Comparison
PTO Homeroom vs Boosterthon
The managed fun-run vendor. Its own help centre and its marketing don't agree.
The short answer
Boosterthon markets that “schools keep 95%.” Its own help centre states the baseline is 85% — the rest only comes back if donors volunteer to cover the fee.
All figures below are the vendors' own published rates, checked on 22 August 2026. Pricing changes — verify with each vendor before deciding.
Pricing, side by side
| PTO Homeroom | Boosterthon | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $0 | $0 tech-only · $2,000 base cost for full service |
| Fee on payments | 2% | 15% (MyBooster) |
| Fee on fundraisers | 2% | 15% – 50% |
| Card processing | Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ | Included in the 15%; your own Stripe account |
| Fees passable to the payer | Yes — shown at checkout and covered by the payer by default | Yes — “Donor's Choice” lets donors cover the fee |
| Processor lock-in | No — funds settle to your PTO's own Stripe account | Stripe, set up inside their admin |
Boosterthon tiers: MyBooster (tech only) has no upfront cost. Full service carries a $2,000 non-refundable base cost.
What a $22,000 year actually nets
Assumes an average payment of $36.67 and that 55% of the total comes from your big fundraiser — the part vendors price differently.
PTO Homeroom
$22,000
No subscription; our 2% is covered at checkout, so you bank the sticker.
Boosterthon
$19,817
$2,183 to subscription and fees
What to watch for with Boosterthon
15% on the tech-only tier
Their help centre is explicit: “the Total Fees Withheld will always be 15% of the Paid Donations,” and “the baseline percent profit for your fundraiser will be 85%.”
35–50% on full service, plus $2,000
An executed program contract published in a Kentucky school-board record shows a sliding scale from 50% of the first $25,000 down to 35% above $155,000, charged on gross collected — cash and cheques included — with a $2,000 non-refundable base cost on top. That contract is from 2021 and may not reflect current terms; Boosterthon publishes no percentages of its own.
An exclusivity clause
The same contract bars the school from actively promoting any other fundraiser, including its own annual fund, while the program runs.
Nothing outside the fun run
No roster, no year-round communication, no dues, no treasury. It's one event.
Where Boosterthon is the better choice
We'd rather you pick the right tool than the one that wrote the comparison.
A run-it-for-you service
Full service brings staff, a character-driven programme and an assembly. If your board has no volunteer capacity at all, buying that time is a legitimate trade.
A proven engagement formula
The pep-rally model demonstrably raises money in a lot of schools. We give you the software; they give you the show.
Donor's Choice works
Their fee-covering option genuinely does lift the school's take when donors opt in.
Choose Boosterthon if…
Full service brings staff, a character-driven programme and an assembly. If your board has no volunteer capacity at all, buying that time is a legitimate trade.
Choose PTO Homeroom if…
You want one tool instead of three, no annual subscription, a published fee you can explain to any parent, and your fundraiser, roster, communication and books in the same place.
Sources
- Boosterthon — MyBooster fee (help centre)
- Boosterthon — Deposits and fees withheld
- Boosterthon — Executed program contract (public school-board record, 2021)
Checked 22 August 2026. We don't republish figures a vendor doesn't publish; anything unstated is marked “not published” rather than estimated.
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