School Fundraising Ideas

Dates to Remember for 2025 School Fundraising Year-Round

Dates to Remember for 2025 School Fundraising Year-Round

Dates to Remember for 2025 School Fundraising Year-Round

At Kids’ Kastle, we are more than just a school holiday shop. We offer seasonal fundraising opportunities to help schools and PTAs make fundraising exciting and easy year-round.

As the year wraps up, we’ve put together a month-by-month guide to the best dates and activities for 2025 school fundraisers year-round. Start planning now for the 2025-2026 school year fundraising to make dances, field trips, and holiday shoppes easy and simple.

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Dates to Remember for 2025 School Fundraising Year-Round

Why Should My School Fundraise Year-Round

Before we dive into notable dates throughout the year, keep in mind that school fundraisers offer a lot of opportunities for the school, the teachers, and the students. Year-round school fundraising in 2025 can help with dances, school supplies, field trips, sports equipment, band equipment, dance shows, holiday shops, and more.

Consider every activity your school hosts and make a plan to host a fundraiser to help boost the possibilities for the new year.

Seasonal Fundraising Events to Raise Money For:

  • Homecoming and Prom
  • Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Winter Holidays
  • Spring Field Trips
  • Sporting Seasons
    • Football Fall
    • Basketball Winter
    • Baseball, Softball, Track Spring
  • Band Seasons
    • Marching Band Fall
    • Jazz Spring
    • Concerts Spring
why should my school host fundraisers year-round

2025 Fundraising Dates for Schools

Here is a month-by-month guide to fundraising opportunities that are available based on seasonal school activities, national holidays, and niche celebrations you can take advantage of in 2025.

January: New Beginnings and Winter Activities

January is a great time to gear up for winter events. Even though the holidays are behind us, remember that winter sports are in full swing. Don’t let the momentum from the holidays slow down as you prepare for sports tournaments and spring preparations.

Notable Dates:
January 1: New Year’s Day
January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
All Month: Winter sports tournaments

January Fundraising Ideas:
New Year, New Goals: Encourage families to pledge donations toward a big school project for the year.
Warm-Up Drive: Sell cozy items like scarves, gloves, or hot cocoa kits to help boost funds for winter sports and upcoming spring field trips or travel.

February: Share the Love

February is when the holidays are fully behind us and spring is up ahead. Take advantage of Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, and a change in the weather to gear people up for spring fundraising and field trips.

Notable Dates:
February 14: Valentine’s Day
All Month: Black History Month

February Fundraising Ideas:
Valentine’s Grams: Sell candy, cards, or flowers for students to give to friends and teachers.
Trivia Night: Celebrate Black History Month with a family-friendly trivia event.

March: Spring into Action

March is the peak time to fundraise for spring field trips happening in the coming months. Your school can take advantage of St. Patrick’s Day and warmer weather to get together a spring fundraiser for the school.

Notable Dates:
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
March 20: First Day of Spring
All Month: Spring sports kick-off

March Fundraising Ideas:
Luck of the Irish Raffle: Hold a raffle for fun prizes.
Spring Clean Sale: Collect and resell gently used items from the community.
Spring is in the Air: Spring fundraising from Kids Kastle, with a brochure full of home goods, baked goods, candles, spring decor, and more; perfect for sports, field trips, and other events that need a funding boost.

school fundraising christmas gifts

April: Blossoms and Bright Ideas

Have you held your spring fundraiser? Are you looking ahead to prom, graduation, and other end-of-the-year celebrations? Now is the time to raise funding for end-of-the-year activities.

Notable Dates:
April 1: April Fool’s Day
April 22: Earth Day

April Fundraising Ideas:
Plant Sale: Partner with local nurseries to sell flowers and vegetable plants.
Recycling Drive: Collect cans and bottles for money while teaching eco-friendly habits.

May: Celebrations and Sweet Endings

As the school year comes to a close, school fundraising doesn’t need to stop. Take advantage of end of the year celebrations to boost next year’s finances so you have a bigger budget to plan school activities.

Notable Dates:
May 5: Cinco de Mayo
May 12: Mother’s Day
End of the School Year Celebrations

May Fundraising Ideas:
Mother’s Day Market: Sell handmade gifts or crafts students can give to moms.
Year-End Bash: Host a fun carnival or talent show to celebrate the students.

June: Hello, Summer!

