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.

Wow. Can you imagine being faced with fundraising efforts every single morning? I mean, who do they think they are? It would be absolutely unbeara- …wait a second. Going into a place each morning where they sell muffins, bagels, coffee, juice, etc. and paying money in exchange for these goods. Hmmm. Where have I heard this idea before? Oh yeah, it’s called a gas station or a Starbucks, or one of those little drive-thru shacks. Except, instead of making the gas station owners rich, I’m giving it to a school-related cause.

I think this is a brilliant idea! Here is a school that knows it needs to raise money to support all of these extra activities and it allows its students to really get involved in helping themselves.

Could this idea work at your school for your group? People, especially high schoolers (and teachers!) spend their disposable income on food like this anyhow. Why have them spend it at some store down the road?

If a typical student spends just $5 a week on these bake sale items, by the end of a 36 week school year, he’s made a total gift of $180. Does this exceed what he might raise if you only hold a couple of fundraising events a year?  Which are you more likely to get close to 100% participation in- a product sale or a bake sale?  Also, what percentage of the profits do you get to keep from a product sale?  40%? 50%?  In a bake sale the group keeps 100%. 

Granted, a product sale can raise much more money in a condensed period of time.  However, with more and more parents balking at the idea of their children becoming candy bar salesmen, this daily bake sale approach may be growing in its appeal.

(For more outstanding reasons to hold a bake sale, please visit my previous post “9 Ways to Rake in the Dough at Your Next Bake Sale“)

Think about it.

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.

A brief description of how discount scratchcards work:

Scratchcards are a different kind of school fundraiser that can earn your school group up to 90% profit.

Basically, a scratchcard is a small tri-fold booklet that contains a card of colored “scratch-off” circles- you know, the kind you use a nickel on. (I love to scratch those things off, and now I don’t have to gamble to do it!)

eFundraising has two styles of scratchcards.  There is one with 30 scratch off dots and one with 60.  The donation amounts on the 30 dot version range from $1 to $5.  The 60 dot card starts at $0 (free) and tops out at a whopping $2.50.

Both versions of the scratchcard have the same object and work the same.  Both also have identical “complimentary”coupon sheets (more about the coupons in just a minute…).

Here’s how the process works:

Let’s say your Uncle Joe agrees to donate to your school. You hand him the 30 dot scratch card, and he uses a coin or his thumbnail to scratch off one of the colored dots. Under the scratch off stuff, he’ll find a dollar amount. With this 30 dot version, the maximum amount he could find would be $5.00. However, he could get lucky and get one of the $1 circles.

Of course, the card (Just like “the house”) is stacked against poor Uncle Joe, as there are far more max amounts than the minimum. (Get over it! This is a fundraiser…)

As a “thank-you” to Uncle Joe for playing, you collect the amount he owes you and you hand him a valuable sheet of coupons for businesses that most people shop at everyday (including, most probably, Uncle Joe.)

You then repeat this process until all of the colored dots on your scratch card are revealed. If your card has 30 dots, that’s 30 people you can approach. (Or, you can approach the same person thirty times, but as a professional, I don’t recommend that.) Each card raises up to $100, and your students can have multiple cards, so it can really be an effective fundraiser.

New Custom, Personalized Cards

The new personalized cards have three big advantages over the original cards: first you get your group’s picture right on the front of the card.  These cards only have 30 dots, with amounts ranging from $1 to $5 so you don’t have to ask as many people.

Top 6 Reasons to choose the new Personalized Scratchcards

1. Each card raises up to $100
2. With only 30 dots per card, it’s fast and easy
3. You get 10% free bonus cards
4. Cards come with free coupon sheets for supporters- up to $75 in savings on stuff they buy every day.
5. For an extra touch of team spirit, you can get your group photo printed on your cards!
6. You raise up to 90% profit

Seriously, go to eFundraising.com to see for yourself the difference with these custom scratchcards are and order yourself a free sample.

Call for your Free Sample – 1-866-249-0089

High Profit Margin

After all, the whole point of a fundraiser is to earn money for your school, and with scratchcards, up to 90% of the money brought in is pure profit.

This has several advantages. First, those who donate can feel confident knowing that almost all of the money they give goes directly to help your school. It also shows that you appreciate their support and respect their decision to donate.

Save Money and Reward your Sales Force

Since there is very little overhead, a portion of the funds available could be used to provide prizes to the people who sell the cards. Another option would be to request prize donations from area businesses, putting more money raised directly back into the school. The prizes could be something as simple as a coupon for a free round of miniature golf or a pizza party.

Consider offering a lot of small prizes to award those who get the cards done the quickest. It’s always better to reward many of your group members, rather than just a select few. That way they will be more open to take part in your next fundraiser.

