We spoke for over an hour, and I learned a great deal from her. Below, I have listed eight of the best tips she shared with me for running a carnival that makes a lot of money. If you would like to see an excellent example of a website set up just for a school carnival, check out their site here.

Here are a few of the ideas I picked up from our interview:

1. Use older students in the school to promote the carnival to younger students.

Barbara told me that their planning team recruited a handful of fifth graders (who are the oldest students at Tomahawk) to go into the younger classrooms and get the K to 4th graders totally fired up to attend. They made sure the students they chose were very outgoing and personable.

These mini-pep-rallies happened just a couple of weeks before the carnival itself. Barbara said that the fifth graders have much more “influence” over the younger kids than teachers, the principal, or the PTO volunteers do. Believe it or not, the fifth graders are “cooler” than adults. (Who knew?) The lesson is: If you want a lot of kids to convince their parents that they “have” to go to the carnival, get the older kids to stoke their passion!

2. Get teachers involved in the planning process.

Barbara said she learned this lesson the hard way. Two years ago, they had a number of teachers actually sit on the carnival planning committee. As a result, these teachers were very aware of all the latest news and deadlines, and they twisted the arms of the other teachers to support the event in their classrooms.

Last year, however, there was an unfortunate mis-communication that resulted in many teachers missing some key information about carnival planning, and consequently, teacher participation was way down. This hurt the overall effort.

The lesson is to be absolutely positive that each teacher is fully aware of all the vital dates, deadlines, forms, and other news that they should know. On a practical level, Barbara strongly recommends that you make sure teachers are actually reading the fliers that they are stuffing in their students’ homework folders. Many times a teacher gets busy and can miss vital information.

3. Use yard signs to promote the carnival.

One of the best marketing tools Barbara told me they use are the campaign-style yard signs that you see during political elections. She said they spent approximately $300 and purchased 50 or 60 very simple signs that read “Tomahawk Carnival This Saturday”. That’s it. Big bold letters. No date, no time, no directions. She said that more people comment to her about those signs than any other form of advertising they’ve tried. Also, since the message isn’t date specific, they can use the signs year after year. They just had to commit to the idea that their carnival would always be on a Saturday. Sometimes, low tech is the best approach!

4. Negotiate with any organizations who conflict with your carnival date.

Barbara told me that the only conflict they found on their carnival date was a youth football league in their city. A number of the students at Tomahawk play in this league, so she was fearful that the carnival attendance would be down.

Therefore, she went to the football league organizers directly and explained her situation. She asked them, well in advance of them creating their season schedule, if they could use her date as the “bye” week. She also asked if they could delay the start of the games that would be played that day until later in the afternoon, so the kids could still attend the carnival and then make the game in plenty of time.

Because she used the right approach, was respectful, and made her request far in advance, the league officials were able to work with her, and the conflict was resolved. The moral of the story is don’t be afraid to work with people to get what you want

5. Be careful not to lose money if you sell activity wristbands.

One of the interesting observations that Barbara shared with me involved the sale of wristbands that allow carnival-goers to participate in many of the games and activities without having to buy individual tickets. I really like the wristband concept for many reasons, but Barbara did have one warning.

Just this past year, Tomahawk decided to switch from a ticket-based system to exclusively using the wristband system. However, in reviewing the results of this experiment, she noticed that the school actually lost some money.

To explain, she used herself as an example. Last year, under the ticket system, she, personally, spent over $100 total at the event with her kids. That includes food and game tickets. She spent more than many other families, because she was there all day, organizing the event, and her kids were with her.

But, when the school switched to the wristband system this year, her total outlay was under $50! Same amount of kids, same food consumption. She realized that she spent way more money buying her kids individual tickets than she did buying the wristband, which was priced at $10. That was good for her personally, but bad for the school overall.

To make up for this gap, Tomahawk will raise the price of the wristband next year to $12, sell a combination of wristbands and individual tickets, and possibly increase the number of activities that the wristband doesn’t cover.

There are many advantages to selling activity wristbands. Just don’t make them so affordable, that you lose money.

6. Don’t buy expensive concessions to re-sell.

When it comes to picking your carnival menu, be careful not to pay too much for the food that you sell. For instance, in the past, Tomahawk has contracted with the fast food chain Chick-fil-A to provide their tasty chicken sandwiches. They get a deal from the restaurant because they are buying in bulk and because they are a non-profit.

