Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

What are kids being served for school lunches? Most school food programs are presided over by a nutritionist to make sure meals are healthy. However, the definition of healthy can vary widely. Plus most schools are under tight budgets. Kids are often left with unappealing lunch choices. (And leave the “healthy” stuff on the plate.)

Kids at a Montreal, Quebec school had a particular dislike for their school cafeteria food. The vast majority of students were brown bagging it every day. Parents knew there had to be a change when less than 15% percent of the students were purchasing lunch from the cafeteria.

Parents got together and decided to completely overall the school meal program. Meals would not only be nutritious, but flavorful and appealing to students. Student would also learn more about good food choices through cooking classes and nutrition talks.

Parents raised funds by holding a $250 a plate gourmet dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the parents, a well known chef.

With the dedication of parents to provide healthy and desirable lunches, $18,000 was raised by the private school’s foundation. Now the school has a completely new kitchen with a professional chef preparing tasty delicious foods. Everyone was pleased to discover that the cost of hiring a chef was actually quite comparable to the previous caterer.

Choices include freshly made pizza with grilled vegetables and salad, grilled chicken with salsa, a variety of wraps, roast tilapia with brown rice, tacos with vegetables, and - to Drummond’s satisfaction - “nothing out of a box or can.” She has even reformed the baking ingredients; muffins include ground flaxseed, and pizza dough is made with unprocessed whole-wheat flour.Certain dishes, such as Kwong Tam’s version of General Tao’s chicken, broccoli calzone and the fish dishes, sell briskly.

Source: Montreal Gazette

Parents at this school found a way to provide delicious meals that kids would really like. The gourmet dinner and resources of parents made this a successful project.

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Funding Factory supplies schools and organizations a way to help the environment while raising money for their cause through a laser and ink jet printer cartridge and cell phone battery recycling program.

We were able to catch up with a participant in the program to get some feedback. Sue, a member of the West Corner Campus Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in Endicott, New York, has raised over $100 since she signed up with Funding Factory, recently. She provided some great feedback on how to use this fundraiser in your organization.

Signup

To sign up for the service, just go to the Funding Factory website. There, you will fill out a simple form to get started. They then send you a starter kit for collection of ink cartridges and cell phone batteries. “The signup process was very easy, and if you ever have questions, you just email your representative,” Sue says. “They get back to you ASAP!”

Getting Participation

Sue says she has a hard time getting people to participate initially, but once they do cartridges come in on a regular basis. Right now, they have about a 10 percent participation rate from the PTA members.

To increase participation, Sue has advertised in the PTA newsletter, and reminders go home with students on a regular basis. She also sends reminders to the teachers and staff at the school to bring their cartridges.

The struggle for participation among so many other activities and fundraisers can be hard, but Sue says you must be persistent. She recommends consistent advertising at meetings, frequent reminder notices and hanging posters.

“Also, ask parents to ask their places of employment for cell phones, laser cartridges and ink cartridges,” Sue says. “I am getting the word out for that, too, and am having success!”
Other Advice

Have a support group. “I have a great group of PTA members who help me when I need it,” she says. “Keep track of donations on a spreadsheet [for simplicity].”

“I will continue to do Funding Factory,” Sue says. “What money I raise for our PTA may not be a lot, but every little bit helps. These cartridges are trash, and to see it turn into cash amazes me! It’s a lot of work, sometimes, but the kids are worth it.”

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An online magazine fundraising program raises funds for your school when supporters purchase a magazine online. Your group gets a free custom website and promotion tools to help encourage people to support the fundraiser by purchasing one or more magazines.

Participants simply collect email addresses of potential supporters anywhere in the US. The online system sends out personalized emails inviting them to order magazines through your own customized website. The company processes and sends all the orders so there’s no money to collect, no items to deliever.

This email campaign allows friends and family from across the United States to support your school by purchasing or renewing their favorite magazines at up to 85% off newsstand prices, while your group keeps 40% of the purchase price.

Online Magazine Fundraising Benefits:

• No door to door selling
• No money to collect
• No delieveries
• 40% Commission on all orders
• Over 650 magazine titles to choose from
• Works for any size non profit group

Click Here for More Information or to Sign Up
or Call 1-866-249-0089

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