5 Unique Festive Fundraising Ideas For Your School or Nursery Every year when we go into schools, we hear teachers, admin staff and PTA members talking about fundraising. Not surprising, given it’s a core part of how schools are funded these days, but with so much else to think about the last thing staff and the PTA want to do is come up with new ideas to raise money. But now new reports say that schools in England are facing a funding crisis, as costs continue to soar and the cost of living crisis tightening everyone’s purse strings. So like it or not, PTAs need to get creative if they’re going to make up the shortfall and provide extra funds for their schools. So how about you do something different this year? How about one of these 5 ideas, to give you the edge and earn you some extra funds?

Gift Wrapping Services
Christmas is the one time of year that everyone needs gifts wrapping, and a lot of them! But wrapping presents isn’t a thing many people enjoy, and something your school can take advantage of. Gift wrapping services are a fantastic low-investment fundraising options for schools. Grab some volunteers and set yourself some tables packed with gift wrapping essentials – paper, Sellotape, tissue paper, bows and more. Then open up the doors on your
gift-wrapping day. Invite members of the community to bring in their gifts and have them wrapped.

You can charge per gift, or a flat fee with extra charges for finishing touches things like bows or tissue paper.

Breakfast With Santa
Want to do something really different and really memorable? Set up a breakfast with Santa! Set up your school hall to serve breakfast, and find a volunteer who is happy to dress up as Santa and interact with the kids while they eat.

Sell tickets in advance so that you know how many children you’re catering for, and take into account any special dietary requirements. You could keep it closed to just your students, or open it up to the wider community. Depending on how much you decide to charge, you could include a gift from Santa within the ticket price. Crackers and decorations on the table would be a nice extra touch. 

Christmas Movie Night
Who doesn’t love a Christmas film to get into the festive spirit? If you have a hall big enough, and the appropriate licences in place, why not use it to host a Christmas movie night? Invite the students and their families, set up your projector (or hire one out) and show a family friendly film. Tickets can be sold at a very low price to encourage whole families, and if you have enough volunteers, you can make or sell snacks on the night.

It’s also a good opportunity to hold a raffle with some donated prizes, giving you 3 different ways to raise money in one evening.

Virtual Santa Meetings
If a child has been at school for a while, they probably will have created Christmas cards made from their artwork for several years running! So why not try something a little different this year? Our virtual Santa meeting photos are a great way of bringing some Christmas joy to parents, creating unique gifts for Grandparents, and they’re super cute too! 

Here's how it works – either the school or the parents take a photograph of their child looking towards a light (with our guidance of course). A simple shot that can be taken on a phone or tablet. Our photographic whizzes can take that photo and merge it with a picture of the big man in red. Parents can then buy a photo of their little one meeting Santa as prints or gifts. Just like with their regular school photos, and the school gets their commission payment too! 

It's a unique take on the classic meeting Santa photos, but with a lot less organisation and crying children involved!

Wreath Making Workshops
The best Christmas magic is home-made, especially when times are so difficult. Putting on a wreath-making workshop is a great way to get your school involved in the festive spirit and make some money at the same time. Wreaths are an easy craft that even kids can get involved with, and they’re popular with the whole family. You could approach local businesses to donate materials like ribbons, pinecones and other decorations, and either bring in a local florist to run the workshop or do it yourself.

This idea works best if you have a lot of room available, but it can be quite lucrative too!


At Smiles at School we love Christmas time, and we love helping schools raise as much money as possible while celebrating it! We have a wide range of fundraising options that could slot perfectly into your school’s calendar and boost your earnings across the year. Yes, you read that right – we have ideas for the whole year, not just Christmas!

Want to know more? Just give us a call!