Fun and Easy Fundraising Ideas for Kids: Products and Programs That Actually Excite Students

Involving students in fundraising builds community, develops communication skills, and creates a shared school experience. The challenge is designing campaigns that genuinely motivate students rather than having them quietly dread the order form going home. That requires product formats students find easy to present and incentives that make reaching their individual goals feel worthwhile.

Big Fundraising Ideas has designed school fundraising programs for students of all ages since 1999. This guide covers the products kids most enjoy selling, the prize programs that make participation feel like a school event, and age-specific tips for running campaigns from kindergarten through high school.

1. Lollipops: The Fun Direct-Sale Younger Students Love

The Yummy Lix lollipop fundraiser is the core lineup, available in classic fruit flavors. Color Xploder lollipops are a standout product for younger students — the color-changing format is a genuine novelty that children notice and ask about. Hot Pops reach older elementary students who want something different. Seasonal varieties —Lolliween for fall, Merry Pops for winter — align with the school calendar.

• Price point: $1 per lollipop — buyers decide immediately, no consideration period.
• Conversation starter: Color Xploder lollipops change color as students eat them — the novelty sells itself when sellers show rather than describe
• Variety by age: classic fruit for younger students, sour and hot varieties for older students, seasonal styles for holiday campaigns
• No delivery wait: direct-sale format — students carry product and complete sales immediately with no order form required.

2. Candy Bars: The Classic Students Can Sell Before and After School

Candy bars through Big Fundraising Ideas are available in peanut-free and kosher options, broadening the buyer pool by addressing the most common dietary restrictions at school events. Bars priced at $1 to $2 work at virtually every event: before school, after school, at games, at fundraiser booths, and at community events where families are gathered.

• Peanut-free options: addressing the most common school allergy concern removes a frequent buyer objection
• Fast transaction: $1 to $2 — buyers reach for their pocket without hesitation
• Event-ready: portable, no refrigeration, no special setup — students can sell at any gathering
• Middle school strong: candy bar sales work particularly well for 6th-8th grade students who have broader in-school selling mobility than elementary sellers

3. Smencils: The Unique Product That Starts a Conversation

Smencils are non-food, non-toxic, and free of Smart Snacks compliance concerns — which means student sellers can carry and sell them during school hours, at their desks, and to teachers as well as classmates. The variety lineup covers fruit scents, seasonal scents (Halloween Smencils, Holiday Smencils), and specialty collections (Fruit Tri-Color Smens, Glitter Gel Smens), giving students a variety of products to present.

• School-hour selling: non-food product — no Smart Snacks compliance restrictions
• The product story sells: 100% recycled newspaper + scented = a genuinely interesting explanation that creates buyer engagement.
• Let buyers smell it: train sellers to hold out a Smencil and let the buyer smell it before asking. Sensory engagement converts faster than description.

4. Scratch Cards: Kids Find the Reveal Exciting

The scratch card fundraiser from Big Fundraising Ideas is personalized with the school's name and photo. Each card has 50 dots; each completed card collects $100 gross from the student's personal community network. There is no product to carry, no order form to fill out, and no delivery day to coordinate. For schools looking for the fastest-turnover high-engagement format, scratch cards are the strongest option — particularly for groups with a registration deadline or a specific goal to hit in a short window.

5. Big Event Prize Programs: Making Fundraising Feel Like a School Event

Four Big Event Prize Programs are available for elementary and middle school campaigns:

• Super Party: a school-wide inflatable game event where qualifying students spend an hour or half-day in a carnival atmosphere organized inside or outside the school
• Super Splash Party: a wet-inflatable version of the Super Party — the most popular warm-weather event reward for elementary programs
• Magic Show: an educational magic performance assembly for qualifying students — works in any weather and at any venue size
• Reptile Adventures: a live reptile expert brings animals to the school, and qualifying students meet them in a small-group experience — the most memorable and talked-about event for elementary students

Schools using Big Event Prize Programs see up to 300 percent improvement in participation compared to campaigns without group incentives. That participation gain directly increases revenue, regardless of the product being sold.

Making Fundraising Fun: Tips for Any Age Group

• Name the specific goal: students who know exactly what the money funds — new playground equipment, science lab supplies, a class trip — sell with more conviction because they can explain the purpose in their own words.
• Post daily standings: announce which class or homeroom is currently ahead. The competitive dynamic among classes generates peer motivation that individual prize catalogs cannot match.
• Let students help promote: older students who help create fundraiser announcements, design the tracking thermometer, or run the kickoff assembly feel a sense of ownership over the campaign and sustain engagement throughout the full selling window.
• Age-calibrate the product: lollipops and Smencils for K-3, candy bars and scratch cards for 4-8, discount cards and brochures for middle and high school — matching the format to students' natural selling context yields higher per-student averages.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fun School Fundraising for Kids

What are the most fun fundraising ideas for elementary school students?

Lollipop fundraisers (especially Color Xploder), Smencils (the product story creates genuine student engagement), candy bar sales, and Big Event Prize Programs like Reptile Adventures and the Magic Show. The prize program creates excitement; the product generates the revenue.

What fundraising products are easy for kids to sell?

Lollipops at $1 (no explanation needed, fast transaction), candy bars at $1–$2 (familiar to every buyer), and scratch cards ($100 per completed card, no product to carry). Smencils require more explanation but convert strongly because the product story creates buyer engagement.

How do you make school fundraising fun for kids?

Connect the product to a Big Event Prize Program where qualifying students attend a shared school event. Name the specific goal. Post daily class standings to create competitive motivation. Let students explain the fundraising purpose in their own words — sellers who understand why they are raising money convert community contacts at higher rates.

What is the best fundraiser for elementary school students?

For fast campaigns with high participation: lollipop direct sales. For highest gross revenue, a brochure program with a Big Event Prize Program and an online store running simultaneously.

Can students sell during school hours?

Smencils (non-food) can be sold during school hours with no Smart Snacks compliance concerns. Candy bars and lollipops must be sold before school, after school, or at events outside instructional time. Scratch cards can be distributed and collected at any time.

What fundraisers work for middle school students?

Candy bars (strong before/after school), discount cards at $20 for adult networks, scratch cards for community campaigns, and brochure programs. Middle school students are strong online store sellers because they share links through their own social media networks.

How do you get kids excited about a school fundraiser?

Choose a Big Event Prize Program — Super Party, Super Splash Party, Magic Show, or Reptile Adventures — that generates genuine anticipation. Name the specific expense the campaign funds. Announce daily standings in morning announcements so students know exactly where they stand relative to the qualifying threshold.

What is a Reptile Adventures fundraiser?

Reptile Adventures is one of the Big Fundraising Ideas Big Event Prize Programs — a live reptile expert brings animals to the school, and qualifying students meet them in a small-group experience. It is consistently the most memorable and talked-about prize event for elementary programs. Schools using Big Event Prize Programs see up to 300 percent improvement in participation.

What product is the easiest school fundraiser for young kids?

Lollipops — specifically Yummy Lix at $1 each. The direct-sale format requires no order form, no delivery coordination, and no complex selling explanation. A student hands over a lollipop, receives a dollar, and has completed their first sale. Color Xploder lollipops are especially popular because their novelty sparks buyer curiosity and opens the conversation.

Should students help plan the school fundraiser?

Yes. Students who participate in planning the campaign — choosing the theme, designing the tracking thermometer, or helping run the kickoff announcement — feel more ownership over the outcome. That ownership sustains participation through the full selling window. Older students can help coordinate team communication and motivate classmates in a way that adult-only management cannot replicate.

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.