10+ Middle School Fundraising Ideas to Wow Your Community

1. Read-A-Thon

Read-A-Thons are an excellent way to raise money and increase student literacy all within one event! By having students read for the fundraiser, there is no set-up cost, and everyone can participate.

Middle schools can sign up for the Read-A-Thon software for free, giving them access to an online fundraising platform to oversee their school’s progress. Depending on the responsibility you want to give students, you can have either teachers, parents, or students log reading times on the platform. Students can set a reading goal, and then reach out to their friends and family for flat-rate donations using the Read-A-Thon message templates.

Instead of asking people to spend money on unwanted or overpriced items, your middle schoolers can ask for individuals to invest in their education. When doing a Read-A-Thon, the average participating reader raises $90!

Teachers can embed extra reading time in the classroom or encourage students to read at home for assignments. Chances are teachers require reading in the classroom, so students will already be on their way to logging time and reaching their goals.

By making reading a contest with the option of prizes, Read-A-Thon motivates middle schoolers to be excited about improving their literacy. Holding a Read-A-Thon could very well be the catalyst that ignites a passion for reading in your middle schoolers.

3. Movie Night

Movie nights are a budget-friendly way to host a relaxing evening for the whole family while raising money for education.

Show a family friendly movie and charge an admission fee. Project the movie in large classrooms, the gym, or cafeteria to accommodate as many people as you want. Sell concessions like hot dogs, popcorn, baked goods, soda, and snacks to raise even more.

Middle schoolers will enjoy spending time with friends and watching a movie, and parents will be grateful for an entertaining evening.

4. School Dance

This staple fundraiser is something middle schools have been hosting for decades. Who doesn't remember their first school dance?

Decorate the gym or auditorium with themed decorations for a low-budget venue option or rent a hotel ballroom for a larger event.

Recruit parents or teachers to volunteer to chaperone and provide refreshments. To make the dance extra special,look for local photographers and DJs.

Start promoting the event at least two months prior and charge an admission fee. You'll have an event that raises money and creates memories for your middle schoolers for years to come.

5. Fall Festival

Fall festivals can be a family-friendly event students look forward to every year! Depending on the size of the event, you can charge for admission and for tickets to activities around the festival like games and face painting.

To get your students involved, have them plan activities and games for the festival. They can even help create some of the decorations for the event. You can also incorporate a dunk tank with various teachers and administrators. Be sure to charge an extra activity fee for the opportunity to dunk a teacher.

For free entertainment, and to inspire parents and family to attend, you can have your student choir and band play music throughout the event.

6. Talent Show

Have students try out or invite all the students to create a short talent act. Talent shows can help build confidence for middle schoolers and give them the opportunity to showcase something they’re passionate about.

To raise funds, you can charge for admission and have a concession stand or serve a meal. Invite students to volunteer to work at the concession stand or serve dinner as a way for them to participate.

Parents and family members will be excited for the chance to see their student perform. Host the event in your cafeteria or gym and create a small elevated stage for students to perform on if you don’t have one already.

7. Silent Auction

Reach out to your local community to see if any parents, teachers, or local artists would be interested in teaching classes on the weekends or after school. Students will be excited to learn new skills or further hone their artistry. Depending on the size of the art classes, consider having a parent or teacher volunteer to be a chaperone.

You can use unused classrooms or your designated art room to host the classes and use some art supplies already available. Since you may need to purchase additional supplies, be sure to consider this cost when creating your price of admission.

8. Art Classes

Reach out to your local community to see if any parents, teachers, or local artists would be interested in teaching classes on the weekends or after school. Students will be excited to learn new skills or further hone their artistry. Depending on the size of the art classes, consider having a parent or teacher volunteer to be a chaperone.

You can use unused classrooms or your designated art room to host the classes and use some art supplies already available. Since you may need to purchase additional supplies, be sure to consider this cost when creating your price of admission.

9. Fun Run or Color Run

Middle schoolers are at the perfect age to start learning the sport of running. Host a fun run on your school property or at your local park, and place cones to mark the path. Let students know ahead of time so they can prepare prior to signing up. You can even host an after school running club to condition students prior to the race.

To get more student participation, create different race paths with varying distances. For an element of fun, make it a color run and have parents and teachers toss colored powder on runners along the way.

You can charge a participation fee, and even have students ask for donations from friends and family. You can also charge for color packets to toss onto the runners.

10. Mini Golf Tournament

Instead of a sports tournament, consider hosting a mini golf tournament at your local golf course or amusement park. If this isn’t an option, you can also create a golf course in a park using flags as the goal.

Invite students to participate in fun rounds of mini golf! Create a few levels of the golf course and have students with the highest scores move into the next rounds or have those with the best scores win a special prize. Students can pay a participation fee and also ask friends and family for donations to support them. Donations can either be flat rate or based on how many rounds of the tournament a student makes it through.

1. Focus on middle school fundraisers that engage students

Administrators, teachers, and parents can try all they want to get their middle schoolers excited about fundraising, but if students aren’t interested, inspiring donations is left to the PTA and surrounding community. By capturing students’ interest, you’ll have more individuals working towards raising money for your cause. Plus, parents are more prone to take notice of a fundraiser if their students come home excited to discuss it.

Look for fundraisers where middle schoolers can be active participants, as opposed to ones where they have to wait for a parent or guardian to set something up or accompany them. Read-A-Thons, for example, allow middle schoolers to access their portal individually, log their reading time, and request donations from friends and family members all by themselves.

2. Prioritize fundraising ideas that are simple to set up

Ease and efficiency are essential for a middle school fundraiser. Most middle schoolers already have busy schedules packed with homework and extracurriculars, and teachers and families are often busy with their own jobs. To get the most people involved in your fundraiser, you’ll need to choose an idea that’s simple to plan and host.

If a fundraiser has high initial costs, it may not be a lucrative event. Fundraisers that require days of set up can eat up your school’s valuable time and resources. It can also be difficult to recruit enough volunteers to set up huge book fairs or bring in carts worth of products to distribute and sell. Time is money, so you’ll want to find a fundraiser that is simple to start and easy to wrap up as well.

Schools can sign up for Read-A-Thon for free and they keep 75% or 80% of the funds raised. Another one of the incredible aspects of Read-A-Thons is that one person can administer a Read-A-Thon! By using online tracking software, teachers, parents, and students can all access the fundraiser on their own time. Families sign up readers and are able to send out texts and emails and make phone calls gathering donations.

With the simple set-up and low barrier to entry, schools can spend more time encouraging their students and community to participate in fundraising rather than unloading products or discussing sales strategies.

3. Consider your school community’s interests and priorities

Having to pay for event space or product stock to sell can be an expensive investment that may not result in financial success. With the costs of hosting a product fundraiser, high sales rates may not even result in high profits.

Typical product based fundraisers require selling products that are cheaper in a nearby store. Plus, it can be difficult for students and parents to sell products they may not believe in or if their parents aren’t adept salesmen. This can make it harder to garner participation and sell enough to make a decent amount.

Neighbors and friends might say no thanks when asked if they want to purchase unneeded items like gift wrap or candles. But how many grandparents, aunts and uncles, or close friends would say no to offering financial support for your reader to participate in a reading program?