Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

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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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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Card displays are the cards that you can buy at the grocery store for a $1 or more donation, write your name on it and display in the store. Many non profit groups use this as a fundraiser including Children’s Miracle Network and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF). Even Chili’s restaurants has its own Create a Pepper campaign to benefit St. Jude Hospitals.

Schools are now taking a cue from the many of these groups that use card purchase/displays as a fundraiser. Students in Bainbridge, GA will benefit from such a program:

The Paws, printed on purple and gold paper, will soon be available at local businesses. Each sheet can be purchased for a $1.00 donation. The donor can then place their name on the Paw sheet and it will be displayed in the business.

This is a great way for the community to become involved with the school district. It provides good publicity for the business and funds for the school.

One aspect of the Chili’s campaign that I thought was especially smart was offering patrons the choice of how much to donate. Instead of just asking for $1 donation, on the back of the pepper page you could check $1, $5, $10, $20 or other (if I remember correctly). This encourages people to donate more than just a buck. This would definitely be a good strategy to adopt if your school decided to do this type of campaign.

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So what’s your favorite pizza? Pepperoni, Meat Lovers, Veggie Lovers, pineapple and ham with extra cheese? Whatever your favorite Pizza Hut pizza, dining out can help your school raise funds.

Your school can offer pizza discount cards that feature Pizza Hut. Depending on the number of pizza cards you purchase, your group can make over $9,000!

If your local Pizza Hut has not participated in this fundraiser in the past it is easy to get them onboard. You’d just need to print out the agreement form and drop it off for a manger to read. Don’t forget to include a cover letter (on official letterhead if possible) describing your group, why you are raising funds, how this is free advertising for them, brings them in business, and is completely free for them to participate!

Request more information about pizza card fundraisers

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Here’s a roundup of some great school fundraising ideas for the month of October. Many of these are fast fundraisers that you could put together in a few weeks or even a few days. Take a look at some of these October fundraising ideas and see if your school group could fit these in this month or if they are great add-on fundraisers to something you are already doing in October.

1. School Carnivals - Many schools already have school carnivals, fall festivals or Halloween alternative parties planned. It seems like there are some tried and true carnival games like the cake walk and fishing booth. Many groups also like to find some fun new games so kids will really enjoy the event. Here’s a page with some links and resources for school carnival fundraiser ideas.
2. Boo Pops - Lollipops in fun Halloween shapes like ghosts and jack o lanterns. These pops come in a variety of flavors including Bubble Gum, Strawberry Shake, Watermelon Slice, and Wild Cherry. Actually there are 12 flavors in all! Your group earns 50% profit on these great lollipops. Plus you can get free shipping!

You can view all the available pops and even order online here … or Call 1-866-249-0089 for more info.

3. Candles - Fall is a time that many people enjoy burning candles. They provide a nice warm glow and scent to any room of the house. There’s also many scents available that make the fall season enjoyable - such as cinnamon and spice scents and fall harvest fragrances. Find out more about school candle fundraisers.

4. Start a Recycling collection - Fall is a great time to start a recycling collection. This is a fundraiser that can be run all year and you can announce the results next spring. Have a big kickoff and ask parents to bring items to your school carnival. There are a variety of recycling collections that can raise funds for your school including aluminum can recycling, printer cartridges and cell phones.

5. Discount Cards and Books - Fall is also the time that many schools sell discount cards and books. The discount cards are normally good for the entire school year, but as these are custom cards you can set up the effective dates any way you wish.  The books are valid for the calendar year so you can sell the discount books for 2008 now.

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The competitive spirit starts young - kids enjoy video games, board games, playing tag or anything that they can turn into a game.  So why not have a game night fundraiser? Get prizes donated from area businesses and charge admission fees and/or for food. Add raffles and auctions to raise more money.

1. Monopoly Tournament - As you know one game of monopoly can take all night so this one will definitely fill the time.  You could even have a series of monopoly nights with the winner of each game moving to the next round, which takes place on another night.  Great for junior high age and up to adults.

2. Trivia Night - This one is especially good for high school students. Vary the difficulty of questions depending on your audience. It’s played in teams of two so it can work for a group of 20 on up to 200.

3. Game Show Fundraisers - There are lots of board game editions of your favorite TV game shows.  Pick one that your group will enjoy.  Or why not choose several different ones and people can take their pick of which game to join when they get there.

4. Dance Dance Revolution - Kids just love this game. Did you know this can be a fundraiser? You can do this one on your own (DIY) or work with a company that specializes in this event.

5. Bunco Game -Bunco is a fun dice game that is super easy to learn and fun to play.  This is another one that is good for a mixed audience of kids and parents.  Plus this game is very easy to expand for many players.  All you need is another set of dice and you can four more players.

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