Explore our complete list of 2024/2025 school holidays in the US to help inspire your school fundraisers and plan ahead accordingly. FutureFund’s complete list includes key holidays, heritage months, and other celebrations that are lesser known but might just inspire your next fundraising event.
Planning ahead is essential to keeping your fundraiser on track. We put our 2024/2025 School Fundraising Calendar into a Google Sheet for easy access, so hit the link below.
Here’s how to use it:
View the 2024/2025 School Calendar
Note: Holidays that allow for school closures in some, if not all, US public school districts.***
Need fundraiser inspiration? Check out our Ultimate List of School Fundraisers blog.
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A typical school year in the United States is marked by a variety of holidays, observances, and breaks that shape the academic calendar. Understanding these key dates is crucial for planning educational and recreational activities, as well as taking advantage of fundraising opportunities throughout the year.
You’ll want to schedule fundraisers when you know people will be most available and interested in participating. Avoid running fundraisers when school is out of session or bigger commitments (like exams, proms, or sports competitions) are going to be competing for the school community’s time.
On average, the school year begins in August and ends late in May. Let’s break down each month and highlight those opportunities surrounding some of the most important dates and celebrations.
August signals the beginning of the academic year in many parts of the United States, with students and educators gearing up for a fresh start. This month typically includes back-to-school preparations, orientation days, and anticipation for the year ahead.
This is also a time to celebrate diversity and global issues, which can be of great inspiration for the year’s fundraising plans. Set up a multi-cultural fair for World Indigenous People’s Day to show off Indigenous art, show off your community youth in a talent show, or provide some community service in honor of World Humanitarian Day or even Senior Citizens Day.
A few sections of the US begin school after Labor Day, September 2nd, which makes this month a continuation of the “back-to-school” energy. There are a lot of opportunities to raise awareness for different causes while gaining help that will propel the school, clubs, and teams forward throughout the year.
For example, World Suicide Prevention Day is an important cause to support, especially when dealing with our youth. Create a fundraising opportunity alongside this date by organizing a “Suicide Prevention Walk.” Native Americans Day is another way to celebrate culture and share a space with Native American art.
September Key Dates:
*September 15th – October 15th is Hispanic History Month
Read more: 15 September Fundraising Ideas for Schools
October is tinged with the beauty of fall throughout the US. It is also packed with many cultural, social, and health awareness dates of significance.
Host a walk or a run through the fall foliage in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month or at the tail end of the month for Red Ribbon Week (a drug and alcohol prevention initiative). Of course, Halloween also presents many opportunities to create unique fundraising experiences for the community – from haunted houses to costume contests!
Note: Some school districts offer a time for a “Fall Break” during this October which could be up to a full week of school closure. Ensure that your Fall fundraising initiatives that involve in-person participation don’t coincide with when participants will be off for Fall Break.***
October Key Dates:
Read more: 15 October Fundraising Ideas for Schools
FutureFund is FREE for schools, PTAs, and school groups. Start your fundraiser today!
Get StartedNovember is the start of the holiday season and the beginning of the grateful spirits. There’s a lot of potential here for fundraising, including the path to Giving Tuesday early in December.
Veteran’s Day is a great opportunity to hold an assembly or even a concert that can share funds between the school and a veteran’s charity. World Kindness Day is another great way to spread the right intentions and have your students and school benefit from the funds raised – sell “Kindness Grams” or plan a Pay-it-Forward Campaign.
Note: Public schools are closed on Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November. Some districts will close for that entire week, while others may close school the Wednesday before and Friday after.***
November Key Dates:
Read more: 15 November Fundraising Ideas for Schools
December presents many opportunities to fundraise because of the festive spirit in the air and the generosity of the season. It’s also one of the busiest times of year to be competing for your school community’s time and piggybanks, so make sure you time your fundraiser strategically and plan an event that will captivate their interest.
Sell hot chocolate and baked goods during those holiday chorus concerts to raise a little extra money for the music program at school. Human Rights Day could be a wonderful time to plan a charity drive or host volunteer gift-wrapping days for pay-what-you-can donations.
Note: Public schools generally close several days before Christmas and remain closed until after New Year’s Day. Times vary by district but it’s usually a 2-3 week break.***
Read more: 15 December Fundraiser Ideas for Schools
January may mark the middle of the school year, but it marks the beginning of a new calendar year and the “first days” back from winter break. It can be a great time to send emails to the community recapping the previous year’s accomplishments and what goals are on the horizon for the rest of the school year.
After sending the email, create a campaign with FutureFund where community members can donate to your school’s, club’s, or team’s goals for the year. You can make a single bucket or several different options for donations.
January Key Dates:
Read more: 15 January Fundraising Ideas for Schools
The month of love and the celebration of Black history, February has some warm-hearted opportunities to give to the school. For example, Valentine’s Day generates a lot of fun ideas from candy grams to flowers from secret admirers sold right in school.
Host a Black History Awareness Month assembly or even a cultural fair that celebrates diversity and generates funds for your school.