Conclusion

Discount Scratchcards are a great way to add a little variety into your fundraising calendar. If you’ve been doing the same old product sale year after year, here’s a great way to liven things up. The profit margin is high, they’re easy to sell, they’re cheap to buy, and people absolutely love scratching off those little circles. This is the closest I’ll probably ever come to Vegas again!

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!

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.

Golf and Walk
The golf outing has long been a staple in the fundraising world, used by thousands of non-profit organizations. However, many golf outings have focused solely on the golfer. While these events are great at generating camaraderie among those who participate, the very nature of the activity is exclusionary. If you don’t like to golf, you aren’t going to participate, and that limits the amount of money, as well as community spirit you can drum up.

However, there is a solution. The concept of the Golf & Walk event opens up the beauty of a golf course and the fun that comes from enjoying the great outdoors to everyone who wants to support your organization.

I have worked in the past with Champion Events and was very impressed by their customer service and organizational detail. They have great experience with the Golf & Walk. Here is a snippet from their website about this creative and inclusive event:

The Golf & Walk Event is a new event concept that combines a fundraising golf tournament with a unique “walk-a-thon” at the golf course. Walkers walk nine holes on cart paths at a beautiful golf course. They are kept separate from golfers in complete safety. Everyone finishes together at the end for an awards celebration.

All participants raise donations prior to the event. The Golf & Walk Event is planned on a 12-week timeline and mobilizes everyone in your network to raise money for you, not just those 15% of adults who can play golf. Because its foundation is “relational” fundraising in its most effective form, the Golf & Walk Event is currently producing the highest dollar results of the standard Big 3 fundraising events (banquets, auctions, traditional golf tournaments).

“Thons”
One of the most popular fundraising events that promotes physical activity is the concept of the “thon”. I have written about the “Thon” before on TSF, and you can review this information here.

There are so many great physical events that a school can engage in and collect pledges prior to the actual event. Of course, there is a walk-a-thon, but for a younger crowd, a trike-a-thon might be a good idea.

According to the Daily Times in Tennessee, Carpenters Elementary School in Maryville, held a walk-a-thon on May 21, 2008, and raised just under $25,000 for the day! Those are results that anyone would jump up and down about!

Leesa Taylor, a rotating physical education and wellness coordinator for Blount County Schools, and John Dalton, the school’s assistant principal, decided to have a walkathon fundraiser.

The students enjoyed the walkathon and the effort paid off. “We thought (the fundraising) was for a good-cause,” Satterfield said. “It was (also) good exercise for students who wouldn’t normally get much,” she said.

The walkathon coincided perfectly with the school’s physical fitness test and walking works program, Taylor said. The school’s wellness program emphasizes making healthy choices and is about “the total mind set of changing routines, lifestyles and eating habits to stop obesity,” she said.

Flamingo Flocking
Another fundraiser that can be a fun, physical activity is called “Flamingo Fundraising”. I have also previously written on this event, and you can check out the entire article here.

Many groups have used Flamingo Flocking to great success.

West Middle School in Andover, MA, is currently planning their first such attempt. The Andover Townsman newspaper reports on the event, and I have included a few of the highlights from the article below.

West Middle School parents have introduced a flock of 144 of the plastic lawn ornaments to raise money for the school. Local residents can make a donation to have the birds “migrate” to a lawn of a friend or neighbor in town. When the surprised residents wake up to find they’ve been “flocked,” and a group of about a dozen plastic pink flamingoes now reside on their front lawn, they’ll be asked to make a donation to have the birds removed. Or they can pay to send them to roost on another lawn in town.

Folks can also pay for “flocking insurance,” making a donation to West Middle to ensure the pink birds will never show up on their lawn as part of the money-raising effort. A flier explaining the flocking process will be left with the flamingoes at each house.

“It’s all in fun. I think people will be in good humor about it. You don’t see a lot of pink flamingoes around here,” said Tracy Callahan, Parent Advisory Council vice president, with a laugh. “We were looking to try something different that hadn’t been done around here (for a fundraiser), and flocking is popular in other parts of the country. It just looked like a lot of fun. We’re excited about it.”

Between 10 and 12 flocks of flamingoes will circulate on Andover lawns until May 23, and the PAC hopes to “flock” at least 100 different yards in Andover, said Callahan.

Service Projects
Although, this is technically another “thon” type activity, I believe the nature of the event, as well as the overall results, merits its own category on this list.

The phrase “win-win” may be in danger of becoming terribly over-used, but nonetheless, a serve-a-thon as a school fundraiser is certainly an event in which everyone comes out ahead.

Not only can a serve-a-thon raise much needs funds for any school, but it also engages students in a volunteer effort to help others in need.

