Halloween is just 10 days away—but that doesn't mean your parent association has missed the fundraising boat! In fact, the countdown to October 31st creates the perfect sense of urgency for some quick, low-effort initiatives that can add bonus money to your coffers without overwhelming already busy volunteers.
These ideas require minimal planning, leverage tools you already have, and tap into the Halloween excitement that's already building in your school community. No complicated logistics, no lengthy meetings—just straightforward fundraising that works.
This is possibly the easiest fundraiser you'll run all year. Parents are already digging through cupboards looking for costumes, and you can bet they're discovering plenty that no longer fit. Turn that decluttering into cash for your association.
How it works: Send a quick message through Classlist asking parents to donate outgrown or unused Halloween costumes to the Parent Association. Set up a simple collection point at school drop-off, snap some photos, and list the items on Classlist's marketplace. All proceeds go straight to your fundraising goals. Done.
The beauty? Everything happens within your existing school community through a platform parents already use. No need for physical sales events, no handling cash at the school gates, no complex inventory systems.
Capitalise on the Wednesday trend: The Netflix series has made gothic and dark academia looks incredibly popular this year. Those witch costumes, vintage dresses, striped blazers, and even quirky werewolf outfits gathering dust? They're exactly what families are searching for. Mention this in your donation request—parents love knowing their old costumes are on-trend again.
Price items affordably so they sell fast. You're aiming for volume and quick turnover, not premium pricing. Even £3-£5 per costume adds up quickly when you've got dozens of items moving through the marketplace.
A raffle is your secret weapon when time is tight. You can organise this in an afternoon and run it over the next week, with the draw happening just before Halloween.
Quick hamper ideas:
Family Movie Night Hamper: Movie vouchers, microwave popcorn, Halloween sweets, and a cozy throw blanket. Simple to assemble, universally appealing.
Luxury Treats Hamper: Splurge on something special from Fortnum & Mason's Halloween collection—their beautifully packaged seasonal chocolates and biscuits make an impressive centrepiece. Add some additional Halloween goodies and you've got a prize that justifies premium ticket prices.
Pumpkin Carving Kit: Carving tools, LED tea lights, design templates, and a voucher for a local garden centre. Parents are buying these supplies anyway—why not give them a chance to win them instead?
Pro tip: Take appealing photos of your hampers and post them on Classlist immediately. The visual sell is everything. Parents scrolling through their phones during the school run will impulse-buy tickets when they see something they want to win.
Sell tickets for £2-£5 each or offer bundles (five tickets for £8, for example). Announce the draw date and stick to it—urgency drives sales.
ALERT: We've reduced our raffle fee to 4.5% from 7.5%, making us not only the easiest raffle platform to use but competitively priced.
While the Classlist map feature won't directly put money in your fundraising account, it's a brilliant tool for strengthening your parent community—and engaged communities fundraise better all year round.
Encourage parents to use the map to plan their trick-or-treating routes, coordinate group outings with other school families, and make introductions to neighbours they haven't met yet. New families especially appreciate help navigating their first Halloween in the area.
For a small fundraising angle, consider a "Halloween Map Challenge"—charge £2-£3 per family to participate in a neighbourhood scavenger hunt using the Classlist map. Create a simple list of decorations or items to spot, and award small prizes. It's easy to organize and adds a fundraising element to an evening families were planning anyway.
Halloween Dress-Down Day: Charge £1-£2 for students to wear costumes to school. Announce it this week, collect money on the day. It doesn't get simpler than this.
Pre-Order Halloween Bake Sale: Rather than organizing a traditional bake sale, take pre-orders through Classlist for Halloween treat bags (spider cupcakes, ghost cookies, etc.). Parents pay upfront, volunteers bake over the weekend, and treats are distributed on a set day. No leftovers, no waste, guaranteed revenue.
The clock is ticking, so here's your action plan:
Today: Send a Classlist message requesting costume donations and announcing your raffle. Create a simple collection system for drop-off times.
This week: List donated costumes as they come in. Assemble your raffle hampers and photograph them. Promote everything repeatedly through Classlist—parents are busy and need multiple reminders.
Next week: Keep the momentum going with countdown posts. Draw raffle winners a day or two before Halloween to build excitement.
The beauty of these last-minute ideas is that they're genuinely easy. You're not reinventing the wheel or creating complicated events. You're simply tapping into activities parents are already doing—buying costumes, entering raffles, planning Halloween activities—and directing some of that energy toward your school.
Ten days is plenty of time to boost your coffers with some bonus fundraising. Your volunteers won't burn out, your families will appreciate the simplicity, and your association will benefit from the extra cash.
So grab your phone, open Classlist, and send that first message. Your frighteningly easy fundraising starts now!