However, they are still paying a relatively high price per sandwich. So, they can’t very well turn around and tack on a huge amount to make a substantial profit from their carnival customers. No one would buy the sandwiches at outrageous prices.

So, from a money-making perspective, make sure the food you’re selling is cheap enough (preferably donated!) for you to make a decent profit. Having a popular item, like a Chick-fil-A sandwich, is appealing, but ultimately, it is counterproductive to your goal to raise money.

7. Make sure parents know the carnival is a fundraiser, not just a feel-good get-together.

While this may seem like an obvious point to those of us deeply involved in volunteering at our children’s school, there are many parents who just don’t put two and two together. If your school carnival is meant to raise money, you need to make sure this message is heard loudly and clearly by everyone in your audience.

That means you’ll need to repeat it over and over again to make sure the concept sinks in. Barbara suggests putting this “fundraiser” disclaimer on every piece of written information that goes out to the community.

I would even suggest being very specific in telling moms and dads what the money will be used for. If you hope to convince parents to drop significant dollars on silly little games and to get locked up in a “jail”, you’re going to have to appeal to their logical sides and show them the bigger picture- i.e. the school’s financial need. Just don’t assume they know that you actually do want to raise some funds.

8. Don’t get too caught up in having a theme.

I asked Barbara if they used a different theme each year, like “Pirates” or “Day at the Farm”. She told me that their carnival takes place just before Halloween, so there are a few autumnal decorations, but overall, they didn’t want to get locked into the time or the expense that comes with rotating out a different theme every year.

There are many schools that do go the whole nine yards on costumes, decorations, and “atmosphere”, but Barbara thinks that by keeping themselves “theme-free” they can be flexible from year to year and never get pigeon-holed. Ultimately, by not using a theme, they save time and money.

Conclusion

Over the past four years of her involvement with the Tomahawk Elementary School Carnival, Barbara Rypkema has learned a great deal about putting on a first rate carnival event. All of the lessons above come from practical experience and first-hand trial and error. I want to thank Barbara for her time and willingness to share her expertise with me for this article.

If you would like to learn more about planning a successful school carnival, please visit my website, EverybodyHatesFundraising.com. I have many more free school carnival articles, as well as my 186 page e-book, The 2009-2010 School Carnival Money Making Guide.

Keep these ideas in mind to get parents involved and energized while working on your school project.

1. Clear Goals - When working on a school fundraiser, make sure that parents understand why you are doing this project. Do they know that the band needs new uniforms and funds to attend a special competition? Do they know your school needs new computers? Whatever the need is, make is specific and clear so that parents see a deadline and parents see a specific goal. Giving parents (or anyone), a specific goal makes it feel more achievable. Making your message clear helps them to fully understand the need for the fundraiser.

2. Make It Easy – Some parents may feel confident stepping into a fundraising assignment, but others may not have any experience. If you break down tasks into measurable goals, they may realize that this is something that they can achieve. Sometimes they may also realize that they have done something similar to this at work or for another organization – and this will make them feel more confident going into the task. Breaking down the task also gives them the opportunity to ask questions about what they feel most challenged about.

3. Good Leaders - Every project should have a leader that is concerned with the project, but they should also be concerned with developing future fundraisers for the school. How can they help new parents get involved and do their best for the school? By listening, by being available and by responding to questions. Sometimes simply knowing that someone is there to answer your questions and to listen to you gives you the confidence to go forward with your project.  So choose leaders carefully.

4. Do Less Fundraising - According to the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers doing less fundraising is truly “less is more” in many ways for your fundraising efforts. If you make many fundraising “pleas” during the year, parents will grow weary of the drives and working on them. Those that donate will also grow tired of giving, or will be unable to give as often as you’d like. Having one or two fundraising efforts a year could be far more successful than many, smaller efforts.

5. Keep the Energy Up – Make your project seem exciting and stay positive about it. No one wants to work on something that is a real drag. Make meetings seem inviting by offering refreshments (coffee and cookies are quite inexpensive). Even if there are parts of your project that are challenging, keep a positive attitude about your fundraising project for your school and remind people that making an effort will have an impact.

6. Listen – Sometimes new volunteers come onto a project and they have ideas that could make a difference. They may be ideas that are a little off-the-beaten path, or they are not from the “tried and true” members of the Committee. Change is often necessary to be successful, and a good school fundraising project is open to change. Simply by listening to your volunteers you can be aware if changes need to be made. This will help you raise more funds and will most importantly, help you have strong relationships with your volunteers. This will keep them quite motivated.

