Getting the money together
Now for the big question: how are you going to raise the funds? Whether you look to your school community, involve corporate partners or combine multiple approaches, there are many different ways to get the money together.
Dazzling discos, quizzes and fairs
What are the classic moneymaking events for your PTA? There are lots of low-effort, low-cost events you could hold, including movie nights, bingos and quizzes. Or you could go all out on a fair featuring stalls, games and entertainment.
Alongside the old faithfuls, consider holding some outdoor events to match the theme of your project. Sponsored runs, campouts and barbecues are all big crowd-pleasers, but if you’re struggling to choose, ask parents which events they’d be most interested in attending.
Eyes on the prize
Events require prep and volunteers, and if your school community is on the smaller side, it might not be worthwhile holding too many of them. Instead, get creative with some non-event fundraisers.
Get the children involved with non-school uniform days, break the rules days, tea towels and matchbox challenges. Competitions, raffles and auctions are popular, and you could easily tie them in with an outdoorsy theme to remind everyone what their donations are supporting. For a super low-effort option, organise a big night in or sign up with easyfundraising, which allows you to raise money simply from parents shopping online.
Reach out
Crowdfunding allows you to reach lots of people for donations quickly. There are several online crowdfunding platforms to choose from, such as GoFundMe and JustGiving, and they take minutes to set up. This is a great option if you’re active on social media or if the school is willing to email parents with the link to your page.
As well as sharing your page with individuals online, you could share it with businesses to request sponsorships. Find out which local companies are following Corporate Social Responsibility schemes and fire off an email or, better yet, speak to them over the phone or in-person.
Doing the paperwork
If your PTA is a registered charity and looking to raise a substantial amount of money, grants are a great way to cover costs and, with a little organisation, are relatively simple to apply for. They take time to complete, so check the deadline and make sure you know how long it will take to gather everything you need, such as supporting documents and budgets.
Charitable trusts don’t usually advertise or publicise what they do, but Grants4Schools provides a database of the latest grants and funding opportunities available to schools and PTAs from the EU, UK Government Agencies, the National Lottery and Grant Making Trusts & Foundations. You’ll need to pay an annual subscription for this, but it’s available to all our members at half price.