Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Maybe it’s the upcoming presidential election. I, like so many others, have been absolutely fascinated by this political season. In my case, that’s not too much of a stretch, as I have always been a political junkie. But, these past few weeks have especially seemed to permeate a majority of my thoughts.

So, I’ll therefore blame this latest installment of “Jump Start Your School Spirit” on my obsession with all things politics.

One of the basic plays straight out of Campaigning 101 is to develop what’s called “a Message Calendar”. The leaders of a campaign will seek to match the daily, weekly, and monthly calendar with specifically timed messages on policy, philosophy, or even attacks against an opponent. A candidate will do everything in his or her power to stick to this well-thought out strategy, even though reporters and the opponent will try to take him or her off message. continue reading

1 Comment »

When I was a kid, I attended Houghton Elementary in Saline, Michigan. Houghton was one of two elementary schools in my town. The other one was called Jensen.

Our official school nickname was the Houghton Hawks. Jensen was The Jets. Nice alliteration, I know.

However, being kids, it didn’t take long for us to use alliteration in a more pejorative fashion. On our playground, the Jensen Jets quickly became referred to as Jensen Junkyard. Likewise, the fine students on the other side of town quickly responded by tagging us as the Houghton Hogs. And thus, a rivalry for the ages was born.

At first blush, this kind of name calling and institutional animosity would seem like a bad thing. After all, it takes a village… why can’t we all just get along… Give peace a chance… I want to buy the world a Coke… Pick your platitude. continue reading

No Comments »

There are a lot of bake sale haters out there. You may even be one yourself. I know it’s easy to dismiss the most clichéd, most over-done, most dreaded of all the fundraisers in the known universe.

But, I’m here to defend the lowly bake sale. I’m here to champion the 8’ folding table parked out in front of the grocery store on a Saturday morning. I’m here to beat all the haters back and prove that there is still life in the timeless art of the bake sale.

First, however, let me begin by reminding all the nay-sayers about the profit margin at a bake sale- 100%. Not 40%, not, 60%, not even 75%. You heard right- it’s 100%! You don’t have to share your loot with anyone. No investment on the part of your school. Parents donate the material and labor, while the grocery store donates the retail space and the customer base. It’s the perfect deal. continue reading

2 Comments »

Common sense tells us that a school’s ability to raise funds can be impacted by the level of school spirit that exists within the community. The more intense the school spirit, the more likely there will be people ready to donate. Low school spirit signals apathy, and that can definitely sink fundraising efforts.

I am going to start a series of blog posts on how to increase school spirit in some potentially radical ways. When I say “radical” I certainly don’t mean anything illegal. Rather, I’m referring to a method that will challenge the status quo within your school. These suggestions may not be for everyone, but I’m fairly certain that each one of the upcoming topics will get folks talking. It will be up to you to decide if they will be talking in a favorable manner or not.

What’s Your Logo?
Today I want to talk about your school’s mascot and logo. Already, I can hear people screaming in protest. I, myself, attended Eastern Michigan University when we changed our school teams’ name from “The Hurons” to “The Eagles”. The school administration claimed our nickname was insensitive to Native Americans. I’m not about to wade into that argument, but I did witness first hand how polarizing such a move can be. In fact, I think you can still buy bootleg Hurons t-shirts, just off campus. So, I can definitely understand how this might be a “taboo” subject for some. continue reading

1 Comment »

Read about a Maryland school board that’s unhappy with the PTA’s decision to hold a fundraising event at McDonald’s. From The Washington Post.

Here’s an intriguing article that could be signaling new trends in school fundraising.
From the St. Cloud Times.

A reminder about school safety during fundraisers. From The Gillette News-Record.

Read about a “Chocopalooza” that a school in Michigan is holding as a fundraising event. From the Daily Telegram.

Sad to report that the smallest school in the United States is likely to be closed this year. From the San Diego Union-Tribune.

No Comments »

Today, I’d like to tell you all about a great way to make money for your school.  Product sales have traditionally been very effective in many school settings.  Among the leaders in this industry is Hebert Chocolate.

Founded in 1917, Hebert is one of the oldest brands in fundraising today. I recently received a small sampler box of Hebert Chocolate. While I love chocolate myself, my family is wildly enthusiastic about anything at all deriving from the sweetest bean on Earth: the coco bean. continue reading

No Comments »

OK. So you’ve now run three auctions, two golf outings, seven raffles, four school carnivals, over ten spaghetti dinners, and sold 2,000 pounds of cookie dough. Now, however, your youngest child is graduating from high school in May, and you’re finally done. It is time for you to rest, to pursue your own interests, to follow your children into their new adventures.

The responsibility of ensuring the PTO has enough money for all the “extras” must fall to someone else. Someone with kids that age. Someone who has the energy for all that is yet to come.

But who, you ask yourself, can possibly lead in the way you did?

Let’s take a look at six traits you should consider in picking a replacement leader: continue reading

No Comments »