I have two examples, one large and one small of recent serve-a-thons which can inspire your school to act.

The first is the 15th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon. This blurb is taken from their website:

What is the Serve-a-thon?
The Annual Serve-a-thon is the largest day of service in the city of Chicago AND the largest fundraiser for Chicago Cares. Thousands of volunteers will come together to improve our city’s schools and raise donations to support the 200+ volunteer programs Chicago Cares manages each month.

Is there a cost to participate?
Yes, a $30 registration donation is required if you are not a member of a team from a Serve-a-thon sponsor company. This non-refundable donation covers the basic cost for each volunteer to participate in the event, which is not only a massive day of service but Chicago Cares’ largest fundraiser. If you are interested in beginning a team from a non-profit group like a church, alumni association, AmeriCorps crew or block club, a donation waiver may be available.

The smaller version of a serve-a-thon is typified by the Sioux Falls Christian School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This information is taken directly from their website:

The Serve-a-thon is a fundraiser where the student body (grades 1-12) and staff serve at various locations in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. This project gives our students and staff an opportunity to put their Christian values into action and to be a blessing to others. Funds are raised by asking friends and relatives to help support this project as a mini-missions trip to the community. The majority of the funds raised are used to help keep tuition affordable for more families desiring Christian education. Ten percent of the funds raised are donated back to a worthy community organization. Some serve projects include: making treats for firemen and policemen, raking leaves for the elderly, collecting items for The Furniture Mission, visiting with residents of nursing homes, offering to help other non-profit organizations and helping with church painting projects.

Car wash

An Exhaustive e-book full of tips, strategies, anything you ever wanted or needed to know about holding a car wash as a school fundraiser.

Erin over at USA Fundraising has some great ideas, as well, for adding a few twists to the average, run-of-the-mill car washes. Especially check out her tops about adding a snack bar to the event.

So says Erin:

On a nice sunny day, people like to get out of the car, stretch their legs, and chat with neighbors at a car wash. Make your car wash an extra special event by setting up a small snack bar for people to buy snacks and cold drinks while they mingle with friends and wait for their shiny clean car!

Here’s an interesting article on how a youth sports team raised $40,000 at their care wash in Utah.

However, there is a serious environmental concern associated with car washes that you should keep in mind and speak to the right local agencies about before you embark on this path. According the website of the Sonoma County (CA) Permit and Resource Management Department:

A car wash is a great way to have fun while raising funds for your school or community group. But did you know that if soapy water enters the storm drain system it will flow directly to the nearest creek? Soap (even if it is biodegradable) is a pollutant that can be harmful to fish and other aquatic life that depend on clean water for their survival. As well as soap, car wash water can carry pollutants such as dirt, oil, and other automotive fluids into our creek.

Conclusion
It seems that in recent years, we parents and educators have been confronted with a growing concern for both our children’s health, as well as their schools’ shrinking budgets. As we work to supplement the school coffers, so that the students have all the opportunities needed for a well-rounded education, we must do this in a way that promoted a healthy lifestyle both now and into the future.

If you have personal experience with running healthy fundraisers of your own, please get in touch. We’d love to hear and share your success!

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!

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.

The event is called “Text for 10”, and it works like this: The group has recruited 1,000 teens and ‘tweens to form 100 teams of 10 people each. Each individual has promised to be responsible for getting 10 pledges of at least $10. Basically it is 1,000 people getting $100 for a total of $100,000. Possibly more.

At exactly 6:00pm on February 28, all the 1,000 team members will simultaneously text in the pledges they received for donations. Then on “Bank Day”, which is March 5, the captains of each team will deliver the money to a secure bank location.

The organizer of the event realizes that this is basically a variation on the old walk-a-thon event, but she is updating it for today’s youth, for many of whom texting is a part of everyday life. She is using the hook of text messaging as a way to access a segment of the population who might not otherwise get involved for a fundraising event.

She is also using the novelty of the event to her advantage with public relations. There have been teams of recruits form, just because they heard about it locally.

As of this post, there are still a few weeks until the texting party begins. I’m guessing that teams have already been formed and are now busy lining up support. Sometime after the conclusion of this fundraiser, I will re-visit this event and share with you how they did.

Stay tuned!

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.

There is an initial cash outlay for this charity event. I’ve snooped around the Internet for prices on a set of pink flamingos, and the best I could come up with is right around $100 for 20 birds. (I even checked eBay, and of this printing, there was a very limited supply of the types of ornaments we’re talking about.) You could spend less and get fewer birds, but I’m kind of thinking the more birds you use in your flock, the greater the shock value and the greater the potential donation.

