Mid-Autumn Festival Fundraiser
Pick a Date. Fund the Lanterns.
Everyone claims a September date and gives that amount — Day 3 = $3. A full calendar raises $465, and you keep 100% of calendar donations. A 30-day month raises $465; a 31-day month raises $496.
341 days to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Example calendar · what yours will look like
Light the Lanterns
Lanterns, mooncakes & the festival — every date glows. Day 3 = $3.
What is a Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser?
A Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser is a pick-a-date calendar fundraiser that pays for the community's moon festival: the mooncakes, the lanterns, the performances, the hall. Instead of collecting contributions by hand, the Chinese school or association shares one September calendar in August; each family picks a date, the date is the price, and every claim shows their name and a festival greeting. Lantern night is the deadline.
How a Mid-Autumn Festival 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 mid-August. Every family in the first night. Nudge on day 5.
Build the calendar and go live on a weeknight in mid-August, when the school year starts and families are paying attention. Share the link in the school's group chat the same evening. Expect the money after bedtime in the first few nights, one message on day 5, and the ends-in-24-hours email closes it the day before lantern night.
Everything a Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser needs
Built for the Chinese school's moon festival and the association's lantern night: one calendar, one link in the group chat, everyone chips in.
The date is the amount
30 September dates, each a lantern. No pricing to invent, no envelopes — Day 14 is $14, Day 30 is $30.
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 15th always goes first, and the rest of the month follows.
Live totals & receipts
Watch the total climb from your phone. Every giver gets an automatic receipt with your school or association's name on it.
One link, one QR
The group chat, the school newsletter, the invitation. Everything points at one calendar.
Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser ideas that fill the calendar
- 01
Launch when school starts
Mid-August is when families are paying attention to the school again. A calendar that goes live in the first two weeks is filled before the mooncakes are ordered.
- 02
Send the 15th to the principal first
Text the link to one person and ask them to claim the night of the full moon. A claimed 15th on day one pulls the rest of September.
- 03
One classroom, one week
Give each class a week of September dates and share the same link with every class parent. The first class to fill its week leads the lantern walk.
- 04
Moon wishes on the supporter wall
Every claim shows a name and a message. Ask families to leave a festival greeting in the message field, and read the wall at lantern night.
- 05
Print the QR code on the invitation
Every campaign gets a QR code the moment it's built. Put it on the invitation and the school's front door — a scan lands on the calendar.
- 06
Set the calendar to 2× for a bigger festival
A festival for 300 needs more than $465. The 2× date-pricing setting makes the 14th $28 and a 30-day calendar $930 from the same 30 dates.
- 07
Give the mooncakes their own stretch
Days 25–30 cover the mooncakes and the tea. Send those with a personal message to the families who always ask how to help.
- 08
Keep lantern night free
With the calendar covering the budget, the performances and the lanterns can be free for every family. Nobody sells tickets, and every gift lands with a receipt.
- 09
Share it in the group chat after bedtime
The share menu sends the link by WhatsApp, text, or email in one tap. School families give late in the evening — an evening share lands.
- 10
Post the filled calendar at the festival
Print it and display it at the entrance with every family's name. Next August, share last year's calendar with the new link and it fills itself.
How a Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser works
Build the September calendar.
Pick the Mid-Autumn template, add your school or association's name and colors. Built in minutes — no design work.
Families pick a date.
Share one link in the group chat or the newsletter. People 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. Mooncakes, lanterns, the hall — paid for before the moon is full.
More fall fundraiser calendars
Diwali
Light the mela — sweets, lights, the hall.
See the calendar →
Juneteenth
Fund the community cookout and the festival.
See the calendar →
Cinco de Mayo
Fund the fiesta — food, mariachi, piñatas.
See the calendar →
Lunar New Year
Fund the banquet, the lion dance, the red envelopes.
See the calendar →Mid-Autumn Festival Fundraiser FAQ
How much can a Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser raise?
All 30 September dates claimed totals $465 at standard pricing. Set the calendar to 2× and the same 30 dates raise up to $930. Team calendars multiply that by the number of participants.
What are good Mid-Autumn Festival fundraiser ideas for a Chinese school?
A pick-a-date calendar needs no product and no ticket table: families claim a September date and give that amount, and every claim shows a name and a greeting. Keep lantern night free and let the calendar cover the mooncakes, the lanterns, and the hall.
What does a Mid-Autumn Festival 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 Mid-Autumn Festival 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. Chinese schools, cultural associations, student 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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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 Mid-Autumn Festival calendar