allow the school’s PTO to raise money and provide a lasting memento of the school for the families to keep for years to come.
3. Plant Sale
A plant sale is another way to raise money for a school’s PTO. Parents and teachers can create planter boxes to sell plants they have grown themselves. They can coordinate a group of people to come together one Saturday morning, plant flowers in the same pot, place them outside, and then sell them.
4. Talent Show
Having a talent show is a wonderful way for the school PTO to make money and for students to hone their public speaking skills. You could have students sing, dance, tell jokes, play musical instruments, perform skits, or do anything else that the students wish to do. You could even have parents participate with their children as this will help the parents get to know each other. You could charge admission to the talent show or charge an entry fee for talent show participants.
5. Art Sale
One way to raise money for the school PTO is to have an art sale. You could have students draw art pieces that their families are able to purchase, and you could even invite members of the community to purchase artwork. For larger contributions to the art show, you could invite local artists to donate pieces of work as this will raise money for the school PTO and increase exposure to the artist’s work.
6. An “Un-Fundraiser”
Many parents get overwhelmed with what they feel is the constant parade of fundraisers or a different school group asking for donations or money. To make it easier on everyone, your school PTO could host an “un-fundraiser” and just ask for straight donations. Many parents would rather just give a straight donation instead of having to participate in yet another fundraiser, and this would save time for the PTO without having to do much prep work.
7. Personalized Books
One way is to create personalized books. This fundraiser begins with writing a story about the school, the teachers, and the students. Each student’s name is then included in the story and references to their favorite things and places around town. The school PTO could put together each student’s book and ask for a donation in return from the family.
As one can see, there are many ways to raise money for a school’s PTO. Some methods require the assistance of volunteers, while others may only require the parent or teacher. All of these fundraising ideas offer a fun and rewarding experience for everyone who participates.