During my decade of involvement with the PTA, I’ve used my professional experience as a project manager to spot where we were wasting time, money and materials–and looked for ways to do better. Our school has Eco School status, meaning sustainability is always at the forefront of my mind. But let’s be honest: putting on a big event, such as a summer fair, takes serious work, especially when costs keep rising. That’s why running a low-cost, low-waste event that’s still a hit with families feels like a real win.
1 Teddy tombola
A guaranteed profit-maker. We ask families to donate gently used teddies in great condition and divide them into six sections. Children roll a dice and pick a teddy from the corresponding group.
2 Preloved uniform
We started by selling items out of boxes but eventually decided we would sell more if we bought some clothing rails with PTA funds. Before the fair, we ask for donations of clean, outgrown uniforms. We sort items carefully before reselling them to parents. It’s easy, keeps clothes out of landfill and raises hundreds of pounds.
3 Books and toys
Donations come with one condition: all parts must be included. To ensure everything stays together, we tape the boxes shut. If people donate items in a bag, we reuse those on the day – visitors will often buy more if they have something to carry it all home in! Unsold items? We offer them to the teachers first. Sometimes they make ideal classroom resources.
4 Gift amnesty
Every January, we invite families to donate unused Christmas gifts, which become fair prizes or go into themed hampers. From toys and sports kits to bath goodies, the possibilities are endless and it costs us nothing.
5 Raffle hampers
The hamper raffle is one of our biggest money-makers, and it’s incredibly easy to organise. In the weeks leading up to the fair, we ask the school kitchen to save their cardboard fruit crates – they make brilliant hamper baskets as they are easy to decorate, sturdy and recyclable. We ask parents to donate one good quality item each, from chocolates and toiletries to toys and books. With all the contributions, we create hampers that look fantastic, cost us barely anything and are hugely popular. All we add is a bow!
6 Rethink prizes
After receiving feedback that we were giving out too many sweets, we moved to pencils and stickers – many donated by families. The children love it! Hook-a-duck, featuring a sparkly hat full of pencils for pupils to choose from, is still a winner. It’s healthier and creates far less packaging waste. In addition, we reached out to our local Tesco for a donation of fruit. A juicy apple as a treat for taking part in the assault course? Yum!
7 Jolly jars
This stall is always a big hit and a profit-maker for us. We ask parents and carers to send in clean glass jars and fill them with small, donated toys or sweets. Parents get to declutter, kids love winning a jar packed with treats, and the PTA spends nothing!
8 Reusable signage
Invest in signs you can reuse every year. A banner that says ‘Summer fair this Saturday’ works much better than one with a specific date. Ours have lasted over four years and still look great. Less waste, less faff.