7. Say “Thank You” – Thank volunteers early and often. What would you feel like if you gave your time to a project and people did not even say thank you when you completed it? Probably you would think twice about volunteering for them. Saying “Thank You” is a critical step in motivating volunteers each step of the way. At the end of a project it would be nice to send thank you notes, too. Parents who feel appreciated are more likely to volunteer for the next project.

Keeping volunteers motivated for your school fundraising project can take a little time and a little effort. But volunteers are valuable and our schools need terrific volunteers involved and dedicated to their success!

It’s called “The USA Character Approved Awards” and our very own topic of school fundraising has landed right in the middle of this extraordinary promotion.

For a little background, here is their mission statement, as I found it on their website:

The Character Approved Awards honor the characters of the U.S.A. who are changing the face of American culture. Character Approved honorees are innovators in their field who influence our opinions, our style, and our view of the world. They surprise and inspire us with fresh ideas. They are celebrated by their peers. And they have an authentic style that’s all their own.

This year, in what they claim is their inaugural campaign, they have announced seven honorees, one each from the worlds of music, art, food, architecture, fashion, new media, and giving.

I spent a little time and looked at the write-ups on all of these individuals, but it was the honoree from the world of giving that jumped off the page for me.

His name is Charles Best, and he is the founder and director of an organization called DonorsChoose.org. This is a website that connects actual schools and classroom teachers with real donors, people who are looking to make a difference by making a financial contribuation that has a direct impact on the recipient.

As an example, here is a recent entry on the Donors Choose site:

 NURTURING FUTURE AUTHORS

“I teach first grade in a large, urban district. Over 90% of my students receive free or reduced lunch. My students live in a high need community. They would benefit from a wide variety of materials that make learning fun and accessible to all of them.

My first graders love to write. They are always authoring their own stories and writing notes to each other. I feel that they could be future authors and novelists. The materials requested would enhance their writing skills and continue to foster their natural affinity toward writing.

I am requesting a wide range of materials, from sentence builders to paragraph writing activities to story writing helpers. These materials will help my students learn the writing process. This will also help them becoming better writers.

Your generous donation will help my students hone the craft of writing. You will make it possible for my students to become better writers and future authors. Your gift would be greatly appreciated by not only me, but the eager writers in my classroom.

There is then an opportunity for a private citizen from anywhere in the world to make a secure donation directly for this classroom. Any amount can be given and the site actually keeps track of how close to the goal this request is getting. As of this post, the above class has received $270 of the $425 needed. Donors also have the chance to leave an encouraging message for the class to read.

This is really a visionary use of the Internet for the public good. I can definitely see why USA has decided to include Charles Best in their list of “Character Approved” honorees for this year.

Below is a video of the on-air commercial they are running, featuring Charles Best. Enjoy!

I would also guess that you have a pretty good relationship with your child’s teacher. After all, the teacher sees your child for six or seven hours a day for 180 days per year. That’s a lot of influence he or she can have on your offspring. Of course, it’s a good idea to know who that person is.

As a former elementary school principal, I witnessed the spectrum of relationships that parents have with teachers, and I’ve heard the “secret” teacher lounge chatter about those relationships. Therefore, I think I can offer a few suggestions on ways for parents to say thank you that will be truly meaningful to and appreciated by your child’s teacher.

1. Volunteer in the Classroom
Most classrooms are overcrowded. That is to say that the ratio of teachers and aides to students is higher than anyone would want. This isn’t only distressing to the parents, but it is also a source of great concern for the teachers. By and large, teachers really do desire excellence, but many times, the numbers make that an elusive goal.

Therefore, I would find a way to volunteer your time as a part-time classroom aid. I’ve seen a mom volunteer one hour per week to listen to students read. The teacher really appreciated that, because the kids got more individualized instruction.

Maybe it’s something you can only do once per month. However, if you pool your time with three other parents, that’s a once-per-week help the teacher is getting, and that’s significant.

2. Volunteer to Sub
This idea may work more easily in a smaller private school. At the school I worked in, we could only offer our teachers a handful of paid days-off per year. It wasn’t fair, but we didn’t have the budget to pay the teacher and a sub for the same time.

Therefore, on a few occasions, we had parents volunteer to sub for the teacher with no pay. Of course, the parents had to meet our guidelines for substitute teachers, but we didn’t have to take a hit in our budget. The teachers felt like they were playing hooky. It was great for morale. This was easily one of the most popular gifts any teacher received all year.

