A school fundraising project is just about as old as school itself. It is quite possible that Socrates sent his students out to raise money for various school activities. For modern day students, there are a number of tried and true moneymakers.
First off, of course, is the question of scale, just how big and fancy a fundraiser can a PTA or individual class do? They certainly are not in the same league as something like First Book or the Red Cross. No, they have to shoot for something smaller. But then, they generally need smaller sums. One excellent method of raising some cash is the bake sale. Each parent and/or student gets a simple cake mix (the Jiffy brand is usually quite inexpensive) for a couple dollars, bakes it up, ices it, and brings it to school. Even selling each slice for only a quarter or fifty cents will bring in a return on their investment. For a class trying to raise money for a field trip, it is a splendid idea. As is having the children do some kind of arts and crafts and then selling them. Again, the initial cash outlay can be minimal and the children have great fun doing it. Also, very often the parents will buy the items (no matter what their appearance, just because their child made it).
Now, if it is the whole school that is getting involved, something larger can be done. There are many companies that sell nuts candies, fruits, candles etc. specifically as a way for schools to raise money. Normally, this requires the children to go door to door and solicit orders. Some parents tend to shy away from that, these days they don’t like the idea of their little ones knocking on strangers’ doors. So, there is the rummage sale. All the families donate any unwanted items from their home, the children run off fliers, and then they set the stuff out on tables – usually in the gym or cafeteria, any large multi-purpose room the school has.
Finally, every school has some kinds of clubs, and they too often need to do some kind of fundraising. With them, often the method is tied to what they do. Cheerleader squads and football teams will sometimes work together on a car wash. If the school has a JROTC unit, they will do a turkey shoot. A chess club might hold a contest; let the parents try their hand at beating the best students. Very often, a local trophy store will even donate the awards given out to the winners. So, it’s easy to see that there is a wide variety of school fundraising ideas to select from.