15 School Fundraising Ideas NZ | Easy Fundraiser Ideas
15 Fundraising Ideas for Schools in NZ – Easy & Practical Ideas
School fundraising can make a real difference when you're raising money for a school camp, sports trip, playground equipment, uniforms, books, activities or another project.
But choosing the right fundraiser isn't always easy.
The best school fundraising ideas in NZ need to balance how much money you can potentially raise with the amount of time, organisation and volunteer effort required.
Some schools love a big community event. Others need something that parents and students can organise with minimal fuss.
To help you decide, here are 15 school fundraising ideas for New Zealand schools, ranging from traditional favourites to simple product and online fundraisers.
What Makes a Good School Fundraiser?
Before choosing your fundraiser, think about four things:
- How much do you need to raise?
- How many families are likely to participate?
- How much volunteer time is available?
- How easy will the fundraiser be for supporters to participate in?
A fundraiser that works brilliantly for a school with hundreds of families and an active PTA may not suit a small class raising money for a school trip.
Setting a clear target first makes choosing the right fundraiser much easier.
1. Toilet Paper Fundraiser
It may not be the first product that comes to mind when you think about school fundraising, but that's exactly what makes a toilet paper fundraiser interesting.
Unlike novelty products, chocolates or other occasional purchases, toilet paper is something virtually every household needs to buy anyway.
Hygiene Direct offers schools two ways to fundraise with toilet paper.
Traditional Fundraising – Earn $10 Per Box
With the traditional option, students and families take orders from supporters. Your group then places a bulk order and distributes the boxes once they arrive.
Your school or group makes $10 per box sold.
For example:
- 50 boxes = $500 raised
- 100 boxes = $1,000 raised
- 250 boxes = $2,500 raised
- 500 boxes = $5,000 raised
This option requires some organisation because your group handles the orders and distribution, but it provides the higher return per box.
My Fundraiser – Earn $5.50 Per Box
If you'd prefer an easier option with less administration, schools and other organisations can register as a Good Cause with My Fundraiser.
Supporters purchase their toilet paper themselves through the My Fundraiser website and select the Good Cause they want to support.
Their order is then delivered directly to their door and $5.50 from each box goes to the selected Good Cause.
Delivery is available across both the North Island and South Island, although rural delivery fees may apply.
This means your school doesn't need to collect individual orders, handle supporter payments, receive one large delivery or distribute the boxes.
Learn more: Hygiene Direct Toilet Paper Fundraising Guide
You can also visit My Fundraiser to learn more about the online fundraising option.
2. Sausage Sizzle
There's a reason the sausage sizzle remains a Kiwi fundraising favourite.
It's simple, familiar and can work particularly well at school sports days, fairs, community events or outside participating local businesses.
The key is keeping your costs under control.
Work out the cost of sausages, bread, onions, sauces, napkins and any equipment before deciding on your selling price.
You will also need enough volunteers to prepare, cook and sell the food, and appropriate food-safety procedures should be followed.
Best for: Schools with enthusiastic volunteers and access to a busy location or existing event.
3. School Quiz Night
A quiz night can combine fundraising with a genuinely enjoyable community event.
Sell tables or individual tickets and encourage parents, teachers and friends of the school to form teams.
You can potentially increase the amount raised with extras such as raffles, auctions, food and refreshments.
Local businesses may also be willing to donate prizes in exchange for recognition during the evening.
Quiz nights do require more organisation than a simple product fundraiser, but they can be an excellent way to bring your school community together.
Best for: Schools with a strong parent and community network.
4. Bake Sale
Sometimes the simplest fundraising ideas are still among the most effective.
Ask families to contribute cakes, slices, biscuits and other baking, then sell them at school or as part of another event.
One advantage of a bake sale is that much of the stock can be donated, potentially keeping your upfront costs low.
Make sure food is handled appropriately and clearly identify ingredients or allergens where required.
Best for: Smaller fundraising targets or as an addition to a larger school event.
5. School Fun Run or Sponsored Walk
A sponsored walk, run or obstacle course gets students involved while encouraging friends and family to support them.
Set a distance or challenge appropriate for the students and ask participants to collect sponsorships.
You could make the event more entertaining with costumes, house competitions, colour themes or different challenges around the course.
The biggest advantage is that there isn't necessarily a physical product to purchase and distribute.
However, organising a large event means considering supervision, safety, permissions, weather and volunteer requirements.
