15 School Fundraisers from the ’70s You Couldn’t Escape
A nostalgic look back at the school fundraisers every ’70s kid remembers all too well.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
School fundraisers in the 1970s were a rite of passage for kids across the U.S. Whether you were knocking on doors with catalogs or sweating through car washes on a Saturday, these events left a lasting impression. Let’s rewind to those quirky, relentless, and oddly fun fundraisers we just couldn’t dodge.
1. Wrapping Paper Sales
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Every fall, students would sell thick catalogs filled with shiny, overpriced wrapping paper. The goal is to fund new gym mats or a class trip.
2. Chocolate Bar Fundraisers
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Those giant, $1 chocolate bars were irresistible, especially the almond ones. Students were supposed to sell them but often ended up eating half the box themselves.
3. Magazine Subscription Drives
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Door-to-door sales of Time, Seventeen, and Sports Illustrated were pushed with promises of silly prizes. If you sold enough, you could win a toy that barely worked.
4. Bake Sales
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Held in the school lobby or parking lot, bake sales were less about charity and more about whose mom had the best snickerdoodle recipe. You bought your own cookies back just to look supportive.
5. Walk-a-Thons
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Kids collected pledges per lap, then spent the day circling the track in gym shorts and tube socks. Sunscreen wasn’t really a thing, so sunburns were badges of honor.
6. Raffle Tickets
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You sold them, your parents bought them, and the winning prize was usually a crockpot or a bowling alley gift certificate. Drawing night was an event, complete with a lukewarm punch.
7. Car Washes
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These were hosted in the school parking lot with hoses, sponges, and way too much soap. Everyone wore old jeans and T-shirts and ended up soaked anyway.
8. Spaghetti Dinners
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Held in the cafeteria with waxy paper plates and lukewarm noodles. Parents mingled while kids served breadsticks like little waiters-in-training.
9. Holiday Craft Fairs
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Classrooms were transformed into mini marketplaces full of popsicle-stick ornaments and glitter-soaked snowflakes. Moms haggled over pinecone wreaths like it was a yard sale.
10. Penny Drives
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The jar on the teacher’s desk filled slowly with spare change, but the bragging rights for the heaviest jar were priceless. Coins were counted with rusted machines or just by hand.
11. Talent Shows with Admission Fees
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You sang “Puff the Magic Dragon” or juggled tennis balls in front of an audience of proud parents. The entry fee was a dollar, and the embarrassment was free.
12. Coupon Book Sales
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Thick, stapled books promising discounts at pizza joints and bowling alleys—most of which were miles away. You had to pitch them like they were rare collectibles.
13. Read-a-Thons
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You promised to read 10 books, got five bucks from your aunt, and skimmed through three Goosebumps instead. Libraries saw a mysterious boom in traffic for a week.
14. Carnival Days
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Schools turned into mini fairgrounds with ring tosses, dunk tanks, and face paint that stained until Tuesday. You spent $5 on tickets to win a 10-cent toy.
15. Popcorn and Peanut Sales
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Plastic bags filled with stale popcorn or salted peanuts were your merchandise. You hawked them to neighbors like you were running a snack cartel.