Fundraising Ideas for Jewish Day Schools

Jewish day schools are fewer than Catholic or other Christian schools but larger than most private schools. In the 2023–24 Private School Universe Survey, NCES counted 1,206 Jewish private schools, 3.9% of all private schools, enrolling 320,395 students, 6.3% of private school enrollment. That is about 266 students per school, well above the 167-student average for private schools overall, which means more families to ask than at most private schools, and a broader menu of school fundraising ideas that can work at that size. The sector is also varied: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and community schools serving families across movements all count as day schools, and their practices around Shabbat, food and games of chance differ.

The basics of private school fundraising, from the annual fund to receipts, are covered in the private and faith-based school guide. This page covers what is particular to Jewish day schools.

Plan around Shabbat and the holidays

Shabbat is observed from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday, as the Union for Reform Judaism describes it. For families who observe it closely, that takes Friday evenings and Saturdays off the fundraising calendar entirely, including things volunteers rarely think about: an online campaign that closes on Saturday, an auction that ends Friday night, a reminder email that lands during Shabbat, or a vendor delivery scheduled for Saturday morning.

Holidays matter just as much. Check the Jewish calendar for the coming year before the committee sets a single date, because holiday dates move on the secular calendar from year to year. The fall is the crowded season: the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) and Sukkot can take several days out of September or October, often in the first weeks of school, so a fall kickoff or walk usually lands after Sukkot. In spring, block out Passover before scheduling a dinner or campaign close. Build the fundraising calendar with the Judaic studies head or rabbi in the room, and use the fundraising calendar maker to lay the year out once those dates are blocked.

Tzedakah and school fundraising

Giving is woven into the week. The same Reform guidance notes that in many households Shabbat is preceded by giving tzedakah, often by putting money in a tzedakah box for a charity or cause. If your school builds the same habit in class, that creates a responsibility. Students' tzedakah collections often go to causes the students choose or learn about, and they teach that giving is for others. Keep them separate from the school's own fundraising: don't quietly redirect class tzedakah to the annual campaign, and if a collection will support the school, such as a tuition assistance fund, tell students and families plainly. Handled openly, the habit supports fundraising rather than competing with it: families who give through their children each week are used to giving with a purpose.

Ideas that fit a Jewish day school

1. An annual campaign with a participation goal

Ask every family to give at a level meaningful to them and publish the share of families giving, not individual amounts. Ask grandparents, alumni and past parents separately with their own letter. A participation rate is something community funders often ask about.

2. An annual dinner or gala with honorees

A dinner once a year that honors a family, an alumnus or a long-serving teacher can become the school's signature event. Honorees bring their own friends and relatives, and a printed or digital tribute journal lets supporters buy messages of congratulation. Hold it on a Sunday, or on a Saturday night in winter. Food follows the school's kashrut policy, which usually means a caterer under the supervision the school accepts. Tell guests the deductible part of their ticket, since a payment over $75 that is partly a gift needs a written statement (see the donor acknowledgment rules). Venue, ticket pricing and run of show are covered in the gala planning checklist.

Journal ads from businesses. A personal message of congratulation is usually a straightforward gift, but a business that buys a page promoting its products or services may be paying partly for advertising rather than giving. Price journal pages as gifts, keep business pages to a name and logo if the school wants them treated as sponsorships, and have the business office decide how each is receipted; the sponsorship guide explains the difference between recognition and advertising.

3. A tuition assistance fund

Donors who want to help other families afford a Jewish education can give to a tuition assistance fund. Keep it a pooled fund that the school awards under its own criteria. A donor can't direct a gift to a named child's tuition and deduct it; the private school guide explains why.

4. Tribute gifts in honor and memory

Gifts marking a birthday, a bar or bat mitzvah, a recovery or a yahrzeit suit a school community well. Offer a simple tribute card the school sends to the person honored or the family of the person remembered, and list tributes in a newsletter with permission. It raises steady money all year with almost no volunteer time.

5. A Sunday walk-a-thon or family fair

A Sunday walk involves every student, reaches relatives far away and costs little to run. It also works well near a holiday with a theme the whole school shares. The private school walk-a-thon guide covers the event day. A fair with booths and games of skill suits younger grades; if you plan any game with a prize decided by chance, read the section below first.

6. Community partners

Synagogues, local Jewish federations, community foundations and family foundations may support day schools through grants, scholarships or matching campaigns, and programs differ by city. Ask your head of school which relationships already exist before approaching anyone, so the school speaks with one voice. How to find and apply for school grants is covered in school grants.

Raffles, bingo and casino nights

Jewish views on games of chance are not uniform, and the right answer for your school depends on its community. My Jewish Learning summarizes the tradition this way: gambling is "frowned upon, but not prohibited," authorities disagree about lotteries, and "lotteries, raffles and the like, when undertaken for charitable purposes, are not considered forbidden." An older responsum from the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Reform rabbinic association, reached a more cautious place on a synagogue "Las Vegas" night: the congregation "is not prohibited" from holding one, but "the spirit of tradition would urge them to refrain."

So some day schools hold raffles at their dinner, and others prefer an auction, trivia night or a tribute journal, where no prize depends on chance. Settle the question with your rabbinic and lay leadership before planning. Then check the law separately: whatever your community decides, a raffle, bingo game or casino night is regulated by the state, often with a license and limits on prizes. For game nights, see when bingo counts as gaming.

Food at every fundraiser

• Know the school's kashrut policy before planning any food: which certification it accepts, whether home-baked items are allowed, and whether meat and dairy events must be separate.
• Use packaged or supervised food for bake sales and concessions if the policy limits home kitchens. The simplest route is often to ask families to buy certified kosher items rather than bake.
• Tell caterers and venues early. Supervised catering can take longer to book, especially for a Sunday in spring.
• Label everything. Families from different backgrounds will ask, and a clear label avoids awkward questions at the table.

Setting the goal

Count every event at its net, after costs, because only net money pays for tuition assistance. Example A day school of 220 families needs $180,000 in net funds for tuition assistance next year. An annual campaign in which 85% of families give, 187 families averaging $500, raises $93,500 at almost no cost. A dinner with 300 guests at a $180 ticket grosses $54,000; after $22,000 for kosher catering, venue and honoree gifts it nets $32,000. A tribute journal grosses $21,000 and nets $18,000 after $3,000 in design and printing. Grandparents and alumni giving through their own letter add $36,500, which closes the gap: $93,500 + $32,000 + $18,000 + $36,500 = $180,000. The profit calculator estimates each event's net, and the goal calculator works back from the need.

Sources

1. Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results From the 2023–24 Private School Universe Survey, National Center for Education Statistics (accessed 2026-10-30)
2. Blessings and Customs for Shabbat, Union for Reform Judaism (ReformJudaism.org) (accessed 2026-10-30)
3. Are Jews Allowed to Gamble?, My Jewish Learning (accessed 2026-10-30)
4. Gambling for the Benefit of the Synagogue (responsum), Central Conference of American Rabbis (accessed 2026-10-30)