Short answer: In penny wars, each class or grade has a collection jar. Every penny in a team's own jar adds one point. Silver coins and bills subtract their value in cents, so students drop them in rival jars to lower those scores. The team with the most points at the end wins a reward, and every coin and bill counts toward the school's total either way. Most schools run it for one school week.
This guide is part of school fundraising ideas. Penny wars is a donation drive with a scoreboard. It needs almost no money up front, a few jars and two reliable counters, and it fits into one week. It raises less than a full pledge event, so it works best as a small, fun ask between bigger ones, or for a single cause such as a classroom library or a family in need. Because nothing is sold, every coin goes to the cause.
How penny wars works
Each team (a class, a grade or a homeroom) gets a jar. The scoring has one twist that makes it a "war":
- Pennies are positive. Each penny in a team's own jar adds 1 point.
- Silver coins and bills are negative. A nickel subtracts 5 points, a dime 10, a quarter 25 and a dollar bill 100. Students put them in other teams' jars to knock those teams down.
- All money counts. Points decide the winner, but every coin and bill goes to the fundraiser. Sabotage still raises money.
- Highest score wins a reward chosen in advance, such as a class party or a staff stunt.
The strategy is what makes it fun for older students: a class that's behind can pool its quarters and drop them on the leader in the last hour. That same strategy is why younger students often do better with a simpler "positive only" version, described below.
Scoring, with a worked example
Keep two numbers for every jar, every day: the score (pennies minus the value of everything else, in cents) and the money (everything in the jar, in dollars). Teams compete on the score; the fundraiser keeps the money.
Example Three third-grade classes run penny wars for a week. At the final count:
| Class | Pennies | Silver coins received | Bills received | Score (points) | Money in jar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3A | 1,240 | $6.50 | $10.00 | 1,240 − 650 − 1,000 = −410 | $12.40 + $6.50 + $10.00 = $28.90 |
| 3B | 860 | $2.25 | $0.00 | 860 − 225 − 0 = 635 | $8.60 + $2.25 + $0.00 = $10.85 |
| 3C | 410 | $1.00 | $5.00 | 410 − 100 − 500 = −190 | $4.10 + $1.00 + $5.00 = $10.10 |
Class 3B wins with 635 points. Class 3A finished last on points but its jar held the most money, because rivals kept attacking the class with the most pennies. The grade raised $28.90 + $10.85 + $10.10 = $49.85. Announce the winner and thank the jar that raised the most; both are true, and it keeps the class that "lost" from feeling it failed.
Rules sheet to copy
Write the rules down before day one and send them home, so students, families and staff all play the same game. Edit the bracketed parts.
Penny wars daily tally sheet
One sheet per jar per day. Two adults count together and both sign. Score = pennies − (value of everything else in cents). Money = total value of the jar.
| Item | Count | Value ($) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team and date | |||
| Pennies | + | ||
| Nickels | − | ||
| Dimes | − | ||
| Quarters | − | ||
| Other coins | − | ||
| Bills | − | ||
| Today's totals | |||
| Running score and money since day one | |||
| Counter 1: name and signature | |||
| Counter 2: name and signature | |||
| Bagged, sealed and stored by (bag number) | |||
How long it should last
One school week is the usual length, and it's long enough. Interest peaks on the first and last days; a second week mostly adds counting. For a whole school, five days with a posted standing each morning keeps the energy up. For a single grade or a preschool, three days may be plenty. To launch it, a short kickoff assembly can line up the class jars on stage and explain the scoring once with real coins.
If you want a short burst inside a longer campaign, run penny wars during the last week of a pledge event or donation drive. Avoid weeks with testing, a book fair or another ask; the fundraising calendar helps you find a clear week.
Penny wars without pennies
The United States Mint struck its final pennies for circulation on November 12, 2025. The Mint says the penny remains legal tender and estimates that about 300 billion are still in circulation, so pennies will turn up in jars for a long time. But many families now have fewer of them on hand, and a game that depends on pennies can stall. These versions work with any money:
| Version | How points work | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Positive only | Every coin and bill adds its value in cents to your own jar. No sabotage. | K–2, and any school that wants no rivalry |
| Coins versus bills | All coins add their value; bills subtract theirs in rival jars. | Grades 3–8 when pennies are scarce |
| Nickel wars | Nickels add 5; dimes, quarters and bills subtract their value. | Keeping the classic game with a common coin |
| Participation count | One point for each different student who adds any amount that day. | Schools where family resources differ widely |
If your school accepts gifts through its own approved online system, decide in advance how they count. The simplest rule is that online gifts are positive points for the donor's chosen team, with no sabotage, so the jar stays the center of the game.
Fill-the-jar drives
A fill-the-jar drive is penny wars without the war. Every class has a jar and a goal, every coin and bill counts in its own jar, and a class that reaches its goal earns its reward whether or not another class gets there first. It suits kindergarten through second grade, schools that want no rivalry, and short drives for a single cause such as a family in need.
The one design mistake to avoid is making "full" the goal. A jar of pennies holds far less money than the same jar of quarters, so a class of penny savers can fill its jar and raise a fraction of what a half-full jar of quarters holds. Set each goal in dollars instead, count the jars daily with the same two-adult routine as penny wars, and show progress on a paper chart taped beside the jar. The fundraising thermometer maker prints one per class.
Example A school wants $800 for classroom library books and has 20 classes, so each class gets a $40 goal (20 × $40 = $800). At Wednesday's count Room 7 has $26.40, which is 66% of its goal ($26.40 ÷ $40 = 0.66), and its chart is colored in to just past the halfway mark. Every class that reaches $40 by Friday gets a book picnic at recess, and the money raised past any class's goal still goes to the books.
- Whole-school version. One large container in the office (a clear water-cooler bottle works) with a school-wide dollar goal and a hallway chart. Good for a December food-bank drive.
- Same safeguards. Lidded jars, supervised drop-off times, daily emptying by two adults and a deposit at least midweek, exactly as below.
- Announce counted totals. Report dollars from the daily count, not guesses from how full a jar looks.
Counting the coins
Coins are heavy, slow to count and easy to lose track of. Plan the count before the first coin goes in.
- Two adults, every count. Count each jar with two people, record it on that jar's tally sheet, and both sign. The cash-handling guide for parent groups covers the full routine, and the cash count sheet tool totals each count and checks the two counters against each other.
- Sort first. Pour each jar onto a tray and sort by coin type before counting. Bills and silver go into a labeled envelope per jar so the score can be checked later.
- Weigh for daily standings, if you like. The Mint lists the current penny at 2.500 grams, so 1 kilogram of pennies is about 400 coins, or $4.00. Jars collect lint, buttons and coins that don't match exactly, so treat weight as an estimate for the morning announcement and hand-count or bank-count the final totals.
- Use bank coin wrappers for anything you hand-count. Each wrapper is printed with the number of coins and the value it holds.
- Ask your bank first. Whether a bank accepts loose coins, requires rolled coins or charges a counting fee varies by bank and by account. Ask the bank that holds your parent group's account before the event, and deposit to that account, never a personal one.
Keeping the jars secure
A jar of money in a classroom invites trouble. A few simple rules prevent most of it.
- Lidded containers with a slot, taped shut. Clear plastic lets students watch their jar fill without anyone opening it. Avoid glass, especially with young children.
- Supervised collection times. Set the jars out at one adult-supervised table (the office counter, or the cafeteria at lunch) during set times only. Students drop coins in; they never handle the jars.
- Empty every day. Two adults empty each jar into a sealed, labeled bag after collection, record it and store it in the office safe or a locked cabinet. Don't leave money in a classroom overnight.
- Deposit often. Make a deposit at least midweek and again at the end, so there is never a large amount of cash on site.
- Label everything with the team name, so a mix-up on the counting tray doesn't change a score.
Fair for every class
Penny wars can turn into a contest of whose families have more spare cash, and a class with fewer resources can lose every day no matter how hard students try. Children notice. Pick at least one of these before you start:
- A daily cap per student, such as a small coin limit each day, so no single family can decide the result.
- Participation scoring. Count one point for each different student who adds anything, even a single coin. The class with the most participation wins.
- Points per student. Divide each team's score by its enrollment, so a small class isn't penalized.
- Grade-level teams that mix classrooms, which spreads resources more evenly than class-versus-class.
- No pressure from staff. Teachers announce standings but never single out students who didn't bring coins.
The guide to fundraising at Title I and low-income schools covers fair fundraising in more depth. Check your district's fundraising policy before you start, too; some districts limit student-to-student fundraising or how money is collected during the school day.
Theme ideas
A theme gives penny wars a reason beyond the reward, and a cause gives the money a purpose students can picture.
- Staff challenge. Each jar belongs to a teacher or the principal, and the winner does a stunt, such as wearing a costume for a day. Positive-only scoring works well here. The guide to principal challenges that stay safe and fair covers choosing the stunt and getting each staff member's consent.
- Change for a cause. Name one purpose students care about: library books, a buddy bench, a local animal shelter, or help for a family after a fire. Service clubs often run penny wars for a charity; the service club and honor society guide explains how to announce the cause and keep that money separate from the club's account.
- Vote with your change. Each jar is a choice (a playground item, a field trip, a class pet), and the winning jar decides where the money goes. If a trip wins, put the money in one pooled fund for the trip, not toward particular students' costs.
- Pot of gold. A St. Patrick's Day week with gold-painted jars and a rainbow tracker in the hallway.
- Rivalry week. Grade against grade, or students against staff, timed with a homecoming or spirit week.
- Holiday giving. A December coin drive for a local food bank or toy drive, with positive-only scoring.
For rewards, choose something the whole winning class can enjoy, such as extra recess, a game afternoon or a pajama day. A party with food may fall under the school-day food rules, so non-food rewards are simpler. The guide to free incentives for students and classes lists whole-class rewards that cost nothing.
Other quick fundraisers
- Math-a-thonAn academic pledge event with problem booklets.
- Spell-a-thonWord lists, a host day and per-word pledges.
- Fundraisers without sellingDonation drives and pledge events compared.
- Cash count sheetTwo-counter totals and a deposit log.
Sources
- United States Mint Hosts Historic Ceremonial Strike for Final Production of the Circulating One-Cent Coin, United States Mint (accessed 2026-10-30)
- Coin Specifications, United States Mint (accessed 2026-10-30)
Frequently asked questions
What is penny wars?
Penny wars is a school coin drive run as a competition. Each class or grade has a jar. Pennies add points to your own jar, while silver coins and bills subtract their value, so students put them in rival jars. The highest score wins a reward, and all the money, including the coins used to sabotage other teams, goes to the fundraiser.
How long should penny wars last?
One school week is enough for most schools. Interest is highest on the first and last days, and a second week mostly adds counting work. Post standings every morning to keep it lively. For a single grade or very young students, three days can work well. Avoid weeks with testing or another fundraiser.
Do silver coins and bills count against you in penny wars?
In the classic rules, yes. A nickel subtracts 5 points, a dime 10, a quarter 25 and a dollar bill 100 from the jar they land in. That's why students drop them in other teams' jars. All of that money still counts toward the fundraising total; only the score goes down.
How do you run penny wars without pennies?
Change what counts as positive. In a positive-only version, every coin and bill adds its value to your own jar, which suits young grades. A coins-versus-bills version lets all coins add and bills subtract. Nickel wars keeps the classic game with nickels as the positive coin. A participation count gives one point per student who adds any amount.
What is a fill-the-jar fundraiser?
It's a cooperative coin drive: each class or the whole school has a jar and a dollar goal, every coin and bill adds to its own jar, and anyone who reaches the goal earns the reward. Set the goal in dollars rather than "a full jar," because a jar of pennies holds far less money than a jar of quarters, and post progress on a chart after each daily count.
Is penny wars fair to classes with less money?
Not automatically. If scores depend only on dollars, the class whose families have more spare cash usually wins. Add a daily cap per student, score participation instead of amount, divide points by class size, or form mixed grade-level teams. Teachers should never single out students who didn't bring coins.