This page covers what a Parent Teacher Association actually needs to fund, the constraints that shape how you can raise it, and which event formats fit. If you want the general guide first, start with fundraising by group.
What a Parent Teacher Association is usually funding
- national and state PTA dues before anything else
- programs the chapter has committed to
- classroom and teacher grants
- family engagement events
- advocacy and leadership training
What makes this group different
These are the constraints that decide whether a fundraiser works here, and they are the reason generic advice underperforms.
- A portion of every membership dollar goes to state and national before the local chapter sees it, so gross and net diverge more than boards expect
- Bylaws and reporting requirements are real and audited
- Insurance and financial review obligations come with the affiliation
- Membership drives and fundraising drives compete for the same parents in the same weeks
Why an event-based fundraiser fits
PTA chapters have reporting obligations that reward a fundraiser with clean, auditable records. An event with per-participant online pages produces a transaction record by default, which is easier to reconcile at the end of the year than cash and envelopes.
What is realistic to raise
Gross and net diverge more than boards expect, because a portion of every membership dollar leaves for state and national before the chapter sees it. Budget from net, present net, and reconcile against it. Chapters that report gross to their membership spend the following year explaining the gap.
A working timeline
The dates that matter here are set by this group’s own calendar, not by a generic fundraising season.
- Summer: confirm current state PTA guidance on permitted fundraising and financial review
- Early fall: membership drive, kept clear of the fundraiser
- Mid fall or early spring: the main event
- Year end: financial review, which is easier when every gift has a transaction record
What goes wrong
- Running the membership drive and the fundraiser in the same weeks, so families feel asked twice and give once
- Assuming last year's state guidance still applies
- Handling cash without a second counter, which is the single most common finding in a chapter financial review
Formats that suit a Parent Teacher Association
You are not doing this alone
Every Get Movin' group is paired with a Personal Event Coach — a former PTO/PTA volunteer who has run this before. Get Movin's company president and all of its fundraising coaches are former PTO/PTA members, teachers and volunteers. For a Parent Teacher Association, that means someone who has already helped other groups like yours through exactly this.
Your coach:
- strategizes your budget goal with you
- brainstorms incentives that actually motivate your participants
- advises on promotion and timing
- steers you away from the pitfalls they have already watched other groups hit
You also get the FundHub Event Toolbox — 100+ guides, templates, playlists and printables. Meet the coaches.
The platform behind a Parent Teacher Association fundraiser
FundHub is Get Movin's online donation platform, built specifically for schools, teams and community groups by former PTO/PTA leaders. It carries 35+ tools. These are the ones that matter most here:
- Personalized student webpages. A parent sets one up in about five minutes, and each page raises an average of $140.
- Teacher access and classroom webpages. Every class gets its own page that the teacher controls, with their own log-in and class-specific incentives.
- Volunteer Organizer. Post positions with dates, times and headcount; parents self-select their shift instead of a chain of emails.
- Instant, customizable donation reports for students, classes and the whole group.
- Employer Match Identifier, which finds donors whose employers will match their gift. It located over $1.4 million in matching donations in its first year.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your Parent Teacher Association fundraiser
- Book a call or a FundHub demo and get matched with your Personal Event Coach.
- Your coach helps you set the goal, pick the date and choose incentives.
- Your group page and student pages go live; parents set theirs up in about five minutes.
- Families share by text, email and social; the coach checks in through the campaign.
- Event day, with volunteers organized through FundHub.
- Funds arrive by automatic ACH transfer after the event.
What it costs and what you keep
Get Movin’ groups keep 95-97% of every dollar raised. Donors pay however they want — cash, check, credit or debit, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple and Google Wallet. Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
Full detail on the pricing page.
Next steps
See what a Parent Teacher Association fundraiser costs on our pricing page, or browse free templates including printable pledge sheets.
Common questions
Do PTA fundraising rules differ from a PTO's?
Yes. A PTA operates under state and national bylaws that govern financial review, reporting and sometimes what kinds of fundraising are permitted. Check your state PTA's current guidance before committing to a format — the rules are specific and they change.
When should a PTA schedule its main fundraiser?
Far enough from the membership drive that you are not asking the same families for two things in the same month. Most chapters land on early fall after enrollment settles, or early spring.
Start your Parent Teacher Association fundraiser
Get Movin’ has powered 10,000+ events and raised more than $200 million for groups like yours since 2007, with 1,300+ five-star Google reviews.
Take a FundHub tour with a coach, or book your event. Questions first? Contact us or call 248-895-0206. Also useful: the free school grant guide, the parent and donor FAQ, and our fundraising webinars.