Fall 2026 Fundraiser Themes to Get Kids Hyped!

Here’s the truth: nobody gets excited about raising money for a Fun Run just because it’s called “fun”.

Kids get excited when there’s a theme they already love, characters they already know, and prizes they want. That’s the whole secret to a great themed fundraiser: borrow the excitement that’s already there, and build your event around it.

This fall, five themes are impossible to beat: Toy Story, Minions, Zootopia, Moana, and Super Mario.

Each theme feels fresh for a reason. Toy Story 5 hit theaters this past June and broke box office records. Minions & Monsters arrived in July, bringing a whole new cast of characters into the Despicable Me universe. Zootopia 2 and the live-action Moana both came out this summer too, and Super Mario is riding a wave of excitement from the new Super Mario Galaxy movie.

Here’s how five real schools brought these themes to life, and how you can do the same!

Toy Story: To Infinity and Beyond (Your Fundraising Goal)!

Toy Story 5 just hit theaters in June and became the biggest opening weekend in Pixar’s history, so kids are more excited about Woody, Buzz, and the gang than they’ve been in years. The characters are easy to recognize, the colors are simple to decorate with, and there’s no shortage of affordable merchandise to use as prizes.

Wegienka Elementary PTO ran a Toy Story Fun Run and raised over $18,000. Every student who registered got a sheriffbadge sticker, and anyone who raised $50 earned a space slap bracelet — small touches that kept kids excited from the very first day.

Here’s how to bring this theme to your school:

1. Give every participant something small. A “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” friendship bracelet, a sticker sheet, a character button, or a bookmark are all inexpensive ways to make every student feel included right away.
2. Set up milestone rewards. As students raise more, the prizes get better: a sticker pack at $25, an alien keychain at $50, a Buzz Lightyear wristband at $100, all the way up to a VIP prize bundle at $1,000!
3. Set schoolwide goals everyone can unlock together. Have the principal dress as Woody for the day, throw a Pizza Planet lunch party, or let kids hit the principal with silly string for an “Alien Attack.”
4. Add daily themed challenges. A Buzz Lightyear color day, a Woody Roundup western day, or a crazy hat day for Jessie all add variety throughout the week.
5. Reward your top fundraisers. Lunch with the principal at “Pizza Planet,” a Toy Story gift basket, or a remote-control car like R.C. from the movie all make great top-level prizes.

Minions: Maximum Chaos, Maximum Fun

Minions & Monsters landed in theaters on July 1, bringing fresh buzz to the franchise right as back-to-school planning begins.

Check out “A Minion Reasons to Read!” from St. Joseph School! They raised over $10,000 and tracked more than 36,000 reading minutes using FundHub’s built-in activity tracker. Their incentives ranged from small prizes like bubbles and temporary tattoos up to a homework pass and Minion party pack!

Here’s how to build a Minion theme into your event:

1. Run a Minion Spirit Week. Banana Day (wear yellow), Goggles & Overalls Day, Mismatched Sock Day, and Crazy Hair Day!
2. Recognize top readers and top fundraisers by class. A “Minion’s Best Friend” breakfast with a buddy for the top reader in each class, a Minion backpack and water bottle bundle plus extra recess for the top individual fundraiser, and a Minions movie and pizza party for the class that raises the highest percentage all build excitement across the whole school.
3. Lean into the yellow and blue color scheme. Demin overalls, goggles, and banana props are easy, affordable ways to decorate.

Zootopia: Wild About Fundraising

With Zootopia 2 in theaters this past summer, kids are already thinking about this one. It also works well as a jungle/safari theme, so you’re not limited to just the movie itself.

Bonsall Elementary’s Jungle Jog-a-Thon raised over $80,000 in 2025. Their prize ladder ran from a $10 animal keychain all the way up to a $500 Labubu, with a safari hat, a glow party ticket, a squishy gorilla, and an inflatable hug pet along the way!

Here’s how to bring Zootopia to your school:

1. Build a long reward ladder. Starting small and ending big keeps kids motivated the whole way through (jungle-themed stickers and animal masks early on, then safari hats and plush zoo animals as the donations climb)!
2. Add a class-wide incentive. Reward the classes with the highest registration percentage with a trip to your local zoo,or bring a petting farm to your school for the day! This is a great way to get whole classrooms invested versus individual students.
3. Decorate with jungle and safari touches. Vines, leaves, animal print, and safari hats are simple and affordable, and they set the vibe for your entire school!

Moana: How Far Will Your School Go?

The live-action Moana movie is bringing fresh excitement to this theme, and the island and ocean setting makes it a natural fit for outdoor events like Fun Runs, Color Runs, Walk-a-Thons, and more!

Sutter Elementary used this theme for their Walk-a-Thon, infusing Moana and Maui into their event. Sutter used to raise around $30,000 on a free fundraising platform. After switching to FundHub, they raised $50,000 in their first year, and nearly $70,000 in 2024 with a schoolwide theme!

A few ideas to make a Moana theme work for your school:

1. Build a prize ladder with island-themed rewards. A shell necklace or lei at a lower tier, island-style sunglasses or a slap bracelet in the middle, and a Heihei or Pua plush near the top all keep with the tropical theme.
2. Set a fun school-wide goal. Have the principal perform a hula dance or lead a celebration at the next school assembly once the goal is hit!
3. Decorate with color and texture. Turquoise and coral colors, leis, and ocean imagery make the event feel like a real island celebration!

Super Mario: Let’s-a Go Raise Some Money!

Super Mario has been a student favorite for years, and the new Super Mario Galaxy movie is making it the coolest theme of the season. You can keep it classic or take it in a space and galaxy direction to match the movie.

Multiple schools have found success with this exciting theme:

• Totem Falls Elementary’s “Way To Go Mario!” Power Walk raised nearly $50,000.
• St. John Vianney’s Super Mario Turkey Trot split students into character teams (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Princess Daisy) and ran weekly donation challenges leading up to their event, raising over $26,000.
• At Friedberg Elementary’s Falcon 500: Racing for the Future, the principals agreed to wear Mario and Luigi racing gear for a full day once the school hit $10,000 raised, and the school ended up raising over $35,000 in total.
• Eagle Point Parent Group took it even further during their Read-a-Thon: for the fifth year in a row on FundHub — when the principals dressed as Mario and Luigi for a live Mario Kart race through the halls after the school hit its goal.

The pattern across all of these schools is simple: tying a staff costume or activity to a fundraising milestone gets students talking and keeps momentum strong. The best part? It costs little to nothing, and consistently shows up as one of the most effective motivators!

Your Best Fall Fundraiser Starts with FundHub

Whichever theme your school chooses, FundHub makes planning it easy.

Through FundHub, every student gets their own personalized fundraising page, with incentives and milestones that aresimple to track. Plus, you can manage the whole event right from your phone!

This fall is shaping up to be one of the most exciting seasons in years for themed events, with five major movies, five built-in reasons for kids to get hyped, and a fundraising platform that makes it easy to turn that excitement into real results.

Ready to bring one of these themes to your school? Book a FundHub Demo and talk to your personal fundraising coach to get started!