Start with a clear PTA fundraising plan

A successful summer fair is not just about the day itself. The best PTA fundraising events start months in advance.

Think about:

• What fundraising activities you will run
• How parents will buy tickets / pre orders for food (sell vouchers) or participate
• How you will promote your event

The more structured your approach, the more you can maximise your results.

Boost fundraising with online prize draws

One of the easiest ways to increase income from your PTA event is by running an online prize draw alongside your fair.

Instead of limiting prize draw sales to the day, you can:

• Sell tickets in advance
• Continue sales online during the event with easy QR codes to be used at the event to streamline the purchase process
• Reach parents and the wider community who cannot attend the fair
• Simplify your draws as it's all done online the click of a button and winners are immediately emailed
• Save costs as no printed tickets are required
• Save hours of admin time in distributing and receiving back ticket stubs
• Reduce the potential for money to go missing

This simple addition can significantly increase your total fundraising without adding complexity on the day.

Using a platform like PTA Events, you can manage prize draws alongside your event, keeping everything in one place.

Run an online auction before and after your summer fair

Online auctions are another powerful way to increase revenue from your summer fair.

You can include:

• Donated prizes from local businesses
• Experiences or vouchers
• School-related rewards

Running your auction online means:

• More people can participate
• Bidding can begin before the actual event
• You create excitement in the lead-up to your summer fair

With PTA Events, auctions can be integrated into your PTA site event setup, making it easy to manage and promote.

Work with local sponsors to increase fundraising

Local businesses are often keen to support PTA events, especially when they get visibility in return.

Instead of relying only on ticket sales, consider:

• Sponsorship for stalls or activities
• Logo placement on your event page or tickets
• Sponsored prizes for prize draws or auctions

This adds another layer to your PTA fundraising strategy and can significantly boost your total funds raised.

Having a central all-in-one platform like PTA Events makes it easier to showcase sponsors and manage these partnerships in one single site.

Use time slots to organise stall supervision

One of the biggest challenges for any PTA event is managing volunteers.

Without structure, stalls can become understaffed or disorganised.

A simple but highly effective solution is to use time slots for stall supervision:

• Parents sign up for specific times
• Roles are clearly defined
• You can schedule reminders before the day
• You avoid last-minute gaps

This keeps your summer fair running smoothly and ensures every activity contributes to your overall PTA fundraising goals.

With PTA Events, volunteer management is built in, making it easy to-create time slots for parents to sign up for and for organisers to stay in control.

Keep everything in one place for parents

One of the most overlooked aspects of PTA fundraising is making things easier for parents.

If parents have to:

• Visit multiple links
• Navigate different platforms
• Search for information
• Return paper slips

Then engagement drops.

Instead, aim for a single, consistent experience where parents can:

• Buy tickets / pre order food vouchers
• Enter prize draws
• Bid in auctions
• Sign up to help

This is where PTA Events makes a real difference, giving your PTA one branded space for all your summer fair activities.

Promote your PTA event early and often

Even the best PTA fundraising ideas will not deliver results without strong promotion.

Make sure you:

• Share your event early
• Remind parents regularly
• Use online communication tools to contact parents that have opted in to eceive marketing emails

Building momentum before your summer fair can have a big impact on turnout and fundraising.

How to maximise results from your PTA summer fair

To get the most value from your summer fair, focus on:

• Plan early
• Add extra fundraising streams like prize draws and auctions
• Engage local sponsors
• Organise volunteers effectively
• Keep everything simple for parents in one place

The most successful PTAs combine great ideas with the right tools.

Final thoughts on PTA summer fairs

By combining traditional activities with digital tools like online auctions, prize draws and structured volunteer management, you can significantly increase your results.

Platforms like PTA Events are designed to support exactly this, helping PTAs run more organised, more profitable events without added complexity.

Turn your summer fair into your most successful PTA fundraiser yet.

PTA Events gives you the tools to run smoother events, raise more and keep everything simple for your community.