February Key Dates:
Read more: 15 February Fundraising Ideas for Schools
FutureFund is FREE for schools, PTAs, and school groups. Start your fundraiser today!
Get StartedMarch closes out the winter season and welcomes spring, specifically, spring break for so many school calendars. It’s also the start of spring sports which naturally introduces more athletics-based fundraiser opportunities into the mix.
Take advantage of St. Patrick’s Day by selling “Lucky Charms” treats in the lunchroom or have students pay $1 to dress up in green on the big day. Utilize Women’s History Month to spread awareness as well as generate funds – walks, assemblies with guest speakers, or even a charity auction.
Note: As mentioned above, spring break usually falls within March or April for most schools and typically lasts one week.***
March Key Dates:
Read more: 20 Fundraising Ideas for High School Sports Teams
The sunshine is out and everyone is starting to spend more time outside. Focus your fundraising on health and wellness within this month. Get inspired by days such as World Health Day, plan Yoga in the Park, or host a Color Run for kids of all ages.
Earth Day offers a particularly inspirational fundraising theme with practical and beautifying options like Clean Up the Community Days or recycling drives. Have students hold assemblies to spread awareness of climate change, all while selling repurposed, handmade, and Earth-friendly goods.
Note: Most school districts will close schools for Good Friday, the Friday before Easter.***
April Key Dates:
Read more: 15 April Fundraising Ideas for Schools
May is a wonderful time to remember and appreciate so many of those around us. It also marks the end of the school year in many districts, observed with events like promotion ceremonies and graduations. It’s a great time to gauge both sides of that coin and use it for fundraiser planning in plenty of different avenues.
Plan “Muffins with Mom” one school morning and host a Cinco De Mayo fiesta. Don’t forget to send out “end of year” emails to donors, sponsors, and volunteers to let them know how far you’ve come with their support and what is needed to accomplish your fundraising goals before the school year closes out – make sure to link FutureFund storefronts and donation pages to this communication.
Note: In a lot of school districts, May is the final month of school before summer break.***
May Key Dates:
Read more: 15 Fundraising Ideas for Mother’s Day – FutureFund
Although in most places in the US, June becomes the first month of summer break, it can still be a great time to hold fundraisers for different groups, clubs, or sports teams. Coincide with Father’s Day or Global Day of Parents to really expand your reach.
In fact, bake sales and car washes are the perfect June fundraiser!
June Key Dates:
Read more: 15 Father’s Day Fundraising Ideas for Schools
Summer is in full swing and there’s talk of “back-to-school” time on the horizon. July may not be the best time to fundraise but there are some great possibilities. Create a summertime school carnival that community members can attend and center the theme around the 4th of July!
July Key Dates:
Read more: 20 Summer Fundraising Ideas for Your School
It’s important to plan ahead and create your own fundraising calendar. But it’s also important to understand how to run that fundraiser successfully and efficiently. Our platform comes with powerful tools that can help you fundraise for your school more effectively this year. These include:
Get started with FutureFund today or book a demo to see how it can work for you.
Prepping and planning fundraisers varies depending on the type of campaign you’re running and the nature of the event. But in most cases, here’s what we recommend:
Use Purchase campaigns to sell event tickets or physical items (like baked goods, merchandise, or arts and crafts).
Use Donation campaigns to collect money from community members in support of a specific goal or cause (like a food drive).
FutureFund’s messaging system lets you:
Parent engagement is the key to successful fundraisers. We recommend:
FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.
See what other parents and schools are saying about us!
Trinkets are common rewards for K-12 students who participate in fundraisers—but they aren’t the most memorable. Let the FutureFund team show you why using experiences as rewards can be more meaningful in the long run, and why it’s often more cost-effective as well.
Use this downloadable email template to gain new sponsors by explaining your goals and how they can help achieve them. Our team at FutureFund is here to help you manage sponsors, donors, and community involvement for all your fundraising initiatives.
Working with professionals to set up your Fun Run has benefits, but the right tools can help you organize a successful DIY Fun Run as well. Let FutureFund explain the pros and cons of each approach and use our free tools to get started.
Use these five email templates to connect with volunteers for your next school fundraiser. Our team at FutureFund is here to help you manage membership, donors, and community involvement in all your fundraising needs.
Use these five email templates to nurture relationships with your donors by keeping them informed, expressing gratitude, and deepening your connection. Our team at FutureFund is here to help you manage membership, donors, and community involvement in all your fundraising needs.
Trinkets are common rewards for K-12 students who participate in fundraisers—but they aren’t the most memorable. Let the FutureFund team show you why using experiences as rewards can be more meaningful in the long run, and why it’s often more cost-effective as well.
Use this downloadable email template to gain new sponsors by explaining your goals and how they can help achieve them. Our team at FutureFund is here to help you manage sponsors, donors, and community involvement for all your fundraising initiatives.
Working with professionals to set up your Fun Run has benefits, but the right tools can help you organize a successful DIY Fun Run as well. Let FutureFund explain the pros and cons of each approach and use our free tools to get started.
