15 July Fundraising Ideas

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Updated November 2025

Easy to Implement

Comedy Hour/Roast
No Run Run
Movie Marathon
Pot Marbles
Pringles Ping Pong Bounce
July 4th Bake-Off
Sell Patriotic Pretzels & Dipped Oreos
Pie Eating Contest

Swim-A-Thon

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - requires pool access and lifeguards
Time to Implement	A-thons require 8-12 weeks planning
Expenses Required	$$$ (facility rental, safety staff)
Volunteers Needed	6-10 for check-in, lap counting, safety
Ideal For	Summer events, schools with swimming facilities

Stay cool and earn money for a good cause! Host a swim-a-thon where patrons donate either per minute in the water or per lap swam during a certain time frame.

This activity is pretty customizable: you can gather all the participants together to do it in a single pool or allow for everyone to do it separately while logging their time. After the allotted time is up, allow the participants to collect from the donors and everything goes towards the Booster Club!

Dance Marathon

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - needs music, space, and schedule
Time to Implement	A-thons require 8-12 weeks planning
Expenses Required	$$ (DJ, lights, snacks)
Volunteers Needed	5-8 for check-in, supervision, cleanup
Ideal For	Engaging older students and high-energy events

In a similar vein to the traditional "a-thon" style fundraiser, the dance marathon is where participants sign up to dance for a period of time, usually around 24hrs.

You can have the dancers pay to enter the marathon and/or have them find sponsors and secure donations from peers. The dancers are traditionally supposed to stay moving for the whole 24hrs, but you can provide rest options to the dancers if you so choose. Having different activities for them to engage in during the course of the marathon plus food to keep everyone fueled and full of energy is essential. Also don't forget to use social media to your advantage and drive up spectating and fundraising even more.

This event is extremely customizable and requires a fair bit of planning to make sure to keep it entertaining and safe. Done well, though, you'll be sure to set the PTO/PTA up for a great start to the new school year!

Comedy Hour/Roast

Ease of Implementation	Easy - simple AV setup and low logistical complexity
Time to Implement	2-3 weeks
Expenses Required	$-$$ (microphone/speaker rental if not donated, setup, signage, small prize)
Volunteers Needed	3-5 (emcee support, ticketing, seating, cleanup)
Ideal For	Community nights, school assemblies, drama clubs, family-friendly events

Have any budding comedians in your community? Here's an opportunity to let them try out their material in front of an audience and raise some money for your cause! Host a comedy show featuring new local comedy talent. If a prominent community member is feeling especially brave, he or she can volunteer to be the subject of a comedy roast. However you set it up, charge an entry fee to be in the audience and offer a reward to the most popular comedian of the night!

Spin Class

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - needs studio partner
Time to Implement	3-4 weeks
Expenses Required	$ (if studio donates space)
Volunteers Needed	2-3 for coordination & sign-in
Ideal For	Parent fundraisers or teacher wellness events

Find a local spin studio and ask them to host a spin event for the Booster Club where the club and the studio can share the proceeds. If you have your own bank of spin bikes, you can ask an instructor to donate their time to lead it and collect donations from the participants to sign up!

No Run Run

Ease of Implementation	Easy - minimal equipment with simple, low-speed activity stations
Time to Implement	2-3 weeks
Expenses Required	$ (cones, timers, signage, optional small prizes)
Volunteers Needed	3-5 (station monitors, registration, scorekeeping)
Ideal For	PE classes, family fun days, pledge-based fundraisers, outdoor events

Host a no run run event, where your patrons play a series of sllooooow games. Slow activities can include competitions to see who can do the LEAST amount of pushups in a minute, the LEAST amount of crunches in a minute, or the LEAST amount of pull ups in a minute.

The catch? Competitors' feet have to stay moving the whole time. Its a lot more difficult than it sounds. Move to the track or set up some cones to see who can go the least amount of distance in a minute. Have fun with it! The donations come in when the competitors secure pledges from sponsors and collect donations via their friends and family.

Movie Marathon

Ease of Implementation	Easy - just need space & movies
Time to Implement	1-2 weeks
Expenses Required	$$ (licensing if needed, snacks, seating)
Volunteers Needed	3-5 to manage setup, concessions, cleanup
Ideal For	Family-friendly evening or pajama day event

Who doesn't love a good trilogy or multipart series? Set up a day (or weekend depending on the series) to host a movie marathon, featuring the movie series of your choice! Patrons pay a flat fee to experience the franchise from beginning to end and the PTO/PTA can provide popcorn, drinks, and other concessions.

Knit, Crochet, Spin-A-Thon

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - requires a-thon pledge prep and coordination
Time to Implement	8-12 weeks (standard planning period for a-thons)
Expenses Required	$-$$ (yarn if not donated, needles/hooks if providing supplies, signage)
Volunteers Needed	4-6 (registration, pledge tracking, event supervision)
Ideal For	Craft clubs, community events, multigenerational events, indoor fundraisers

Host a knit, crochet, and spin-a-thon in your community! Participants can find sponsors to donate based on yards worked during a certain window of time with all proceeds going towards the school's Booster Club.

