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Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Schools, Teams & Groups
Christmas fundraising should feel exciting for your group. We have many fundraisers to choose
from, but the right fundraiser depends on when you want to sell, what your supporters like to buy,
and whether you want brochure sales, online fundraising, or both.
We've been helping schools, PTO and PTA groups, teams, churches, nonprofits, and other
organizations choose fundraisers since 2002. Our Christmas fundraiser ideas include a traditional
Christmas fundraiser catalog, candles, food, wrapping paper, online fundraising, and other options.
Best Christmas Fundraisers for Schools and Groups
The best Christmas fundraiser isn't the same for every organization. Consider how and when you want to sell to find the right fundraiser. Who you are selling to matters, too. A school may want student prizes and classroom incentives, and a team might prefer an online option your players can share with family and friends.
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Here are some of the best Christmas fundraisers we recommend, starting with Winter Wonderland.
Winter Wonderland — A Traditional Christmas Gift Fundraiser for Schools
Winter Wonderland is one of our top recommendations for schools, including PTO and PTA groups. Our Christmas fundraiser is a full holiday catalog with gifts, wrapping paper, chocolates, food, and
décor. The catalog and online store include more than 100 items.
Our holiday gift fundraiser also includes student prizes, classroom incentives, teacher rewards, an online store, and orders packed individually for each seller. Most of our brochure items earn 50% profit, while food mixes, totes, and online sales earn 40% for your school or group. Yankee Candles are available in our online store, and you'll earn $11 for each candle sold. To arrive in time for Christmas, we need to receive your order forms by Thanksgiving.
For many schools, Winter Wonderland is one of the best Christmas fundraisers for schools because it combines plenty of holiday variety with the tools and incentives that help get students involved.
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Season to Sparkle - GLOW Christmas Candle Fundraiser
Our Christmas candle fundraiser is an excellent gift option and gives your group more time to sell through Thanksgiving. Many of the schools we work with have made our candle fundraiser an annual tradition.
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Season to Sparkle, our Christmas fundraising brochure, features premium-quality coconut and soy-blend candles, wax melts, room sprays, and essential oils. The candles are beautiful and easy to sell. Groups can choose brochure, hybrid, cashless, virtual, and app-based options, with shipping available throughout the lower 48 states.
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Brochure fundraising starts at 40% profit and increases to 50% with 150 or more items sold. With hybrid and cashless fundraising, brochure sales and online ship-to-group orders combine toward that 100-item total. Online ship-to-home sales with hybrid and cashless fundraisers always earn 40%. Virtual and app fundraising orders that ship to home also earn 40% profit.
Groups can sell through Thanksgiving, submit their order during the first week of December, and still receive delivery before winter break. If you can start earlier in the fall, we highly recommend it. Sales in November are much lower than fundraisers that start in September or October.
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The year-round "Perfect Scents for Every Season" brochure is another option you can consider. The brochure features everyday fragrances, with no holiday items. The online store includes many additional year-round scents, more fragrance products, and a large selection of candles for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
A Classic Kind of Christmas - $15 Classic Candles Fundraiser
A Classic Kind of Christmas candle fundraiser is a perfect choice when you want your sellers to offer a simple brochure with all items at the same price. Each GLOW candle sells for $15. Supporters can also shop in the online store, which offers a larger selection of items. Supporters can buy them to enjoy at home and for holiday gift-giving.
Wrapping Paper Fundraisers - Christmas Gift Wrap Tradition
Wrapping paper offers your school traditional Christmas fundraising ideas because it lets your group sell something supporters need and look forward to during the holiday season.
A Christmas gift wrap fundraiser can include gift wrap, gift bags, accessories,
chocolates, gifts, and other holiday items. Our dedicated gift wrap fundraiser pages show you the choices available through Winter Wonderland and Fall Heartland Goodies and Gifts. With very appealing designs, our Christmas wrapping paper fundraiser is one your supporters will really like.
Our Christmas gift wrap fundraiser includes gift wrap, gift bags, accessories, chocolates, gifts, and other holiday items. Our gift wrap fundraiser pages show you the choices in our Winter Wonderland Catalog. With very appealing designs, our Christmas wrapping paper fundraiser is one your supporters will really like.