The premise is simple, yet ingenious. The group picks its first victim. Then one night, they sneak over to this house and place the flock prominently in the front yard. Around the neck of one of the flamingos, they place a “ransom” note that demands a donation for the removal of the birds. (Details of the ransom collection are left to the group.)

Some groups choose to set an amount, say $20, for removal. Others leave it open and let the family decide how much to pay. One group that chose to leave the amount open received a $200 donation, so this may be a good option for your school to think about.

Once the fee is paid, the “victim” family gets the opportunity to pick the next family who gets “flocked”. This process is repeated every night for a specified amount of time until the fundraiser is concluded. In order to keep the fundraiser moving, the flock shouldn’t stay in anyone’s yard for more than 24 hours, even if the family chooses not to pay the ransom. (Spoil sports…)

If your school thinks that your base is large enough, you can decide to purchase enough flamingos to operate two or more flocks at one time. Of course this will require more management, but it does potentially double your income (or more…).

At the fundraiser’s kick-off event or announcement, some organizations have elected to offer “flock insurance”. This certificate can be purchased for the amount you choose (roughly $10 to $20) and ensures that any of these families will not get flocked.

Please remember that you can add flare to any one of these steps by creating cute ransom notes, making up official looking flock insurance certificates, etc. One group actually made small wreaths to place around the flamingos’ necks, since their event coincided with Christmas. The more creative you get with this, the more fun your group will have.

While a flamingo flocking fundraiser is a lot of fun, its potential to raise a large sum of money is limited. If your group managed one flock for thirty straight nights and received an average donation of $20 per night, you’d gross $600. If you spent $100 for the birds, your net is $500. If your school managed two flocks, you’re looking at $1,000. And so on.

Of course, you may receive the occasional larger donation and that could improve your results. You will also have the potential income from your “flock insurance” sales to add in. However, I would only recommend this kind of a fundraiser for specific projects with exact needs- a piece of gym equipment or a subsidy for a school trip, for instance. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for bailing your school out of a financial crisis, unless of course, your community is really, really has something against flamingos….

Beside the revenue, the other by-product of this kind of fundraiser is fun. It’s a great way to get people involved who are new to fundraising. Sure, it’s a little daring, sneaking over to someone’s house to fill their lawn with tacky yard art, but it is much easier than cold calling a business and asking for donations. Or writing a grant proposal. However, once people build confidence in themselves at an event like the flamingos, it might be easier to graduate them to a more advanced process. Remember, as a leader in your school’s fundraising team, you should always be looking to develop talent.

So, if you have the right situation at your school and you want to have a load of fun, get ready to, as one website put it, “Meet the Flockers!”

Related Websites:
Plastic-flamingos.com
Flamingoflocking.com
Youvebeenflocked.com

“We loved the way the fundraiser was an educational opportunity,” notes Jan Silberman, principal at Sisters Elementary of Sisters, Oregon which just concluded a fund drive with the company. “The product labels, the old-time newspaper Buckboard provided to each child and the website offered stories and puzzles the kids could relate to. Our teachers can use the resources on the web page to extend learning on their Lewis & Clark and Oregon Trail units if they wish. The fourth grade teaching team has even served the buffalo jerky and smoked salmon at our annual pow-wow.”

One Sisters Elementary student is being rewarded with a ride in a vintage carriage pulled by horses for his stellar fundraising efforts. The third-grader Andrew Stevens raised almost $200 for playground equipment. He will get to ride in the carriage from the Buckboard Provisioning Co. office located on Hood Avenue and help deliver Buckboard Provisioning Co. products to the school. The carriage ride is donated by Thunder Mountain Ranch.

Source: Pr Urgent

The fundraiser is based on the popular children’s story about a young boy’s evening train ride to the North Pole. Tickets for the St. Joseph event cost $22 and three of their four trips were completely sold out.

St. Joseph’s heard about the Polar Express themed fundraiser from other schools and decided to try it. Their director of development Mona Nadeau applied for dates with the MBTA and won them. The school paid the MBTA $10,000 for train services and staff for the day.

Source: The Salem News

Students at one school, voting with their loose change, picked a teacher to kiss a goat.

The students, parents and staff at the school dropped money into milk bottles one bottle assigned to each teacher or staff member at the school. The teacher, administrator or staff member whose milk bottle contained the most money at the end of the fundraiser had to pucker up to a goat

Kramer was unpleasantly surprised when she ended up having to smooch the animal. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that that kiss, as unpleasant as it might have been, brought in close to $800 for her school.

Whether students vote for teachers to kiss a goat, kiss a pig or any other strange thing, it’s all about the “I dare Ya” of it and seeing their teacher do something they wouldn’t normally do.   Teachers rule the classroom, but once in awhile students get to have their day to be the boss too.