Fundraising Ideas for High Schools

In the year 2022, the days of boring high school fundraising ideas are long over. Instead, people are on the hunt for unique school fundraisers, and that’s exactly what Six in Schools is here to help you find. 

There are so many fundraising ideas for high schools out there available on the internet that it can be hard to know where to begin. What will the kids like? What will be successful? What will go over well with parents? It can be hard to know, since every school is different. 

Because of the unique quality of schools, students, parents, and teachers, we’ve put together a brief list of ways for schools to raise money. If you’re at a loss over how to get your students involved, take a look at this group of options and you’re sure to find something that will be a hit. 

Bake Sale

Having a bake sale is a tried and true option that has been a home run for high schools for generations. It has the nostalgia factor, and it’s a huge moneymaker. Who doesn’t love sweet treats?!

Raffle

Everyone loves a chance to win a prize, even if the odds are stacked against them. That makes the fundraiser even more fun!

Quiz Night

Trivia goes over incredibly well with high schoolers because they are quite the competitive group. All you have to do is prepare a list of questions surrounding a certain theme and find a quiz master to read them off. Sell tickets to participate in Quiz Night, offer a prize to the winning team, and this is sure to go over well.

Pancake Breakfast

Who doesn’t love pancakes? You can sell tickets for a breakfast hosted at the school one morning before school begins and offer food and beverages at a set price to raise money.

Summer/Winter Carnival

All you need for this is a group of volunteers to run the games and activities, and the families will come to enjoy (and pay)!

And don't forget! Six In Schools  provides a portion of all books sold back to a classroom or school budget, to not only provide a fruitful learning tool for teachers and students, but also a unique, modern, and fun fundraising idea for high schools.

Virtual Fundraising

It might be obvious, but it still has to be said - fundraising looks a lot different during a pandemic, and it can be hard to come up with high school fundraising ideas during COVID. With everyone being stuck at home and gatherings becoming next to impossible, fundraising itself can feel pretty impossible, too. But rest assured, it’s not. There are plenty of online fundraising ideas for schools that are available - and super easy to get off the ground!

Creating a Donation Page

Sometimes, all it takes is asking for support to get a little extra for your school. Setting up an online store where people have a chance to give what they can could go a long way.

Setting Up a Virtual 5K

Runs or walks don’t have to occur with everyone in one place for them to be successful! All you have to do is create a landing page to collect registration fees, and ask that your participants complete the 5K on their own time. Ask them to snap a picture for social media to spread the word!

Hosting a Virtual Yard Sale

This is one of the more unique fundraising ideas for schools during COVID. Since thrifting has become so much more popular recently, you can ask participants to take pictures of things they’d like to sell and post the photos on a forum of your school’s choice, like Facebook Marketplace or MoneyMinder.

Having a Virtual Movie Party

One of the greatest inventions to come out of the pandemic was a little widget called Teleparty. By using this, you can watch movies with friends, classmates - anyone who purchases a ticket! It’ll be like being in the theater, but with added safety.

School Fundraisers: Clubs

Now that we've discussed quite a few ideas for high schools, it’s time to move onto fundraising ideas for clubs - which are just as important. We’ll provide fundraising ideas for clubs during COVID and also fundraising ideas that you can carry out after the pandemic is over, so you have a full range of choices available. 

Host an Event

While this might not be totally COVID-friendly, it’s something to keep in mind for when the pandemic eventually ends. Because it has to end sometime, and there will still be fundraising efforts needed when it does! Even if your club isn’t all that big, fundraising ideas for small clubs can still fit into this category. Here are a few types of events that your club can host:

   • All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
   • Reserve a space, charge admission, and you’re ready to go! All you’ll need to take care of is the food.
   • Scavenger Hunt
   • Charge admission for tickets and you’re sure to get the community interested.
   • Gala or Formal
   • Tons of people love a reason to dress up. Selling tickets to a gala or formal is a great way to get people out of the house and onto the dance floor.

Rent Out Your Space

If your club meets at a specific space, you can think outside the box and rent out this space for other people to use. There are probably quite a few days out of the year that you aren’t using it, and you can make money by charging for its use. Simply make a schedule that lists your location’s free days and post it throughout the community. 

