Regular treat sales at school (ice blocks, popcorn)
Sell ice blocks or a simple treat after the bell on a set day each week.
Typically raises
$150
$50–400 per seasonest.
About $15 per organiser hour
Based on one school term of weekly after-bell sales
Is it right for us?
- Money
- Under $500
- Work
- An afternoon
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- A week or less
- Red tape
- Light
Common: ice block Fridays are routine at many schools
- People
- 1-2 per session
- Organiser time
- 10 hours over a term (about 1 hour a week, estimate)
- Lead time
- 1 week
- Up-front cost
- $100. First stock and a freezer (estimate)
- Risk
- Low.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Take about $250, pay about $100 of costs, and you keep about $150 per season: the typical result for one school term of weekly after-bell sales.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate per term. Example price: $2 ice blocks sold after the bell (Mt Eden Normal Primary PTA page).
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Get school approval and a freezer.
- Pick one day and place.
- Buy at wholesale.
- Price in a single coin.
- Roster one parent per week.
- Bank weekly.
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 1–2 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
- NeededRegister under the Food Act (usually with your council)
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- Not neededNot gambling
Weekly sales across a year can go past the 20-times-a-year fundraising exemption, so check MPI's My Food Rules tool or ask the council. Pre-packaged ice blocks are lower risk. Follow the school's food policy.
What you can get donated
Freezer space from the school; stock at cost from a wholesaler.
Tips
- Remind families by newsletter to send coins (the PTA page does this).
Watch out for
- Cash-only sales exclude children without coins.
- Exceeding the 20-times exemption without realising.
Regular treat sales at school (ice blocks, popcorn): checklist
0 of 10 done
Before
After
Weekly sales across a year can go past the 20-times-a-year fundraising exemption, so check MPI's My Food Rules tool or ask the council. Pre-packaged ice blocks are lower risk. Follow the school's food policy.
Sources
* 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