Mother's Day or Father's Day gift stall

The PTA buys small gifts wholesale and sets up a stall at school where children choose and buy a present for a parent or grandparent for $2-10.

Typically raises

$800

$300–2,000 per eventest.

About $53 per organiser hour

Based on 200-400 gifts sold

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: A few evenings
Helpers: 3–6 people
Lead time: 1–2 months
Red tape: None

Common: most primary PTAs run one every year

People: 4-8 parents for buying, wrapping and running the stall over 1-2 days (estimate)
Organiser time: 10-20 hours (estimate)
Lead time: 6-8 weeks to order stock in time; NZ Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May and Father's Day the first Sunday in September
Up-front cost: $600. Stock for about one gift per child; some suppliers suggest buying up to three per child as children buy for step-parents and grandparents (School Fundraising Gifts, Australia; estimate of cost).
Risk: Medium: unsold stock is left over; keep generic items for the other parent's day.

Suits: Kindy or early learning, Primary or intermediate school

When: Autumn (Mar–May), Spring (Sep–Nov), Mother’s Day, Father’s Day

How big a job: A few evenings, 3–6 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $2 a gift, keep $2, so 700 gifts = $1,400, or about $800 after about $600 of costs. That’s about the typical result.

Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

No NZ benchmark found. Australian school-gift suppliers list stall items from about $0.65 to $5.95 plus GST (School Gifts, Australia) and suggest selling at $2-10 in whole dollars (School Fundraising Gifts, Australia). Totals assume 200-400 gifts at about $2-5 margin (estimate).

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Set the date with the school: the week before Mother's Day (second Sunday in May) or Father's Day (first Sunday in September).
Check previous years' sales; start with about one gift per child, more if families buy for grandparents (School Fundraising Gifts).
Order early from a wholesaler; most dedicated school-gift suppliers found are Australian, so confirm NZ shipping and GST before ordering.
Buy a mix at three or four whole-dollar price points, e.g. $2, $5, $8 (estimate).
Offer pre-loaded orders through the school's online payment system for families who want to send money.
Set up the stall in the hall and take classes through in turn.
Have helpers wrap gifts and put a name tag on each.
Check the delivery as soon as it arrives so problems can be fixed in time (School Fundraising Gifts).
Store unsold generic items for the next stall; report the profit to parents.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Families to bake, give stock or take a shift on the stall.
Ask people to buy: People to come and buy on the day.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: NeededYour own grounds or hall
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling

Run in school hours with the principal's approval. No NZ gift-stall supplier confirmed; Australian suppliers exist, so check NZ freight and GST early.

Make more from it

Children's art cards
$100-400 (estimate)
pairs a handmade card with the gift
Potted plants or seedlings on the stall
$100-300 (estimate)
higher margin than bought-in gifts

Stack it: on its own, about $800. With the 2 priced add-ons above, roughly

$1,300est.

What you can get donated

Donated items or wrapping; some PTAs use donated goods to lift margins.

Tips

Whole-dollar prices avoid change problems (School Fundraising Gifts).
Include a few handmade or local items (seedlings, baking, cards) for higher margins.
Use the inclusive name 'Special Person's Day' or 'Mothers and others' so every child can take part (an Australian school used 'Mothers and others day stall').

Watch out for

Ordering from overseas too late: freight delays can leave you with no stock (School Fundraising Gifts).
Cheap plastic gifts get complaints from parents about waste.
Children without money miss out; consider a low-price or free option.

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide