15 February Fundraising Ideas

Updated: December 2024

Summary:

• February is a great time for schools to fundraise. Ticket events like skate nights, hot chocolate bomb workshops, and pet selfie contests can bring in money and help students have fun, too.
• Fundraiser campaigns can help schools restock the library, buy winter gear for needy kids, and collect much-needed donations. Make it more fun with candy jar guessing games!
• Purchase campaigns help schools sell products or services, like marshmallow flowers, candygrams, babysitting time, hot chocolate spoons, or singing telegrams.
• Cupcake wars, balloon surprise games, chocolate fundraisers, and color wars are a fun way to break up late winter months for students.

The late winter months can be a challenging time to run effective school fundraisers. Donations tend to slow down right after Christmas, which can make it hard to run in-school programs, buy supplies for the classroom, or host special events.

It doesn’t have to be that way! With these 15 February fundraising ideas, schools and other K-12 groups can get people motivated to give again and have a little fun, too.

Schools across the country power their fundraising campaigns with FutureFund. 100% of all funds raised go directly to your school!

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1. Community skate night

A community skate night is a great way to let people cut loose and have a little fun while raising money for your school. Whether you host it at a local ice rink or go with roller skating instead, it’s a fun and effective fundraiser that also promotes healthy physical activity.

How to run a community skate night

• Start planning at least three months in advance for best results.
• Ask local rinks to donate time on the ice or provide a discount.
• Create a campaign on FutureFund to accept payments online.
• Use the Turnstile app to check people in at the door on skate night.

To make even more money during an event like this, have volunteers set up a drink and/or food stand on location. Ask local businesses to donate supplies, like soda and hot dogs and sell them for a small fee. Then, thank them with our free thank you letter template.

2. Hot chocolate bomb workshop

Have a parent—or local chocolatier, if you know one—donate their time to teach people how to make hot chocolate bombs. Sell tickets for virtual or in-person access to the workshop to raise money and/or pay for supplies.

How to run a chocolate bomb workshop

• Host it in-person, online or a mixture of both, depending on your needs.
• Sell tickets in advance if you need to raise money to cover supplies.
• Add value by having a local expert donate their time to lead the workshop
• Sell kits for people tuning in virtually with all necessary supplies.

With FutureFund’s campaign tools, you can pair this fun winter weather fundraiser with a second purchase campaign. Let people pre-order their kits by buying them as a product in your online store to reduce what your school has to pay out of pocket.

3. Pet selfie contest

A pet selfie contest is a great choice for K-12 school groups that want to fundraise, but don’t have a lot of money to spend on setup. All you really need to get started is a way for people to submit and view the photos. Winners get a prize, bragging rights, or both!

How to run a pet selfie contest

• Use FutureFund’s messaging tools to spread the word and share photos from the contest on social media.
• Run a ticket campaign to charge an entry fee and accept payments online.
• Set a theme that fits the month of February, like “Winter Fun” or “Valentine’s Day.”
• Promote it early and often—selfie contests work best when lots of people take part.

To really take this one to the next level, open it up to the local community and create a hype video to share on social media before the contest starts. Just be sure to ask parents if it’s okay for kids to take part—use our free permission slip template as a guide.

4. Warm Hearts, Warm Hands fundraiser

Launch a fundraising campaign to collect donations of cash to buy items like coats, snow pants, mittens, hats, or school supplies for students in need. Use our built-in progress meter to track your campaign and share the results in real time.

How to run a Warm Hearts, Warm Hands fundraiser

• Set a date at least three months in advance to allow for planning.
• Run the campaign all throughout February to give people time to chip in.
• Set up to four tiers and include a suggested donation for best results.
• Accept payments offline or through Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Cashapp.

This can also be a great way to add money to your school’s emergency fund during the post-Christmas slump when donations tend to taper off.

5. “Love Your Library” fundraiser

February is all about love, but that doesn’t mean you need to focus on romance or friendship. Use the opportunity to raise money for new books to fill up the school library or build an in-class library to inspire a love of reading in students all year round.

