Boo Grams: How to Run an Easy Halloween School Fundraiser (Free Templates)

Looking for a Halloween or Fall fundraiser that takes one afternoon of volunteer time, costs almost nothing to start, and has kids buzzing in the hallways? A boo gram fundraiser checks every box. Students buy a small treat and a kind note for a friend or teacher, your volunteers deliver them to classrooms, and your PTO keeps the difference. It’s one of the easiest Halloween school fundraiser ideas out there, and the free printables below handle most of the setup for you.

Free Boo Gram Templates

Open each template in Canva, add your school’s details, and print.

• Boo Gram template 1
• Boo Gram template 2
• Boo Gram template 3

What Is a Boo Gram?

A boo gram is a small Halloween surprise delivered to a student or staff member at school. It’s usually a treat or trinket tied to a printed tag with a short, friendly message, like “You’ve been BOO’d”!

Families or students pay $1 per boo gram, fill out a quick order slip with the recipient’s name and classroom, and volunteers deliver them on or near Halloween. Think of it as the October version of a Valentine-gram.

How Much Can a Boo Gram Fundraiser Raise?

Most PTOs keep boo grams at $1 so every family can join in. Your profit is simply that dollar minus what you spend on candy and supplies. Here’s what that looks like at three sales levels, using an estimated $0.25 per boo gram for a fun-size treat, a bag, and a printed tag.

Two easy ways to keep more of each dollar: ask families or a local business to donate candy, and print tags at school. With donated treats, nearly every dollar goes straight to your PTO. Your own costs will vary, so plug in your real numbers before you set a goal.

Your Boo Gram Timeline

Start about four weeks before Halloween and the whole sale stays low-stress. Print this checklist and hand it to your boo gram chair.

3 to 4 weeks before

• Get principal approval for the sale, the delivery day, and the treat rules
• Ask the front office or school nurse about allergy guidelines
• Choose your treats and confirm your $1 price
• Recruit four to six volunteers

2 weeks before

• Send the order form home and share a digital version
• Announce the sale in your newsletter, class apps, and social media
• Order treats, bags, and tags, plus about 10% extra

1 week before

• Run a sales table at lunch for students who want to buy in person
• Send a reminder two days before the order deadline
• Close orders and total them by classroom

2 to 3 days before

• Assemble boo grams in one volunteer session
• Sort them into labeled bags or bins for each classroom
• Set aside extras so every student receives at least one

Delivery day

• Deliver to classrooms at the end of the day so instruction isn’t interrupted
• Keep allergy-friendly boo grams clearly labeled and bagged separately

The week after

• Count and deposit funds, then share the total with families
• Thank your volunteers and save your notes for next year

Kindness Messages for Boo Grams

The treat is fun, but the note is what kids remember. Encourage every sender to write something kind, and share examples so younger students aren’t stuck staring at a blank tag.

Message examples

• You’re boo-tiful inside and out!
• You make our class spook-tacular.
• Thanks for being a fang-tastic friend.
• You’re a real treat to sit next to.
• No tricks, just thanks for being so kind.
• You light up our classroom like a jack-o’-lantern.
• Ghosts say boo. I say thank you!
• For teachers: Thank you for making school so much fun.

Fill-in-the-blank prompts

• You’re a great friend because ______.
• I like it when you ______.
• Thank you for helping me with ______.
• You make me laugh when ______.
• One thing you’re really good at is ______.

Allergy-Friendly and Non-Candy Boo Gram Treats

Every student should be able to send and receive a boo gram safely. The simplest approach is to offer a non-candy option on the order form, or skip food altogether. Check with your school about its allergy policy before you buy anything.

Non-candy treat ideas

• Halloween pencils or erasers
• Glow sticks or glow bracelets
• Spooky stickers or temporary tattoos
• Mini bubbles
• Bouncy balls or spider rings
• Bookmarks or mini notepads
• Vampire teeth or finger puppets

Tips for an allergy-friendly sale

• If you do sell candy, read labels and follow your school’s guidelines. Ingredients can change, so check the package you actually bought.
• Non-food items can cause reactions too. Skip latex balloons, and check modeling dough for wheat.
• Bag non-candy boo grams separately and label them so they don’t get mixed in during delivery.
• Let teachers know ahead of time which students should receive a non-candy boo gram.

Non-candy items often cost about the same as candy when bought in bulk, so your profit stays close to the numbers in the table above.

Tips for a Smooth Boo Gram Sale

• Include teachers and staff. Many students love sending a boo gram to their teacher, and it doubles as a staff appreciation moment.
• Make sure no one is left out. Use your extras so every student in a class receives one.
• Make it easy to buy several. A line on the order form for multiple recipients helps families send boo grams to siblings, friends, and teachers at once.

Pair Boo Grams With a Bigger Fall Fundraiser

Boo grams are a great add-on, but they work best alongside one larger anchor event. Many elementary schools run a sponsorship-based fun run in the fall to fund their main goals for the year, then use smaller seasonal sales like boo grams to keep excitement high. For more inspiration, browse our full list of the best school fundraisers for fall.

Ready to plan a fall fundraiser that funds your whole year? See how Boosterthon works and find the right event for your school.