In a public school setting, I’m not sure if this would work, given teacher union issues or concerns by state regulations. If this interests you however, discuss it with the principal of your child’s school to see if it’s feasible.

3. Volunteer to Grade Papers, Prepare Craft Projects, Etc.
One of the biggest drags on a teacher is the whole paper grading thing. I was always seeing teachers lug around big stacks of papers they had to grade. They graded during staff meetings, they graded during lunch, they graded during dental appointments. (Just kidding.)

I also noticed that for teachers of younger students, craft projects usurped a lot of their time. They always seemed to be cutting out odd shapes from colored construction paper. Some people carry a cell phone on their belt. Kindergarten teachers carry a scissors holster.

Therefore, I would propose that a great way to express your thanks to your child’s teacher would be to volunteer to take some of this burden away from them. Offer to grade a stack of papers or to prepare two dozen art projects. This will be a huge time-saver and will allow the teacher to focus more on teaching and less on the busy work.

4. Gift Card to Wal-Mart
Ok, I know this will sound a little bit cheesy, but I’ve seen a lot of gifts given to teachers and while I don’t want to be a spokesman for Wal-Mart, I would have to say that the most popular token of appreciation given to a teacher was a simple gift card to Wal-Mart.

I think it’s ok to forego the need to get a personalized gift somehow. Teachers have enough mugs. They have enough paperweights. They have their own schedule books. Trust me. A $25 gift card to Wal-Mart is very much appreciated. It’s practical, useful, and flexible. You don’t have to worry about getting the wrong size or wondering if someone else already gave them one of “those”.

5. Make Sure To Send in Snacks
Before I had kids, I read all the parenting books. I was a lit major in college, so I love to read, and I thought I would learn everything I would ever need to know though these guides.

However in all the books I read, there was one item that was consistently omitted, forgotten about, and dismissed. And, here I’m going to give it to you free: The Snack. The second your child becomes part of a group activity involving other children, “The Snack” becomes the central focus of all attention. When my son joined soccer, he was first handed the snack schedule and then the game schedule. I’m not kidding.

Anyway, many teachers ask that parents take turns sending in a healthy snack for the entire class. A lot of parents blow this off and the cupboard is often bare. This puts the teacher in a tough spot of either not giving the kids a snack or else she has to spring for it herself.

So, if you can remember to send in a box of Goldfish crackers once a month or so, you’ll be doing the teacher a great favor she will really appreciate it.

6. Volunteer to Be a Chaperon/Driver for Field Trips
Because so many parents have to work, this is a much harder role to fill. However, classrooms do need volunteers to chaperon field trips or in some cases act as drivers for these outings. Teachers are often put in the tough position to have to find these people. Trust me; this is a thankless job, and not one the teachers were dreaming about when they first decided to enter the teaching profession.

If you are able to be a reliable chaperone/driver, you will make a friend for life in the teacher!

7. Stay in Touch, Be Involved
This may seem like a cop-out when it comes to an expression of thanks, but in all actuality, this one’s very important to teachers. Being a teacher is more than just a job. It’s a calling. Therefore, teachers really pour their hearts and souls into what they do. But, this isn’t a one-way street. If they send home a newsletter, read it. If they ask you to sign a report card, sign it and send it back the next day. So many times, even at a private school, I’d hear the teachers talking about parents who never sent stuff back. Or about those who had no clue what was going on. It really depressed them.

The thing is, I knew these “deadbeat” parents, and they weren’t bad people. Most were just busy. If this description applies to you, please find a way to carve out a few minutes each day to go though your child’s backpack. Most nights, there won’t be anything to worry about. But on those occasions when the teacher does send something home, you’ll be on top of it, and that will be a huge gift to your child’s teacher.

8. Take Lots of Photos
If you are a parent who is able to spend some regular time in the classroom or on field trips, I would suggest that you bring along a digital camera. Take lots of photos of all the kids in the class. Get lots of close-ups and action shots. Make sure you don’t miss anybody.

At the end of the year, organize the best of the pictures and organize them onto a CD or even a scrapbook that you will give to the teacher. This kind of a virtual scrapbook is a wonderful keepsake.

9. A Cuppa Joe
Here’s one that’s pure pleasure. Find out what kind of morning drink your child’s teacher likes and make a point to pick one up for her on occasion. A specialty coffee or tea is really a nice way to let the teachers know how much you appreciate them on a daily basis.

