My son is in a small private school and we did a fundraiser last year with a small business that makes handmade soap and lotions, etc.

We got 50% profit, and sales were great since it was a small business and our parents liked the idea of supporting both the school and the business. I don't think I can post the name of the business on here because it might come off as an ad.

That's a thought that seemed original to us and netted quite a bit of money for our school

I should have mentioned one fundraiser our small Elementary school did, 480+ students K-6. Basically my wife and another mom went to local businesses and asked for donations they could raffle off.

Baskets of items were created such as Movie Night which included free movie rentals, popcorn, candy, beverages, etc for a perfect movie night at home. Other baskets included Pampered Mom (Bath & Body Works & similar items), Games Night (Many family type board games & treats), Dad's Dream (items from Lowes, Home Depot etc), Healthy Cooking (Boxed & canned items, Cook books, Steamer, Certificate for fresh veggies at local grocery store), Night Out (Movie, dinner, hotel), Kayak, free Pontoon rental, free downhill ski night package for 4, etc.

Raffle tickets were then sold. We raised nearly $2000 and it was almost pure profit...they had to buy those little tickets like the ones at Chuckee Cheeses and a couple baskets since we didn't have enough baskets donated for all the baskets created.

I know they are planning for this coming year due to the great response we had this year without any advertising. This was done at a "family night" at school.

I want to know what fundraiser raised the most money for your school. It should be based on cost, overall appeal, and ease of distribution since it shouldn't be just about the money raised or else we may as well sell inappropriate items such as drugs.

Was it a specific item such as MM's, Candy Bars, Pizzas, etc?

We had one very successful fundraiser last year, but I am not sure I can say what it was without "Advertising" their business.

I am sure our district is like all others in that you are bombarded with fundraising ideas and can only pick a few without overwhelming the children, families, and customers.

My goal is to compile a small list of successful ideas. This does not include one company which we tried to sell $21 containers of Carmel Popcorn among other overpriced popcorn packages. I think someone was in awe of the money we could make on 1 sale but did not take into account who can afford a bucket of $21 popcorn or similarly overpriced items.

My wife belongs to our local PTO and helps with fundraisers including Soup Labels, Box Tops, Milk Caps etc and it just blows my mind how little they make for all the work they do.

TIA for you responses!