20 Summer Fundraising Ideas for Your School
Updated November 2025
Table of Contents
Easy to Implement
Moderate to Implement
- BBQ Cookoff
- Field Day
- Food Truck
- Golf Tournament
- Disc Golf Tournament
- Sports Tournament
- Triathalon
- Outdoor Exercise Class
- Camping Trip
- Pool Party
- Beer or Wine Tasting
- Concert
- Drive-In Movie
- Car Wash
Summer brings a ton of new fundraising opportunities. With the warmer weather, you can host fundraisers outside, which means more ideas and fewer expenses.
Whether school's in session or you're fundraising over summer break, these summer fundraising ideas will make sure you get donations all summer long.
BBQ Cookoff
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires grilling areas, food-handling plans |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (sides, plates, utensils, signage, pits/BBQs if not provided) |
| Volunteers Needed | ~10 (food stations, judges, setup/clean up) |
| Ideal For | Community fairs, all-school summer events, add-ons to larger summer festivals |
We mentioned BBQs in our spring fundraising ideas, but it's such a good fundraiser we had to mention it again. You can host a traditional BBQ, or you can really expand on this idea and host a BBQ cookoff.
In addition to being tons of fun, it also gives you two revenue streams: you can charge contestants an entry fee, and you can sell tickets for people to come and try the food.
Field Day
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - multiple stations |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (equipment, prizes, permits if offsite) |
| Volunteers Needed | 15-25 (station leads, first aid, admissions) |
| Ideal For | All grades, family participation |
Again, we mentioned this in our spring fundraising ideas, but it's great for both spring and summer. Even if you hosted a field day in spring, there's no reason you can't host another one in summer.
For a summer field day, you can add in new activities too. Look for ways to beat the heat with activities like water balloon fights.
Scavenger Hunt
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - printable lists and small prizes |
| Time to Implement | 1-2 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (printing lists, small prizes or treasure box items) |
| Volunteers Needed | 2-4 (setup, check-in table, prize distribution) |
| Ideal For | All grade levels, festival add-on activity, community events |
If you've ever hosted an Easter egg hunt, a scavenger hunt is basically an Easter egg hunt you can host at any time of the year. It's super engaging for families and is extremely low-cost to set up.
All you need is an outdoor space, like a public park or your school grounds. Then, just have a volunteer or two to hide the objects. Other than a few prizes, almost all of your ticket sales will go straight to your school.
Ice Cream Truck
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - simple vendor partnership with minimal setup |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (typically none; vendor provides product and shares proceeds) |
| Volunteers Needed | 1-2 (vendor coordination, event support if paired with another fundraiser) |
| Ideal For | Summer events, pool parties, BBQs, field days, add-on fundraisers |
The jingle of an ice cream truck is a summer staple for many kids. It's also a great way to fundraise. You can do this fundraiser on its own and see if a local truck would donate a portion of sales.
You can also add an ice cream truck to another fundraiser. Pretty much any event can have an ice cream truck. A BBQ, pool party, or field day would be great events to add an ice cream truck to, so you can maximize your fundraising efforts.
Food Truck
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires coordination with vendors and space management |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (tables, seating, signage; generally low cost as trucks provide food) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-6 (vendor coordination, crowd flow, event support) |
| Ideal For | Summer evenings, back-to-school nights, community festivals |
Just like an ice cream truck, a food truck is an easy add-on to almost any fundraiser. Use it as an extra revenue source at any event, like a field day, golf tournament, or concert.
You can also host this fundraiser on its own and have multiple food trucks in one location, like your school parking lot. Work with local food trucks and ask them to donate a portion of their sales to your school.
Golf Tournament
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate to challenging - venue coordination and registration |
| Time to Implement | 8-10 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$ (course fees, prizes, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10-15 (registration, scoring, sponsors) |
| Ideal For | PTA/PTSA events, community sponsors |
Golf tournaments are a fundraiser that takes a bit more planning, but they really pay off with significantly higher donations. You'll want to start planning early and work with a local golf course to make sure things like food, photography, and prizes are taken care of.