Best for: Whole-school fundraising and schools wanting an active event.
6. School Disco
A school disco can be both a fundraiser and a memorable social event for students.
Charge an entry fee and consider selling snacks or drinks to generate additional fundraising income.
Different age groups can have separate sessions, and a theme can make the event more exciting.
Costs may include venue setup, music, decorations and refreshments, although using existing school facilities can keep expenses down.
You'll also need enough adults to supervise the event.
Best for: Primary and intermediate schools with suitable facilities and volunteers.
7. Mufti or Non-Uniform Day
For schools that normally have a uniform, a mufti day can be one of the easiest fundraising activities to organise.
Students make a small donation to wear non-uniform clothing for the day.
Add a theme such as:
- Favourite sports team
- Crazy socks
- Pyjama day
- Book character day
- Decades day
- Favourite colour
The amount raised per student may be relatively small, but the organisational requirements are also low.
Best for: Quick, simple fundraising with minimal setup.
8. Second-Hand School Uniform Sale
School uniforms can be expensive, and children have an inconvenient habit of growing.
A second-hand uniform sale can therefore solve two problems at once.
Ask families to donate good-quality uniforms their children have outgrown and sell them to other families at affordable prices.
Alternatively, the school or PTA could take a percentage of the selling price.
It helps families save money, keeps usable clothing in circulation and raises funds for the school.
Best for: Schools with uniforms and an established parent community.
9. School Fair or Market Day
A school fair can potentially generate significant fundraising income, but it is also one of the more labour-intensive options on this list.
Possible stalls and activities include:
- Food stalls
- Games
- Second-hand books
- Plants
- Baking
- Crafts
- Face painting
- Raffles
- Children's activities
- Local business stalls
Rather than relying on a single fundraising activity, a fair creates multiple opportunities to generate income during the same event.
The trade-off is the amount of planning, volunteer coordination and setup required.
Best for: Larger schools with an active PTA or strong volunteer network.
10. Plant Sale
A plant fundraiser can work particularly well in spring or around gardening season.
Families could contribute seedlings, herbs, vegetable plants, succulents or other plants, or your school could work with a nursery or supplier.
Students can even grow some of the plants themselves, adding an educational element to the fundraiser.
Promote the sale to parents, grandparents and the wider community rather than limiting it to school families.
Best for: Schools with gardening programmes or environmentally focused projects.
11. Raffle
A raffle can be relatively simple to organise if you can source appealing prizes.
Approach local businesses to see whether they would be willing to donate products, vouchers or experiences.
Creating one substantial prize package can sometimes be more attractive than offering lots of small prizes.
Remember to check the rules that apply to your particular raffle or fundraising activity before going ahead.
Best for: Schools with good relationships with local businesses and community organisations.
12. Sponsored Challenge
A sponsored challenge doesn't have to involve running.
Students could be sponsored to:
- Read a certain number of books
- Complete a skipping challenge
- Walk a set distance
- Reduce screen time
- Complete a fitness challenge
- Perform acts of kindness
- Participate in a school-wide activity
Try to connect the challenge to your school's values or the purpose of the fundraiser.
If you're raising money for sports equipment, for example, an active challenge makes sense. If you're raising money for the library, a reading challenge could be a natural fit.
Best for: Schools wanting students to be actively involved in the fundraising process.
13. School Calendar or Photo Fundraiser
Parents and grandparents often love keepsakes featuring their children.
A school calendar can include student artwork, photographs, important school dates or images from throughout the year.
Another option is to organise professional family photographs and receive a fundraising contribution from each booking or purchase.
These fundraisers can work particularly well later in the year when families are starting to think about Christmas gifts.
Best for: Schools looking for a fundraiser with a keepsake element.
14. Community Garage Sale
Ask families to donate good-quality items they no longer need, then hold a large garage sale at the school.
Possible items include:
- Toys
- Books
- Sports equipment
- Household goods
- Children's clothing
- Games
- Furniture
You can combine the garage sale with a sausage sizzle, bake sale or coffee stand to create additional fundraising opportunities.
The main challenge is collecting, sorting and displaying all the donated goods.
Best for: Schools with plenty of volunteer help and suitable storage space before the event.
15. Online Fundraising
Sometimes the biggest barrier to fundraising isn't finding willing supporters – it's making participation easy.
An online fundraiser allows families to share a link with friends, relatives, workmates and other supporters without relying entirely on face-to-face selling.
