Illustration of a calculator showing a ticket price, with coins and dollar signs

Free PTO / PTA / HSA Tool

PTO Fundraiser Pricing Calculator

What should you charge — and will it actually hit your goal?

Enter your attendance, costs and fundraising goal to see your break-even price, target price and what happens if you charge less.

Free to use. No spreadsheet required.

Tell Us About Your Fundraiser

Use your best estimate based on previous events or expected participation.

Think venue, DJ, rentals, entertainment, decorations, printing, insurance and other costs that do not change based on attendance.

Include food, wristbands, supplies, admission fees, take-home items or other costs that increase with attendance. Leave blank for $0.

Enter the amount you want to raise after event expenses are paid. Enter $0 to see break-even pricing only.

Include sponsorships, raffles, concessions, vendor fees, donations or other revenue not included in ticket sales. Leave blank for $0.

Planning the Rest of Your Fundraiser?

Want More Pricing Options?

We're exploring advanced tools for comparing family pricing, multiple ticket strategies, sponsorship scenarios and board-ready pricing plans.

How to Price a PTO Fundraiser

Most PTO fundraiser pricing questions come down to five numbers: what the event costs to put on, what each attendee adds to those costs, how many families you realistically expect, what you already expect to bring in outside of tickets, and how much you actually need to raise.

Start with your fixed expenses — venue, DJ, rentals, entertainment, printing, insurance. Then add the costs that grow with attendance, like food, wristbands or take-home items. Add your fundraising goal on top, subtract sponsorships, concessions, raffles and vendor fees, and divide what's left by the number of paying attendees. That's your school fundraiser ticket pricing starting point.

It also helps to know your fundraiser break-even price — the amount that just covers expenses — so your board can see the floor as well as the target. And because school event pricing depends on attendance that isn't guaranteed, it's worth checking what happens if turnout lands about 10% under your estimate. A school dance that sells 225 tickets instead of 250 still has to cover the same DJ.

A calculated price isn't automatically the price families will pay. Use these numbers as a planning starting point for your PTO event budget, then weigh what's reasonable for your community and close any remaining gap with additional revenue, lower expenses or higher participation.

Frequently Asked Questions