10. Introduce Her to Top School Fundraisers
Finally, if you really love not only your child’s teacher, but all of the teachers and administrators at the school, I would whole-heartedly recommend turning them on to TopSchoolFundriasers.com. You already know what a great resource this is. Plese share the love with anyone who would benefit from our unique brand of educational wit and wisdom!

Conclusion
Even though there is a whole week devoted to Teacher Appreciation, I would suggest that you engage in this practice during the entire school year. Think about all the times your own kids have caused you some stress. Now imagine 25 of them all day long! Have a heart! Love your kids’ teachers!

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.

If this is the case, either something has to be done for the leader to improve dramatically in short order or a change must be made. Without the absolute commitment of the administrator, the school will continue its downward decent.

2. Apologize Without Excuses
Once new leadership (or at least a new leadership attitude) is in place, the repair work must begin. The incoming leader must quickly acclimate him or herself and find out who has been or who feels wronged by the organization. Then, the leader must reach out and do whatever it takes to bring these people back into the fold.

The leader must make this apology, even though he or she had nothing to do with the perceived injustice. The best way to do this is with a sympathetic ear and understanding words. Phrases like, “I can totally understand that would make you feel hurt,” or “It makes sense that you felt we weren’t being good stewards of the money” are honest and sincere expressions that will resonate with the people, without damaging the personal standing of the new leader.

Make sure not to get bogged down in excuses or details from the past. Accept that the person feels wronged and your job is to make him feel better. That’s it.

Once you’ve got a few people back on board, word will spread, and your job of mending fences will become a little easier with momentum.

3. Make Easy Physical Changes within the Organization
I wrote an entire blog post on this subject not too long ago. Please refer to it for details, but the gist is that I feel easy physical changes should always precede difficult policy shifts. If your school is going to go through serious transformations in staff, procedures, and expectations, that will be difficult for some people to accept.

I have always found that if I undertake some simple physical projects, like painting, landscaping, re-arranging furniture, changing the purpose of a supply closet or classroom, or anything else that does not affect people’s sense of security, but actually improves the physical appearance of the school, you will start to win them over before the tough stuff comes.

4. Honor History in New Ways
If the leader is new to the school, he or she can earn much respect and loyalty by finding a way to honor the school’s past, but doing it in a way that has never been done before. This way, the leader will be both showing a respect for what came before, but also demonstrating that he or she has an eye on the future.

One example might be to create an annual award based on service to the school. This award could be named after a school founder or an important donor. This covers the “past” part, while the actual honor of the award, along with a new plaque that hangs in a prominent location is the “new” part. I did something very similar to this in the school I worked at and got great results.

5. Listen to Alumni and Donors
Another important task for new leadership in the school is to listen to alumni and donors. The leader should seek these people out and ask them a lot of open-ended questions. Let the alumni and the donors give you their unedited opinions about the school at large. Listen to them as long as they want to speak. Pay close attention and take good notes. Let them know that while you may not be able to make all the changes at once, you really appreciate their insight and will do your best to enact sensible change. This act of just opening yourself up will go a long way toward building trust and loyalty.

6. Study Successful Programs and Emulate Them
While every school has its own special circumstances, there are plenty of commonalities between educational institutions where you can find a success story to model. Do some research and talk to other leaders of similar schools. Share your story with them and find out what they did to pull themselves out of the tailspin they were in. While you may not use every suggestion, I would wager you will still find many pieces of useful advice in their experience.

7. Set Realistic Short Term Goals
Donors want to see verifiable proof of success. This is another reason why making physical changes is beneficial. Even though painting a few walls or cleaning something up won’t make long-lasting improvements in enrollment or fundraising, they will show donors that “stuff is getting done.” And that is good.

The leader must find a handful of areas that he or she can point to for easy success. Perhaps one goal is to improve communications. A regular newsletter, frequent email blasts, an improved website, and frequently updated bulletin boards are all ways to show that the leader is making quality communications more of a priority than it was in the past. Donors like this.

If the leader chooses to set and focus only on more long-term goals, like raising enrollment 10% for example, he will miss all of the building blocs in front of him. After the slow decline into the depths, donors and alumni, as well as parents of currently enrolled students are going to want to see more immediate signs of life. It’s the reverse of the cliché, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”. Just remember that without individual trees, there is no forest.

8. Repair a Key Relationship(s) in the Community at Large
When I worked for the Christian school, I encountered a situation in which the relationship between the school and the local church community was dormant or in some cases, non-existent. I was shocked that there wasn’t an active and dynamic support system between these seemingly cooperative groups.

