15 March Madness Fundraising Ideas For Schools

Updated: December 2024

Summary:

• March Madness is an elimination tournament originally used for college basketball—but you can also adopt the format for your K-12 school fundraisers.
• Make a March Madness fundraiser with voting battles for books, movies, fictional characters, or even desserts. Or take a more conventional sporty approach by turning basketball tournaments and shootouts into tournaments that raise money.
• Selling school spirit gear online or hosting a bake sale can also help raise money for in-school events. Take a more direct route by selling tickets to events like game shows, movie nights, viewing parties, and talent shows.
• A-thons are a great way to honor March Madness and stoke a little competitive spirit. Kids collect pledges for meeting reading goals, sinking baskets, or winning games.
• March Madness is also a great time to host a sneaker drive or ask for donations to support students in need. Set up a donation bin or ask donors to give cash instead.

Don’t let spring break keep your school from raising money for important causes when March Madness rolls around! Kick off a competition, tournament, or donation drive, and get kids involved in fun activities to support your school.

Our free fundraising platform for K-12 schools makes it easy to raise money with any of the following activities. Check out the list below for inspiration—then start raising money for your school with our help.

1. Battle of the books

Start by asking students to pick 16 short stories or picture books, then place them into brackets using our free battle template on Canva. Print off enough copies for everyone and hand them out—ask students to fill in the name of the book they believe will win after each battle.

Then, read two in class each day for four straight days and put each to a vote. The person with the closest guesses at the end of the competition wins!

Tips for your battle of the books

• Choose short books or stories that are easy and fun to read.
• Go with poems instead if time is at a premium.
• Offer prizes that add educational value—like a full set of all 16 books.
• Let each grade choose their own set of books to scale the contest for specific ages.

To make it a fundraiser, use FutureFund’s tools to set up a fundraiser campaign, then ask local businesses and parents to sponsor the battle by donating. Set the four available tiers to the average cost to buy 1, 4, 8, or all 16 of the books in the tournament.

2. Library scavenger hunt

Get kids interested in reading or buy books for the classroom with a school library scavenger hunt. Raise money by charging a small entry fee or running a fundraiser campaign to build a classroom library and fill it with books.

Give each student a list of items to find—the first person to clear their list wins a nifty prize!

Tips for your library scavenger hunt

• For younger kids, keep it simple—physical objects may be easier to find.
• For older kids, ramp up the difficulty by going with harder-to-find books or passages.
• Provide clues or riddles that kids have to solve to identify the item they need first.
• Keep prizes relevant by giving away books, writing tools, or bookstore gift cards.

This is another great opportunity to lean on your local community for sponsorships, too. Use our free sponsor request letter template to ask for donations of prizes, books, or cash.

3. Battle of the book characters pledge-a-thon

Pit book characters against each other to see who reigns supreme! Sort students into 16 groups, then have each one choose a favorite character to level up. Kids collect points for meeting reading goals and/or collecting pledges per page, chapter, or book.

Tips for your battle of the book characters

• Use FutureFund’s tools to start a Read-A-Thon campaign and track pledges.
• Activate the built-in leaderboard to track and share each participant’s progress.
• Make it educational by incorporating lessons about each character’s archetype.
• Don’t exclude comics or other highly visual materials—all reading is good reading!

The character with the highest total points at the end of the month wins—and so does the group that picked them. Get 30 ideas for prizes on this list.

4. Movie match-up

This one is another bracket-style tournament—here’s our free template again—but with a twist! To kick things off, split students into 16 equal groups and have each one pick a movie to champion. Put them through multiple rounds of voting until there’s only one left, then show the winner at a special family movie night in the gym.

Tips for your movie match-up

• Set rules to keep it family-friendly and focused on good, clean fun.
• Let teams create presentations to argue why their chosen movie is the best fit.
• Sell tickets to the final movie night and check people in with our Turnstile app.
• Make it educational by teaching about the themes in each movie in class.

Allowing family to come, ordering pizza, or having it catered will give people more of a reason to work for the prize—and sell more tickets, too!

5. March Madness basketball tournament

Host a basketball tournament and use the opportunity to raise money for your athletic fund! Have students split up into teams and compete for the top spot over the course of March Madness.

