Your School Fundraising Calendar for 2027

A school fundraising calendar starts with the money you need and the people available to help. Filling every month with an event can leave the same families doing the work while supporters struggle to keep track of what is open.

Before your committee finishes for the year, sketch out the next one. Leave space for school events and give each campaign a clear owner. The term-by-term framework below is a planning guide for NZ and Australian schools. It does not set school term dates: use your own school's approved 2027 calendar, including local holidays and teacher-only days.

Start with the projects

List the projects your school has approved and the amount needed for each. Separate confirmed costs from estimates. If you are fundraising for equipment, establish whether delivery or installation will add to the purchase price.

Choose which projects fundraising can realistically support. A long wish list is useful for discussion, but it should not become a promise to families. Decide how you will explain the purpose of each campaign and what happens if the amount raised differs from the target.

Use past results where you have them. Compare money available after costs with the volunteer hours required. A smaller campaign that the committee can repeat comfortably may suit your school better than a larger event that relies on one exhausted organiser.

Put the school calendar on the page first

Add camps and major sporting events before choosing launch dates. Include school productions, reporting periods and any community events that draw on the same volunteers. Check whether individual classes or sports teams are planning their own campaigns.

Ask the school office to review the draft. It may know about clashes the fundraising committee has not heard about. If your group works across more than one campus, check both calendars rather than assuming they match.

Give each proposed fundraiser a launch date, closing date and completion date. For a product campaign, completion includes collection and reconciliation. Closing orders does not mean the volunteer work is finished.

Term 1: organise the year and choose a manageable start

Use the beginning of the year to confirm committee roles and welcome new helpers. Explain the year's main fundraising purposes without asking families to commit to every event at once.

If you plan an early campaign, choose a format your team already understands. Confirm the supplier and the distribution arrangements before announcing it. New enrolments and school routines can make the first weeks busy, so ask staff what communication timing will work.

Keep a backup owner for the campaign. Record supplier contacts somewhere the committee can access them, rather than leaving essential details in one person's private inbox. Our guide to starting a fundraiser can help a new organiser work through the decisions.

Term 2: allow room for a main campaign

A product fundraiser may suit this part of your calendar if the supplier's lead times and your volunteers' availability line up. Choose the product based on your community rather than assuming last year's choice must be repeated.

Before setting the target, calculate what the group keeps per order after costs. Work out how many orders that target requires and whether your team can distribute them. If chilled or frozen products are involved, confirm suitable storage and collection arrangements.

Avoid placing another major fundraiser directly after collection. Leave time to resolve order questions and report the result. See our NZ food fundraising guide for formats to consider, then obtain current terms directly from your chosen supplier.

Term 3: consider an activity-based campaign

A read-a-thon or fun run gives the committee a different format to consider. Check the educational and practical fit with staff before adding it to the calendar. The fundraising plan and the event plan need their own owners, even if one person coordinates both.

Agree how participation will work for families who do not contribute financially. Set expectations about sharing student information and let the school decide which names or photos may be public. Do not make public rankings the default without discussing whether they suit your community.

Outdoor events need a weather contingency. Decide who makes a postponement call and how families will hear about it. If the school already has a major event that term, a smaller campaign or no additional fundraiser may be the better choice.

Term 4: finish with enough time to follow through

Work backwards from the last realistic collection date. Prizegivings and end-of-year trips can reduce the available volunteer time, even when there are still weeks left on the calendar.

If you choose a Christmas product campaign, confirm supplier deadlines before publishing your dates. Allow a buffer for delivery problems. Do not promise that late orders can be accepted unless your supplier has agreed.

Set a date to reconcile the year's fundraising and report to families. Prepare the handover before committee members leave for the holidays. Record what you would change while the details are still fresh.

A simple calendar to adapt

This is a menu, not a requirement to fundraise every term. Remove campaigns where your community needs breathing room. If a major gala already meets the year's needs, the rest of the calendar may focus on supporting it.

Review the plan after each campaign

Record the final net amount and the time volunteers spent. Note questions supporters asked repeatedly. These details help you improve the next campaign and make the next committee's planning less dependent on memory.

Check whether the next fundraiser still makes sense. A changed school priority or a lost volunteer may be a good reason to adjust the plan. Tell families early if dates change, and update every place the original dates were published.

Keep one shared calendar as the reference for the committee. For help with participation, read how to get parents involved. When you are ready to plan the online side, see how Raised works or contact us.