While careful planning is needed, a golf tournament is many organizations' largest fundraiser. Each player donates an entry fee to compete, and you can also look for corporate sponsors to help increase donations.
Disc Golf Tournament
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - venue coordination and registration |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (equipment, optional refreshments) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8-10 (registration, scoring, setup, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Elementary and high schools, field days, outdoor events |
A disc golf tournament works the same way as a gold tournament, except with discs! It can also be a lot more relaxed to plan, as many disc golf courses are in public parks. It still has great donation potential too, as contestants will pay an entry fee to participate.
The great thing about disc golf is that it's a lot more accessible than regular golf. All you need is a few discs to play, so you can consider including various age categories in the competition.
Sports Tournament
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires securing fields, equipment, scheduling, and team coordination |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (field permits if needed, equipment, umpire/ref fees, signage, concessions) |
| Volunteers Needed | 8-12 (registration, scorekeeping, concessions, setup, cleanup, refs/umps if donating time) |
| Ideal For | Community-wide events, PE departments, athletic clubs, multi-age school groups |
In addition to golf, you can host pretty much any kind of sports tournament. You can choose what's most popular in your area, including:
- Volleyball
- Beach volleyball
- Softball
- Kickball
- Baseball
The beauty of choosing a sport like kickball or softball is that pretty much anyone can participate, so you'll get more participants and more donations.
Marathon or Walkathon
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - classical, low-cost fundraiser |
| Time to Implement | A-thons require 8-12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $ (signage, water/snacks, optional medals) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6 (set up course, monitor walkers/runners) |
| Ideal For | All ages, schoolwide participation |
A marathon is a classic fundraiser, and for a good reason. They give you two ways to fundraise: runner's entry fees and peer-to-peer fundraising. By asking runners to fundraise, you can reach a much larger number of donors.
A traditional marathon is tried-and-true, but you can also make the event more accessible with a walkathon option. That way, even those who can't run can still participate and donate.
Triathalon
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - multi-stage event requiring route planning, safety oversight, and volunteer coordination |
| Time to Implement | 6-8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (permits, safety gear, course markers, hydration stations, timing equipment) |
| Volunteers Needed | 12-20 (course monitors, registration, medical/safety support, transition-area staff, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Athletic clubs, middle and high school teams, community fitness events, pledge-based fundraisers |
A triathlon, swimathon, or bikeathon are all fun variations on the traditional marathon. The concept is essentially the same, except instead of running, participants will swim, bike, run, or do all 3.
No matter which sport you choose, participants will pay an entry fee and ask their friends, families, and coworkers to donate. This means you reach a huge number of donors, even if they aren't participating in the race.
Fun Run
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - works indoors in gym or outdoors on school track |
| Time to Implement | 8-12 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (cones, bibs, snacks, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-10 (manage stations, track times, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | PR events, all-grade participation, sports teams, fitness clubs |
A fun run is still technically a race, but it's a lot more relaxed than a marathon. The distance is shorter, typically 5k, and there is more focus on the experience rather than completion of the race.
Many participants do the run in teams, which means more entry fees and more fun! Encourage participants to dress up in coordinating outfits and costumes for an especially memorable fundraiser.
Outdoor Exercise Class
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires instructor coordination and outdoor space planning |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (instructor fees unless donated, signage, optional mats or water) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (check-in, setup, participant support, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Warm-weather fundraisers, PE departments, wellness-focused communities or clubs, family-friendly events |
While you can do an indoor exercise class when the weather is cooler, an outdoor exercise class allows you to maximize your fundraising potential. By hosting the fundraiser outdoors, like at a public park or at your school field, you keep the cost low.
If you choose something like a body-weight workout, pilates, or yoga, you won't need to pay for equipment either. Your main cost will just be the instructor's time, and you can always see if an instructor is willing to donate their expertise.
Camping Trip
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires campsite reservations and group activity planning |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (campsite fees, optional supplies for group activities or meals) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-8 (registration, campsite coordination, activity leaders, safety oversight) |
| Ideal For | Outdoor clubs, scout groups, family engagement events, multi-day fundraisers |
Camping gives you the opportunity to get outside and to fundraise. Most campsites offer group booking discounts, so all you have to do is book the campsites.