Charge an entry fee or launch an A-Thon campaign so teams can collect pledges for points, wins, and trick shots instead.

Tips for your March Madness basketball tournament

• Set a date at least two months out to give teams time to form and get organized.
• Schedule one round per week to keep the fun and donations going all month long.
• Make each round an event by having families attend to cheer teams on.
• Use FutureFund’s tools to track and manage pledges or accept donations.

FutureFund also makes it easy to manage volunteers for events like these. Use our free volunteer email templates to connect and get the right message across.

6. March Madness Shoot-A-Thon

This one is similar to the idea above, but a bit simpler to organize. All you need is a few volunteers, some basketballs, and reliable access to a basketball hoop!

Students take turns shooting free throws within a set time limit across multiple sessions in March. Kids collect pledges for every score.

Tips for your Shoot-A-Thon

• Set your dates at least three months in advance to avoid scheduling conflicts.
• Have players sign up at least one month prior so they have time to collect pledges.
• Use FutureFund’s email templates to send out pledge forms and updates.
• Recruit volunteers with FutureFund’s built-in volunteer management tools.

Our free platform helps your PTA volunteers do more with their time and easily delegate responsibilities. See why volunteers love FutureFund.

7. Family Feud Night

Raise the roof on your next fundraiser by hosting your own game show right in the school gym! Model it after the famous television show, but adjust it to fit the needs of your school—breaking teams up by classes or grades works great. Then, host a Family Fued night where families can buy a ticket to come watch the show.

Tips for your Family Feud Night

• Recruit older students to help design set props and decorations.
• Sell tickets and streamline ticket redemption with our Turnstile app.
• Scale questions to age so each class has a fair shot at winning a round.
• Offer prizes to the class that wins each round—or, just give out SWAG.

To really ramp up the fun, reach out to local event lighting companies and ask them to sponsor your school by providing lighting for the night. Use our free donor relationship email templates to ask for help.

8. Bake-it-happen tournament

Who says March Madness has to be all about sports? Pick 8-16 popular desserts and have students vote on their favorites in a bracket-style tournament for three straight weeks.

Let older students bake enough for each class to taste as you go along. In the final week, loop in more volunteers and ask them to make enough of the top two winners to run a bake sale.

Tips for your bake-it-happen tournament

• Set a date several weeks out to allow time for polling, voting, and baking.
• Ask local bakeries to sponsor your school by donating cupcakes or supplies.
• Keep the options simple—desserts should be easy and affordable to make.
• Use FutureFund to manage volunteers and send out updates to parents.

It’s also smart to check cottage food laws in your area before you get started. In most areas, you can sell low-risk foods without a permit—including cookies, squares, and cupcakes.

9. School spirit gear sale

Raise money for school sports or any other cause by selling wearable merchandise with your school’s name, logo, or colors—like t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, and hats.

Launch a purchase campaign on FutureFund to sell your spirit wear online. Then, use our built-in payment processing platform to accept payments online by credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Cashapp.

Tips for your school spirit gear sale

• Ask local print shops to partner with you to help support local business. 
• Recruit volunteers to help organize the merch, sell it, and handle reporting.
• Set up pop-up booths at major school events, if you have any scheduled.
• Get tips on selling products effectively in our guide to selling spirit gear.

Sites like Gelato, Printify, and Printful let you upload graphics and order prints as people buy them—these can be a good alternative to local shops.

10. Board Game-A-Thon

Kick off a bracket-style battle of the boards by giving kids 16 board game options and asking them to vote for their favorites—don’t stop until you’re down to just one.

Use the winner in a school Game-A-Thon where students collect pledges for playing it as long as possible before and/or after March break.

Tips for your board game Game-A-Thon

• Set date(s) for early or late March to account for spring break.
• Scale games to grade levels: snakes and ladders for K-6, or Catan for 8-12. 
• Use FutureFund to streamline pledges, donations, permission slips and more.
• Accept donations online and generate financial reports with our free tools.

You can also run this event as a Chess-A-Thon instead. Either way, pledge-a-thons tend to work best if you schedule them out over multiple sessions instead of hosting them on a single night. Kids can also play at home with family or in class and report their total time at the end.