To wrap up the school year, throw one more big bash that celebrates the school, the students, graduates, welcome next year’s freshmen, and bring the community together.

Notable Dates:
June 14: Flag Day
End-of-School Fun

June Fundraising Ideas:
Summer Kick-Off Party: Organize a picnic with games, food, and music.
Car Wash: Get students, teachers, and parents involved in this classic fundraiser.

How to Use Social Media for Spring School Fundraising 2024

July: Independence and Community Fun

While most schools are on hiatus, your PTA can come together for a community event that doubles as a school fundraiser in 2025. Partner with local businesses and find community hosts to represent your school and hold raffles, fundraisers, and more to prepare for the coming school year.

Notable Dates:
July 4: Independence Day

July Fundraising Ideas:
Fourth of July Fair: Sell refreshments or crafts during local parades or fireworks events.
Back-to-School Raffle: Start prepping for the school year with a themed giveaway.

August: Back-to-School Buzz

As everyone shifts into an end-of-summer mindset, take advantage! Piggy back on back-to-school marketing to get students and families in the mood to donate, buy second hand, or attend social events.

Notable Dates:
Back-to-School Season

August Fundraising Ideas:
School Supply Drive: Partner with local businesses to sell supply kits for students.
Welcome Back Event: Host a family BBQ or ice cream social to build excitement.

September: A Fresh Start

Everyone is back and ready to go! Homecoming dances are sneaking up, sports training begins, and everyone is planning their fall and winter activities. Take advantage of the momentum by planning a fundraiser, possibly a color-a-thon, and more to get everyone excited for the new year.

Notable Dates:
September 2: Labor Day
All Month: Fall sports and music rehearsals begin

September Fundraising Ideas:
Sports Booster Drive: Sell team spirit items like hats and T-shirts.
Fall Carnival: Plan games, food trucks, and entertainment.
Color-a-Thon: School-A-Thon takes your events from bland to grand! Created to give schools a fun, interactive alternative to a traditional product sale fundraiser that boosts bright colors for a festival, dance, race, and more.

Color Thon

October: Spooky and Spectacular

Embrace the Halloween season with spooky activities, trick-or-treat walks, costume contests, and more. Everyone is ready for the season and is a great time to encourage fundraising and donations for the rest of the school year while building community spirit.

Notable Dates:
October 31: Halloween

October Fundraising Ideas:
Pumpkin Patch Sale: Work with local farms to sell pumpkins.
Halloween Dance or Haunted House: Charge admission to a spooky school event.

November: Thanks and Giving

November is full of holidays like Small Business Saturday and Giving Tuesday. Boost your marketing to take advantage while raising funds for your school.

Notable Dates:
Thanksgiving
Small Business Saturday
Giving Tuesday

November Fundraising Ideas:
Pie Sale: Partner with bakeries to sell delicious pies for the holiday.
Thankful Hearts Drive: Collect donations to fund special school projects.
Gourmet Goodness: Everyone is ready for the holidays, so prompt them to stock up on their favorites with a Gourmet Goodness school fundraiser in 2025.

December: Festive Cheer

This is the prime time for a school holiday shop fundraiser! Teach kids to shop, get gifts for everyone in the family, and boost school funding for the new year. Kids Kastle makes school holiday shops easy and exciting – are you ready to begin?

Notable Dates:
December 25: Christmas
All Month: Holiday concerts and winter celebrations

December Fundraising Ideas:
Holiday Shop: Let students buy small gifts for family and friends.
Winter Wonderland Festival: Create a festive event with games, food, and crafts.

Winter Wonderland Gift from the Heartland

Year-Round School Fundraising Made Easy

Kids Kastle makes school fundraising in 2025 easy. Choose from festive holiday shops for the winter, Color-a-Thon for a spirit boost, Gourmet Goodness and Spring Fundraising for treats and home decor, Smencils, peanut-free candy bars, and more (see all of our year-round fundraising). 

Whether you’re fundraising for a dance, field trips, or general school needs, we have something for everyone and everyone’s budget. Plus, we make it easy. Get in touch today for free info and learn how your school can get started with seasonal fundraising ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early should I plan a fundraiser?

Start planning 2–3 months ahead to organize and promote effectively. Use our monthly fundraising guide to plan out your fundraiser for each season well ahead of time and take advantage of holidays and events.

What if we have a small budget to start?

