ADDITIONAL FUNDRAISING INCENTIVE IDEAS — QUICK REFERENCE |
Additional fundraising incentives boost school sales by up to 20% or more when promoted consistently. This resource covers no-cost and low-cost incentive ideas organized by school level, in-sale games that maintain momentum throughout the campaign, online registration incentives, and teacher and parent motivators. Use any combination alongside your standard prize program to maximize participation and per-seller revenue. |
The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Sales
Prize programs are effective, but adding a supplemental motivator on top of them can significantly increase sales. Additional incentives have been proven to boost sales by up to 20%. If you could turn a $5,000 fundraiser into a $6,000 sale, would you do it?
Achieving fundraising success requires creativity, time, and effort. Spending money on prizes has been shown to boost profits, but it is not mandatory. There are proven ways to grow sales without spending any money at all. Regardless of your budget, get the most out of your investment by promoting your incentives consistently from kickoff day through the final turn-in.
Expert Insight: The single most important thing you can do with any incentive, whether it costs nothing or costs money, is make sure every student sees you award it. Public recognition doubles the motivational impact. If you hand a student a prize quietly in the hallway, you have wasted half its value. Award incentives in front of the whole group every single time.
NO-COST SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INCENTIVES |
Best For | Incentive | What It Is |
Elementary / Middle | Free Lunch | Ask a local restaurant to donate free lunches. Every student who turns in an order or gets an online order is entered into a drawing. Draw names one at a time until every lunch is gone. |
Elementary | Personal Assistant for the Day | The top overall seller gets the principal or a teacher to carry their books, hold their lunch tray, and follow them around for the day. |
Elementary | First in the Lunch Line | Every student who sells at least one item within 3 days of the kickoff gets to go to lunch 5 minutes early or be first in line for a week. |
Elementary | Extra Recess | Any class that reaches a sales goal (e.g., 30% participation or more) earns an extra recess period in the following week. |
Elementary / Middle | Principal Head Shaving | The principal shaves their head when the school meets its fundraising goal. A Mohawk and colored hair spray add even more fun. |
All Levels | Pajama Day | The whole school gets a Pajama Day when the group hits its overall sales goal. Simple to announce, zero cost, and surprisingly motivating. |
All Levels | Crazy Hat or Crazy Sock Day | Every student who sells a set number of items by a specific date gets to wear a crazy hat or crazy socks on a designated fun day. |
All Levels | Front-of-the-Line Pass | Any student who sells a set number of items earns a laminated pass that lets them go to the front of any school line for one week. |
All Levels | Dress Code Pass | Top sellers receive a one-day dress code exemption pass, allowing them to wear non-uniform or casual clothing on a day of their choosing. |
Elementary / Middle | Movie at School | Any class that hits a participation threshold earns an in-school movie afternoon. Coordinate with the teacher for scheduling. |
Elementary | Principal for the Day | The top overall seller gets to sit at the principal's desk, make morning announcements, and shadow the principal for a full school day. |
Middle / High | Whoever Sells Gets to Skip | Set a short-term goal of selling 3 to 5 items within the first day or two. Students who hit the goal are excused from a specific task or requirement that their peers must complete. |
High School | If Everyone Reaches the Goal | If the entire group hits its individual targets, they earn a group reward such as a free period, an outdoor lunch, or a teacher-versus-student game. |
LOW-COST SCHOOL FUNDRAISING INCENTIVES |
Best For | Incentive | What It Is |
Elementary | Food with the Principal | The class with the highest participation level wins a pizza party or ice cream social with the principal. This one works wonders. |
Elementary / Middle | School Store Certificate | The top-selling student from each class wins a gift certificate to the school store. Spirit gear can be offered as an alternative. |
