July might feel like the wrong moment to think about Christmas, but planning your school Christmas card fundraiser during the summer is worth it. Early planning gives you time to run creative artwork sessions, work within a set budget, avoid the autumn scramble, and raise more money for your school. This post explains why July is the ideal starting point, what to plan now, and how to run a smooth Christmas card project with IQ Cards.
Table of contents
Why July is the smart month to start planning
The business case for early Christmas card planning
What early planning gives you
A rough timeline from July to December
How the IQ Cards Christmas card project works
FAQs
Why July is the smart month to start planning
During the summer months, and especially the school summer holidays, Christmas is likely to be the last thing on your mind. That's understandable. It feels like another world entirely, and you've got flip-flops, packed lunches, and a rapidly emptying paddling pool to worry about. But without wanting to wish away time, July really is the best month to start thinking about your Christmas card fundraising project.
Here's the honest truth. The PTAs and schools that raise the most from their Christmas card projects are the ones who sort things out before term ends, not the ones in an October panic. A few short conversations before the summer break can save you hours of stress in the autumn term, and can add hundreds of pounds to your final total.
The business case for early Christmas card planning
It's partly about taking a business-minded approach to school fundraising. You can bet that theatres, toy brands, and department stores are already knee-deep in planning their Christmas activity, and for good reason. When the festive season is such a lucrative time for them, it makes sense to give it early thought and invest properly in the planning.
The same principle applies to school fundraising. A well planned Christmas card campaign returns considerably more funds than something thrown together at the last minute. And unlike a toy company, you don't need a marketing department or a warehouse. You need artwork, a bit of organisation, and a printing partner who knows what they're doing.
What early planning gives you
Starting your Christmas card project in July gives you time to do things properly rather than react to deadlines. Here's what you gain by getting organised now:
- Early bird pricing from IQ Cards, which can add up to 25p per item to what your school raises
- Time to go through our resources information and work with class teachers on artwork sessions at the start of the autumn term
- Flexibility to combine artwork with other classroom projects, such as outdoor learning sessions that produce genuinely lovely results
- A calmer PTA committee, since you're not chasing deadlines while also organising the winter fair
- More time to communicate with parents, so they know what the project is raising money for
Any one of these on its own would be worth the effort. Together, they make the difference between a campaign that ticks along and one that funds something meaningful for the school, such as a new reading nook or a substantial piece of playground equipment.
A rough timeline from July to December
Every school and PTA works differently, but the shape of a well planned Christmas card project usually looks something like this:
Timing | What to do | Why it matters |
July | Register your school with IQ Cards and flag to teachers before the summer holidays | Maximises the potential to benefit from early bird pricing |
September | Ensure that artwork sessions are planned for the start of term and share templates on the first day | Working towards a specific early bird deadline gives clear structure |
September 18th | Deadline for artwork returns via tracked post or courier to benefit from ‘A’ band pricing | Running artwork as a settling-in activity earns you an extra 25p per item.
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September 25th | Deadline for artwork returns via tracked post or courier to benefit from ‘B’ band pricing | Planning to this date gives you an extra 20p per item |
October 2nd | Deadline for artwork returns via tracked post or courier to benefit from ‘C’ band pricing | Planning to this date gives you an extra 10p per item |
From October 3rd | Submit artwork via tracked post or courier for our standard pricing package | Even without early bird pricing, the sooner you get artwork to us, the more time you have for parent ordering |
October to November | IQ Cards sends you A5 order forms showing each design. Parents order and pay online | Clear communication, no cash handling, no envelopes chasing around the school office |
Late November to December | Products delivered in time for Christmas post | Families receive their cards, mugs, and other gifts in good time |
That's not a rigid schedule, and there's flexibility built into every stage. But having the shape of it agreed by July means everyone involved knows what's coming. The real benefit comes from working to one of those three artwork deadlines, which qualify you to make more from each order
How the IQ Cards Christmas card project works
If you've never run a Christmas card project before, or you're thinking of switching to a different provider, here's how ours works in practice.
Your school registers with IQ Cards, and we send everything you need to get started, including artwork templates, guidance for teachers, and a dedicated support contact. Children create their designs in class, ideally as part of an art session that ties into their existing activities (like painting styles, for example).
You return all the designs, and we scan and send individual A5 order forms showing each child’s design. Parents then browse, choose products, and pay directly online. There’s no cash handling your end, which makes things so much lower maintenance for you.
From the artwork, we produce a range of professionally printed products including Christmas cards in packs of twelve, ceramic mugs, cotton tea towels, cushion covers, bookmarks, coasters and even art prints.
Everything is printed to a consistently high standard, which is what keeps families ordering year after year. We also plant a tree for every school that takes part in our annual project, so there's an environmental benefit alongside the financial one.
Schools across the UK have been running Christmas card projects with us for years, and the feedback we hear most often is how manageable the process feels once you've done it once. If you're weighing up whether your PTA has the capacity for a Christmas card project this year, our answer is that early registration makes it super easy.
Ready to get the best return for your school's Christmas card fundraiser? Register your school with IQ Cards or get in touch to chat through how it works.
FAQs
When should I register my school for the Christmas card project?
Aim to register by the end of July if you can. Early registration sets you up for the best per-item return through our early bird pricing, as it gives your teachers time to plan artwork sessions to start with the autumn term. Later registrations are still welcome, but you'll have less flexibility on the timeline.
Does the Christmas card project work for small schools and nurseries?
Yes. The project is designed to work at any size, so nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools all run successful campaigns with us. Smaller schools often find the process easier because coordinating fewer year groups is quicker, and the per-child return still adds up nicely.
What if we don't have many volunteers on our PTA this year?
The IQ Cards system is built to run with minimal volunteer input. Parents order and pay through our online portal, so there's no cash to count or envelopes to distribute. Most PTAs manage the whole project with one main coordinator and a light touch from teachers, which is one of the reasons schools come back to us year after year.
