This page covers what a homeschool co-op actually needs to fund, the constraints that shape how you can raise it, and which event formats fit. If you want the general guide first, start with fundraising by group.
What a homeschool co-op is usually funding
- shared curriculum and lab materials
- facility or meeting space rental
- field trips and group activities
- specialist instructors for classes families cannot teach
- equipment for science, art and music
What makes this group different
These are the constraints that decide whether a fundraiser works here, and they are the reason generic advice underperforms.
- No institutional base, no building, no captive audience
- Families join and leave more fluidly than at a conventional school
- The group spans a wide age range simultaneously
- Volunteer capacity is the co-op's entire operating model, so the fundraiser cannot consume it
Why an event-based fundraiser fits
A co-op has no facility and no built-in audience, so an event that doubles as a group activity families already want — a field day the children genuinely enjoy — earns its volunteer cost twice.
What is realistic to raise
No building, no institutional base, no captive audience, and volunteer capacity is the entire operating model. An event that doubles as something families already want to attend earns its volunteer cost twice; anything else spends capacity the co-op needs for teaching.
A working timeline
The dates that matter here are set by this group’s own calendar, not by a generic fundraising season.
- Pick a public park or a member's property and keep equipment needs near zero
- Launch online, since families are dispersed
- Event day as a shared occasion families would attend anyway
- Report against specific purchases — curriculum, lab materials, an instructor
What goes wrong
- Designing an event that needs a facility the co-op does not have
- Consuming the volunteer capacity that runs the classes
- One activity for an age range spanning a decade
Formats that suit a homeschool co-op
You are not doing this alone
Every Get Movin' group is paired with a Personal Event Coach — a former PTO/PTA volunteer who has run this before. Get Movin's company president and all of its fundraising coaches are former PTO/PTA members, teachers and volunteers. For a homeschool co-op, that means someone who has already helped other groups like yours through exactly this.
Your coach:
- strategizes your budget goal with you
- brainstorms incentives that actually motivate your participants
- advises on promotion and timing
- steers you away from the pitfalls they have already watched other groups hit
You also get the FundHub Event Toolbox — 100+ guides, templates, playlists and printables. Meet the coaches.
The platform behind a homeschool co-op fundraiser
FundHub is Get Movin's online donation platform, built specifically for schools, teams and community groups by former PTO/PTA leaders. It carries 35+ tools. These are the ones that matter most here:
- Personalized student webpages. A parent sets one up in about five minutes, and each page raises an average of $140.
- One-click sharing to social, email and text, plus a sharing report showing how many parents are actually using it.
- Volunteer Organizer. Post positions with dates, times and headcount; parents self-select their shift instead of a chain of emails.
- Email Builder with Dynamic Flyer templates, person-to-person emails and official school receipts for donors.
- Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
See the full platform on the FundHub page, or book a walkthrough with a coach.
How Get Movin’ runs your homeschool co-op fundraiser
- Book a call or a FundHub demo and get matched with your Personal Event Coach.
- Your coach helps you set the goal, pick the date and choose incentives.
- Your group page and student pages go live; parents set theirs up in about five minutes.
- Families share by text, email and social; the coach checks in through the campaign.
- Event day, with volunteers organized through FundHub.
- Funds arrive by automatic ACH transfer after the event.
What it costs and what you keep
Get Movin’ groups keep 95-97% of every dollar raised. Donors pay however they want — cash, check, credit or debit, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple and Google Wallet. Automatic ACH payout after the event, straight to the group's account.
Full detail on the pricing page.
Next steps
See what a homeschool co-op fundraiser costs on our pricing page, or browse free templates including printable pledge sheets.
Common questions
How does a group with no building run a fundraising event?
Use a public park or a member family's property and keep equipment needs near zero. The event's job is to be a shared occasion; the fundraising happens online before it.
Start your homeschool co-op fundraiser
Get Movin’ has powered 10,000+ events and raised more than $200 million for groups like yours since 2007, with 1,300+ five-star Google reviews.
Take a FundHub tour with a coach, or book your event. Questions first? Contact us or call 248-895-0206. Also useful: the free school grant guide, the parent and donor FAQ, and our fundraising webinars.