Art Club Fundraiser Ideas: Best Programs for School Art Programs

Art clubs have real funding needs that school supply budgets rarely cover fully. Professional-grade paint, printmaking ink, clay, stretched canvas, photography equipment, digital art software, and the consumable materials students use in every meeting add up faster than most advisors expect by the start of the school year. Add competition fees, museum field trips, and exhibition printing costs, and a club with no fundraising program quickly finds its scope limited by what the advisor can purchase with leftover classroom supplies.

Big Fundraising Ideas has supported school club and extracurricular fundraising programs since 1999. This guide covers what art clubs fund, why Smencils are the natural product for this creative community, and which additional formats generate the most per student for groups of any size.

What Art Clubs Fundraise For

• Consumable Supplies: Paint, ink, clay, charcoal, paper stock, canvas, sketchbooks, and the materials students use in every meeting (the highest-frequency annual expense).
• Tools and Equipment: Brushes, palette knives, carving tools, printmaking equipment, digital drawing tablets, photography gear, and the tools that define what the club can create.
• Software Subscriptions: Digital art platforms and design software that current-generation art programs depend on. These are annual subscription fees that school technology budgets rarely cover for elective clubs.
• Competition Fees: Regional and state art competitions, scholastic art awards, and the submission fees that allow students to participate in external recognition programs.
• Field Trips: Museum visits, gallery exhibitions, artist studio tours, and the professional art world experiences that deepen students' understanding of the practice they are learning.
• Exhibition Costs: Professional printing, framing, mounting, and display materials for school-hosted exhibitions that give students a public audience for their work.

Smencils: The Natural Art Club Product

The Smencils fundraiser is available through Big Fundraising Ideas in multiple varieties. This includes the core Smencils lineup in fruit scents, Glitter Gel Smens and Fruit Tri-Color Smens that stand out visually, and seasonal collections for fall and winter campaign windows. The product is non-food and exempt from Smart Snacks compliance restrictions, which means art club members can sell it during school hours to classmates and teachers without limitation. At $1 to $2 per unit, the transaction is fast, and the buyer's decision requires no deliberation.

• Non-food: No Smart Snacks restrictions. Students can sell during school hours, in classrooms, to teachers.
• Eco-aligned: 100% recycled newspaper, and the product's environmental origin resonates with the sustainability values many art communities hold.
• The Product Story Sells: Train sellers to open with the origin: 'These pencils are made from 100 percent recycled newspaper.' Buyers lean in and ask questions. Questions lead to purchases.
• Let Buyers Smell It: Hold out the Smencil and let the buyer smell it before asking anything. Sensory engagement closes faster than any verbal pitch.
• Art Supply Alignment: Art club members selling an art supply have a natural product-identity connection that candy fundraisers don't create.

Scratch Card Fundraiser for Art Clubs

The scratch card fundraiser is personalized with the school name and photo. Art club members' parent and family networks often include professionals in creative fields (designers, architects, photographers, teachers) whose personal interest in arts education makes them receptive to art program fundraising appeals. A member who leads with a specific purpose, such as 'We are raising money for our spring exhibition printing costs,' converts at a higher rate than a generic school fundraising ask.

Candy Bars and Discount Cards

Candy bars at $1 to $2 convert quickly at any school event. Art club members have a natural in-school selling environment at club-hosted events: art shows, open studio nights, and gallery walks are high-attendance events where a product table at the entrance generates sales from an audience already in a positive frame of mind. Discount cards priced at $20 each are the strongest format for adult parents and community networks of art club families.

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Timing the Art Club Fundraiser

• Fall Launch (September–October): Strongest window for community reach; supplies for the full year are identifiable; the Smencil product novelty is highest with contacts who haven't seen it.
• Spring Campaign (February–March): Tie directly to exhibition or competition costs — 'We are printing the spring show' is a specific, visible goal that donors can picture.
• Art Show Tie-in: Set up a product table at the spring art exhibition; families and community members who attend are already warm to the program and receptive to supporting it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Art Club Fundraising

What are the best fundraiser ideas for a school art club?

Smencils (100% recycled newspaper; product story aligns with art club identity; non-food, school-hour compliant), scratch cards ($100 per completed card; no product logistics), candy bars (fast at school events and art shows), discount cards ($20 adult networks).

Why are Smencils a good fundraiser for art clubs?

Smencils are scented pencils made from 100% recycled newspaper. A product whose sustainability story aligns with the creative and environmental values many art communities hold. Non-food and school-hour compliant. The sensory product (buyers smell it before deciding) closes faster than any verbal pitch. Art supply + eco-friendly mission = natural product-identity match.

What do art clubs spend fundraising money on?

Consumable supplies (paint, ink, clay, canvas, paper stock), tools and equipment, digital art software subscriptions, competition fees, museum and gallery field trips, and exhibition printing and display costs. Consumables are the most pressing annual expense because they are used regardless of budget availability.

Can art club members sell Smencils during school hours?

Smencils are non-food and have no Smart Snacks compliance restrictions. Art club members can sell them during school hours, in classrooms, and to teachers without limitation. This makes Smencils particularly valuable for clubs whose selling window is dominated by the school day rather than after-school events.

When should an art club run its fundraiser?

Fall (September–October) is the strongest window: the school year is fresh, contacts haven't been approached yet, and supplies for the full year are identifiable. Spring (February–March) is the second window, tied to exhibition or competition costs. Art show nights are natural selling events for both windows.

How much can an art club raise with a scratch card fundraiser?

Scratch cards generate $100 gross per completed card from one member's network. A club of 20 members, each distributing one card, generates $2,000 in gross revenue in one week. Art club parent networks often include creative professionals who are personally motivated by arts-education appeals and have higher completion rates than generic school fundraisers.

How does art club fundraising differ from sports team fundraising?

Art clubs have fewer members than most sports teams but often have stronger adult community networks among families in creative professions. The Smencils product advantage (an art supply with an eco-friendly origin story) creates a product-identity connection that sports teams can't replicate. For more on school club fundraising formats, see extracurricular school fundraising ideas.

Can we sell products at the school art show?

Yes, and art shows are among the strongest in-school selling environments because families and community members who attend are already in a positive, engaged frame of mind about the program. Set up a candy bar and Smencils table at the exhibition entrance. Have a discount card available for adult buyers who want a higher-value purchase.

What is the best product for a small art club?

Scratch cards: minimum order of 10 cards, no product logistics, $100 gross per completed card. A small art club of 10–15 members can run a meaningful community campaign in one week. Creative professional parent networks often produce above-average completion rates.

How do you make art club fundraising engaging for students?

Give student members ownership of the fundraising story. Let the club design the fundraiser announcement poster. Train members to lead with the Smencils product origin before showing the product. Post the exhibition or competition goal the fundraiser is building toward. Students who understand they are fundraising to print their own artwork or attend a state competition sell with conviction that generic school fundraisers don't generate. See also 10 creative fundraising ideas for clubs.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.