Bin the Ticket Book: Five Fundraising Swaps That Save Your PTA's Sanity in 2026

Ask a room of UK PTA volunteers what they dread most about the Christmas fair, and you will hear the same answer: the raffle. Not the stall itself — the admin. Chasing prizes. Selling tickets. Sorting cash. Remembering whether the small society lottery paperwork is up to date. Then running a tombola where half the prizes look like they came from a forgotten cupboard.

Raffles still work for some schools. But if your team is small, tired, or simply bored of prize fatigue, it is worth asking whether the hours match the return. Low-admin fundraising is not lazy. It is sustainable. And in 2026, with volunteers juggling work, caring and the school run, sustainable is the whole point.

Here are five swaps that cut the faff without cutting the fundraising.

1. The class quiz league

Instead of one big quiz night that depends on a hall, a compere and a raffle, run a four-week class quiz league. Each class enters a team of pupils (or families), answers one short round a week, and the top teams meet for a final in the school hall. Questions can be shared on paper or through a simple Google Form. Entry is £2 per pupil, or £5 per family.

Rough margin: 85–90%. Costs are photocopying, a few small prizes and maybe squash for the final.

Volunteer time: 8–10 hours across the whole league, mostly checking answers and sending one weekly email.

Watch out: keep questions age-appropriate and avoid publishing individual pupils' names or scores on public social media. If you use an online form, use a school-approved tool and do not collect more data than you need. Cash is fine, but a QR code to the PTA bank account saves counting. Two adults should handle and record any cash.

2. The sponsored readathon

A readathon is beautifully simple: pupils read whatever they like for a set period, families sponsor them a flat amount or a small amount per book, and the PTA collects the money. No prizes to source. No ticket stubs. No hall hire. You can run it in the spring term when the weather is grim and reading is a welcome indoor activity.

Rough margin: 90–95%. Costs are a few certificates and maybe a book voucher for the top fundraiser.

Volunteer time: 6–8 hours, mainly setting up the sponsorship form and sending reminders.

Watch out: do not send children door-to-door. Use a parent-facing sponsorship form or a school-approved online page, and make sure photos, names and reading totals are only shared with consent. Offer a paper option for families who prefer cash. Check with your treasurer before assuming anything is Gift Aid-eligible — sponsored events usually are not, but rules change and your circumstances matter.

3. The local-business match day

Pick a quiet weekday and partner with a local café, bookshop or pizza place. The business agrees to donate a percentage of sales on that day, or to match a set amount raised by the school. Families simply turn up, mention the school, and eat. No stock to store. No prizes to wrap.

Rough margin: 50–100% of the agreed donation, depending on the deal. A 10% sales donation might raise £150–£400; a match-funding deal can be more predictable.

Volunteer time: 4–6 hours, mostly agreeing terms and promoting the day.

Watch out: put the agreement in writing — date, percentage, cap, how and when the business will pay. Ask for a BACS transfer rather than cash if possible. Do not ask children to stand outside collecting. If the business wants photos for its own social media, get parental consent first and keep pupils out of the frame unless you have it.

4. The £1 wear-a-word day

Non-uniform days are old news, but a tiny twist makes them feel new: pupils pay £1 to wear a word. Any word. A jumper with 'kind' written on it, a T-shirt with 'dinosaurs', a hat with 'potato'. It is silly, cheap and very easy to explain at the school gate.

Rough margin: 95%+. The only real cost is a few posters.

Volunteer time: 2–3 hours.

Watch out: keep it inclusive. A £1 donation should never be compulsory, and children who forget or cannot take part should not be singled out. Use cash buckets at the gate or a QR code, and have two adults count and record the takings. Avoid anything that turns into a costume competition with expensive expectations.

5. The class coin jar

Give every class a labelled jar and ask families to drop in loose change over a month. No product to sell. No sponsor form. No prize draw. Just a slow, visible pot that children can watch fill up. Add a simple thermometer chart in the corridor if you want momentum.

Rough margin: 100%, minus the cost of jars and stickers.

Volunteer time: 2–3 hours across the month.

Watch out: cash handling is the whole job here. Use sealed jars, count in pairs, record totals, and bank promptly. Do not leave cash in a classroom overnight. If your school prefers cashless, a QR code to a dedicated PTA pot works just as well — but check with your bank what reporting you need.

The thread running through all five ideas is not laziness. It is design. A fundraiser that fits your volunteer capacity will run again next year. A raffle that burns out three committee members might raise more on paper, but it costs you the people who make everything else happen.

So before you order another book of tickets, ask a blunter question: is this the best use of our hours? In 2026, the answer might be a quiz league, a readathon, or a very silly word-themed non-uniform day. Your future committee will thank you.