No worries! Many fundraisers, like car washes or recycling drives, cost little to no money upfront. Kids Kastle can recommend budget-friendly year-round school fundraisers to start with.

How can we get students involved in school fundraisers?

Assign fun roles, like designing flyers, hosting games, or selling items at events. Students can help with marketing, volunteer, or organize based on their skill sets.

What’s the best way to promote our fundraiser?

Use social media, newsletters, and word of mouth. Don’t forget to hang posters in the school! Check out more ways to promote your school fundraiser.

Can we do fundraisers year-round?

Absolutely! There’s always a good reason to raise money—holidays, sports, or special school needs. Take advantage of Gourmet Goodness, peanut free candy bar sales, Color-a-Thon, and more.

12 Easy & Creative High School Fundraising Ideas

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12 Easy & Creative High School Fundraising Ideas

Fundraising is critical for all grade levels to raise funds for school activities, trips, resources, and more. As students move from grade school to high school, finding interesting and creative fundraising ideas that don’t conflict with busy high school schedules can be challenging.

If you’re looking for high school fundraiser ideas for after-school clubs, sports organizations, field trips, and more, we’ve got you covered. Check out our 12 creative high school fundraising ideas that are easy and simple. 

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Quiz Competition

A quiz competition can be a great way to raise funds in high school. Not only is it fun, but it’s also educational and aligns well with practice for AP courses and SATs. 

To host a quiz competition, you must first decide on a theme and it’s best if students are involved in the process — do you want to focus on SAT prep or something fun like Pop Culture? Then, all that’s needed are the invites. 

You can fundraise by having an entry fee per team and then a small entry fee per audience member. Be sure to get a great MC host to make the night fun and have prizes for the winning team. Partner with a local restaurant or cafe if you want to boost promotion and participation, too. 

Sports Day

Nothing gets students and families more excited than sports. For a high school fundraiser, arrange a sports day where you set up various games and activities. This can include classics like field day activities or you can create tag-teams for basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, and more. Use indoor school space for E-sports as well and get even more participants involve. 

As a fundraiser, charge spectators a small entry fee and sell merch like snacks, drinks, and custom shirts and more. 

Yard Sale

Yard sales are a classic fundraiser you don’t want to miss out out on! Don’t keep those yard sales limited to your house.

Ask students, teachers, and parents to donate items that aren’t extensively used. Along with that make sure you double down on marketing — post on social media, send home postcards, and promote across your community that the local school is having a yard sale for their newest fundraiser. 

school santa shop gifts

Art and Science Exhibitions

Organize multiple exhibitions, such as art exhibitions or science exhibitions, for a creative high school fundraiser. Make it competitive, declare a winner, or the best presentation to encourage participation. 

Charge visitors with a ticket & give a discount for people who come in groups. By doing this you not only have an amazing fundraising event but also make it creatively enriching for the students, it’s a win-win. Plus, high school students can add the exhibit to their high school resume when searching for creative jobs after graduation. 

Food Stalls

What better way to have fun and raise money than with good food. Allow students to set up food stalls -by themselves or with parents- for a fun fundraising event. 

Don’t fail to expect a big crowd, because no one is saying no to food. After subtracting the costs incurred, all the profits raised can go towards fundraising. To make even more sales students can sell packaged items like healthy chips and cookies. Encourage bake-offs, creative recipes, and more. Plus, food stalls can be active at all other high school events. 

Talent Show

A talent show is probably the biggest event that can be performed at scale. We all know, no school is deprived of talent, if anything, it’s overflowing. Your students know how to beatbox, teachers are somewhat of a magician themselves and who knew a parent is a melodic singer. 

Sell tickets in advance and possibly charge the participants as well for a small entry fee if you rent out a large venue or theater. Also, to make it even better try to find a local sponsorship for the event to partner with and help promote.  

Costume party

Every day can be Halloween if you let it. When the season is right, host a costume party with music, gifts, and costume prizes. There can be a small entry to enter the costume contest and a small fee to enter the dance.

Encourage everyone to participate, including teachers, for this fun seasonal high school fundraiser. 

school santa shop gifts

Car Wash

Set up a small car washing station at your school during the warmer months. Advertise it outside the school gate and on the street to help boost awareness in your local community. Have teachers, parents, and other students bring their cars and charge a small fee. This is fast, fun, and a great way to raise money. 

