Yes, PTOs Are Selling Coffee in the Drop-off Line as a Fundraiser—How to Do It

By now, you've probably seen the viral iced coffee in the school drop-off line fundraiser meme and wondered, "is this amazing idea actually possible?!". We're here to let you know that yes, it very much is, and we have the tips and templates you need to make it happen at your school.

Below, get the scoop on how your PTO can turn selling iced or bottled coffee (and even energy drinks) in the school drop-off line into a downright successful fundraiser. Plus, download our FREE bundle of school coffee in the carline fundraiser templates, featuring a flyer with a drink menu and an order form, and "Sip, Sip, Hooray...Have a Great Day" note cards for parents who want to send a surprise morning pick-me-up to a teacher!

@cfsknights ☕️ From idea ➡️ reality! Remember those TikToks about how PTA should sell iced coffee in the drop-off line? Well, we did it! 🙌 PTF had the BEST morning serving up vanilla + caramel iced coffees, and raising funds, to spoil our amazing teachers. ❤️🖤 Knights know how to start the day right! #icedcoffee #PTA #schoolfundraiser #coffeelovers #fundraiserideas ♬ original sound - CFS

Parents are already in the drop-off line every morning, so offering caffeinated drinks that they're probably going to grab anyway not only raises money for your PTO, but also creates a fun touchpoint between your PTO and families. It's an opportunity for your PTO to interact with parents in a fun and useful way—and you just might get a few new volunteers while you're at it! 

3 ways to do a school coffee fundraiser at morning drop-off

1. Brew it yourself: Keep it simple with hot coffee in large air pots or a big-batch of cold brew. To serve about 100 cups (8 oz each, with ice), you’ll need roughly 6¼ gallons of coffee. Brew strong coffee the night before, chill it in large pitchers or beverage dispensers, and pour orders over ice in the morning. Make sure to have plenty of cups, lids, stirrers, milk, and sweeteners so the line keeps moving smoothly.

Christian Fellowship School PTF in Columbia, MO (featured in the TikTok above) shared that it cost their parent group about $.75 - $1 to make and they sold for $6 a cup. They purchased their ingredients from Sam’s Club and the cups from Amazon, brewed the coffee, and just added creamer! They pre-brewed their coffee the night before, poured it into a 5 gallon Igloo jug, and stored in the walk-in fridge to cool. 

2. Sell ready-to-go bottled drinks: To keep things really simple, skip the brewing and sell bottled Starbucks Frappuccino drinks or Dunkin’ iced coffees, along with energy drinks like Alani Nu or Red Bull. Buying bottled drinks in bulk from warehouse stores like Costco, Sam's Club, and BJs keeps costs low, and starting with just one or two drink options makes setup easy and fast.

Christian Fellowship School PTF branded their energy drinks by naming them after their school mascot—the Knight Charger!—and charged $8 per drink. 

3. Turn it into a teacher appreciation fundraiser instead. If your PTO is concerned with traffic jams in the morning as parents wait out their orders, invite parents to purchase a cup of coffee or a bottled drink for a teacher or staff member instead. That way, there's no waiting for their drink order. Parents simply fill out the order form along with the teacher appreciation note card (included in our free coffee fundraiser bundle). Then, your PTO delivers drink orders to teachers after drop-off. It's an easy way to raise money while providing a fun treat for teachers in the morning! 

The logistics of doing a school coffee fundraiser at morning drop-off 

A coffee fundraiser only works if it doesn’t create car-line chaos! Here are a few options we're seeing PTOs use across social media:

• Drive-thru: Have multiple PTO volunteers along the line to take order forms and payments quickly and pass drinks through windows. Keeping the menu short—like just iced coffee with or without creamer, or bottled drinks—helps the line move fast.
• Coffee stand: Some groups avoid the car line altogether by setting up a small table in the lot or grassy area where parents can pull over and walk up. This keeps traffic flowing and still gets plenty of sales, and is totally doable if your school has ample parking nearby.
• Hybrid option: Hold drive-thru service on special days, like National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, and a set up a weekly stand for consistency (for example, every Friday during the month of October).

@chicbox Coffee Friday at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School #coffeefriday #holynameofjesusschool #coffeecart #schoolsale #fundraiser #cartsale #chiccart ♬ Akon's Beautiful Day - Akon

Supplies your PTO will need to do a coffee fundraiser in the school drop-off line

• Our FREE bundle of school coffee in the carline fundraiser templates (this free Canva template includes a fundraiser flyer with drink menu and order form, plus "Sip, Sip, Hooray...Have a Great Day" note cards for parents who want to surprise a teacher with a little pick-me-up!)

