Most PTA fundraising ideas lists cover the same ground – bake sales, quiz nights, sponsored events. PTA Christmas fundraising ideas in particular tend to be recycled year after year. Some of those still work. But the ones that tend to raise the most money are the ones parents haven’t seen before, and the ones that are genuinely fun to attend rather than just something to get through.
This list covers both – the reliable classics and some unusual school PTA fundraising ideas that have worked well across the UK. Whether you’re a primary school PTA, a PTFA or a secondary school parent association, most of these work with similar budgets and effort. Silent Disco Party UK supply equipment for two of them directly, so we’ll be upfront about that where it’s relevant.
The unusual PTA events (that work)
1. Silent Disco Night
A silent disco is one of the highest-profit PTA events you can run because the setup costs are low and ticket income is high. Hire the headphones and transmitters for a fixed cost, charge £5-£8 per ticket, add a raffle and refreshments, and a 150-person event can clear several hundred pounds profit on the night.
Three channels means everyone finds something to dance to. No speakers means no noise curfew – so you can run it later and sell more tickets. A bar or refreshment stand alongside adds significantly to the total.
Rough profit example: 150 headphones cost £340 to hire. 150 tickets at £6 = £900. Add a £200 raffle and £150 refreshments. Total income ~£1,250. Profit after hire cost ~£910.
For a full guide to running a profitable silent disco fundraiser, see our fundraising silent disco guide.
2. Karaoke Night
A karaoke night is a reliable PTA fundraiser because it doesn’t need much organisation and almost everyone wants to participate. Hire a karaoke machine with 50,000+ songs and wireless microphones, set up a small stage area, and let parents, teachers and older students take the mic.
Run it as an adults-only evening to push ticket prices higher, or open it to families for a bigger audience. A sing-for-donations format works well – guests pay to put songs in the queue, or sponsor a teacher to sing something embarrassing. Both generate significantly more money than a flat entry fee.
3. School Sleepover or Campout
Transform the school hall or grounds into an overnight event for children. Activities like movies, games and a short silent disco session keep it entertaining. Ticket prices are higher for overnights because parents are getting childcare as well as entertainment, which means more income per ticket. Works particularly well for Years 3-6 where the novelty of sleeping at school is still exciting.
4. “Break the Rules” Day
Children pay a small fee – typically £1-£2 – to break a school rule for the day. Wear non-uniform, have messy hair, bring in a toy, wear a hat. It costs absolutely nothing to organise and the novelty means participation rates are high. A well-promoted “break the rules” day at a 300-pupil school can raise £300-£600 with zero overhead. Works for any age group and can be themed to a season or cause.
The reliable classics
5. Quiz Night
A well-run quiz night is one of the most reliable and fun PTA events you can organise. Charge per team, sell food and drinks on the night, and add a raffle. A Christmas or Easter theme gives it a seasonal hook that helps with promotion. Online quiz builders make setting one up easy, and you can vary the format year to year to keep it fresh.
6. Bake Sale
The classic that still works. A bake sale at the school gate after pickup costs almost nothing to organise and can raise a surprising amount in a short window. A competitive element – a judged baking challenge with a small trophy – tends to increase the quality and quantity of contributions. Works particularly well combined with another event like a sports day or parents evening.
7. Talent Show
Pupils perform while parents and teachers pay for tickets and concessions. The comedy value of teachers participating usually sells tickets on its own. Keep the running time tight – two hours maximum – and the evening works. Charge for a programme, add a raffle and a refreshment stand, and the income adds up quickly.
8. School Auction
A silent or live auction of donated items and experiences. Local businesses are often willing to donate vouchers, services or products in exchange for a programme mention. High-value experiences – a restaurant meal for two, a weekend away, a sports experience – drive bidding up significantly. Works well as a standalone evening event or as an addition to another fundraiser.
9. Arts and Crafts Fair
Showcase work by pupils, teachers and parents with items for sale. Charge a small entry fee and take a percentage of sales. Pottery, jewellery, paintings and handmade goods sell well at school fairs where parents are already in a spending mood. Adding workshops or live demonstrations keeps people on site longer.
10. Seasonal and Holiday Events
Christmas fairs, Easter egg hunts, Halloween discos and summer fetes are reliable annual PTA fundraising events because they have a built-in reason to attend. The key is adding as many revenue streams as possible beyond the entry fee – games, food, raffles, tombolas, face painting. The event itself is the draw; the income comes from everything happening inside it.
Low effort PTA fundraising ideas
Not every fundraiser needs a venue, tickets and an evening of your time. These ideas run themselves once set up.
