School fundraising tracker for PTAs
One page the whole school can watch: the PTA's target, the money raised, and which class is winning. Put it on the hall screen in assembly and watch it fill up.
Class against class
The easiest way to run a school leaderboard is to make each class a participant, rather than each child. Create entries for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and so on, and add each class's total as it comes in. The bar shows the whole-school total and, on a paid tracker, the leaderboard shows which class is ahead, and no child's name goes anywhere near the internet.
Keeping children's details safe
Tracker pages can be seen by anyone with the link, so keep children's names off them. Use class or house names, first names only, or nicknames. If older pupils log their own entries, they only need a display name and password, never an email address. Our privacy policy explains exactly what we store.
Ideas for school fundraisers
- Sponsored laps of the field, counted class by class.
- Readathon: books or pages read across the school.
- Sponsored spell or times-tables challenge: correct answers as the unit.
- Coin trail: metres of coins along the playground.
- Non-uniform day, cake sale and summer fair: one running total for the term.
- House points: houses as participants, points as the unit.
Show it in assembly
Every tracker is a web page, so it works on the hall projector, the classroom whiteboard or a screen in reception. Add the latest totals on your phone at the gate, refresh the page, and the bar moves in front of everyone.
Making it work for your PTA
One tracker per campaign, not per event
If you're raising for one thing, such as new playground equipment, keep a single tracker for the whole campaign and add each event's takings to it: the cake sale, the disco, the summer fair. Everyone sees one bar creeping towards the goal across the year.
Share it where parents already are
Put the link in the newsletter, the school app and the class WhatsApp groups. Parents who missed the cake sale are more likely to donate online when they can see how close you are.
Let the children see it
Children love watching the bar move. Show it at the end of assembly once a week and let a different class announce the new total.
Say thank you at the end
When the campaign's done, the tracker stays online showing the final total. Put the link in the end-of-term newsletter as a thank-you to every family that helped.
How to set it up
- Create a tracker with your PTA's target and the unit (pounds, laps, books).
- Add classes or houses as you enter their totals, or upgrade so class teachers can log their own.
- Share the link in the newsletter and on the parents' WhatsApp group.
Go on — make sum effort.
A live progress page in a couple of minutes, free to start.
Frequently asked questions
Is it suitable for primary schools?
Yes, provided you keep children's names off the page. Use classes or houses as participants, and the organiser (a teacher or PTA member) adds the totals.
Do parents need an account to see it?
No. Anyone with the link can see the progress bar and leaderboard.
Can teachers add their own class's totals?
Yes, on a paid tracker. Each teacher joins with a display name like 'Year 4' and a password, and adds their class's entries.
Can we run a separate tracker for each class?
Yes, you can have as many trackers as you like. Most schools find one whole-school tracker with classes as participants easier to follow.
Is it free for schools?
A basic tracker, where a teacher or PTA member adds every entry, is free. Upgrading adds class logins, the leaderboard, your logo and school colours for 12 months.
Does Sum Effort take the money?
No. Collect money the way your school already does. Sum Effort only shows progress.
Can we show our school logo?
Yes, on a paid tracker, along with your school colours.
Can we use it for house points?
Yes. Use points as the unit and enter each house's points under its name. On a paid tracker, the leaderboard ranks the houses for you.