Yoga day

Over the last decade, yoga as a form of exercise has received a lot of attention. Not only are parents doing it but so are many college-going students. But there are also many who want to do it but haven’t yet. 

Dedicate a day to yoga: where an instructor will run everyone through the basics of the discipline and perform the required introductory exercises. Everyone can be charged a small fee and a voluntary donation box can also be set up. Include tips on wellness, sell healthy snacks, and more to help boost even more sales. If you can, partner with a local group for puppy yoga or goat yoga. 

Virtual Concert

In the past year, a lot of big artists arranged virtual concerts and the craze for them was no less than the stadium ones. To organize a virtual concert, contact a local band and ask them to donate a performance. 

Students, from the comfort of their home, can attend it by giving a small fee. Also, the supporters of the band wouldn’t mind paying extra to have a Q&A with the performers, and that’ll make for some extra bucks. This is a great way to reach students and parents all across your community. 

Auction

This could be a great opportunity for people who’ve been procrastinating on getting that art piece to a pawn shop. Every family has an item they wish to exchange in return for money. 

Organizing an auction can be done offline and online. Collectively everyone lists a certain item and a decided percentage of the sale goes towards the fundraising. If done right, this can be a great success and gets everyone involved with the bidding. Also donate parking spots, gift baskets from local stores, and more. 

School Calendar

One of the best ways to raise funds and at the same time promote your brand is by creating a school calendar. A school calendar can be targeted towards students and parents involving students’ artwork, class photos, and pictures of school events. All the profits can be dedicated towards the fundraiser. Make sure to include notable school days and easy reminders so the school calendar is functional and fun. 

school christmas store

10 Best Virtual Christmas Fundraising Ideas

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Top 10 Best Virtual and Creative Christmas Fundraising Ideas

Brainstorming fundraising ideas for this winter isn’t an easy task. Schools can’t rely on traditional holiday shoppe fundraiser, snifty pencils, dances, or other large events that involve gatherings. While some companies, like Kids’ Kastle, offer hybrid and virtual secret santa gift shops, this isn’t something that all schools have access to or it doesn’t pull in the same funds that schools need.

To help get motivated and create some holiday cheer, we’ve put together 10 virtual and creative winter fundraising ideas any school can take advantage of. We focused on low-cost, easy set-up, and maximum interest levels. We hope that these holiday fundraising ideas excite all students from elementary school to seniors, and can complement your normal holiday gift shop fundraiser. 

school christmas store

A Snowman Building Contest is a Fun Holiday Fundraising Idea

We love the snowman building contest because it’s flexible for virtual and online school set-ups! If you’re having an in-person school holiday shop fundraiser, you can schedule the snowman building contest to run the same day. This allows your visiting student and family groups to keep social distance as they build outside and shop inside, and it creates decorations everyone can enjoy!

Even if you’re not doing a Christmas shop fundraiser, you can run your snowman building contest one of two ways. Invite families out to build their snowman at safe distances on the school grounds, or have families make the snowmen at home and send in pictures with the students standing by their creations!

A small fee to enter with an affordable prize will get families active, involved, and raise funds easily for your school.

Host an Ugly Sweater Contest

This is another Christmas fundraising idea for schools that works for schools on-line or in person. For students and families who come on-site to shop your school Christmas shop, have them dress up and pay a small fee to enter the ugly sweater contest. Have a few different prizes you can reward at the end of the shopping day to celebrate the winners — people can vote, or you can have a panel of judges from the PTA or student council.

If all of your school holiday fundraisers are staying online, host the contest virtually! Students and families can either submit photos that everyone votes on, or you can do a virtual video session, like a fashion show! Either way, everyone will have a great time voting, dressing up, and chatting about the holiday.

school christmas store

Think Outside Traditional School Christmas Shop Ideas and Involve the Family Pets

One great thing about virtual fundraising ideas is that you can think about how to include the pets of the students! Have students and families submit photos of their pets dressed up in holiday outfits, celebrating winter holidays, or matching their owners in look-a-like contests.

Families and students will love showing off their pets and getting creative with photography and outfits. Post the photos online and let the voting begin! Have a small fee to enter with fun prizes families will want to win — maybe it could even be a free gift from your school’s Santa gift shop or something for the pets themselves.

Make Your Holiday Gift Shop Fundraiser a Virtual Silent Auction

A fun school Christmas shop idea is to create a virtual silent auction! Students love the traditional holiday gift shop fundraiser, and this adds an additional element to help get parents, families, and community members involved.

