6 Unique Fundraising Ideas for Schools

Easy product sale ideas to support your school.

Product fundraisers no longer require parents to store boxes in the garage or tote their kids from one family friend's house to another. Schools can now sell food, gifts, and discount cards using third-party vendors that take the logistics out of fundraising, allowing kids and parents to focus on what matters.

Less time spent on fundraising means more time in the classroom, soccer field, and band practice.

Not sure where to start with brainstorming unique fundraising ideas for schools? We've got you covered with these six simple yet distinctive product fundraisers:

1. Seasonal Lollipops

Choose a lollipop fundraiser for a feel-good fundraiser that puts kids' tastes front and center. But don't settle for just any sucker. Take advantage of an upcoming celebration or theme. Why not offer sweet or sour yummy lips with Valentine's Day approaching? Want to raise money in October? Lolliween lollipops are the perfect solution.

A lollipop campaign allows schools to earn up to 60% profit, with each lollipop selling at just 50¢ with a fast turnaround on delivery. With various options like the Color Xploder and Lolliween lollipops, BFI has lollipop options for every season, style, and taste.

2. Popcornopolis Online

Popcornopolis Online is, as the name suggests, a high-volume, popular virtual fundraising idea for schools. Here you can find our six best-selling flavors – Zebra, Caramel Corn, Kettle Corn, Jalapeño Cheddar, White Cheddar, and colorful Unicorn mix.

The Popcornopolis campaign has an average selling price of $16 and raises a 40% profit margin. Organizations frequently find our popcorn affordable and liked by many. Our exclusive 5-bag gift basket is a best seller and a great year-round gift! Don't forget that our Popcornopolis popcorn is popped in coconut oil without high fructose corn syrup, gluten, or GMOs.

And best of all? It ships directly to your customers. This means no order forms, money collection, or school deliveries.

3. Healthy Snacks

Every parent will agree that healthy snacks are essential to helping their students learn, play, and grow. You can offer several tasty and nutritious snack fundraiser options for schools and teams. Our favorites include beef sticks, Virginia Diner's nut mixes, and Heartland's cheese and sausage.

Foods that meet specific national nutritional standards are called smart snacks. With a low amount of sugar and typically 6-7 grams of protein or more, Kind Bars hit all the marks for keeping you fuller longer, and providing a dependable, sustained energy source. And with delicious combinations such as Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, and Madagascar Vanilla Almond (to name a few), there is something for everyone.

4. Custom School Tumbler

Nothing tells the story of school pride and spirit more than a custom tumbler. Show off your school group's logo, color, and mascot to the community by selling personalized tumblers for your next fundraiser. We offer a higher quality product, a more extensive selection of items, free shipping, high profits, and a no startup cost option. Earn up to 50% profit with our popular tumbler fundraisers.

You can even show off your school tumbler on your online store!

5. $2 Chocolate Candy Bar

Deciding on a school fundraiser can feel like an impossible task. If you're looking for a fundraiser that checks all the boxes – tasty, practical, nutritious, and affordable—a chocolate candy bar fundraiser hits the mark.

Many groups offer a $1 bar, but why not be different and offer people even more chocolate while making more profit? That's where a $2 bar comes in. And you won't have to sell as many chocolate bars.

Chocolate bars inspire new baking concoctions for families stuck at home during the pandemic. Our favorite uses of chocolate bars include chocolate ganache, dipped strawberries, peppermint bark, brownies, hot fudge, and coated pretzels.

Chocolate bars might also appeal to health-conscious parents. Scientists consider dark chocolate one of the best antioxidants and a superfood. A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa has 11 g of fiber, 67% of the daily value (DV) of iron, 58% DV magnesium, 89% DV copper, and 98% DV for manganese. Dark chocolate is also loaded with polyphenols, flavanols, catechin, and other active compounds that function as antioxidants.

6. Flowers Online

Springtime is right around the corner! For a green and eco-friendly unique fundraising idea, check out Flowers Online. Spring sales run from early November through the end of April, and fall flower sales run from the beginning of June until the end of November.

Offering a large variety of beautiful eco-friendly flower bulbs and plants, families will be excited to receive these beauties at their door. As a fundraiser that provides 50% profit, flowers are an excellent choice for raising money and improving the earth at the same time.

Consumer reviews rave about the ability to sell flowers to family members across the country as an "easy way to raise money" and that the flowers were well-received by the community.

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.