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Fundraising Made Easy

Did you know that school groups raise more than 1.5 billion dollars every year in fundraisers? Averaged out, these numbers equate to $30 million per state, $13,000 per school or $30 for every students in America .

This money helps provide schools with funds for supplies, field trips, equipment, programs and much more. Without these extra dollars, many schools would be without new computers or software in their computer labs, playground equipment for the children or special events such as motivational and educational programs.

Yet, many of us cringe at the thought of ANOTHER fundraiser. How many more times can we ask the same neighbors to buy a magazine, cookie dough or wrapping paper? Is it fair to continuously ask childless neighbors to spend money on candy bars and nuts they don’t want and will never benefit from just so your child’s school can purchase new basketballs?

The truth is we all want to help our schools and organizations but would welcome an alternative to the old stand-bys.

Where to begin?

First, determine how much money you want your school or organization to raise. Identify your needs and set goals, and be sure to publicize them.

Next, select a fundraiser that will help you meet your goal. Consider:

How much you will profit
Is the product a good value easy to sell and unique
How much administrative effort will it take

Finally, enlist volunteers to administer the fundraiser. A successful fundraiser should have the support of not only your school’s parents and students, but also its staff. There should be plenty of communication about the fundraiser to stir up interest and enthusiasm. A fundraiser that feels like a group effort can be much more successful.

A Few Common Mistakes To Avoid

Lack of planning
Repeating the same old fundraiser (or doing the same one as a neighboring school or organization)
Not recruiting enough help
Low quality merchandise
Poor communication and support materials
Bad timing
Continuous fundraising
Poor or no rewards

Dare To Be Different

A great way to earn money for your school or organization is to sell a product or service that your neighbors and family are already using. Such as:

Discount shopping cards

Pizza cards
Prepaid phone cards

Each has benefits that are easy to explain to your supporters, they have widespread appeal, and each can be offered for immediate sale or sold via a simple brochure. The basic principle behind these fundraisers is cards are sold at a set price. A portion of this price goes to the school. In addition, these cards offer a discount to users and provide schools with a portion of the sales (usually a percentage). Though the cards still have to be sold, they can be used at stores and restaurants, and for services that many of us are already familiar with. Due to their hefty profit margins, ease of sale and potential for high sales volume, these fundraisers can produce exceptional profits.

Another unique fundraising opportunity is to work with a home-based businesses. These businesses offer personal or home related products for sale and return a portion of the sales to the hosting school. This approach to fundraising can be quite successful around holidays such as Christmas, Mother’ s Day, and Valentine’s Day when everyone is in the market for a gift.

However, if you’re still not sold on selling, here are some simple ways to help obtain funds that require little or no effort:

Kmart and Albertson’s both offer a bar-coded card that is scanned when you complete your purchase. A percentage of your purchase is automatically donated to your school of choice just for buying groceries and supplies!

Office Depot also donates a portion of your purchase to a designated school. Office Depots have lists of local school (the list is usually available at the front of the store or at their service desk). Each school has a unique number assigned to it. Simply provide this number to the cashier and you’ve made a contribution!

Target will donate 1% of all purchases to your school when you use your Target Visa card. Pick up a Target Visa Card application at the store or, if you already have one, call 1-800-316-6142 to sign up for school credit. Who knew that buying toilet paper could be so profitable!

Verizon will donate 5% of your long distance phone bill to your designated school. Sign up for Verizon long distance service via the internet (www.gte.com/extracredit) or phone toll-free 1-877-x-credit. Then enroll in their “Extra Credit For Schools” program. Isn’t it time to give Grandma a call in Wisconsin?

General Mills Box Tops for Education

Collect specially marked box tops from participating General Mills products such as cereals, fruit snacks, yogurts, and cookies, and your school will receive 10 cents for each one. Visit www.boxtops4education.com for more details.

Chick-Fil-A, Mc Donald’s, Beef O’Brady’s and Cici’s Pizza are among several local restaurants that offer “school nites”. Families need only show up with their appetites (and wallets, of course) on specified nights and a portion of sales is automatically donated to their school. Schools should contact these establishments directly for specific details.

Fundraising is a valuable tool for providing money to our local schools and organizations. It is also a great way for the community to offer its support. But remember to keep the “fun” in fundraising. Making them exciting, unique and useful will also make them successful.

[i] Figures provided by PTOtoday.com

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