11. Pop-Up Gift Shop
Set up a small shop in school in the days before Mother’s Day or Father’s Day where children can buy pre-wrapped gifts for their parents or carers. Stock it with small, low-cost items – chocolates, candles, bath products, books. Children love being able to buy a present independently and parents appreciate not having to organise it themselves. The markup on pre-wrapped items is where the profit comes from. Works particularly well in primary schools where children don’t have easy access to shops.
12. Clothes Swap
Parents bring in clean, unwanted clothing and pay a small entry fee – typically £2-£3 – to take items from the swap. Everything uncollected at the end goes to a local charity or textile recycling. The eco angle makes it easy to promote and the format appeals to parents who already charity shop. Costs nothing to organise beyond finding a venue and promoting it. Works well as an evening event with refreshments to keep people browsing longer.
13. Second-hand Uniform Sale
Ask parents to donate outgrown school uniform in good condition. Sell it at a fraction of the retail price – typically £2-£5 per item – at the school gate or as a dedicated sale event. Zero cost to organise, useful to the school community, and consistently popular with parents who’d rather buy second-hand than pay full price for items that get outgrown in months. Run it twice a year – September and January – to catch the peak demand periods.
14. Online Shopping Affiliates
Sites like easyfundraising.org.uk let parents raise money for the school PTA simply by shopping online as normal. A percentage of each purchase goes to the school at no extra cost to the shopper. It takes about 20 minutes to set up and the income builds passively over time. Works best when promoted regularly through the school newsletter and parent WhatsApp groups.
15. Sponsored Challenge
A sponsored walk, run, read, silence or spell – any challenge where pupils collect sponsorship from family and friends. It costs nothing to run and the income scales with how many pupils take part. Sponsored silences and readathons work particularly well for primary schools; sponsored walks and runs suit secondary schools. Consider linking the challenge to a cause the school community cares about to increase motivation to take part and collect sponsorship.
16. Rent Out the School Hall
PTAs can work with the school to hire out the hall or sports facilities to community groups, fitness classes, local clubs or businesses during evenings and weekends. Once the arrangement is in place it generates income passively – no events to organise, no tickets to sell, no volunteers needed on the night. The income depends on the size and quality of the facility, but even a modestly sized hall hired twice a week adds up to a significant amount over a year. Worth exploring with the headteacher if the school doesn’t already do this.
Tips for any PTA fundraising event or school fundraising activity
- Ticket prices. Most PTAs undercharge. If people are already coming out on a Friday evening, they’ll pay £8-£10 for an event that’s clearly going to be fun. Start higher than you think and discount later if needed – it’s easier than raising prices after you’ve promoted the event.
- Multiple income streams. Entry fee alone rarely maximises income. Raffles, refreshments, auctions, tombolas and merchandise all add to the total without much extra effort on the night.
- Promote early. School events compete with everything else in a parent’s diary. Six to eight weeks notice and multiple reminders through the school newsletter, app and parent groups makes a real difference to attendance.
- Delegate. PTAs run better when the work is spread across a team rather than resting on two or three people. Each event benefits from someone managing tickets, someone on the door, someone running the raffle and someone on refreshments – all doing their bit on the night rather than one person doing everything.
- Track what works. Keep a simple record of income and costs for every school fundraising event. PTAs that know their numbers can make better decisions about which events to repeat and which to drop.
FAQ
What is the best PTA fundraising event?
Silent discos and karaoke nights consistently generate the highest profit relative to effort because setup costs are fixed and low while ticket income scales with attendance. Quiz nights are reliable and low cost to organise. “Break the Rules” days are the lowest effort of all – no venue, no tickets, just a fee for the day. The best event depends on your school’s community and what they’ll actually turn up to.
How much can a PTA raise from a silent disco?
A 150-person event charging £6 per ticket generates £900 in ticket income. The headphone hire costs around £340. Add a raffle (£150-£200) and refreshments (£100-£200 profit) and a well-run evening can clear £700-£900 profit. Larger events with a licensed bar generate more. See our fundraising silent disco guide for a full breakdown.
What are the easiest PTA fundraising ideas?
“Break the Rules” day, second-hand uniform sales, online shopping affiliates like easyfundraising, and sponsored challenges all require minimal organisation. Once set up, online shopping affiliates generate passive income with no events to run at all.
Silent disco or karaoke for your PTA event?
Silent Disco Party UK supply wireless LED headphones and karaoke machines for school fundraisers across the UK. Free UK delivery, easy setup, no outside staff required.
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