How to Get Parents Involved in Your School Fundraiser
Parent participation in school fundraisers has dropped by a third since the 1990s. Here's how to close the gap by removing friction, not asking more of people.
If you're on a PTA in New Zealand or a P&C in Australia, you've probably noticed that getting parents involved in fundraisers is harder than it used to be. Participation rates have been dropping for years, and the same small group of volunteers ends up doing most of the work.
But most parents say they're happy to help with fundraisers when asked. The gap between willingness and action isn't about apathy. It's about friction.
Why parents aren't taking part
When schools survey parents about why they didn't participate, the same reasons come up over and over.
Time. Lack of time is consistently the number one barrier schools report. Parents are working, running between activities, and managing packed schedules. Asking them to spend an evening at a sausage sizzle or a Saturday at a cake stall is a big ask.
Work conflicts. Most fundraising events happen during school hours or immediately after. That locks out any parent who works standard hours or commutes.
Fundraiser fatigue. When there's a different fundraiser every few weeks, people tune out. They stop reading the notices.
Embarrassment. Some parents feel awkward asking friends and family for money. That's real and worth respecting.
Lost paper forms. The form goes home in the school bag. It stays in the school bag. Or it makes it to the kitchen bench, gets buried under other papers, and never comes back.
Cost concerns. Not every family can afford to buy products or make donations. If participation feels like it requires spending money, some families will quietly opt out.
The fix: make it easier, not louder
The answer isn't more emails, more pressure, or more guilt. It's removing the things that get in the way.
Go digital
Schools that switch from paper forms to digital ordering regularly report raising more money in less time. That makes sense. A digital fundraiser means no forms to lose, no cash to collect, no awkward door-knocking. A parent can open a link on their phone, place an order in 60 seconds, and they're done.
It also removes the embarrassment factor. Sharing a link to a WhatsApp group or posting it on Facebook feels completely different from approaching someone face-to-face. Parents already have these groups set up for their class, their sports team, their neighbourhood. One tap and it's shared.
Use the networks that already exist
You don't need to build a community from scratch. It already exists. Class WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, the family chat with grandparents in it. When you give parents a link they can share, they'll put it where their people already are.
This matters because grandparents and extended family are often keen to help but can't show up at school on a Tuesday. A shareable link lets them buy from anywhere, and they often do.
Run class competitions
This one is simple and it works. Set up a friendly competition between classes: which class gets the most orders? The winning class gets a pizza party or an extra play session.
Kids will remind their parents. That's worth more than any email you'll ever send.
Get your communication cadence right
Too many messages and people tune out. Too few and they forget. Here's a rhythm that works:
- Launch day - announce the fundraiser, explain what it's for, share the link
- One week before close - reminder with a progress update ("Room 4 is in the lead!")
- Two to three days before close - "almost over" nudge
- Closing day - last chance message
- After it's done - thank everyone and share the result
Send messages in late afternoon or early evening. That's when parents are picking up kids, thinking about dinner, and actually checking their phones.
Don't forget multi-child families
Families with children in multiple classes tend to be more involved in school life. They know more parents, they're in more group chats, and they have more reason to care about what the school is doing. These are your best champions. Ask them first, give them a role, and they'll bring others along.
What good looks like
The best-performing school fundraisers get the majority of families involved. They get there by making it easy and meeting parents where they already are, not by asking more of them.
In New Zealand, most schools have a PTA or Home and School Association that coordinates fundraising alongside the board of trustees. In Australia, P&Cs serve a similar role. The structure is already there. What you need is a way to actually reach people and let them take part on their own terms, in their own time.
How Raised helps
Raised is built for exactly this. Parents get a link, place their order on their phone in under a minute, and share it with family and friends. No paper forms, no cash envelopes, no weekend sorting sessions.
Your school gets a store with products families actually want to buy, automated reminders so you're not chasing people, and real-time tracking so you can see which classes are leading.
If you're planning a fundraiser and want more parents involved with less volunteer time, take a look at how Raised works.