15 Thanksgiving Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Updated October 2025
Table of Contents
Easy to Implement Fundraisers
- Thanksgiving Volunteer Groups
- Food Drive
- Toiletries Drive
- Thanksgiving Bake Sale
- Pie Sale
- Pumpkin Sale
- Pumpkin Painting Contest
Moderate to Implement Fundraisers
Moderate-High Effort to Implement Fundraisers
High Effort to Implement Fundraisers
Next to the winter holidays, Thanksgiving is one of the best times for school groups to raise money. And to help you get inspired, our team at FutureFund has created this list of fall-friendly Thanksgiving fundraiser ideas for PTAs!
Run Your Thanksgiving Fundraiser with FutureFund
Our platform comes with powerful tools that can help you fundraise more effectively this Thanksgiving. These include:
- Ready-to-go campaign templates so you can sell tickets or items for different events.
- A built-in messaging system you can use to announce your fundraisers and provide details.
- Powerful financial reporting tools to help you track your earnings, stay compliant, and plan future fundraisers more effectively.
Now, let's move on to the list! Use these suggestions to guarantee a fantastic fall for your whole school community.
Donation Campaigns
These campaigns encourage parents and volunteers to donate directly to your school group. FutureFund makes it easy to collect money online during the campaign, but you can also include an in-person event with a Thanksgiving theme if you want to make your fundraiser more meaningful.
Learn how to run a donation campaign with FutureFund here.
Tip: Use FutureFund's messaging system to announce the fundraiser and include a link to the online campaign so that people can still donate even if they can't attend the event.
Thanksgiving Volunteer Groups
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - coordinate with local soup kitchens or nonprofits |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (promotional materials) |
| Volunteers Needed | 5-10 for transportation, coordination |
| Ideal For | Schools looking to give back to the community and boost goodwill |
The best way to show your thanks is to give back to the community! Organize a community volunteer group and help out at a soup kitchen or a similar nonprofit that beautifies and enriches the community.
When announcing these tasks, don't forget to mention that you're collecting donations for your school group and specify where the money you'll raise will be going.
Food Drive
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - school-wide collection effort |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (collection bins, flyers) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6 for sorting and delivering food |
| Ideal For | Partnerships with local food banks and shelters |
Partner with a shelter or food bank in your community and collect canned and dried goods to deliver to them during the holiday.
When collecting the donations from the community, mention to them that you're also collecting monetary donations to share with the food bank or the shelter and to support your school group.
Toiletries Drive
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - similar to a food drive |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (collection bins, signage) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6 for sorting and distribution |
| Ideal For | Supporting local shelters and service organizations |
Partner with a shelter to figure out what items they need for their residents, then hold a toiletry drive. While collecting supplies from the students and the community, make sure to announce that you're also collecting monetary donations to help support the shelter and the school.
These fundraisers can be potential opportunities for sponsorship as well-so make the rounds to local businesses and see if they would be willing to donate.
A-Thons (Pledge Campaigns)
An "A-Thon" fundraiser is a special kind of pledge campaign you can run in FutureFund. Once you create the campaign for the event, students who sign up to participate each get a link they can use to collect donations from family and friends.
Find step-by-step instructions for successful pledge campaigns here.
Tip: The link you'll share when you create the campaign is what you'll use to sign up student participants. When they register for the event, they'll each get their own unique link that they can use to raise money.
Turkey Trot
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - route planning and permits may be needed |
| Time to Implement | A-Thons require 8-12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $$ (permits, signage, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-12 for course monitoring and check-in |
| Ideal For | Active communities and family-friendly holiday events |
Set up a turkey trot event for your donors, either at your school or around the community. The turkey trot can be any length-but make sure to include some prizes like school merch or a goody bag for the winners!
Fall Leaf Tour
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - needs guided route and pledge setup |
| Time to Implement | A-Thons require 8-12 weeks planning |
| Expenses Required | $ (route maps, refreshments) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6 to guide walkers and track participation |
| Ideal For | Scenic school areas or communities with accessible trails |
Nothing is more beautiful than the leaves in the fall. Set up a guided tour of a park or nearby forest as a Walk-A-Thon event, and use FutureFund to manage the accompanying pledge campaign.
Purchase Campaigns
Any kind of fundraiser where you sell physical items or event tickets is a Purchase campaign. Add each item type to your online store in FutureFund by creating a specific Purchase campaign for it.
Learn how to run a purchase campaign here.
Tip: Always run Purchase campaigns alongside physical events like bake sales, since this allows you to make sales 24/7 and lets people make purchases even if they can't attend the event.
Fall Craft Sale
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - needs student and parent participation |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (craft materials if not donated) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-10 for setup, sales, and cleanup |
| Ideal For | Schools with strong art programs or creative parent groups |
Showcase the creativity of your students by organizing a community craft sale and selling all things fall! Handmade crafts are a big hit with these events-kids can even sell homemade holiday decorations for the holidays coming up in December!
Thanksgiving Bake Sale
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - classic school fundraiser |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $-$$ (ingredients if not donated) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-8 for baking, selling, and cash handling |
| Ideal For | Showcasing seasonal treats like pies, cookies, and pumpkin bread |
Everyone loves a bake sale-and Thanksgiving is the time to pull out all of those pumpkin spice flavors and other holiday goodies for a seasonal smorgasbord! Your PTA can either make the goods you'll sell, or seek out sponsorship from a local bakery.
