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Middle school fundraising ideas

If you're tired of the same old fundraiser ideas for middle school, you’ve come to the right place. Find inspiration in our ultimate list of junior high fundraising ideas, from movie nights to pajama runs and everything in between.

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Concession stand

Use an existing stand or create your own and sell items like popcorn, candy, and sunflower seeds. To boost sales, create custom tickets with mouth-watering pictures of available treats!
Cost:
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Jeans day / Out of uniform day

Sell passes for a day out of uniform or a day in jeans. Allow parents to pre-pay ahead or donate on the day-of the event. For easy payments, use scan-to-donate or accept Venmo and other convenient options. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Shoe-decorating

Source an array of paints and art supplies and invite community members to make a donation and bring a pair of sneakers to paint together for your good cause. 

To create a seamless event experience, set up custom ticket types, like an upsell ticket that provides a pair of shoes. Make sure to add a custom question to get the right shoe size!
Cost:
2
Effort:
1
Impact:
1
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Storybook Character Dress-Up Day

Invite students to come to school dressed as their favorite storybook characters. Charge a small participation fee and organize storytimes throughout the day.
Cost:
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Impact:
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Crafts night

Charge an entrance fee and check-in attendees as they arrive for an evening of creativity and fun. Ask volunteers to bring various supplies, or ask for donations from local art stores. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
1
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Principal challenge

Challenge your principal to do something wild (like dye their hair) if your team reaches their fundraising goal. Use a custom fundraising page with a live goal bar to drum up excitement and share updates (and photos!) as donations roll in.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Peer-to-peer

Read-a-thon

Students pledge to read a certain number of minutes each day and collect donations for each minute read or a flat rate. To gamify your efforts, use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage readers to compete to see who reads—and raises—the most. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Pumpkin Games

Perfect for the Halloween season, challenge participants to a pay-to-play series of games like pumpkin races and decorating contests. Sell tickets in advance or on the day of using scan-to-donate or Venmo. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Peer-to-peer

School auction

Source quality school-related items, such as backpacks and shoes, and auction them off during a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Auctions

Coding bootcamp

Partner with coding organizations and offer students discounted class fees and programs. Be sure to include some appealing benefits for participating companies in your corporate sponsorship proposal, like free marketing and publicity.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Virtual movie night

Use Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) to host a virtual family movie night fundraising event on the streaming service of your choice. Ask movie trivia questions throughout to make the evening more interactive! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
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Grow-your-own garden kit

Ask local nurseries to donate herbs, seeds, and soil you can use to assemble gardening kits. Bring volunteers together to assemble everything and sell them on a custom fundraising page or donation form. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Earth Day

Reserve an indoor or outdoor space and invite your community to come arrange flower bouquets and pot their own plants to celebrate Earth Day (April 22). 

Charge an entrance fee and make your fundraising event move smoothly with mobile app check-in and easy scan-to-donate payment options. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Mini-golf tournament

Assemble teams, charge entry fees, and cheer everyone on as they compete for the best score. Encourage participants to make personal team fundraising pages and ask friends and family to support them and the cause. 
 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Peer-to-peer

Sell swag or merch

Raise some extra funds for your organization or club and spread the word about your cause by selling branded swag like totes, stickers, and t-shirts.

With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Pizza party

Each class or grade creates a team fundraising page for easy donations and campaign sharing. The team that raises the most or brings in the most donations is rewarded with a bottomless pizza day, either made by volunteers or donated from a local pizzeria. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Peer-to-peer

Grab bags

Reach out to local businesses and ask them to donate a small number of products that you can bundle together and offer donors online. 

To attract more partnerships from businesses, create a sponsorship proposal that emphasizes the benefits for them, like free publicity and marketing opportunities.  
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Community cookbook

Create and sell a custom cookbook featuring favorite recipes from your community members and families. To drum up excitement and spread the word, share sneak peek photos on your custom fundraising page.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Staff vs. students

Organize an afternoon of relay races, obstacle courses, and brain teasers at your school and challenge teachers to partake. Be sure to create a fun and engaging event page where attendees can easily purchase tickets!
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
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Comedy roast

Invite participants to roast their teachers or coaches—in a light-hearted way. Sell tickets online and check-in attendees as they arrive, in addition to offering in-person donations for entry (and snacks!) with Venmo and scan-to-donate. 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
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Donation drive

Set up a donation drive to collect valuable in-kind donations or financial gifts for your cause. This can be done by setting up a drop-off zone in person or collecting donations online through a fundraising page. No matter the format—make sure to share your fundraising goal far and wide to keep the momentum going!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Pay you not to ask me again

Give your supporters a way to opt out of all your upcoming donation requests during a big fundraising effort. If they contribute via your donation form before a certain date, you’ll take them off your email and call list for the whole campaign! Then, you can easily segment your email list with your built-in CRM and marketing tools. 
Cost:
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Impact:
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Food truck smorgasbord

Invite food trucks to a big game or event and ask them in return to donate a portion of all food sales to your team. To really sweeten the sponsorship opportunity, offer benefits for these small businesses, like free marketing and publicity.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
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Team sponsorship

Ask local businesses to sponsor your team in exchange for logo placement on jerseys, in programs, or on stadium banners. Be sure to follow sponsorship proposal best practices to make the most of this partnership! 
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Restaurant takeover

Find a local restaurant that will host your fundraising event and donate at least 10-20% of the profits from the evening to your campaign. To really sweeten the sponsorship, offer lots of benefits for participating restaurants like free marketing and publicity. 
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
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Frequently asked questions

First, identify a cause or project to support, whether it’s a new program or necessary school supplies. Next, brainstorm fundraiser ideas for middle schoolers to find the right fit for your community, like a scavenger hunt, car wash, or walk-a-thon.

Get approval from school administrators, recruit volunteers to help with your fundraising efforts, and promote the campaign far and wide. Then, launch your event, collect donations, and thank everyone for their support!

Large-scale events like dances and competitions are among the most popular junior high fundraising ideas. These types of fundraisers actively involve the community in supporting your cause and create memorable experiences for students and their families. 

How much money your middle school fundraiser will make will vary based on your expenses, community support, and fundraising goal. However, fundraising ideas for middle school students—such as themed runs/walks or movie nights—can potentially bring in a hefty amount of funding. These events can often be hosted throughout the school year and only require a small donation from each supporter.

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