Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Today I would like to take a shot at the blog contest we’re running here at Top School Fundraisers. I won’t officially be entering the contest, as I am an “employee”, but the topic itself is just too good to pass up. So, here is my “un-official” post on “My Favorite Teacher”.

I had heard about Mike Smith long before I was ever old enough sit in his class. Sophomores and juniors and seniors at Saline High School in Saline, Michigan, talked proudly about hanging out with him, about the projects they completed for him, and how cool he was as a teacher.

Whenever I would pass him in the hallway between classes, there was always a group of kids following along behind him. He was the only male teacher who had long hair, and in our school, which was fairly conservative, that gave him a real cache. continue reading

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If you work in a school that relies on significant financial contributions to meet your yearly budgetary goals, it is possible that at some point there will be or has been a breakdown in confidence within the organization. As a result, donations have dropped, enrollment has likely declined, and school spirit is in serious jeopardy.

In essence, the overall health of the organization is very poor and the prognosis isn’t very good.

At these times, if the board of directors wishes to save the school, drastic measures must be taken to both “stop the bleeding” and set a new course to the future.

Below, I have suggested ten ways for schools to regain the trust and confidence once shown to it by parents, alumni, and donors.

1. New Leadership
The quality of leadership is vital to the overall success of any organization, especially a school. If your school is in dire straits, I would look at the person in charge of the day to day operations, whether he or she is called the principal, administrator, or superintendent. What has this leader done to either help or harm the community? What has he or she done to foster alumni development and what is the current status of donor relations? Has enrollment increased or decreased? All these factors are important when judging the leader. These questions can be summed up, however, when gauging the predominant “mood” of the school. If the teachers and students aren’t energized and happy to be in the school everyday, I would submit that the leader is not doing a good job. continue reading

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I just wanted to take a moment to remind folks that we are currently running a blog contest with the topic “My Favorite Teacher”. This is a wide-open topic with lots of ways to approach the theme.

The rules are simple. Just write a post about this topic on your own blog. Paste a link to TopSchoolFundraisers at the end of the article and encourage your readers to vote for your entry. Be sure to send me an email, so I know you wrote it and I’ll check it out!

Winners will receive cash prizes. First place is $50, second and third are $25 each. All prizes are paid through PayPal.

To qualify, you must post your blog entry by Saturday May 3, 2008. The final list of entries will be posted on Monday May 5 and voting will begin. The last day to vote will be Thursday May 8 and we’ll announce the winner the next day on May 9.

Good luck and keep writing!

Jim Berigan

Note: This contest has now ended.  You can see a list of the winners here.

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The San Mateo County Times has a nice article about an elementary school that held an environmentally-friendly fundraiser in honor of Earth Day.

Gail McCarthy of the Gloucester Daily Times reports on a very creative mix of fundraising and drama at a local school auction that resulted in a tidy profit.

Jason Claffey of Foster’s Daily Democrat posted an article about a school fundraiser that brought back the music and styles of the late, great 1980s. Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic about my 20th High School Reunion coming up this summer, but this sounds really good to me!

Erin over at USA Fundraising helps us remember Earth Day this year with a number of great eco-sensitive fundraising ideas.

Joy Underhill of PTO Today has a terrific article called “Teacher Appreciation Done Right”. Check it out!

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I am very happy to announce that Top School Fundraisers is holding its very first blog contest.

Topic
In honor of National Teacher Appreciation week May 4 to May 10, we invite you to write a blog entry on the topic of “My Favorite Teacher”. This is a broad topic, meant to include a wide variety of educational experiences and relationships. Also, this could apply to a teacher you once had or one that your child has had.

How it works
Anybody with a blog can participate. Just write a post on your own blog about the topic of “My Favorite Teacher”. Once you have published your new post, contact me to let me know about your entry. We will then place a link on our site to your post. Only one entry per person.

We would greatly appreciate it if you would likewise link back to us in your blog post. You can link to this contest page or just link to our homepage: TopSchoolFundraisers.com.

Prizes
Best Blog Post: The winner will receive a $50 cash payment via PayPal. Second and third place will receive a cash payment of $25 each, also via PayPal.

Entry Deadline
Post your entry and email us the link by Saturday May 3rd at Midnight CST.

How to Vote
Click here to see the list of all of the entries, check out their sties and then vote. One vote per person, but writers be sure to encourage your friends to vote for you too!

Voting Deadline
Thursday May 8th, Midnight CST. Winners will be announced on Friday May 9th.

If you have any questions, just post a comment below or contact me. I’m looking forward to reading some of the entries. Good luck to everyone!

This contest has now ended.  You can see a list of the winners here.

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Whenever a leader of an organization is poised to make some dramatic changes to the operational structure of the institution, it is likely that there will be a level of resistance from the people within the community. It is often difficult, in such situations, to get everyone to buy into a new system without a substantial amount of education, persuasion, trust, and time.

If the leader imposes change without this “buy in” from his people, it is likely that his efforts will fail, or at the very least, come at the high price of alienation and division.

In my experience, one way to help bring people into a “change” mode is to first make boldly positive alterations to the physical environment of the organization. The actions need to be noticeable and significant in appearance only. No policy changes should be attached to the physical modifications. These are strictly having to do with inanimate objects.

The goal of this demonstration is to show people that change can be attractive and beneficial. It helps them make the connection when the leader starts implementing new policy. If they see some dramatic new landscaping or completely re-decorated office, they will eventually realize that the leader has a vision, that and the world won’t come to an end.

If the people see enough examples of this “safe” kind of change, they will start to build trust in the leader, which will allow him to slowly bring about the institutional adjustments that are needed, without resentment or mis-trust.

Below, I have offered a few examples of physical transformations I have either made myself or have witnessed just before an organization undergoes significant changes. continue reading

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Just recently, I heard about a pretty nifty way for non-profits to get a great print advertising deal in the local paper.

First of all- a disclaimer: I only know about this working in my local newspaper. I have never heard of it working in others, but I can’t think that my little rag in northern Michigan invented this practice. Therefore, I suggest you do some calling around to see what you can arrange.

Obviously, newspapers want to sell as much advertising as they can. But, they also have strict deadlines. Sometimes a paper will sell all of its advertising space, while other times, they won’t be as fortunate. continue reading

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