Pie Sale
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - pre-order online, deliver in bulk |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (pies or ingredients if homemade) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 for order coordination and distribution |
| Ideal For | Families wanting ready-to-serve pies for Thanksgiving dinner |
Hold a pie sale, either at school or online by using FutureFund to create different Purchase campaigns for each flavor. Accepting pie orders online can save you time and money planning a physical event-you'll just need to deliver the pies by Thanksgiving so families can enjoy them after their big dinner!
Pumpkin Sale
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - can be paired with other fall events |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (pumpkins, transportation) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 for setup, sales |
| Ideal For | Schools looking for a quick seasonal fundraiser |
Have a pumpkin sale around Thanksgiving so that community members can bake up that one and only tasty pumpkin pie. Adding pumpkins to your online store in FutureFund is as simple as adding school merch or any other item you're selling.
Turkey Dinner
| Ease of Implementation | High - meal-scale event |
| Time to Implement | 6-8 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$$ (turkeys, sides, serving ware) |
| Volunteers Needed | 12-15 for cooking, serving, cleanup |
| Ideal For | Large community holiday gatherings |
Sell tickets to a Turkey Dinner event! Your PTA can either make the turkey dinner yourselves or buy it from a local restaurant and portion it out for each of the ticket holders.
Selling tickets for fundraising events is easy with FutureFund. Just create a Purchase campaign in the Admin, write your event description (with important information like the date and location), and set your ticket price.
Fall Festival
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate to High - combines multiple activities |
| Time to Implement | 6-10 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$$$ (games, rentals, food, prizes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 10-20 for planning, setup, and ticketing |
| Ideal For | Big, community-wide events with multiple attractions |
This is a great way to combine several events together in one big money-making event! Throw a fall festival and charge admission to enjoy games, the fall atmosphere, and spending time with friends and family during the holiday season.
Like the turkey dinner suggestion above, selling tickets for this kind of event is easier when you use FutureFund-instead of dealing with long lines at the door, students and their families can simply purchase online ahead of time.
Corn Maze
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - coordinate with local corn maze |
| Time to Implement | 4-6 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (ticket cost, concessions) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 for ticketing and supervision |
| Ideal For | Family-friendly outdoor activity in rural areas |
Partner with a local corn maze in your area and sell tickets via FutureFund for a special PTA event! Ticket holders will arrive on the day to find their way through the maze and enjoy a treat at the end like hot chocolate or seasonal baked goods.
Pumpkin Painting Contest
| Ease of Implementation | Easy - fun and creative |
| Time to Implement | 2-3 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (pumpkins, paint, brushes) |
| Volunteers Needed | 4-6 for setup, judging, and cleanup |
| Ideal For | Younger students and seasonal family events |
Let your patrons show their creative side with pumpkin painting! Sell tickets for the event ahead of time with FutureFund, which each attendee can redeem for a pumpkin and art supplies when they arrive at the event.
Other Fundraising Ideas
Leaves For Change
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - needs tools and collection plan |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $ (bags, rakes, disposal fees) |
| Volunteers Needed | 6-12 for leaf raking and hauling |
| Ideal For | Neighborhood beautification and compost projects |
Collect donations to rake and haul away leaves in your community! If you have a community garden, the leaves will be especially useful in making compost, which should be ready right around spring if started around your leaf collection time. If you don't have a community garden but still want to compost the leaves, you can sell prepared compost by the bag at a spring flower and bulb sale.
Basket Raffle
| Ease of Implementation | Moderate - requires sourcing themed baskets |
| Time to Implement | 3-4 weeks |
| Expenses Required | $$ (basket items if not fully donated) |
| Volunteers Needed | 3-5 for assembly, ticket sales, and drawing |
| Ideal For | Holiday gatherings and school events |
Use a weekend to put together some themed baskets and then hold either a raffle or a silent auction! Themes can include: a smores night basket, a cooking basket, a Netflix-and-night-in basket, self-care baskets (both his and hers), or anything else you can think of!
Power Your Thanksgiving Fundraisers with FutureFund
You don't need anything special to run most of the fundraisers above, but the right tools can help you raise more money while spending less time and effort. Learn more about how FutureFund can help you promote, launch, and manage successful fundraisers this Thanksgiving-get started today with a quick discovery call.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I use FutureFund's messaging system to promote my fundraiser?
FutureFund's messaging system lets you:
- Send messages to every parent in your school community or filter your audience to reach specific groups.
- Create unique sender profiles to make sure the message is always coming from the appropriate party.
- Use customizable message templates to save time when broadcasting updates or announcements.
Should my Thanksgiving fundraiser be a Purchase or a Donation campaign?
Use Purchase campaigns to sell event tickets or physical items (like baked goods, merchandise, or arts and crafts).
Use Donation campaigns to collect money from community members in support of a specific goal or cause (like a food drive).
How do I sell sponsorships with FutureFund?
FutureFund displays sponsors on your school group's online directory once they have agreed to make a contribution. You'll be able to set the price for sponsorships on your own-but our team can provide guidance and support if you're not sure what to charge.
How can I use FutureFund to track my fundraiser's success?
FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for your fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.