Elementary | Family Movie Tickets | Local theaters often provide low- or no-cost tickets. Give top-selling families free movie tickets or run a daily drawing for them. |
All Levels | Top Seller Grand Prize | The overall top seller wins a 5 lb Hershey bar, an Amazon gift card, or a comparable high-visibility prize promoted heavily from day one. |
All Levels | Top 3 Classes Party | The top 3 selling classes each win a party, pizza, donut, or ice cream. The top-selling class gets to choose their reward first. |
All Levels | Super Student VIP Card | Every student who sells 25 or more items earns a Super Student VIP Card, granting special privileges throughout the school year. |
All Levels | Limo Ride or Pizza Party | Top sellers earn a limo ride to a pizza lunch or a pizza party hosted at school: high perceived value, strong motivation. |
All Levels | Money Wheel / Money Machine | Top sellers earn the chance to spin a money wheel or grab cash from a money machine. Sellers who reach the threshold level compete for cash prizes. |
High School | Have to Sell | Set a short-term goal of 3 to 5 items in the next day or two. Anyone who does not hit the goal by the deadline has to do something that participants will not want to do. |
All Levels | Teacher Incentive | Reward the teacher whose class has the highest participation, most prize coupons turned in, or most dollars raised. A gift card to a local restaurant works well. |
All Levels | Parent Incentive | Reward the top-selling parent with a gift card to a favorite store, or offer a free tuition kickback for private schools and daycares. |
All Levels | Video Game Truck | A mobile video game truck visits the school for top sellers or the winning class—high excitement, easy to coordinate, and a strong motivator at all grade levels. |
Expert Insight: Check-in days are one of the most underused tools in school fundraising. Rather than waiting until the final turn-in day to see how students are doing, schedule three check-in days during the sale: one on the day after kickoff, one at the midpoint, and one on the final day. Each check-in day should have its own goal tied to your overall per-student target. This approach breaks the sale into smaller steps, reinforces accountability, and gives you the chance to award in-sale incentives publicly before momentum fades.
IN-SALE INCENTIVE GAMES THAT MAINTAIN MOMENTUM |
In-sale incentives reward students during the campaign rather than only at the end. They are especially effective for jumpstarting students who have not yet started selling, because seeing peers win prizes mid-sale creates immediate motivation to participate.
Game | How It Works | Best For | Cost |
Prize Drawing Incentive Game | Students receive a prize coupon for every 5 items sold. Coupons go into a drawing. More items sold means more entries and more chances to win. Draw publicly on check-in days. | All levels | Low |
Mystery Person Game | The coordinator secretly selects a student at the start of the sale. If that student reaches their sales goal, they win the mystery prize. No one knows who the mystery person is until the reveal. | Elementary / Middle | Low |
Balloon Pop | Write a student's name on a slip of paper, seal it inside a balloon at kickoff. 48 hours in, pop the balloon. If that student has registered and shared their link 10 times, they win the prize. | Elementary / Middle | Low |
Don't Be Sick | Same as Balloon Pop, but uses a sealed envelope. If the named student has met the registration or sales goal when the envelope is opened, they win. The name makes students nervous about being absent. | Elementary / Middle | Low |
Class Hero | The whole class wins pizza if a randomly drawn student has registered online. Motivates peer pressure in a positive direction since every student wants to be the class hero. | Elementary | Low |
Jump for George Game | Students earn the chance to jump for cash. Works best with smaller groups or as a check-in day reward for the top seller of the week. | Elementary / Middle | Low |
Money Incentive Game | For brochure sales, set a cash bonus for the day-one top seller to jump-start sales and signal to all students that strong early action is rewarded. | All levels | Low / Medium |
ONLINE FUNDRAISER INCENTIVES |
86% of participants who register for the online store go on to make sales. Getting every student registered in the first 48 hours is one of the highest-leverage actions a fundraising coordinator can take. Use these incentives to drive fast registration.
