This is a great way to raise money for an art program, preschool or elementary school.  A fairly simple fundraiser, this fundraising idea requires that a number of people (likely students) produce their best pieces of art.  Those pieces of art are then displayed in a public place or at an event (a lunchroom is great, as is a parent-teacher association meeting or a school play).  Beneath each piece of art a donation jar is placed.  For the time period that the pieces of artwork are displayed, people vote for their favorite piece by putting money in donation jars.  One dollar equals one vote.  While the end result won’t necessarily yield the best piece of art (as donations will be biased by popularity, enthusiastic parents, etc.), that is OK.  After all, this is really a fundraiser and not an art competition.  You could also modify this fundraiser such that it is a silent auction for the art, instead of using dollars as a way to vote for the best piece of art.

Also, if this is done in a high school setting, the totals can be announced over the loudspeaker everyday to generate enthusiasm over the course of the fundraiser.