Gourmet Goodness — Holiday Treats People Enjoy Buying
Gourmet Goodness is a good choice for groups who want to sell snacks, chocolates, mixes, and holiday treats without a large seasonal shopper catalog.
You’ll earn 40% profit on all items in the brochure. You can also pair the brochure with Winter Wonderland. Your sellers will use the same order form; we'll pack orders together for each seller, and the online store will include both brochures.
Fall Heartland Goodies and Gifts — A Big Holiday Catalog With Plenty of Variety
In our Fall Heartland Goodies and Gifts seasonal catalog, you'll find more than 100 shelf-stable products, including snacks, gifts, kitchen items, home products, wrapping paper, and more.
Groups earn 40% profit on all brochure and online sales, with no minimums or upfront costs. Brochure orders are packed in boxes labeled for each seller, and the online store adds hundreds of additional items.
Our Heartland fundraiser is especially appealing when your supporters prefer a wider variety of items and you want both brochure and online fundraising options.
Cheese and Sausage for Holiday Gifts and Gatherings
A cheese and sausage fundraiser is a great holiday choice because the products are perfect for entertaining, family gatherings, and gift-giving.
Your organization will earn a 40% profit with brochure and online sales options. You can also pair it with Sweet & Savory to offer supporters additional snacks.
Popcorn Fundraisers for Seasonal Snacking and Gifts
Popcorn fundraisers offer your supporters something they like, that's affordable, and that they'll enjoy during the holidays.
With three brochure options and online, hybrid, virtual, and cashless fundraising options, you can customize your online store to include what you want. You can sell just popcorn or include additional categories.
Popcorn is a fun holiday fundraiser because supporters can enjoy it for family movie nights, as after-school snacks, and share it with friends.
Extravaganza — A Seasonal Fall Brochure With Food and Gift Choices
Extravaganza is unlike our other seasonal shopper catalogs and is a great option for a fall fundraiser you can promote early for Christmas fundraising.
The brochure includes Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, French bread pizza, cheesecake, pretzels, snack items, kitchen products, and wrapping paper. Your supporters can shop through the brochure or online for their family, to share at holiday gatherings, or to use as gifts.
We recommend Extravaganza when you want both food and gift choices, especially if Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough is already a favorite of your supporters.
Online Fundraising for Christmas and the Holidays
Online fundraising options can help your organization reach family, friends, coworkers, and other supporters they may not see in person. It’s also a great option for in-person sales when a supporter doesn’t have cash in hand, or they want to place a larger order. Sellers can share links via text, email, and social media.
Our online options vary by fundraiser. Some offer ship-to-home, ship-to-group, virtual fundraising, seller pages, dashboards, or a combination of these choices.
School Holiday Shop and Santa Shop Fundraisers
Our holiday shop is different from a brochure or online fundraiser. Children shop at school for affordable gifts for moms and dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents, teachers, and other special people.
A holiday gift shop for schools can become a favorite December tradition. Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe offers more than 110 gifts, with most priced at $5 or less.
Schools looking for a holiday shop fundraiser or school holiday shop can learn more on the dedicated holiday shop page. It covers school holiday shop ideas, holiday shop fundraiser ideas, a Santa shop fundraiser, and Santa shop fundraiser ideas.
You can also learn how a Santa shop for schools works and find information about Santa shops for elementary schools, a kid’s holiday shop, and the Lil Shoppers Holiday Shoppe program.
PTO and PTA leaders can find information about a PTA holiday shop, PTO holiday shop, and PTA Christmas gift shop.
Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Schools
A school fundraiser should do more than hand out another order form. It needs to work with the school calendar, be realistic for the chairperson, and give students or families something they can feel good about sharing.
Winter Wonderland is one of our top recommendations for a traditional holiday catalog. For a later start, our candle fundraiser lets schools sell through Thanksgiving and submit their order during the first week of December.
