Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Coastal Grove Charter School held their Medieval Festival of Courage of Saturday, October 13th at the Manila Community Center in Arcata, California. The festival invites several local schools to participate in the event, but it is a fundraiser for the Charter school.

Children and adults dressed in medieval costumes. They were entertained by traditional medieval music and games from that time. Instruments included acoustic guitar, harp, flute, bagpipes, penny whistles and also traditional medieval songs.

Vendors at the medieval festival offered handmade crafts, herbs and weapons that were several centuries in age. The festival was both fun and very educational.

The Coastal Grove Charter School is a public charter school using Waldorf curriculum. The Waldorf curriculum is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner.

Source: The Eureka Reporter

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On Monday, September 17th of this year, the Hudson Elementary School PTA partnered with the Symphony of the Southwest to create a unique and educational fundraiser in Mesa, Arizona. The Hudson Elementary School PTA sells individual tickets to the Symphony of the Southwest concerts, and collects more than 35% of the sale price as a school fundraiser. Tickets are offered to the public at a reduced price, less than 20% the original price. The PTA will sell tickets until October 16th.

“We really think this fundraiser will be an efficient one. It differs from the classic cookie dough and catalog sales that we do every year and it is very educational and beneficial for the participants.” says Mark Kennedy, Treasurer and past-president of the PTA Board. “Music is a very important art at Hudson and we are glad our children will be able to get involved with the Symphony of the Southwest,” added Andy Gutierrez, president of the PTA.

As a special prize for students, whoever sells the most tickets will be invited to attend a dress rehersal performance at the Ikeda Theater of the Mesa Arts Center.

“We are very proud of our recent accomplishments and profoundly grateful to our supporters for their loyalty and generosity. Because of them, we are here today as a vibrant and growing ensemble and we look forward to continuing to enrich lives and engage with valley communities for decades to come,” says Skip Carney, SSW board of directors’ president.

Source: EVLiving.com

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If you are the PTO/PTA president or school principal, you may be all too familiar with the phrase “fundraising fatigue.” Or you may have felt this syndrome for yourself at one point during the school year.

So many organizations, schools and various causes are now fundraising. They also seem to be fundraising more frequently during the year, or running year-long fundraisers. It is important to keep your fundraising efforts motivated and focused so people do not feel burned out and tired.

Although some may feel fundraising fatigue, many Americans support their schools’ efforts enthusiastically according to the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers. In the 2005-6 school year, 8 out of 10 Americans purchased a consumer item to support a school fundraiser. 9 out of 10 parents purchased a consumer item to support a school fundraiser.

One suggestion for fundraising according to the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers is to do less fundraisers and to do them more effectively. Many fundraisers are a strong cause of burnout. Setting a time limit for your fundraiser is also important. This encourages full participation during the time limit, along with the guarantee that there will not be another fundraiser within a certain amount of time. The Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers suggests two to three fundraisers a year for a school’s strongest fundraising success.

Source: AFRDS.org

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The Lead-Deadwood Elementary PTO is trying a different fundraiser for
their school in Deadwood, South Dakota, inspired by the District-wide
Wellness Plan. A “Fall into Reading” Read-A-Thon was held from
September 15th through 28th. The read-a-thon event was created to
encourage children to read more.

The read-a-thon is the school’s main fundraising for the year. The
goal is to raise the PTO’s annual budget of $15,000 with the
read-a-thon. The read-a-thon recieved lots of support from school
staff and parents.

Lots of ideas were presented as we tried to come up with something that we felt would work for the parents, teachers, kids, everyone involved. We were looking for something that fit in with the wellness plan, plus we were discouraged by the thought of giving up 60 percent of our profits as we had in years past. The group liked the idea of a Read-A-Thon and we also like the idea of having 100 percent of the funds we raise stay here to help our kids and our teachers in the classroom.” said Sandy Shirley, PTO Co-Chair.

The Lead-Deadwood Elementary School Principal, Tim Kosters agreed the read-a-thon was an excellent idea, “This is great for the kids as well as the staff. Our teachers will also benefit from the fundraising this year, as each will have the opportunity to submit a wish list to purchase things to use for their students and their classrooms. Most importantly, the kids will expand on their reading ability in the most critical learning years.”

Children that participate in the program will receive a complimentary
book appropriate to their age and reading level. As each child
raises $10, they “earn” $1 in “book bucks” that they can spend at the
November Scholastic Book Fair. The top fundraising class is awarded a
pizza party. The top fundraiser from each grade level is awarded a
prize that meets the Health and Wellness plan’s guidelines.

If you liked this article, you may want to read about this school
read-a-thon library fundraiser!

Source: Black Hills Pioneer

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Teens participated in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life fundraising Skate-a-Thon. The event was held at the Oak Grove Skating Rink in city, state on Saturday, September 29th.

A number of the teens were skating in honor of people in their lives who had battled cancer.

“My grandmother had cancer, “Randa Tolar said.

Skaters that raised $25 in donations were given a t-shirt and lunch. They participated in four hours of skating. The event raised at least $500 just a few hours into the event, but more funds were expected to be raised throughout the day. This is the first time they held a skate-a-thon event.

Source: hattiesburgamerican.com

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Over 200 students participated in Fitness Fun Day at Walter Haigh Elementary School in Salem, New Hampshire on September 18th. Students walked, jogged, jumped rope and shot basketball hoops for the special fundraiser that set everyone into motion. The annual event was a fun way for all of the grades to be active for the day and it is the school’s primary fundraiser each year.

Parents, family and friends pledge funds for students based on each lap the student jogs, or for every basketball they shoot or for every time they skip the rope. The fitness fundraiser was created ten years ago, when the switch was made from traditional school fundraisers such as selling candy and magazines.

“One hundred percent of the money stays here this way and we don’t have to pay another company,” Jinnie LaVallo, a physical education teacher said. “The kids do it on their own. They’re earning their field trips, assemblies and playground improvements, and can see the results on their own.”

In past years, Walter Haigh Elementary School has raised between $7,000 and $10,000 from this fundraiser.

Source: The Eagle-Tribune

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This time of year school fundraisers often focus on fall carnivals and holidays. The most viewed posts this month so far include several topics related to carnival fundraisers…

1. Free School Carnival Game Ideas
2. School Fun-a-Thon Healthy Lifestyle Fundraiser
3. School Halloween Carnival Supplies, Prizes
4. Halloween Candy Treats: For School Carnivals, Trick or Treating
5. Pizza Hut Fundraisers: Your Favorite Pizza Can Raise Funds for Your School

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