This can be particularly useful when grandparents or other family members live in different parts of New Zealand.
One example is My Fundraiser, where supporters order toilet paper online and choose the Good Cause they want to support.
The supporter places and pays for the order, their toilet paper is delivered directly to them, and the selected Good Cause receives $5.50 per box.
Best for: Schools wanting a lower-admin fundraiser that can be promoted online.
Visit My Fundraiser for more information.
How to Choose the Best Fundraising Idea for Your School
There's no single fundraising idea that's right for every school.
A useful way to decide is to compare each option based on profit potential, volunteer effort, upfront costs and complexity.
| Fundraising Idea | Volunteer Effort | Upfront Organisation | Weather Dependent? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet paper – traditional | Medium | Medium | No |
| Toilet paper – My Fundraiser | Low | Low | No |
| Sausage sizzle | Medium | Medium | Sometimes |
| Quiz night | High | High | No |
| Bake sale | Medium | Medium | No |
| Fun run | High | High | Yes |
| School disco | High | High | No |
| Mufti day | Low | Low | No |
| Uniform sale | Medium | Medium | No |
| School fair | High | High | Usually |
| Plant sale | Medium | Medium | Sometimes |
| Raffle | Medium | Medium | No |
| Sponsored challenge | Medium | Medium | Depends |
| Calendar/photo fundraiser | Medium | Medium | No |
| Garage sale | High | High | Sometimes |
Before committing, ask:
What is our fundraising target?
Raising $500 for classroom resources requires a very different strategy from raising $10,000 for a sports trip or major school project.
How many families will participate?
Don't automatically calculate your target based on the school's total roll. Estimate how many families are realistically likely to participate.
How much time do our volunteers have?
A school fair can be fantastic, but it isn't necessarily the right choice when only a handful of parents have time to organise it.
Are there significant upfront costs?
Look at your expected net fundraising return, not just total sales.
Will supporters actually want what we're offering?
This is particularly important with product fundraising. Products that people already use can make the decision to support your fundraiser easier.
A Simple School Fundraising Example
Imagine your school needs to raise $5,000 for a school trip.
You have 50 families actively participating.
That means the average fundraising target is:
$5,000 ÷ 50 families = $100 per family
Using Hygiene Direct's traditional toilet paper fundraiser, where the group makes $10 per box, each participating family would need to sell:
10 boxes × $10 = $100
Across 50 participating families:
50 × $100 = $5,000
Breaking a large fundraising goal into a target for each participating family can make the overall goal feel much more achievable.
Why Consider Toilet Paper for School Fundraising?
The idea behind toilet paper fundraising is very simple:
People already buy toilet paper.
Instead of asking supporters to purchase something purely because they want to help the school, you're offering an everyday household product they need anyway.
Hygiene Direct's existing fundraising programme has been used by New Zealand school groups, including the Kerikeri High School AIMS Football Team.
There are also two different approaches depending on your priorities:
Want to maximise the return per box?
Choose the traditional fundraiser and make $10 per box, with your group organising the bulk order and distribution.
Want to minimise administration?
Use My Fundraiser, where supporters order online and receive their purchases directly, while your Good Cause receives $5.50 per box.
Learn more about Hygiene Direct's toilet paper fundraising programme.
Make Your Next School Fundraiser Count
Successful school fundraising isn't necessarily about finding the cleverest idea.
It's about choosing a fundraiser that suits your goal, community and available volunteers.
A school with an enthusiastic PTA might decide that a large fair or quiz night is worth the effort. Another group might prefer a product fundraiser that can run without organising a major event. Others may combine several smaller fundraisers throughout the year.
Whatever you choose, set a clear target, make participation easy and tell supporters exactly what you're raising money for.
And if you're looking for a practical product fundraiser, consider something every household needs.
Hygiene Direct's toilet paper fundraising programme gives you the choice between earning $10 per box with traditional fundraising or $5.50 per box through My Fundraiser.
See how toilet paper fundraising works
You can also browse Hygiene Direct's toilet paper range or visit My Fundraiser to learn more about the online option.
Related Fundraising Guides
Continue planning your fundraiser with these Hygiene Direct guides:
- 10 Easy Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams & Clubs in NZ
- Toilet Paper Fundraising: How It Works & How Much You Can Raise
- Product Fundraising vs Event Fundraising: Which Is Better?
- How to Run a Successful School Fundraiser: Step-by-Step Guide