Top 10 Wrapping Paper Fundraiser Companies

When your school or group wants to start a wrapping paper fundraiser, you’ll want to compare all the wrapping paper companies out there and choose the best one.

We’ve got a list of the top wrapping paper fundraising companies, with information about each company, what else they sell, how much profit your school can earn, and how to get their catalog, too. Your fundraising committee can use this list as a starting point to launch your wrapping paper fundraiser.

Choosing from this list of wrapping paper fundraising companies will be up to each group to decide. Some companies are known for reversible wrapping paper, some have eco-friendly wrapping paper, and some companies sell many other items in their catalogs as well, giving you many more options.

We hope this will give you all the information you need to get started.

wrapping paper rolls and boxes wrapped up — Your supporters will be able to take care of their holidays with your wrapping paper fundraiser

How to Run a Successful Wrapping Paper Fundraiser

One of the best things about a wrapping paper fundraiser is that it doesn’t require your fundraising group to spend money upfront. It’s known as a “no upfront cost” fundraiser because it’s done with catalog sales.

To give you very basic overview of how it works, the first thing to do is send the catalog home in the students’ backpacks (or via email or an online store), ask parents to make their selections, collect the funds, and finally deliver the goods.

Of course there’s a lot more to it, like promoting the sale to your supporters, reminding your supporters of deadlines, choosing whether to sell via paper catalog or digital, scheduling a delivery day, choosing incentives and prizes, and much more. But that’s the general idea.

Sally Foster Wrapping Paper

We want to make mention of one of the pioneers in the wrapping paper fundraising world: Sally Foster. Sally Foster started the first wrapping paper fundraising company in the US, back in 1973. She grew the company into one of the biggest and most well-known in the country, beating out copycat competitors in the space, until she ultimately sold it in 1989, for a purported multi-million dollar price.

The company has since been sold again, and over the years they’ve discontinued offering the Sally Foster line, so while it’s still the brand name many people think of when it comes to wrapping paper fundraising, today you’ll have to use something else.

Christmas wrapping paper with bows and scissors — Many schools run Christmas wrapping paper fundraisers every year

Why Sell Wrapping Paper?

When Sally Foster created the concept of selling wrapping paper back in the 1970s, she did it because it was convenient: her husband’s company made gift wrap, which is where she got the idea to sell holiday wrapping paper to friends and family at her kids’ school.

The reason wrapping paper caught on and became a perennial favorite, multi-million dollar fundraiser that schools still use today, is because wrapping paper is a commodity (almost) everyone uses, and once it’s used it’s gone, and needs to be replaced.

So even if you bought wrapping paper at last year’s fundraiser, you’re very likely to need more this year. Preschool and elementary school parents find themselves attending dozens of kids’ birthday parties every year, so the need for birthday gift wrap is never going away.

And holiday gift-giving is a huge part of most Americans’ lives, no matter what holidays you celebrate, so the need for holiday wrapping paper is also not going away anytime soon. This makes it a terrific annual fundraiser idea.

Another reason wrapping paper is a popular fundraiser for schools is that it isn’t food based. Many school community prefer not to sell food due to concerns about childhood obesity, or out of concern for children with nut allergies. Wrapping paper means you can avoid those issues altogether.

Still another reason why wrapping paper fundraisers are effective is because often the catalog will also include gift items and additional products for sale. Running a wrapping paper sale in the Fall means you cal offer your supporters a way to “wrap up” their holiday shopping and help fundraise for your school at the same time!

boxes wrapped up and tied with bows — wrapping paper can be used for any occasion

The 11 Top Wrapping Paper Fundraising Companies

These companies offer your school a way to fundraise by selling wrapping paper, and in some cases, so much more than just that! We’ve listed them in alphabetical order, and when possible, we’ve noted how much profit your school can make with their product.

American Fundraising Group

American Fundraising Group was founded in 1996 and their goal is to help schools make as much money as possible. They source 100% American-made products in their program, and their known for focusing on prizes and incentives to help grow the revenue your school can earn.

Note that they are a regional company, serving schools in Tennessee and Kentucky