Nursery fundraising comes with its own set of challenges. Children are too young to sell tickets or run a stall themselves, and parents of very young children are often juggling more than one nursery or childcare setting, so getting their attention matters even more. Here are the ideas that work best for nurseries and early years settings. If you’re also fundraising for older siblings, see our guide to fundraising ideas for primary and secondary schools.
Why Nursery Fundraising Needs a Different Approach
Unlike a primary or secondary school, a nursery can’t rely on pupils to promote a fundraiser, run a stall, or take part in a sponsored challenge independently. Nursery fundraising ideas tend to work best when they involve almost no effort from the child and a very low barrier for parents, who are often short on time during the early years.
Best Nursery Fundraising Ideas
- Handprint and footprint keepsakes. A firm favourite for this age group, turning a child’s handprint or early artwork into a tea towel, mug or card that parents and grandparents genuinely treasure.
- Photo fundraisers. Professional or staff-led photo sessions that parents can order prints or products from afterwards.
- Sponsored teddy bear picnic. A gentle, age-appropriate version of a sponsored event that doesn’t require the children to do anything unusual.
- Nursery non-uniform or pyjama day. A simple donation-based day that’s easy for even the youngest children to take part in.
- Second-hand toy and equipment sale. Parents of young children are often keen to both buy and sell outgrown items, making this a popular termly event.
- Online shopping affiliate schemes. Entirely passive fundraising that needs no involvement from the children at all.
- Christmas cards and calendars. Especially popular for this age group, since grandparents are often eager to receive something made by a very young child.
- Small family fun day. A scaled-down version of a school fete, with a few simple stalls and activities suited to toddlers and pre-schoolers. See our full fundraising stall ideas for inspiration.
Tips for Nursery Fundraising Success
- Keep it low effort for parents. Parents of nursery-age children are often also managing older siblings at school, so anything that takes more than a few minutes to organise tends to see lower participation.
- Lean on the emotional pull of early artwork. A handprint or first drawing has a strong nostalgic value, which makes keepsake products particularly effective at this age.
- Communicate through pickup and drop-off, not just email. A conversation at the door or a poster by the entrance often reaches parents more reliably than a newsletter at this age group.
- Time it around Christmas or Mother’s Day. These occasions naturally increase how many families order a keepsake product, since it doubles as a ready-made gift. See our Christmas fundraising guide for deadlines.
A Simple Fundraiser Built for Early Years
Good Dream Design works with nurseries and early years settings to turn children’s handprints and artwork into keepsakes like tea towels, mugs and cards, with no cash handling and commission rates up to 30%.
Register your nursery to start a fundraising project today.