School fundraising can feel like one more spinning plate in a term that’s already overflowing. Budgets are tighter. Staffing is stretched. Everyone is juggling competing priorities. Yet the expectation to “bring in a bit more income” hasn’t gone away – if anything, it’s grown.
This blog is for School Business Leaders, finance leads and fundraising/community leads who want realistic, sustainable school fundraising ideas that respect staff time and still raise meaningful income.
Rather than another long list of themed dress-up days and cake sales, we’ll look at approaches that:
- Start from staff and volunteer capacity, not wishful thinking
- Deliver a clear return on the time and energy you invest
- Strengthen relationships with your community and partners
- Support a wider income generation for schools strategy (rather than quick, one-off fixes)
If your goal is to build calmer, more sustainable income rather than chase the next gimmick, this is for you.
Why fundraising feels so hard right now
For most schools and trusts, the pressure on income has never been higher. Rising costs, pay awards, energy prices and increased pupil needs all bite into already stretched budgets. At the same time, there’s only so much capacity – practical and emotional – that staff and volunteers can give.
A few common themes come up again and again when we talk to school leaders. Against that backdrop, fundraising can start to feel like one more problem rather than part of the solution.
That’s why it helps to step back and reframe the question. Instead of asking, “What else can we do to raise money?”, ask:
“Given the capacity we actually have this term, what fundraising activity will make the most difference for the least additional stress?”
The rest of this guide is built around that more honest, sustainable starting point.
Principles for sustainable school fundraising
Before you look at specific fundraising for schools ideas, it’s worth agreeing a few principles. These will help you and your colleagues decide what to say yes to – and, importantly, what to say no to.
Start with capacity, not a wish-list
Be realistic about how much time, energy and headspace people truly have this term.
- Workload is already at breaking point. Staff are covering gaps, supporting complex pupil needs and dealing with constant change. The idea of “just” organising another event can feel impossible.
- Traditional fundraising is exhausting. Non-uniform days, raffles, bake sales, quiz nights – they all have their place, but an “always on” calendar quickly leads to fatigue and dwindling enthusiasm.
- Small gains can come at a high cost. By the time you’ve planned, promoted, risk-assessed, staffed, set up, run, tidied up and counted the takings, that £300 profit may not feel worth it.
- It’s easy to slip into firefighting. When every pound matters, it’s tempting to say yes to anything that might bring in a bit of income, even if it clashes with your values or adds yet another demand on staff time.
It can be helpful to map the year and explicitly mark busier periods. Then choose fundraising activity that fits the quieter patches, rather than trying to force something into an already intense half term.
- How many after-school or weekend commitments can you reasonably ask of staff and volunteers?
- Which months are already overloaded with exams, reports, key events or inspections?
- Where are the non-negotiables in your calendar that fundraising must work around?
Fewer, better activities
A packed calendar of small events might look productive, but it often spreads goodwill – and capacity – far too thinly.
Instead, aim for:
- A small number of well-planned activities that you can properly resource
- Fundraisers that are worth repeating and refining over several years
- Clear alignment with your wider income generation ideas for schools, so each activity plays a role in the bigger picture
Doing less, better, is almost always more sustainable than trying to do everything.
Think repeatable, not one-off
Whenever you consider a new fundraising idea, ask:
- Could we run this every year (or every two years) with less effort next time?
- Can we create templates, checklists and role descriptions so knowledge isn’t stuck with one person?
- Does this help us build relationships – with families, local organisations or partners – that grow over time?
Repeatable formats reduce planning time and make it easier to bring new people into the process.
Protect your values and trust
Not every fundraising idea is a good fit for every school. Before saying yes, sense-check:
- Does this sit comfortably with our ethos and values?
- How might families, pupils and staff perceive this activity?
- Are there any unintended consequences for inclusion, dignity or safeguarding?
If an idea risks undermining trust for a short-term gain, it’s almost certainly not worth it.
With those principles in mind, let’s look at some practical school fundraising ideas that can work hard for you without burning everyone out.
Partnership and sponsorship ideas that work hard for you
Working with partners and sponsors can be one of the most efficient ways to raise additional income – if it’s done thoughtfully. Rather than one-off cheques, the focus is on long-term relationships that bring value to both sides.
Local business sponsorship of facilities and projects
Many local businesses are keen to be seen supporting education in their community. This could include:
- Playground or outdoor space improvements – for example, a local builder or garden centre sponsoring new seating, planters or equipment.
- Library or reading area refreshes – with a bookshop, publisher or community group helping to fund new stock or furniture.
- Sports, music or arts programmes – where local companies sponsor kit, instruments or competition entries.
In return, sponsors might receive:
- Acknowledgement on signage or display boards
- Mentions in newsletters, programmes or on your website
- Invitations to key events (within safeguarding boundaries)
Supporter tiers that are simple to manage
To keep things manageable, you can package opportunities into a small number of supporter tiers, for example:
- Bronze supporter – logo on the school website and termly newsletter mention
- Silver supporter – all of the above, plus logo on event programmes
- Gold supporter – all of the above, plus a named sponsorship of a particular area or project
This avoids bespoke arrangements every time and makes it easier to explain the offer when you approach businesses.
Partnerships, not just sponsorship
Think beyond cash. A good partnership might involve:
- Staff time – for careers talks, mentoring, enterprise projects or mock interviews
- Access to facilities – such as meeting rooms, venues or specialist equipment
- Joint events that benefit both the school and the organisation
The key is clarity: who is giving what, when, and how it will be recognised.
Getting support to design and nurture partnerships
Identifying, approaching and managing partners takes planning and confidence. This is where working with a specialist can help.