Incentive Type | How to Frame It | Best Timing |
Group registration goal | If we get [X] participants registered by [2 days after kickoff], the whole school gets [reward]. | Day of kickoff |
Class registration goal | Every class that hits [X]% registration by [date] earns [reward]. | Day of kickoff |
Individual drawing | Everyone registered by [day after kickoff] goes into a drawing to win [prize]. | Day of kickoff |
Balloon Pop | See above. Registration version: if the named student has registered and shared 10 times, they win. | 48 hours after kickoff |
Don't Be Sick | See above. Registration version: the student must be registered and have shared 10 times to claim the prize. | 48 hours after kickoff |
Class Hero | The whole class wins pizza if the randomly drawn student has registered. | 48 hours after kickoff |
First to $X in sales | The first participant to reach $[amount] in online sales earns [prize]. Announce at kickoff. | Throughout sale |
Everyone who sells X gets | Everyone who sells [X] items online by [date] gets to [reward]. | Throughout sale |
TEACHER AND PARENT INCENTIVES |
Most schools only offer incentives to students, but teachers and parents are two of the most powerful drivers of fundraising success. Teachers who are motivated to help remind students daily produce measurably higher participation rates. Parents who are recognized for their selling efforts generate more sales because they do most of the actual selling for younger students.
Audience | Incentive | Metric to Reward |
Teachers | Gift card to a local restaurant or favorite store | Class with the highest participation rate |
Teachers | Dress-down day or free period | Class with the most prize coupons turned in |
Teachers | Catered lunch for the winning classroom | Highest average items sold per seller |
Teachers | Classroom supply allowance | Most dollars raised per class |
Parents | Gift card to Walmart or a favorite store | Top-selling parent overall |
Parents | Free tuition kickback (private schools/daycares) | Top-selling family |
Parents | Gift certificate to a local restaurant | Top-selling parent by grade level |
QUICK PICK: BEST INCENTIVES BY GRADE LEVEL |
Grade Level | Top No-Cost Pick | Top Low-Cost Pick | Best In-Sale Game |
Preschool | Top-selling parent reward (free tuition for a month) | Class pizza party with the principal | Class Hero pizza drawing |
Elementary (K-5) | Principal Head Shaving when the goal is met | Food with the Principal for the top class | Mystery Person Game or Balloon Pop |
Middle School (6-8) | The top-selling class slimes the teacher | School Store Certificate for top sellers | Jump for George or Money Incentive Game |
High School (9-12) | If everyone reaches the goal, the group earns a free period | Limo ride or pizza party for top sellers | Money Incentive Game with cash bonus |
All Levels | Pajama Day or Crazy Hat Day as a group goal reward | Super Student VIP Card for 25+ item sellers | Prize Drawing Incentive Game |
Expert Insight: The schools that use in-sale incentives effectively always award them publicly. Any time you give out a sales award, make sure every other student witnesses it. Public recognition creates social proof: other students see that selling produces real rewards, and that visibility motivates action more than any announcement or flyer. Even a small prize awarded loudly in front of a group outperforms a larger prize handed over quietly.
Facebook / Instagram
Did you know that adding a simple no-cost incentive to your school fundraiser can boost sales by up to 20%? We're talking things like Extra Recess, Principal for the Day, or a Pajama Day when your school hits its goal. Zero dollars. Real results. We've put together 101 of the best low and no-cost incentive ideas to help your school raise more money this year. Link in bio to get the full list!
Pinterest
101 free and low-cost school fundraising incentive ideas that actually boost sales. From Principal Head Shaving to Balloon Pop games and in-sale mystery prizes, these strategies help schools raise 20% more without spending more. Save this for your next PTA meeting!
X / Twitter
Your school fundraiser can raise 20% more with zero extra spending. Extra recess, Pajama Day, the Balloon Pop game, Mystery Person, and a dozen more no-cost ideas that get students selling. Full list at bigfundraisingideas.com
LinkedIn
For school principals, PTA chairs, and fundraising coordinators, additional incentives have been proven to boost fundraising by up to 20%. The best ones cost nothing. This resource from Big Fundraising Ideas covers 101 no-cost and low-cost ideas organized by grade level, campaign phase, and format. Worth sharing with your fundraising team before your next kickoff.
Get Your Free eBook
Receive your complimentary Your Kickoff Guidebook: Complete our 'Download Your Free Kickoff Guidebook' form to run your fundraiser ebook.
