Top primary school fundraising ideas

Sporting fundraisers

From a five-a-side football tournament to a mini-Olympics, put your pupils’ sporting talents to the test and raise money for teenagers facing cancer at the same time. Ask students to get sponsorship, set an entry fee or go out to local businesses and ask them to sponsor your sports event instead.

Download sporting challenge fundraising assets

Recipe book

This is a fantastic way to raise money for a good cause while inspiring family mealtimes. Ask children to come up with a recipe at home or with teachers to submit to a school cookbook – and be sure to get photos to bring it to life. Use an online service to put the book together and then sell it to families and the local community.

Primary school fetes

A surefire way to raise cash for teenagers affected by cancer, this classic primary school fundraiser also brings pupils and their families together for a day of fun. Whether you’re holding a summer fair or a Christmas market, there are plenty of ways of using the event to support a great cause. Charge an entry fee and sell goods made by pupils and their families. Holding tombolas, raffles and pay-to-enter competitions can give your fundraising a further boost. Reach out to local companies to see if they can sponsor or support the event in return for advertising at stalls.

Art competition

Get creative with your pupils and launch a school-wide art competition, with prizes for different age groups. Think about holding an exhibition to showcase the children’s work to their families, or open it up to the wider community. Ask for a small entry donation and raise more money by selling or auctioning off the creations.

School tea towel

Another art-inspired fundraising idea! How about asking pupils to design a tea towel and put the entries out to vote? Or get your class to draw themselves, with the tea towel featuring all of their illustrations. Get the design printed – you could even apply it to a t-shirt as well as a tea towel – and sell it to proud parents and relatives.

Loose change fundraiser

Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves… or so they say. That’s certainly true for a loose change fundraiser. Ask pupils to bring in any pennies or silver their parents or guardians can part with and set up a coin trail or donation jars around the school.

School raffles and lotteries

Sell tickets to your school raffle, holding back a percentage for a prize pot and donating the remainder to Teenage Cancer Trust. Launching a 100 club is another idea; parents choose a number from one to 100 and pay each month to be entered into the lottery. Again, a proportion of the total sum goes to the winning number-holder, with the remainder going to charity. Check out our guidance on running raffles and lotteries first.

Get quizzing

Hold a charity quiz for pupils across the school, asking for a small donation – or whatever families can afford – for children to enter. Whether it’s a spelling bee or a maths challenge, you’ll be helping your pupils learn while raising money for an important cause.

Bring-and-buy sale

This is a chance for families to have a clear-out and turn their unwanted items into cash for Teenage Cancer Trust. With the cost of living soaring, it’s also a great way for families to source items they need for less – and buying second-hand is good for the environment, too. Bring-and-buy sales can also extend to baked goods.

Fancy dress or non-school uniform day

Whether it’s Halloween fancy dress or a simple non-school uniform day, ask pupils for a small donation in return for showing off their fashion flair. Or turn the idea on its head and get teachers to wear school uniforms for the day, sponsored by pupils.