School fundraising ideas, month by month
A year of fundraising ideas for Irish primary school parents' associations, planned around the school calendar so you never clash with mid-term.
Updated 5 October 2026
The best fundraisers fit the school year: something light while families settle in, a big one before Christmas, and a few smaller events in spring. Two or three good fundraisers a year usually beat ten small ones, and keep volunteers from burning out. Check the school holidays before you pick dates.
September
- Welcome coffee morning for new junior infant parents. Small money, big goodwill, and a great way to find new volunteers.
- Uniform swap or second-hand uniform sale.
October
- Halloween disco or fancy-dress day, held in the week before the October mid-term.
- Order children's artwork Christmas cards now, so they arrive in time.
November
- Readathon. Dark evenings are good reading time, and it finishes before the Christmas rush. How to run one.
- Christmas card and calendar orders go home.
December
- Christmas fair, with a cake sale, hamper raffle and Santa's grotto.
- Carol singing at a local shopping centre, with permission.
January
- A quiet month for families after Christmas. A non-uniform day or a sponsored "healthy habits" challenge works better than asking for big money.
February
- Pancake Tuesday sale or St Brigid's Day craft sale, either side of the February mid-term.
- Start planning the spring fundraiser.
March
- Seachtain na Gaeilge events, like a céilí or tráth na gceist (table quiz).
- World Book Day readathon or book swap.
- Table quiz for parents in a local venue: one of the best earners for the effort.
April
- Easter egg hunt or Easter raffle, in the weeks before the Easter holidays.
May
- Sponsored walk, cycle or "laps of the yard" for every class. Log laps by class to keep it competitive.
- Plant sale or bag-pack at a local supermarket.
June
- Summer fair or cake stall at sports day.
- Thank-you for volunteers, and write up your handover notes for next year's committee.
A few rules of thumb
- Agree each fundraiser and what the money is for with the principal before you announce it.
- Raffles count as lotteries under Irish gambling law, and the rules are changing as the new Gambling Regulatory Authority takes over licensing. Check whether you need a permit or licence before you sell tickets.
- Keep receipts and record every event's income and costs in your accounts.
- Thank people quickly and tell them what their money paid for. It's what brings them back next time.
Running a readathon or sponsored walk? primaryschool.ie gives you a free page where parents log books or laps by class, with a live leaderboard. See how it works.
Sources
- Citizens Information: The law on gambling in Ireland
- Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland: Charitable and philanthropic licences
- Seachtain na Gaeilge
Rules and rates change. Check the official source before you rely on a detail, and tell us at [email protected] if something's out of date.