Effortless engagement, impactful results

During a Parents’ Night Out event, moms and dads can drop off their little ones at school ... after hours and enjoy a night to themselves. When organizing your event, decide whether you want to set a flat rate per child or charge by the hour. Set up activities and games for the kids (like board games, puzzles, or arts and crafts projects), secure some volunteers, and before you know it, you’ll be one step closer to your fundraising goal—all while parents get some well-deserved downtime.

Selling school merchandise is a popular way to fundraise while encouraging school pride. You can sell t-shirts ... year-round with the school’s name or logo, or create special designs for sports teams, graduating classes, or spirit days. You can even combine ideas; the more merch, the merrier. Kids love shirts and hoodies they can wear both in and out of school. And what parent doesn’t want to show support for their kid? In addition to apparel, your parent council can consider selling other branded items like water bottles, lanyards, pennants, and bumper stickers.

We love parent council fundraising ideas that get both kids and parents alike to roll up their sleeves, have fun, ... and raise money for a good cause. To run a car wash fundraiser, recruit student volunteers with incentives like a pizza party or free school gear, and have parent volunteers sign up to supervise. Publicize the car wash widely in the weeks leading up to the event, and set up physical signs on the day with arrows pointing the way. As a pro tip, we recommend hosting a car wash in the spring as the weather gets warmer.

Book fairs are an enriching annual tradition that can support youth literacy while covering everyday school ... costs. Depending on how you organize it, a book fair can occur in person, online, or both. Online book fairs will require a back-end system to handle orders, but having a virtual option can be convenient for families who can’t attend the fair. Alternatively, you can encourage kids and parents to browse in person by holding the book fair alongside parent-teacher conferences or other high-traffic school events. Include a wide range of genres and reading levels so every attendee can find a book that sparks a love of reading.