How to Run a Math-a-Thon Fundraiser at Your School

This guide is part of school fundraising ideas, where the math-a-thon sits with the other pledge events. It works like a read-a-thon with a booklet in place of a reading log, so if your school has run one of those, most of the machinery carries over. Some national charities run their own branded math-a-thon programs with their own materials and their own causes. This page is about running one for your school, with your own booklets, where the money stays with your parent group.

How a math-a-thon works

A math-a-thon turns practice the school already wants into a fundraiser. Students work problems they have mostly learned already, and the people who sponsor them are paying for effort, not test scores. It suits schools that want an academic fundraiser with no products, no event-day crowd and no weather risk. Because sponsors can be relatives anywhere, it also suits small schools whose own families can only give so much. The guide to school a-thon formats side by side compares it with walks, read-a-thons and the rest.

Who does what: the parent group writes or assembles the booklets, prints them and handles the money. Teachers hand out booklets, set aside a little class time if they choose and collect them on turn-in day. Volunteers score. Families find sponsors and collect pledges.

Per-problem or flat pledges

Sponsors can pledge in two ways, and many schools allow both on the same sheet.

Because every booklet has a fixed number of problems, a sponsor can always work out the most they could owe: the per-problem amount times the booklet length. Print the booklet length on the sponsor sheet so they can. A cap protects sponsors from a surprise and protects the student from an awkward conversation.

Example A fourth grader's booklet has 80 problems, and she completes 64. Her aunt pledged 25¢ per problem with a $20 cap: 64 × $0.25 = $16.00, under the cap, so the aunt owes $16. A neighbor pledged 50¢ per problem with a $25 cap: 64 × $0.50 = $32.00, so the cap applies and he owes $25. Her grandparents gave a flat $30. Her total is $16 + $25 + $30 = $71.

Example A first grader's booklet has 30 problems. A sponsor who pledges $1 per problem can owe at most 30 × $1 = $30, so a cap is optional here. Short booklets keep per-problem math simple for families of young children.

Decide before kickoff what "completed" means and print it on the sheet. The fairest rule for a fundraiser is a problem attempted with work shown, not only a correct answer (more on that below). The read-a-thon guide to per-minute and flat pledges covers the same choice for reading, and the pledge calculator will total a mix of per-unit and flat pledges if you treat each problem as a unit.

Booklets and sample problems

The booklet should be review, not new material. Ask each grade's teachers for the skills they have taught so far this year, and build from those. Students who can do most of the problems on their own stay motivated, and families aren't stuck teaching a new skill at the kitchen table.

• Match length to age. As a starting point, about 25–40 problems for K–2, 50–80 for grades 3–5 and 60–100 for grades 6–8, with fewer problems per page for younger students.
• Offer two levels per grade. A core booklet and a stretch booklet let teachers place students by readiness, not grade alone. Use the same length for both so pledges work the same way.
• Mix the types. Facts, short word problems, a few puzzles and one or two "explain how you know" questions.
• Write your own or use the district's materials. Problems your teachers wrote, or practice pages your district already licenses for copying, avoid copying a published workbook without permission.
• Keep an answer key per booklet for the scoring volunteers, stored separately from the student copies.

The problems below are original samples you can use or adapt.

Grades K–2

Grades 3–5

Grades 6–8

Fair for students who struggle

A fundraiser shouldn't reward the students who already find math easy and leave the rest with a small total and a bad feeling. The fix is mostly in the rules you set before kickoff.

• Score effort, not only correct answers. Count a problem as completed when it is attempted with work shown. Mark the answer key for practice if teachers want, but tie pledges to completion.
• Place students by level. A student working below grade level gets the booklet they can do. Nobody else needs to know which booklet a student has, so print them in the same color with a small code instead of a grade on the cover.
• Use the accommodations the student already has. A student with an IEP or 504 plan should get the same supports they use in class, such as problems read aloud, extra time, larger print or fewer problems per page. The student's teacher or case manager knows what those are.
• Allow a calculator when computation isn't the point, for example on multi-step word problems for older students.
• Translate the directions for families who read other languages, so parents can help with the booklet as well as the sponsor sheet.
• Keep results private. Never post individual problem counts or dollar totals. Celebrate class participation and the school total instead.
• Give every student a way to be sponsored. Some families can't find outside sponsors. A staff member, a local business or a class sponsor can back those students so nobody turns in a blank sheet.