24 Hour Relay

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - extended event requires heavier coordination and safety planning
Time to Implement	6-8 weeks
Expenses Required	$$ (permits if needed, lighting, water stations, snacks, signage)
Volunteers Needed	10-20 (shift coverage, timing, safety monitors, concessions)
Ideal For	Sports teams, athletic clubs, community fitness events, pledge-based fundraisers

Weather permitting, host a 24 hour relay! This idea is pretty open ended as you can designate whatever type of relay fits your community. Have serious runners, bikers, or swimmers? BOOM! You have your 24 hour relay event.

The rules are the same for all events: participants may enter the relay in teams or solo but at least one person from the team must stay moving the entire time. Participants can pay a flat fee to enter and/or get donations from friends, family, and local businesses.

Pot Marbles

Ease of Implementation	Easy - minimal materials and quick setup
Time to Implement	1-2 weeks
Expenses Required	$ (flower pots, marbles, spoons, prize items)
Volunteers Needed	2-3 (booth operator, scorekeeper, prize table)
Ideal For	Carnival-style events, outdoor festivals, add-on booths at larger fundraisers

This activity would work beautifully as part of a bigger party style event! People that wish to play stand on an upside down flower pot and use a spoon to put nearby marbles into the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot. Theres a flat fee to enter and the winner, whomever puts the most marbles into the pot within a minute, gets a small prize.

Pringles Ping Pong Bounce

Ease of Implementation	Easy - low-cost and portable
Time to Implement	A-Thons require 8-12 weeks planning
Expenses Required	$ (cans, balls, decorations)
Volunteers Needed	2-3 for scorekeeping and setup
Ideal For	Side activity at carnivals, fun skill-based challenge

This is another activity that would work really well as part of a larger event! Set up a few empty pringles cans (add sand or dirt at the bottom to keep the ball from bouncing out/the can from blowing away) and encourage people to bounce their ping pong ball into one of the cans.

Each can could mean the participant gets a certain prize or a certain amount of points which add up to the type of prize they could get once their turn is up. Event organizers can collect a flat fee for a certain number of tries (like $3 for 5 balls) or collect on a per try basis ($1 for 1 ball).

July 4th Bake Off

Ease of Implementation	Easy - entries & judging
Time to Implement	3-4 weeks
Expenses Required	$ (plates, forks, prizes)
Volunteers Needed	8-12 (intake, judging, sales)
Ideal For	Families, summer festivals, July 4th event add-on

Have participants present their star-spangled best dessert for judging! The PTO/PTA can collect a flat fee per person and the participant can try out as many of the baked goods as they want and vote for the winner, or you can collect a donation in exchange for tickets which they will then use to "pay" to try the baked goods.

You can also have the people judge the baked goods and pick their favorite or have a judging panel come in and pick their favorite. You can even throw in categories if you want: best looking dessert, best tasting dessert, overall best dessert. The winner can get a prize, bragging rights, or both. The possibilities are endless!

Sell Patriotic Pretzel Rods And Dipped Oreos

Ease of Implementation	Easy - baked donations + table setup
Time to Implement	1-2 weeks
Expenses Required	$ (packaging, labels, ingredients)
Volunteers Needed	4-6 (bakers, sellers, setup)
Ideal For	Lunch hours, sports games, parent nights, festivals/carnivals

Never underestimate the power of a good bake sale! Pretzel rods drizzled in red and white chocolate and oreos dipped in blue candy melts with white sprinkles will always be a delicious yet simple item that turns a profit.

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Pie Eating Contest

Ease of Implementation	Easy - Straightforward setup with pies, tables, and a timer
Time to Implement	2-3 weeks
Expenses Required	$-$$ (pies, table covers, small prize)
Volunteers Needed	3-5 (registration, setup, judges, clean up)
Ideal For	School festivals, community events, add-on for larger 4th of July events

What's more American than apple pie? A pie eating contest! Collect a flat fee to give competitors the opportunity to be the pie eating champion of 2022!

July 4th 5k Run

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - permits & logistics
Time to Implement	8-12 weeks planning
Expenses Required	$$ (permits, water stations, safety gear)
Volunteers Needed	20-30 (course marshals, registration, first aid)
Ideal For	Whole school, community events, part of a wider July 4th festival

Organize a 5k for the 4th of July weekend! Have the participants register and pay in advance so you know how many people will be attending. You can specify a trail and put together goody bags for everyone once they finish the race and include music and some activities for anyone who feels like partying after they finish.

July 4th Pool Party

Ease of Implementation	Moderate - venue, lifeguards, and safety rules required
Time to Implement	4-6 weeks
Expenses Required	$$-$$$ (venue fee if applicable, lifeguard staffing if not provided by venue, concessions, decor)
Volunteers Needed	6-10 (check-in, concessions, activity oversight, cleanup)
Ideal For	Summer celebrations, family events, community pools, sports teams, all age groups

Enjoy the sunshine with friends at a themed pool party! Party goers pay a fee to enter and get to come in and enjoy splashing around and catching up with friends. Depending on your venue, you can add some concessions for when people get hungry and possibly even play a movie in the evening to cap off a great day!

Are you looking for more fundraising ideas? Check out our seasonal fundraising idea articles for ideas no matter the time of year!