• Iced coffee cups, lids and straws (Amazon)
• Optional, but a fun way to lift spirits at drop-off: inspirational stickers to add to coffee cups (Amazon) 
• Coffee (for 100 8 oz. cups with ice, you’ll need roughly 6¼ gallons of coffee)
• If you're brewing your own coffee ahead of time, use a 5 gallon Igloo jug to store it in 
• Creamer (tip: add some seasonal fun by offering flavored creamers like Pumpkin Spice in the fall and Peppermint Mocha in the winter)
• Ice
• Ready-to-go bottled coffee drinks, like Starbucks Frappuccino or Dunkin' Iced Coffee
• Bottled energy drinks, like Alani Nu or Red Bull, as a caffeinated alternative to coffee 
• Got a few fun volunteers? Encourage them to dress up in coffee costumes at morning drop-off. This excitement gets your fundraiser noticed, gets kids egging their parents on to participate, and boosts sales. We love this iced coffee costume (Amazon)! 

Tips from real PTOs that have done a school car line coffee fundraiser 

• Always get approval from school admin first, especially when it could affect the carline. Have alternative options at the ready, like the park-and-walk stand, in case traffic jams are too much of a concern. 
• Keep it simple! Offer a simple menu—like black iced coffee, or iced coffee with one or two types of flavored creamer—or even just ready-to-go caffeinated bottled drinks. Parents order ahead of time, then pick up during drop-off.

• Keep pricing simple (like $5 per drink); offer both cash and digital options like Venmo if allowed. Many PTOs who have successfully done this fundraiser charge $5 to $6 per drink. Some will also throw in a free donut (while supplies last) to sweeten the deal! Check with local donut shops to see if they're willing to donate free donuts for your PTO. In exchange, add their logo with a thank you when you advertiser your fundraiser. Watch for sales on bottled caffeinated drinks at the grocery and warehouse stores. Stock up when warehouse clubs put energy drinks like Alani Nu on sale.
• Tiffany Goran from the Christian Fellowship School PTF in Columbia, MO, shares with us, "We had a great time with our drive-thru coffee fundraiser! We made 500% profit based on what we purchased versus our sales, which was about 85-100 cups per day for two days - plus our families were generous in providing additional donations and "tips". To keep costs down, we brewed dour own coffee and placed it in an Igloo cooler in the fridge overnight. We offered two flavors (which were just flavored creamers from Sam's Club) and filled cups we purchased on Amazon with ice, cold coffee, creamer, and that was it! We charged $6 per cup of iced coffee. The second day, we offered a third flavored creamer option (pumpkin spice!), and a Red Bull drink that we named after our school mascot - we charged $8 for those. We kept the line running smoothly by pre-making so many of each flavor, with one volunteer constantly making more. We had a few volunteers "taking orders" at cars and accepting only exact cash or the ability to charge your school account. Then they would yell back the order and a "runner" would bring whatever coffee they ordered over. We only offered this during drop-off time, which is about a 45 minute window, so this was a quick and easy fundraiser for us!"
• Make it fun! Offer a special teacher appreciation “boost” where parents can buy a coffee or energy drink for a teacher or staff member, and volunteers deliver it after morning drop-off. Use our Canva template for a note ("Sip, sip, hooray...have a great day! Special delivery for: [teacher's name]). Someone in the drop-off line was thinking of you, and wanted to surprise you with a little boost!"
• Think through payments. Prepay options are popular, but parents may not be allowed to use phones in a school zone. Alternatives include presale tickets and order forms (use our free Canva template below) or simple cash only sales (let parents know ahead of time no change to keep the line moving).  Ferrisburgh Central School PTO used a free online payment platform so that parents could pre-order their iced coffee online the week ahead. The pre-pay approach allowed the line to keep moving, as parents could just roll up and give their e-ticket number to the PTO volunteer in exchange for their labeled cup of joe. 

• Borrow equipment. One PTO borrowed a church’s industrial coffee pot and used large canisters to keep coffee hot.
• Presell orders if possible. Send home flyers, collect orders ahead of time, and hand out tickets to redeem during drop-off. This keeps the car line moving and avoids handling cash on the spot. Mabel Padgett Elementary PTO in Goodyear, Arizona, shares that they did a pre-order sign up online and parents got a QR code after payment. The PTO then scanned the QR code to confirm they had paid. The PTO also did a pre-order for staff and had student council deliver it.
• Use car rider numbers. Some groups tie preorders to car tag numbers, then radio down when a parent arrives so volunteers can have their order ready.
• Promote your PTO's coffee fundraiser ahead of time in newsletters, on social media, and with signs at morning drop-off.
• Share what your coffee fundraiser will fund, like playground updates, a field trip, a student assembly, etc. When parents know where their money is going, they're more likely to participate. 

Coffee in the Carline School Fundraiser (Free Printables)

This free bundle of coffee in the carline school fundraiser printables includes:

• Iced coffee in the drop-off line school fundraiser announcement flyer
• Drink menu and order form
• Sip, Sip, Hooray...Have a Great Day note cards for parents who want to purchase a surprise coffee for a teacher

DOWNLOAD FREE BUNDLE

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