The best Christmas fundraising ideas for schools can also depend on the school level. An elementary school Christmas fundraiser may benefit from prizes or classroom incentives, while older students may prefer an online option they can share more independently. When choosing among holiday fundraisers for schools or looking for a holiday fundraiser for schools, ask: Do you want students selling products by showing brochures, sharing a link to their group's online store, or both?
Holiday Fundraisers for Schools, Churches, Nonprofits, and Teams
Christmas Fundraiser Ideas for Churches and Nonprofits
Christmas church fundraiser ideas may include candles, holiday foods, gift catalogs, popcorn, and online options. A Christmas fundraiser for churches can raise money for youth activities, mission work, or other church needs.
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Christmas fundraiser ideas for nonprofits can include brochure selling for local volunteers or online options that reach supporters beyond the local community.
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When considering Christmas fundraiser ideas for charities, focus on products and selling options that suit the organization’s supporters, schedule, and goal.
Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Sports Teams
A Christmas fundraiser for sports teams can raise money for uniforms, equipment, travel, tournament fees, and other expenses. Christmas fundraising ideas for sports teams may include candles, popcorn, food, gift wrap, or an online fundraiser players can share with friends and family.
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A sports team Christmas fundraiser should be easy to share and give supporters a clear reason to buy. The best sports team Christmas fundraisers usually feature products people already enjoy or products that are perfect for holiday shopping and gift-giving.
PTO and PTA Christmas Fundraising
A PTO Christmas fundraiser may focus on schoolwide participation, classroom incentives, or family shopping. A PTA Christmas fundraiser may use similar programs, but timing, volunteer availability, student ages, and selling options still matter.
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For younger students, a school holiday shop lets children choose gifts for people they love while volunteers help them stay within budget.
Winter Fundraising Ideas and Holiday Timing
Timing matters when choosing fundraising ideas in winter, especially when you are working around a school calendar, holiday schedule, and delivery date.
Winter Wonderland orders received by Halloween can arrive in time for Thanksgiving, while orders received by Thanksgiving can arrive in time for Christmas. Our candle fundraiser gives groups a later-season option, with sales through Thanksgiving, orders submitted during the first week of December, and delivery before winter break.
The best winter fundraising ideas depend on when you can start, when supporters will shop, and when you need products delivered. Looking at those details first makes it easier to narrow down your winter fundraiser ideas.
What Makes a Christmas Fundraiser Easy, Profitable, and Successful?
A fundraiser is easier when orders are delivered pre-packed for each seller and when online sales reduce cash handling. Easy Christmas fundraisers may also offer ship-to-home ordering or tools that help the chairperson.
Easy Christmas fundraising ideas should also be simple for sellers to share. Candles, wrapping paper, food, and popcorn are products many supporters already know, enjoy, and may already be shopping for during the holidays.
Profitable Christmas fundraisers need more than a high percentage on paper. Participation, average sales, product appeal, timing, and how many people actually share the fundraiser all matter. Successful Christmas fundraisers give sellers something worth talking about and supporters
something they genuinely want to buy.
Christmas Holiday Fundraisers and Holiday Fundraising Ideas
Christmas holiday fundraisers may include traditional brochures, online fundraising, food, gifts, or a school holiday shop. The right holiday fundraiser depends on your organization, timing, and what
your sellers and supporters are most likely to enjoy.
When choosing among holiday fundraisers, look at the products, timing, and selling options. Holiday
fundraising ideas may include catalogs, candles, wrapping paper, snacks, food gifts, online stores,
or school shopping events. The best holiday fundraiser ideas should help you narrow down those
choices, not just give you a longer list.
Good holiday fundraising starts with something sellers can realistically share, and supporters can
feel good about buying.
Need Help Choosing a Christmas Fundraiser?
With so many Christmas fundraisers available, it can be hard to know which one to choose. I’ve helped organizations raise money since 2002 and work with groups across the contiguous 48 states.
Tell me how many sellers you have, when you want to start, what your supporters usually buy, and whether you prefer brochure sales, online fundraising, or both. I’ll help you narrow down the choices and find a fundraiser that gives your organization the best chance to raise the money you need.
Evening and weekend hours are available.