Then, simply charge per campsite. You can also see if any attendees can help plan other activities like a hike, game, or lesson to help make the fundraiser as successful as possible.
Cornhole
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - requires cornhole boards and scoring area |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (boards, bean bags, prize items if applicable) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (registration, scoring, setup) |
| Ideal For | Family events, community fairs, multi-age groups |
This game goes by many names (bags, beanbag toss, corn toss) but no matter what you call it, it's a great way to fundraise. It's affordable and easy to host on a large scale.
You can either have cornhole as part of another event, like a BBQ or field day and charge per player. Or you can make it into its own event and do a round-robin-style tournament, where players pay to enter the competition.
Pool Party
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - venue, lifeguards, and safety rules required |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (venue fees if applicable, lifeguard staffing if not provided by venue, concessions, decor) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-10 (check-in, concessions, activity oversight, cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Summer celebrations, family events, community pools, sports teams, all age groups |
You really can't beat a pool party in the heat of summer. A pool party fundraiser is great for families in summer and fairly simple to pull off.
Most public pools offer some kind of private booking, so all you need to do is pick a day and time. Then, you can sell tickets in advance and day-of if there are any spots leftover.
Beer or Wine Tasting
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires vendor coordination, transportation planning, and age-restricted oversight |
| Time to Implement | 4-8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (transportation rental, dinner reservations, tasting fees; often offset by ticket sales, liscense fees if applicable) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 (registration, coordination with vineyard/venue, event-day check-in) |
| Ideal For | Adults-only fundraisers, community clubs, parent groups, fall or summer evening events |
While you might not be able to involve students in this fundraiser, it's certainly an out-of-the-box fundraiser that parents and community members will love.
Because you'll need some kind of liquor license for this type of event, it's easiest to partner with a local business. See if a nearby beer house, wine room, or restaurant could partner with your school.
Concert
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires venue coordination, performer scheduling, and audio/permit logistics |
| Time to Implement | 6-8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$-$$$ (venue fees if applicable, sound equipment, permits; often offset by ticket sales) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-10 (ticketing, stage support, concessions, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | High schools, music departments, community arts events, evening fundraisers |
A concert is a great opportunity for you and for a local musician. See if and local artists could donate their time. For a high school, you could see if any students would be willing to perform as well.
This kind of event takes a bit more planning to pull off, so you'll likely want to partner with a music venue. They can help with things like audio equipment and permits. That said, you can also charge more per ticket for this type of event, so it evens out in the end.
Drive-In Movie
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires a large parking area, projection setup, and traffic coordination |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (projector/screen rental, licensing for the movie, cones for parking; concessions optional) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-10 (parking guides, ticketing, concessions, setup/cleanup) |
| Ideal For | Community nights, family events, summer or fall fundraisers, large outdoor spaces |
A drive-in movie is a unique fundraising idea without being too complicated to pull off. All you need is an area to park cars and a space to project the movie, so a shopping center parking lot or public park works well.
You can also easily add other fundraising opportunities. Low-cost items like popcorn, soda, and candy mean you can maximize your fundraising efforts.
Car Wash
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires setup and supplies |
| Time to Implement | 2-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (soap, buckets, sponges, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10-20 (washers, sign holders, traffic directors, cashier) |
| Ideal For | Sports teams, summer weekends, community events, high schools |
A car wash is a great fundraiser because you only need a few low-cost items: running water, soap, and sponges. So the cost is low, but you can typically charge at least $15-$20 per wash.
Better yet, you can partner with a local car wash. See if they would be willing to donate a portion of sales, supplies, or both to help fundraise.
Yard Sale
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - donated items |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (tables, tags, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10-15 (intake, cashiers, setup) |
| Ideal For | Whole community declutter, community-minded groups |
You can't go wrong with a good old-fashioned yard sale! Summer weather means you can host the event outside, so people can sell larger, higher-ticker items. Simply have people donate their unwanted goods, and your school gets to keep the proceeds.
For this fundraiser, all you'll need is a few volunteers to set up tables beforehand. Alternatively, you could do a flea market-style event where sellers pay to join, but they get to keep the money from their sold items.
