Hanukkah Fundraiser
Pick a Date. Eight Nights, One Calendar.
Families claim a December date and give that amount — Day 3 = $3. A full calendar raises $496, and you keep 100% of calendar donations.
46 days to Hanukkah.
Example calendar · what yours will look like
Light All Eight Nights
Latkes, dreidels & the party — every date helps. Day 3 = $3.
What is a Hanukkah fundraiser?
A Hanukkah fundraiser is a pick-a-date calendar fundraiser that pays for the synagogue or Hebrew school Hanukkah party: the latkes and sufganiyot, the gelt, the candles, the games, the hall. Instead of a dues letter, families pick a December date on a shared calendar in November, the date is the price, and every claim shows their name and a message for the kids. The first night is the deadline.
How a Hanukkah fundraiser fills in 72 hours
Real numbers, real calendar. One school PTO, one September, hour by hour. Every calendar fills the same way, yours included.
Built and live in 57 minutes
Campaign created mid-afternoon, Stripe connected, live at 4:34 PM. Fifteen classroom participants joined through the school's group text.
Each participant gets a personal link by email
113 of 114 gifts came through personal links. No invite list uploaded — the automatic link email plus the class group text did it.
Parents give after bedtime
The single busiest hour was 11 PM. $391 landed on day 1, most of it after 9 PM. Plan your team message for the evening, not the school run.
37% by day 4 — then a bigger second week
$722 by day 4. The surprise came on days 7–9: $413, $391 and $356 as late-joining families got their links. The second week beat the first.
The late joiners carried the second week
Every new participant brought their own family burst. 70% of gifts carried a message for a specific child.
Get every classroom's link out on night one
The families who had a link on day 1 gave on day 1. The ones who got it a week later gave a week later. Same money, one week sooner, if every participant joins the first night.
Launch in early November. Every classroom's link out the first night. Nudge on day 5.
Build the calendar and go live on a weeknight in early November so the money is in before the party is booked. Every class parent shares the link the same evening. Expect the money in the first week, then one team message on day 5 — the parent group above got its second-week surge from the families whose links went out late.
Everything a Hanukkah fundraiser needs
Built for the Hebrew school party and the synagogue's community Hanukkah night: one calendar, one link, everyone chips in, no dues letter.
The date is the amount
31 December dates, each a candle. No pricing to invent, no letters to send — Day 13 is $13, Day 31 is $31.
Keep 100% of calendar donations
Funds land in your own Stripe or Square account. Givers cover a small service fee at checkout, shown before they pay.
Apple Pay · Google Pay · Cash App
Tap a date, pay in seconds. No account, no app download — a web link on every phone.
Names on the calendar
Every claim shows who took the date. The eight nights always go first, and the rest of December follows.
Live totals & receipts
Watch the total climb from your phone. Every giver gets an automatic receipt with your school or synagogue's name on it.
One link, one QR
The class group text, the synagogue bulletin, the school newsletter. Everything points at one calendar.
Hanukkah fundraiser ideas that fill the calendar
- 01
Launch in early November
The party gets planned in November. A calendar that goes live in the first week is filled before the hall is booked.
- 02
Send the eight nights to eight families first
Text the link to eight families and ask each to claim one night of Hanukkah on the calendar. Eight claimed dates on day one pull the rest of December.
- 03
One classroom, one week
Give each Hebrew school class a week of December dates and share the same link with every class parent. The first class to fill its week lights the menorah at the party.
- 04
Holiday wishes on the supporter wall
Every claim shows a name and a message. Ask families to leave a Hanukkah greeting in the message field, and read the wall at the party.
- 05
Print the QR code on the school newsletter
Every campaign gets a QR code the moment it's built. Put it in the newsletter and on the synagogue bulletin board — a scan lands on the calendar.
- 06
Set the calendar to 2× for the whole congregation
A community party for 300 needs more than $496. The 2× date-pricing setting makes the 13th $26 and a full December $992 from the same 31 dates.
- 07
Give the gelt its own stretch
Days 25–31 cover the gelt and the gifts for the kids. Send those with a personal text to the families who always ask how to help.
- 08
Keep the dreidel tournament free
With the calendar covering the budget, the games and the latke bar can be free. Nobody sells tickets, and every gift lands with a receipt.
- 09
Share it in the class group text on a weeknight
The share menu sends the link by text, email, or WhatsApp in one tap. School families give late in the evening, so an evening share lands.
- 10
Post the filled calendar at the party
Print it and hang it by the door with every family's name. Next November, share last year's calendar with the new link and it fills itself.
How a Hanukkah fundraiser works
Build the December calendar.
Pick the Hanukkah template, add your school or synagogue's name and colors. Built in minutes — no design work.
Families pick a date.
Share one link in the class group text or the bulletin. Parents tap a date, type a name, and pay with what's already on their phone.
Keep 100% of calendar donations.
Payouts go to your own Stripe or Square account. Latkes, gelt, candles — paid for before the first night.
More winter fundraiser calendars
Christmas Party
Twenty-four dates to the party — food, venue, decorations, Santa.
See the calendar →
Kwanzaa
Fund the Karamu feast — food, the kinara, gifts.
See the calendar →
Filipino Christmas
Noche Buena and Simbang Gabi, paid for in November.
See the calendar →
Thanksgiving
Gather the table and the goal before the big meal.
See the calendar →Hanukkah Fundraiser FAQ
How much can a Hanukkah fundraiser raise?
All 31 December dates claimed totals $496 at standard pricing. Set the calendar to 2× and the same 31 dates raise up to $992. Team calendars multiply that by the number of participants.
What are good Hanukkah fundraiser ideas for a Hebrew school?
A pick-a-date calendar needs no product and no dues letter: families claim a December date and give that amount, and every claim shows a name and a greeting. Keep the party free and let the calendar cover the food, the games, and the gelt.
What does a Hanukkah fundraiser cost to run?
Building and running a calendar is free. Givers pay a small service fee at checkout, shown before they pay, and organizers keep 100% of calendar donations. The fee is described in full in our Terms of Service.
When should a Hanukkah fundraiser start?
Whenever you are ready. This is 2026: click and text, they pick a date and give. Most groups run it in the month before the event so the money is in before it is booked.
Do we need to be a nonprofit?
No. Synagogues, day schools, parent groups, and families all run calendars. You need a payout account in your name — Stripe or Square — and that's it.
When does the money arrive?
Donations settle into your own Stripe or Square account. With Stripe, the standard schedule pays out to your bank after 7 days; Square follows its own payout schedule. Either way, payouts run on a regular cycle and go to your bank automatically — you don't have to do anything.
Do givers need an account?
No. It's a web link: tap a date, enter a name, pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App, or card.
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- How much can you raise?Calendar fundraiser calculator: participants in, total out
Updated September 12, 2026
Fund every date this season.
Free to build. Connect Stripe or Square to go live. Keep 100% of calendar donations.
Start the Hanukkah calendar