Organisations like Chameleon Consultancy & Training work with schools and trusts to design sustainable, ethical income generating projects in school settings, including partnership and sponsorship strategies that respect staff capacity.
They can help you:
- Map potential partners in your local area and beyond
- Develop realistic offers that you can actually deliver
- Put simple stewardship plans in place so partners feel valued over time
Making better use of your school site and facilities
Your school site is one of your greatest assets. Used carefully, it can generate steady, predictable income without placing a heavy burden on staff. The goal is fundraising for schools that makes sensible use of your space, rather than turning your team into full-time facilities managers.
Sensible, manageable lettings
Out-of-hours lettings can work well when you:
- Focus on a small number of regular bookings rather than ad-hoc one-offs
- Choose activities that fit your safeguarding, parking and neighbourhood context (for example, adult education classes, yoga, language classes, community meetings)
If your trust has multiple sites, there may be opportunities to coordinate lettings centrally so individual schools aren’t reinventing the wheel.
Clear processes that keep admin under control
Lettings can quickly become a drain if every query lands in the school office inbox. To avoid this:
- Set clear pricing, terms and cancellation policies up front
- Use standard enquiry and booking forms
- Agree who can approve which types of lettings
- Automate, where possible, confirmation emails, invoices and reminders
- Build lettings checks into existing caretaking or site management routines
The aim is to create a system that largely runs itself once set up, with minimal “extra” work.
Example formats that work for many schools
Depending on your context, you might explore:
- Evening classes, run by external providers using your classrooms or IT suites
- Sports clubs using your hall or pitches on set evenings each week
- Community meet-ups, such as parent and toddler groups, uniform swaps or local association meetings
- Professional development venues, where your site is used for training days, conferences or networks
Each of these can provide a predictable income stream once established.
Light-touch community events that don’t burn everyone out
Community events can be powerful – they strengthen relationships as well as raising funds. The challenge is running them in a way that doesn’t leave everyone exhausted.
A small number of anchor events
Rather than a constant stream of small fundraisers, consider naming one or two anchor events each year, for example:
- A summer fair, with a mix of stalls, games and performances
- A winter event, such as a festive market, carol evening or seasonal concert
These can then be planned well in advance, with clear roles and realistic expectations.
Share the workload across staff, PTA and volunteers
Successful events usually involve a mix of people:
- Senior leaders and School Business Leaders, who set the parameters (budget, timings, risk appetite)
- Staff, who may contribute ideas, run particular activities or support on the day
- PTA or Friends groups, who often take the lead on logistics and volunteer recruitment
- Wider volunteers (including older pupils), who can help with set-up, stewarding and clear-up
Being explicit about who is responsible for what – and where the limits are – helps avoid assumptions and last-minute panics.
Make events accessible and realistic for your context
Every school is different. Consider:
- Space: If you have limited outdoor space, could you use corridors, classrooms or the hall creatively, or partner with a nearby venue?
- Volunteer capacity: If you’re short on volunteers, keep the offer simple – fewer stalls done well, rather than cramming in every possible idea.
- Inclusivity: Ensure pricing and activities are accessible so all families feel able to take part.
Remember: the measure of success isn’t just how much money you raise on the day. It’s also the goodwill and connection you build.
Deciding what’s worth the effort
One of the most useful steps you can take is to adopt a simple framework for assessing new school fundraising ideas. When someone suggests, “Why don’t we…?”, you can run the idea through a quick sense-check rather than relying on gut feel.
A simple evaluation matrix
You might create a basic matrix or checklist that scores each idea against a few factors:
- Expected income – low / medium / high
- Time required – how many hours of planning, preparation and delivery?
- Complexity and risk – safeguarding, health and safety, reputational risk, cash handling
- Alignment with values – does it fit your ethos and community?
- Repeatability – is this a one-off, or something you could refine and run again?
An idea that scores high income, low time, low risk, strong alignment and good repeatability is a clear candidate to explore.
An idea that looks fun but scores low income, high time and high complexity may be one you politely park.
Giving yourself permission to say no
Perhaps the most powerful outcome of using a framework like this is cultural. It gives leaders and staff a shared language for saying:
“Thank you for the suggestion – when we look at the time and complexity involved, this one doesn’t quite stack up for us right now.”
That protects staff wellbeing and helps you stay focused on the fundraisers that truly move the dial.
Next steps – building fundraising into a wider income strategy
Fundraising is just one part of the bigger picture. The most resilient schools and trusts treat it as a layer within a broader plan for income generation for schools – one that also includes bids, grants and strategic partnerships.
You might:
- Use the principles in this blog to review your current fundraising calendar
- Identify one or two activities that could be scaled back, paused or stopped
- Highlight one or two sustainable ideas you’d like to grow over the next year
- Consider how fundraising sits alongside other income strands like grants, commercial activity and partnership work
If you’d like support to take the next step, specialist partners can help you design a realistic, sustainable income plan that respects staff capacity and reflects your school or trust’s values. Chameleon Consultancy & Training does exactly this – working with schools and MATs to build calm, strategic approaches to income, rather than constant firefighting.
Talk to Chameleon about sustainable income generation
If you’d like help designing sustainable, realistic income generation for your school or trust, get in touch with Chameleon Consultancy & Training.
You can explore their dedicated income generation for schools service and contact Justin Smith and the team via the contact page, email
The right school fundraising ideas should respect staff time, strengthen relationships and form part of a calmer, more sustainable approach to income – not add to the sense of overwhelm. With a clear strategy and the right support, that balance is absolutely possible.