Work to create partnerships with the community, and offer prizes like gift baskets, gift cards, discounts, meet and greets, and more. The great thing about a holiday virtual silent auction is it can run for an extended period of time, it can raise plenty of funds, and it shows a community connection.

These also offer gift ideas to those placing the bids, so you’re more likely to see people engaging and promoting the sale.

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When in Doubt, You Can’t Beat a Raffle for a School Fundraiser

Raffles are a tried and true school fundraiser idea, and it’s one everyone can take advantage of, online or in person. Just like with your silent auction, team up with local community businesses or creatives for some fun and exciting raffle prizes.

Whether these are tailored to the kids and come from your holiday gift shop, or you create something for the parents, it’s sure to create a buzz of excitement.

Raffles can be hosted both in school and virtually, and you can choose between shipping the items or having local pick up stations. Raffles have the potential to be limitless with funds, and are easily promoted. No matter how elaborate or simple you decide to go, look into your options for a raffle this season.

A Fun Holiday Fundraiser Idea is Wreath Sales

Consider the members on your school’s PTA and other teachers and parents that get involved each year with the fundraisers — chances are, you know more than one crafty and artistic person who is a wiz with homemade items. A wreath sale is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of those crafty skills from the parents and teachers in your community!

Pull together a group to create holiday wreaths, and involve the help of the students! These can then be sold online or in person to raise money for your school. This is a great holiday fundraising idea because each wreath is unique, handmade, and comes directly from the local community and even from the students themselves. It may involve a bit more prep, but is well worth it for the fun.

Keep Your School Fundraiser Simple with a Movie Night

Movie nights are a great holiday fundraising activity for families from your school because you can host them outdoors with minimal investment or planning. With a quality projector and a large lawn space near the school’s exterior walls, you can project any movie you wish onto the side of the school.

Set up can include chairs from the school, or make it picnic-style if the ground hasn’t gotten too cold, and ask families to bring blankets as the night grows chillier. Snacks can be bring-your-own, or you can sell treats that families have made as part of a concession stand to increase fundraising funds. This is a great way for kids to take a break, get outdoors, and for parents to relax, all while helping your school.

An Interactive Holiday Fundraiser for the Kids is a Scavenger Hunt

While families are waiting on their school santa shop gifts, ask them to take part in a scavenger hunt. Once your local area is seeing a lot of Christmas and holiday decorations, have families drive or walk around and look for items on the homes, like icicle lights, an inflatable Santa, a depiction of Rudolph, and others! They can take pictures or cross the items off of a list and submit them after a couple of weeks.

If you prefer to stay indoors, make the scavenger hunt happen online or in students’ homes. Have them submit photos of holiday decorations and ordinary objects around their house, instead. A small fee to enter with affordable, enticing prices can do a lot. Plus, the kids will want to participate and the parents will enjoy the activity.

Consider Cooking Lessons for Your School Holiday Shop Fundraiser

Many school fundraisers include food, dough, and similar items during one season or another. If a member of your PTA or a teacher is a wiz in the kitchen, take your food holiday fundraiser one step further and offer cooking lessons. The great thing is, these can happen online, right over video chat.

You can tailor your food fundraiser to parents with quick dinner ideas and healthy lunch items made in under 15 minutes, or you can make an activity for the kids, like holiday cookies or other fun treats they’ll want to make. This is a great option for every family and provides a skill many people are interested in.

Wrap Up Your Christmas Shop Fundraiser with a Virtual Talent Show or Telethon

Don’t let your holiday shop fundraiser be the last hoorah of the year. Take your student’s talent show online with a fun telethon! Kids can record their acts right in their living room, and you can have teachers or parents provide informative and fun craft projects, educational moments, or comedy sketches inbetween acts.

Think back to PBS when viewers would pledge money and be entertained as they watched the show. You can even note that you will have a parent or teacher complete an incredibly goofy act if certain funds are raised while the telethon is happening, like pouring ice water over their head or cutting their facial hair. Be creative! A lot can happen online. 

Your Holiday Gift Shop Fundraiser Can Be More Online

Just because normal fundraising activities are out, does not mean your school is going to lack the proper funds and holiday cheer this year. Use virtual learning and online tools to your advantage, and think about simple ways to keep kids engaged that excites families and parents. With a little community effort, your holiday fundraising this year can go a long way.