How to run a Love Your Library fundraiser

• Ask library staff to help you set goals and identify any special needs.
• Use FutureFund to track donations and accept payments online.
• Ask local businesses to sponsor the library with a cash donation or books.
• Buy from used bookstores to cut costs and make donations go further.

Use our free sponsor request template as a guide when reaching out to local businesses, but consider including a handwritten note or card from a student. You can also apply to receive free books from organizations like First Book, Book Trust, or Lisa Libraries.

6. Candy jar guessing game

Fill a large jar with jelly beans, sweet hearts, or some other kind of candy and display it somewhere in school. Have students guess the total number of candies in the jar. The closest guess, or first person to get it right, gets to take it home!

How to run a candy jar guessing game

• Set up your campaign on FutureFund to accept up to four donation tiers online.
• Spread the word by sharing pictures of the jar in emails and social media posts.
• Offer a prize in lieu for kids who can’t consume candy for medical reasons.
• Announce the winner on social media—with a picture, if possible!

If your school doesn’t have any budget to spare, reach out to local candy shops and ask them if they’d be willing to sponsor you with a discount or supplies.

7. Marshmallow flowers

Sell marshmallow flowers to students or set up a delivery system so a student can pay to have them delivered to a classmate. They’re easy to make: just skewer a marshmallow on a food-grade stick, dip it in chocolate, and sprinkle it with pink, red, or white sprinkles.

How to sell marshmallow flowers

• Ask local businesses to donate supplies to make the flowers.
• Use FutureFund to recruit and manage volunteers who want to help.
• Make flowers in the week before the sale to avoid treats going stale.
• Accept payments in person or right from your campaign page.

To make this a fun activity for older students, have them make the marshmallows in your school kitchen as a class project. Wrap each one in cellophane and tie it shut with ribbon. Or, set up a full-scale candy bar in the gym instead.

8. Valentine’s Day candygrams

Candygrams are simple and effective! Students pay to send a small bag of candy hearts to their friends during the school day. Sell them in advance from your FutureFund store, then have them delivered to the classroom on or near Valentine’s Day.

How to run a candygram fundraiser

• Schedule it on or near Valentine’s Day to get better results.
• Add value by letting kids include a note or card with each candygram.
• Keep costs down by focusing on affordable candy, like lollipops.
• Include nut-free candy to make it inclusive for kids with allergies.

If you don’t have the budget available to buy supplies for an event like this, reach out to local businesses, parents, or your local community for help. Ask them to donate candy, premade bags, or cash—use our free email templates to nurture those new relationships over time.

9. Hot chocolate spoon sale

All you’ll need for this one is some melted chocolate, a spoon mold, marshmallows, and sprinkles. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double-boiler, then mold the spoons and add sprinkles. Once they’re dry, add them to a bag with marshmallows and tie it off with a ribbon.

How to run a hot chocolate spoon sale

• Set a date at least two months in advance to allow time for planning.
• Use FutureFund to recruit volunteers who can help make spoons.
• Buy ingredients in bulk to help keep costs down for better returns.
• Promote it in school, on social media, and across the local community.

In most states and provinces, cottage food laws make it possible to sell low-risk food items like these without a permit. Your local health department can confirm if you aren’t sure.

10. Valentine’s Day babysitting services

This one focuses on giving stressed-out parents a much-needed break! Ask older students to donate their time to babysit on Valentine’s Day. Have parents pay a flat rate fee to request a sitter for a few hours so they can sneak off for a date.

How to sell Valentine’s Day babysitting services

• Vet students carefully to make sure they’re qualified and trustworthy.
• Set clear rules for sitters and parents to keep everyone safe.
• Include guidelines for pick-up/drop-off times and emergency protocols.
• Use FutureFund to collect payments online.

To make this one even more exciting—and add a little adult supervision—run it as a Valentine’s Day party in the school gym. Serve pizza or put out a candy table while students lead their charges through activities, like coloring, crafting, or playing spots.