Selling Merchandise

This is one of the best virtual fundraising ideas for clubs, because you don’t have to sell in person if you don’t want to. Not only does your club make money off of selling your ‘swag,’ you’re also raising awareness for your specific organization. You can sell t-shirts, water bottles, hats, sunglasses, frisbees, and more. 

Holiday Fundraisers

In many cases, holidays are the best time for school fundraisers. People are feeling generous and they want to help their local community, and the urge to spread goodwill and cheer throughout the holiday season is irresistible. Many people are more willing to give during this time and it’s also super fun to participate in holiday-themed school fundraising ideas with people you enjoy being around! 

Selling Christmas Trees

This idea is definitely unconventional, but since so many people need Christmas trees for the holiday season, it’s sure to be a hit. You can partner with a local Christmas tree grower and borrow a section of parking lot from a local business or use your own school parking lot to sell the trees. Make sure to advertise that your profits will go towards your school and specific items that you need!

Holding a Holiday Concert

People love listening to holiday tunes during the holiday season, there’s just something about people gathering together and singing. You can choose anyone who will volunteer their musical talents - student performers, your local jazz band, a town orchestra, and sell tickets at the door for people who want to come and listen to the festive sounds of the holiday. Remember: There are people within your community who celebrate more than just Christmas, so include a variety of December holidays in your showcase so everyone in the community feels included!

Sell Holiday Ornaments

These don’t even have to be Christmas themed. People put up trees for Easter, for Valentine’s Day, and for Halloween too. You can utilize any of the holidays throughout the year to make this fundraiser work in your favor.

School Fundraisers: Make the Most Money

We’ve gone over plenty of fundraising ideas, but you might be wondering about the school fundraisers that make the most money. Because that’s most likely where you want to start, and we can’t blame you. 

If you’re looking for high profit fundraisers for schools, look no further. Here are a couple big money fundraising ideas that students will actually enjoy participating in: 

Host a Color Run

Research shows that hosting a fun run or walk is not only the easiest type of fundraiser to plan, it also shows the highest returns! Putting a fun twist on these fun runs also makes them more popular, like incorporating the “color run” idea or having participants dress up in crazy costumes. This will get people excited about supporting your school - and they’ll look forward to posting about it on social media, too!

Host a “Thon” Fundraiser

A “thon” fundraiser can be anything you want it to be. Whether you choose a “Spell-A-Thon” or a “Walk-A-Thon,” it’s sure to go over well. You can raise awareness for the goal you’re working towards all the while building support within your community. You can even combine the color run idea with the “Thon” idea and see tons of donations roll in!

School Fundraisers: Companies

The good news is that if you’re intimidated by all this talk of school fundraisers, you don’t have to make the journey alone. There are plenty of school fundraising companies out there that specialize in this industry and they know exactly what they’re doing. If you need a little guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the top fundraising companies for a little help. They can assist you in getting your fundraising efforts where they need to be! 

Here’s a list of fundraising companies that will surely help your school become pros at raising money:

Entertainment Book

This fundraising company sells coupon books that include discounts for travel, dining, service, and entertainment. It’s a great option for people who want choices!

Aspire Fundraising

If you’re looking for a catalog fundraiser, looking no further than Aspire Fundraising. They focus on gadgets, giftware, and gourmet food.

Funding Factory

You don’t need to sell anything at all to earn money with Funding Factory! Simply donate your school’s empty printer ink or toner cartridges and used cell phones and receive money for what you submitted.

Efundraising

This is a company that’s based around selling magazine subscriptions and other such items in an online store.

ABC Fundraising

The most popular item from this fundraising company is the Scratch n’ Help cards, which is a coupon booklet.

SilverGraphics

This company is based in art fundraising. Students create art for a fundraiser and the company creates a ‘store’ for the art.

Charleston Wrap

This company sells quality gift wrap and home items, and they have great incentives for sellers!

Deanan Gourmet Popcorn

Everyone loves popcorn, and this fundraising company takes advantage of that.

Ozark Lollipops

You can buy Ozark Lollipops up front and mark them up to sell them in your school store or at a school event.

Flower Power Fundraising

This company sells flower bulbs for the spring and fall season, and many schools love this unique option.