Choose an idea your committee can deliver
A good PTA fundraiser fits the people, time and space you have. Start with the purpose of the money, then choose an activity your school community can support. A short after-school sale may be more manageable than a fair that needs several teams and weeks of preparation.
This guide is a planning aid for UK PTA and Friends of School committees. The effort levels below are suggestions, not profit forecasts or evidence of what another school raised. Your turnout, costs and volunteer availability will determine the result.
Match the idea to your capacity
| Fundraising idea | Planning effort | What to arrange first |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-loved uniform sale | Lower | Collection rules, storage and sale times |
| Book sale | Lower | Suitable donations, sorting and prices |
| Cake sale | Lower to moderate | Food handling, ingredients and volunteers |
| Family quiz | Moderate | Venue, host, questions and bookings |
| School disco | Moderate | School approval, supervision and collection arrangements |
| Sponsored activity | Moderate | An inclusive activity, permissions and donation process |
| Seasonal craft fair | Higher | Stallholders, venue plan and volunteer cover |
| Summer fair | Higher | Site layout, suppliers, safety planning and weather backup |
Lower effort does not mean no preparation. Confirm who opens the venue, who handles money and who clears up. PTA+ event-planning resources cover rotas, catering, weather plans and licensing checks for different activities.
Pre-loved uniform or book sale
Ask for clean, usable items and explain what you cannot accept. Give donors a collection window rather than leaving bags at school indefinitely. Sort items before the sale, agree prices and decide what happens to unsold stock. Check the school's uniform policy and confirm whether any items should be offered free to families who need them.
Cake sale
Agree the quantity, drop-off time and selling location. Ask contributors to provide ingredient information, keep original packaging where useful, and plan safe handling and storage. The Food Standards Agency's community-event guidance explains food safety and when local-authority registration may be needed. Check the school’s food and allergy arrangements before promoting the sale.
Family quiz or disco
Make the audience and timings clear. A family quiz and a children's disco need different supervision and collection arrangements. Agree the venue capacity with the school, identify the event lead and explain who is responsible for children. If bookings are required, publish the price, what it covers and how families can ask questions before paying.
Sponsored activity
Choose an activity that children can join without pressure to collect a particular amount. Explain what the money supports and how donations will be handled. Agree permissions with the school, provide an accessible alternative where needed and avoid publishing children's personal fundraising details on a public page.
Seasonal or summer fair
Treat the fair as several smaller activities with named owners. Separate stalls, catering, entry, volunteer cover and clearing up. Keep a wet-weather decision date and tell suppliers what will happen if plans change. Do not commit to costs simply because last year's committee used the same format.
Work out costs before promising a target
Write down expected income and all costs, including venue hire, supplies, equipment, provider fees and refunds where relevant. Keep donated items separate from items you still need to buy. Agree who can approve spending and how receipts will reach the treasurer.
Use conservative attendance assumptions. If the event needs a minimum number of bookings to cover its costs, decide when you will review those bookings and whether to reduce the scope. A smaller event with manageable costs can be a better choice than a busy event that leaves little money after expenses.
Plan the event timeline
Agree the event date with the school and name one event lead. Give every task an owner and a date, including decisions about spending, suppliers and cancellation. Keep the plan where the committee can find the current version.
Use this suggested timetable for an event several weeks away. Adjust it for the size of the event and any permissions; larger fairs may need longer.
| When | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Four to six weeks before | School approval, venue, audience, capacity, budget and event lead |
| Three to four weeks before | Suppliers, volunteer roles, event details and booking arrangements |
| One week before | Booking numbers, volunteer cover, equipment and the weather decision |
| The day before | Arrival times, setup plan, emergency arrangements and family reminders |
| After the event | Income and costs, thank-you messages and notes for the next committee |
Before opening bookings, agree what would make you change or cancel the event. For an outdoor fair, decide who makes the weather decision and how families, volunteers and suppliers will hear about it.
Give each volunteer a defined job
Ask for specific help rather than a general request for volunteers. Explain the task, time needed, location and person to contact. Include setting up and clearing away, not only the busiest part of the event. Make space for parents who can help beforehand but cannot attend.
Keep the rota somewhere the event lead can check. Tell each volunteer what equipment they need, when to arrive and how to raise a concern. Our members and volunteers page explains how Parents Anywhere approaches committee roles and participation.
Check permissions and safety
Discuss the plan with the school before advertising. Confirm venue use, safeguarding arrangements, accessibility, insurance and any activity-specific requirements. Food, alcohol, music and raffles can need different checks. This guide is not a substitute for advice from your school, insurer or relevant authority.
For a raffle, do not assume the rules for an on-the-day draw also cover advance or online ticket sales. The Gambling Commission explains incidental lotteries at events. Check the guidance for the exact format and location you intend to use, including local requirements outside Great Britain.
Make participation easy to understand
Give families one current event page with the date, venue, audience, cost, booking details and contact route. Explain whether they need to book, pay beforehand or bring anything. Use school-approved communication channels to point to that page rather than circulating several versions of the details.
Parents Anywhere connects a PTA website with events and bookings and payments. Discuss your event requirements with us before assuming a particular ticketing or payment arrangement is supported.
Choose registration and ticketing
Decide whether families need to register, buy a ticket or simply turn up. Explain whether a ticket covers one person or a family, what the price includes and who is responsible for children. Agree how you will count everyone attending against the venue capacity, including people who do not need a paid ticket.
If you need advance bookings, review Learner Journey's event management and ticketing features. Its events page describes guest registration, free or paid tickets through Stripe, capacity limits and automated reminders. Check the current terms, fees and payment setup before choosing it for your PTA.
Test the booking route before sharing it. Check the confirmation message, event time, contact details and cancellation instructions. Collect only the information needed to manage attendance, keep attendee details private and confirm who can access the list. Learner Journey's features are described on its own site; they are not a promise of an integration with Parents Anywhere.
Run the event on the day
Prepare a short running order with setup, opening, activities, collection and closing times. Name the person responsible for each stage and the contact for volunteers who need help. Brief the team before families arrive.
The HSE's guidance on managing an event covers safety during setup, the public event and breakdown. Agree suitable arrangements with the school for your venue and activities, rather than treating safety as a check only at opening time.
- Check the agreed layout, entrances, exits and equipment before opening.
- Confirm volunteer positions, breaks and replacement cover.
- Explain first-aid, emergency and safeguarding contact arrangements.
- Keep track of arrivals where capacity or child-collection arrangements require it.
- Follow the treasurer's agreed process for taking money and recording receipts.
- Check the site and return borrowed equipment after clearing up.
Your planning checklist
- Agree the fundraising purpose with the committee and school.
- Choose an activity that fits the available volunteers.
- Record costs and the spending approval process.
- Confirm permissions, safety arrangements and relevant rules.
- Name the event lead and assign volunteer tasks.
- Publish clear details and the participation route.
- Agree weather, cancellation and refund arrangements where relevant.
- Record the result and lessons for the next committee.
Review the result and save the plan
After the event, compare income with costs and note what to change. Save supplier details, the rota and useful communications with your PTA handover checklist. Next year's volunteers need the decisions behind the event, not just its headline total.
Record attendance, cancellations and leftover stock alongside the financial result. Ask volunteers which jobs needed more cover and what families found unclear. Thank the people who helped, then save a short list of changes for the next event.