Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Yesterday, I wrote about a teacher in San Diego who has taken to selling advertising space on his tests and quizzes in order to pay for all the printing he needs done during the school year. A few days before that, I wrote about the idea of setting up a passive fundraising system in your school, one that operates 365 days per year. I am going to continue this theme of extreme fundraising measures today by writing about a school in Stamford, Connecticut, that is not passively raising money, but rather actively doing so.

According to The Advocate (Stamford newspaper), the students at Stamford High School have taken to operating a bake sale every single day. It takes place in the time before school starts each morning. There are over 70 different student groups that sign up for the time slot on different days. An average morning of bake selling can bring in upward of $200.

The article is quick to point out that in addition to all the sweet morning treats, there are often healthier options, such as bottled water and mandarin oranges. Some groups even bypass food altogether and collect money in other creative ways. continue reading

2 Comments »

I am not a gambler. Never have been. I don’t have anything against it, but I’m just too scared that I’d be a bad gambler and lose all my money.

Sometimes, I wish I weren’t so terrified. I see people have all sorts of fun putting their cash on the line. From the high stakes poker tables in Vegas to lottery tickets at the gas station, it looks like I’m really missing out on something.

But, no longer! Now, I get to experience the massive endorphin rush that gambling offers without any of the risk. And, everybody’s a winner!

“How’s that even possible?” you ask with shock and disbelief.

Well, there’s great news! The wonderful folks over at eFundraising have two styles of discount scratchcards and these looks like fun way to raise money for your school.

Honestly, I never used scratchcards as a fundraising tool when I was an elementary principal, only because I was unaware of this great opportunity. However, now that I have learned all about them, I would definitely have added this nifty little trick to my bag.

For those of you who haven’t ever traveled down the scratchcard path, here’s what you need to do:
1. Read this article from top to bottom
2. Go to the eFundraising site and read all the details
3. Order a FREE sample scratchcard from them by calling 1-866-249-0089

Really, it’s that easy. 1-2-3. continue reading

No Comments »

When you are developing an investment portfolio, it is wise to diversify. It’s good to have a little of this and a little of that, so that if one industry falls down, your entire portfolio won’t be negatively affected.

I think that you should approach your school fundraisers in a similar fashion. You’ll have one or two major events that are time intensive, like a golf outing or auction, but you’ll also have the comparatively less intensive ones, like selling cookie dough or chocolate.

I want to draw your attention, however, to one fundraiser that is so easy, all you have to do is tell people about it and then deposit the checks.

eFundraising, which is a division of Readers Digest, has an amazing program for magazine sales. The concept is very simple.

The first thing you have to do is sign up for your own online magazine shop. The “wizard” on the eFundraising site helps you with this very simple process.

The next thing you do is email all of the people in your community with the link to the online magazine store. There are over 700 magazines available, with many of the most famous periodicals available today. Prices are up to 85% off the cover prices, so your families will get a great deal on something they would have bought on their own anyway.

And that’s it! Once the families purchase the magazines, your school will get a check for 40% of the subscription price.

In the past, I’ve written that non-profits should strive for at least 50% of the profits from a product sale, but I will make this exception, because the process is so simple and automatic. The requirement of time and effort on your part is so minimal that 40% is actually incredibly generous.

The other advantage to this magazine sale is that it can run all year long! You aren’t confined to a two week sale, for instance. You can start this magazine fundraiser at the beginning of the year, and it can run all the way until June. Whenever a family orders a subscription, you get a check. Not a bad set up, huh?

And, it gets better. eFundraising is giving away incredible incentive prizes for top sellers each month. For the months of July to December of 2008, they are giving away an Apple iPhone ($400 cash equivalent) to the person who sells the most subscriptions of all participating groups! Click here to learn how to enter the contests.

Having been the principal of an elementary school, I know how exhausting fundraising can be. The amount of labor that can go into raising money is astronomical. Therefore, I absolutely love any method of fundraising that requires so little from me, yet the money keeps rolling in. I strongly urge you to take a closer look at the magazine program through eFundraising. It is well worth your time and effort!

2 Comments »

As parents and educators, we are obviously very concerned with the overall health of our children. Although it has become very easy in our society to make unhealthy choices, we are increasingly becoming aware of opportunities to opt for those things that will make us stronger, more fit, and in the long run, happier.