11. Talent show night

Give talented students a chance to show off their skills and raise money for important school causes with a talent show night! Kids can sing, dance, act, deliver a comedy routine, or show off any other stage-friendly skill as long as it’s age-appropriate. Use FutureFund to streamline ticketing, then check people in with our free Turnstile app.

Tips for your talent show

• Set a date at least three months out to give kids time to plan their routines.
• Spread the word with emails, flyers, and social media posts to get attention.
• Manage RSVPs and accept payment for any ticket purchases online or in person.
• Set prizes that honor experiences, not trinkets—like a trip to the local zoo.

If your school has a glee club or drama team, use the opportunity to help them build their set design skills. Have them work with performers on costumes, props, or set decor.

12. March Madness viewing party

Get kids and their families rooting for their favorite March Madness teams by hosting viewing parties for key games in your school’s auditorium or gym. Use your FutureFund account to recruit parents to volunteer or provide game-day-friendly foods and snacks.

Tips for your March Madness viewing party

• Set dates that fall on key game nights—like the First Four on March 19.
• Make it educational by teaching basketball basics in the lead-up to the event.
• Use FutureFund to promote your viewing party and sell tickets online.
• Sell spirit gear during the party to help support your school’s team.

This kind of event works best if you have a large screen available, but you can also stream the game through a wifi-enabled projector if necessary. 

13. Sponsor the date fundraiser

In this spin on a classic A-Thon fundraiser, students ask their friends and family to sponsor your school’s athletic booster fund by paying for a date in March. The amount they donate is equivalent to the day they pick—for example, $5 for March 5. Add your FutureFund campaign QR code to our free sponsor-the-date template to send donors to your store.

Tips for your sponsor the date fundraiser

• Send out notices to parents so they know the event is happening in advance.
• Award prizes for completing a line, a shape, (like an x), or a whole card.
• Use FutureFund to promote your campaign with images, video, and more.
• Create a hype video to get people excited before the fundraiser starts. Learn how to create a hype video here.

To loop it in with March Madness, give away basketball or sports-themed prizes to students who do particularly well. Get more helpful tips for success.

14. March Madness shoe drive

What’s more iconic in basketball than a great pair of sneakers? Do a little good by hosting a shoe drive throughout the month of March to help out needy kids or your local community. Ask parents, local businesses, and students to donate new and gently-used sneakers to the cause—or collect cash donations to buy them for people in need instead.

How to make a March Madness shoe drive work

• Run it all month to give people plenty of time to drop off donations. 
• Set guidelines for the condition and sizes to focus support where it’s most needed.
• Promote the drive at least twice in February—then ramp up with daily updates.
• Use cash donations to buy sneakers and other essentials for students in need.

FutureFund’s campaign tools make it easy to track donations made in-person or online. We can even help treasurers with financial reporting at the end of your drive so that it’s easier to keep track of how much you’ve raised!

15. NCAA bracket tournament

Give your students the opportunity to experience March Madness in all of its glory by allowing them to fill out a traditional NCAA bracket. In exchange for a donation, each student gets to fill out their own bracket and submit it to their teacher. Pair it with regular viewing parties or just let kids tune in from home—award prizes or privileges for correct guesses!

How to make an NCAA bracket work

• Hand out blank brackets to students during the first week of March.
• Collect them before Selection Sunday—this year, that’s March 14.
• Pick sports-themed prizes like a new basketball, jersey, or time of class to play.
• Loop in lessons about the NCAA to teach kids the value of sports in school.

For younger kids, don’t expect too much—it’s okay to help them pick their teams. For older kids, ask them to critique each team and research their scores to make an informed decision.

Tap into March Madness with your FREE FutureFund account.

March Madness is the perfect time to take a shot at organizing your school’s most successful fundraiser yet. Channel all that energy into a campaign that helps people become team players who score big goals for your school.

Get started right now and launch your first campaign in just a few minutes. Take the reins or talk to an expert first—we’re here to support your path to success!

Remember: FutureFund was built by former school faculty with the needs of K-12 groups in mind. That’s why schools never pay anything to use our industry-leading tools. We want you to keep 100% of the proceeds right where they belong: in the hands of those who need it.