The live read-a-thon guide on making sure every reader counts applies the same thinking to reading events, and the guide to fundraising at Title I and low-income schools covers fairness when family resources differ widely.

Keeping teacher workload low

Teachers decide whether a math-a-thon succeeds, and the quickest way to lose them is to hand them grading and money. Ask for as little as possible and say so in the first conversation.

Optional class time is a bonus, not a requirement. Some teachers like a short "math-a-thon minute" each morning during the working window; others leave the booklet as homework. Either works.

Scoring volunteers will see student work, so keep it professional: score in a school space, not at home; don't discuss individual students; and return booklets to teachers, not to the hallway. Ask the principal whether the district requires volunteer approval or a background check before volunteers work with student materials.

Timeline and when to hold it

How long does a math-a-thon last? The student part usually runs one to two weeks. The whole fundraiser, from kickoff to the last collected pledge, takes about four to five weeks, plus two to four weeks of preparation beforehand.

1. Four to six weeks before kickoff

   Get the principal's approval and a date. Confirm the parent group will hold the money. Set a goal and a purpose, such as classroom math manipulatives or a family math night. If the goal is devices or a STEM lab, talk to the district technology office first about what it will support.

2. Two to four weeks before

   Collect skills lists from teachers, draft booklets and answer keys, and get a teacher to check each level. Write the family letter and the sponsor sheet.

3. One week before

   Print and sort by class. Send a save-the-date so relatives expect the ask.

4. Kickoff day

   Booklets, sponsor sheets and the letter go home together. A short assembly or class video helps young students understand what they're doing. Kickoff assembly ideas by fundraiser include a staff-versus-student math demonstration.

5. Working window: one to two weeks

   Students work; families line up sponsors. Send one reminder halfway through.

6. Turn-in day and scoring: about one week

   Collect booklets and sponsor sheets together. Volunteers count completed problems and fill in each statement.

7. Collection: about two weeks

   Statements go home with a firm due date. Send one reminder. A printable fundraising thermometer, updated from deposited totals only, shows the school how close it is to the goal.

8. Thank and report

   Share the total, the participation rate and what the money will buy. Return booklets to students if teachers agree.

When to hold one: avoid the weeks right before state testing, when teachers protect every minute, and the weeks around major holidays. Good windows are late fall, once students have a few months of skills to review; January, as review after winter break; or around Pi Day on March 14 in schools that test later in spring. Space it at least six weeks from your other major asks; the PTA and PTO fundraising calendar shows how to spread the year.

Collecting pledges

Pledges only matter once they're paid, and per-problem pledges are paid weeks after the sponsor said yes. A clear statement and one firm deadline do most of the work.

• Send a statement for each student: booklet length, problems completed and the amount each sponsor owes after any cap.
• Offer simple ways to pay: a check made out to the parent group, cash in a sealed envelope labeled with the student's name and teacher, or the school's own approved online option.
• Check each envelope against its statement as two volunteers count, so a short payment is caught while the family can still be asked. The cash-handling guide has the full two-person routine.
• Thank sponsors, not just families. A short note from the student, or a class thank-you card for out-of-town sponsors, makes next year's ask easier.
• Be careful with tax language. Only say gifts are tax-deductible if your group's status allows it, and send written acknowledgments for large gifts; thanking donors and the IRS rules covers what to include.

For letter wording you can adapt, the parent fundraising letter templates include a kickoff letter, a reminder and a results letter.

Printable sponsor sheet

Amount owed for a per-problem sponsor is problems completed × the per-problem amount, or the cap, whichever is lower. For more layouts, see the read-a-thon pledge sheet; the same columns work for any per-unit event.

Other pledge and classroom fundraisers

• Spell-a-thonThe same pledge model with a word list and a test day.
• Read-a-thon guidesThe closest pledge-based academic format, fully covered.
• Penny warsA one-week class-versus-class coin drive.
• Fundraisers without sellingDonation drives and pledge events compared.