11. Singing telegrams

Singing telegrams are a fun way to raise money for important school causes. As with candygrams, students pay a flat rate for someone to go class to class and sing to a specific person. Songs can be heartfelt and sweet, or purposefully off-key and silly for lots of laughs!

How to sell singing telegrams

• Set a date at least two months in advance to allow time for planning.
• Use FutureFund to recruit and manage volunteers who want to sing.
• Set rules for songs to keep it age-appropriate, like no explicit lyrics.
• Promote it in school and in emails to parents to help spread the word.

To keep the process simple, charge a flat rate for one song—but set a maximum length to keep it fair—no hour-long renditions of “Baby Shark!” allowed.

12. Color war

This activity is completely adaptable to your budget and your school! Break students up into color groups randomly or by class and ask them to wear that color each day. Set up activities and let them compete for points or the top spot!

How to run a color war

• Set a timeframe—host it on a single day, or stretch it out over a week.
• Set rules for activities and keep them age-appropriate to ensure safety.
• Use FutureFund to track pledges and collect payments from donors.
• Keep score with built-in student leaderboards and personal pages.

Students can collect pledges per win, in exchange for points, or just for participating in the war at all. Activities aren’t limited to sports, either—art battles, penny wars, writing contests, and scavenger hunts can be just as fun!

13. Cupcake war

For a cupcake war, have contestants sign up ahead of time and volunteer to bring three dozen cupcakes to be tasted, judged, and sold on event day. Give each variety or style a number and sell them for $2-5 each. Each buyer gets a ticket they can use to vote on their favorite flavors and styles—1 ticket equals 1 vote.

How to run a cupcake war

• Set clear rules for judging to ensure fairness and consistency.
• Promote it through social media, flyers, word of mouth, and emails.
• Use FutureFund to send waivers and updates to parents and students.
• Keep it safe by having each contestant post an ingredient list at their table.

You can also run this as a ticket event—charge a small entry fee from your FutureFund campaign page that gives each person one free cupcake and vote. Or, do both!

14. Balloon surprise

This is a great fundraising activity to schedule during a winter fair or on Valentine’s Day. Write sweet or encouraging notes on tiny pieces of paper—or pick some of the prizes on this list, if that’s an option. Put each one inside a red or pink balloon, blow it up, and tie it off. Charge students a small fee to pop a single balloon and collect whatever’s inside.

How to run a balloon surprise event

• Pick a theme like Valentine’s Day, love, or winter to keep it cohesive.
• Ask local businesses to donate prizes, like gift cards or movie tickets.
• Build excitement by teasing potential prizes on social media.
• Keep it fair by limiting each student to one high-value prize.

For simple kindness notes or smaller prizes, students can pop and keep as many balloons as they’re willing to pay for. Have someone accept payments at the door, or buy a roll of raffle tickets and sell them in advance.

15. Chocolate fundraisers

Companies like See’s Candies and World’s Finest are in the business of selling chocolate already, but they’re also happy to help schools fundraise. With See’s, schools can sell right from their own online store and keep up to 50% of the profit. World’s Finest extends credit to public schools to help keep upfront costs down.

How to run a chocolate fundraiser

• Ask administrators if they have rules for fundraisers like these.
• Pick a supplier with a strong reputation for helping schools.
• Read the fine print—be sure you fully understand the terms and conditions.
• Use FutureFund to link to your fundraiser right from your online store.

Students can sell chocolates to their families and friends, or go door-to-door in the local community.

Nail your fundraising goals with FutureFund

At FutureFund, we know how much K-12 school groups rely on fundraisers to bring in the money they need to fund important causes throughout the year. Our campaign tools have features that can help organizers recruit and manage volunteers, communicate with parents, sell products, accept donations, and so much more.

Schools that sign up get full access to all of FutureFund’s features, whether they’re launching 100 campaigns or just one. But the best feature of all? It’s all FREE—and it always will be. Keep every cent you make right where it matters most: in the hands of your K-12 group. Get started right now and launch your first campaign in five minutes or less. It’s that simple!