This attention is starting to turn toward our schools. With the vast amount of time that a child spends at school each year, this is a very important front in the battle for a building a healthy lifestyle.

Many schools are addressing the issues of soda and candy vending machines in the schools. And although candy sales have long been a successful form of fundraising, some schools are now looking for ways to integrate their desire for good health into their need to raise money to support vital school functions.

Here are a few ideas of physical activities that combine exercise, fun, and the opportunity to generate lots of income. continue reading

No Comments »

You might think that since I once served as a elementary school principal, I would be protective of my comrades in arms. You might assume that I would do nothing to put these fine men and women in harm’s way. And you might guess that I would only write about ways to glorify this esteemed position.

If you were thinking any of these things, you would be wrong.

Hah! Today I am going to lay out a five point plan to raise money for your school at the expense and peril of your school principal.

These fundraisers are not complicated. In fact, they fall just this side of a ransom note. Bring in the money or the principal gets it! Let’s see what we’ve got:

Shave Him.
Pick a cause. Set a financial goal. Give the incentive- if the school exceeds the goal, the principal will shave his head at a school assembly. Rake in the dough.

Dunk Him.
Pick a cause. Rent a dunk tank. Put the principal up on the dunk platform. Sell three throws for five dollars.  Rake in the dough.

Jail Him.
Pick a cause. Set a financial goal for him to raise. Lock him in his office until he meets the goal. He can use the phone, email, or letters home to request “bail” from school families and community supporters. (Be kind, allow food, water, and bathroom breaks.) Rake in the dough.

Grade Him.
Pick a cause. Set a financial goal for each classroom. The winning classroom gets to have the principal spend a day as a “student” in that class. He has to do the same homework, tests, pop quizzes, and projects as everyone else. Of course, I’m sure the class would LOVE to gang up on him, maybe just a little.

Be Him.
Great as a school action item. “Principal for the Day” The winning bidder (usually the child of the winning adult) gets to “work” as the principal for one day. The new principal can change rules (four recesses), talk on the PA, get out of any homework, visit any classroom, greet parents at the beginning and end of the day, and get two desserts at lunch. Sounds like a typical day in the life of a principal!

3 Comments »

Maybe my thumbs are too slow. Or too big. But, for the life of me, I have never been able to become proficient at text-messaging on a cell phone. It takes me a half an hour just to enter in a new contact.

I realize that this makes me incredibly lame, but even though I’m pretty awful at this activity, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it. Because I do. I’m quite impressed by the folks who excel at this. Back in April of 2007, a 13 year-old girl named Morgan Pozgar became the first-ever National Texting Champion and won $25,000 for being able to send a 151 character message in 42 seconds. Amazing. After winning the prize, Morgan reported that she sends over 4,000 text messages per month! That works out to over eight messages every waking hour of the month.

Anyway, the point is, texting has arrived.

So, I was understandably intrigued when I recently learned about an upcoming fundraiser to be held in New Jersey that was using cell phone text messaging as the main hook for raising $100,000. The one-day event is scheduled for February 28, 2008. (There is a great article on the plan here.) The beneficiary for this event is a brain trauma center, not a school, but I think the steps could easily be transferred to a school setting. continue reading

1 Comment »

Tuesdays are the day that I highlight a particular fundraising event, sale, or process. Today, I am thrilled to bring you “Flamingo Flocking”! I have to admit, this is a variety of fundraiser that I was completely unaware of just a couple of days ago. But, in my pursuit to bring you creative options, I was struck by the audacity and simplicity of this idea and had to share.

We are all familiar with the pink flamingo yard ornament. One of the prime examples of American cultural kitsch, this plastic bird with metal legs has for years marked its owners as well… interesting. I think there are probably two types of people in the world: those who take the flamingos seriously as quality yard art and those who wouldn’t be caught dead with even one adorning their lawn.

For the purposes of this fundraiser, we are banking on the hopes that there are more of those in the latter category.

The fundraiser begins with the formation of a team of people who love to have a good time and make a little harmless mischief. These folks all need to be available to convene and operate under the cover of darkness.

continue reading

1 Comment »