One of the first things I did was to schedule private meetings with many of the key pastors involved to introduce myself and to invite them to become involved in our mission. Not everyone accepted my invitation, but some did, and we developed some very good friends from this effort.

I would guess that there are many rather obvious “missing links” in schools and non-profits out there. A new leader has the chance to, without any history, right some wrongs. If you find a person or a group that your school should be friendly with, but you aren’t, I urge you to make this happen.

If you are successful in making this important connection, it will be another example to your board and donors that you are out there, changing the culture that existed before.

9. Be Appreciative
Sadly, one of the most common mistake non-profits in general and schools in particular, make is not to be appreciative of the gifts they receive. A gesture as simple as a thank you note is often forgotten.

This omission is often the reason why many donors break off their relationship with a school. I actually heard one donor once say he felt like a horse, ridden hard and then put away.

Even if a gift is many years old, if you are new to the school’s leadership, you have the opportunity to say thank you again. With the “thank you” should also come the admission that you know this was (very) late in coming and you should give them your word that such omissions will not occur again. (And make sure they don’t!)

Conclusion
Taking over a school in trouble is a very difficult task. The issues that put the school in jeopardy can be very serious and almost impossible to reverse. However, there are several ways that can help set your school back on a path to success.

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.

A Breath of Fresh Air
Easily, the most dramatic change I have ever instituted was also the easiest to accomplish. Before I began working at the elementary school, it had a reputation for not being the cleanest of buildings. Many parents complained about being hit with a musty odor each time they came in the front doors. After a thorough cleaning of walls, windows, and carpets, I bought a few of those cheap Glade plug-in air fresheners. I think it was cinnamon spice. Anyway, once they were installed, right in the entrance of the school, parents were floored. We received daily comments in our office about how clean the school seemed and what a great smell it had. That reputation for being un-clean immediately disappeared. If, as the leader, I could make that amazing transformation with such a simple tweak, imagine what I could do with curriculum or fundraising…

Hand Sanitizers
Since moms were the most frequent visitors to the school, I wanted to make a direct appeal to their sensibilities. Because schools are known for being breeding grounds of bacteria, I simply purchased and installed numerous Purell hand-sanitizer dispensers all over the school. They were in front of classrooms, by the drinking fountains, next to the playground door, and outside each restroom. This sent a subtle message to everyone that we were “cleaning” up. Moms loved this and came to know that we were doing our best to keep their children safe and healthy.

A Coat of Paint Will Do Wonders
I know this may seem obvious, but it amazed me that the school existed as long as it did with plain beige walls in the hallways and battleship blue walls in the classrooms. I think there must have been a big sale at the paint store that year on just those colors.

Anyway, I asked some of the staff and parents for advice on what color paints to pick out, because we were going to re-paint everything. There was even a grandmother who was very artistically talented, and she volunteered to paint a mural in the front entrance. It was fantastic! The response to the simple paint job was amazing. People thought it was a whole new school. This played right into my strategy of big change.

Better Bulletin Boards
If you are not doing this already, it really pays to get a volunteer mom or two to take responsibility for changing the main school bulletin boards. I gave my team of moms room to be creative and they did a great job keeping up with seasonal changes and making sure they were continually updated. Parents who came into the school always stopped and checked the bulletin boards out, because they knew they could usually find something new on them. This added to the sense of excitement and vitality I was trying to add to the community.

Photographs
Everybody loves to see a picture of themselves prominently displayed. It makes them feel as though they are an important part of the organization. When I first started working at the school, there weren’t any pictures of anybody up on the walls in the main hallway. We changed this right away and did our best to keep rotating them. This added to the overall excitement people had when coming into our school. There was often a lot of conversation about the pictures and the bulletin boards in the newly painted and fresh-smelling hallway. This was exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted to create, and it signaled folks that bigger changes were in store for how we were going to go about our school business.

De-Clutter
Our school office had become a real dumping ground for lost and found, old newsletters, empty boxes, an odd collection of chairs, and anything else you’d see floating around a school. Everything always seemed to end up in the office. With the help of our office staff, I gutted the place. If we didn’t need an item on a regular basis, it was gone. We streamlined the front counter and got rid of all sorts of weird furniture. When we were finished, the office looked much more professional and inviting. My goal in doing this was to show people that we were going to clear out all the stuff that didn’t work at the school.

Make Your Office Very Welcoming
The guy who had the job before me was a very good administrator, and he was a true book lover. The administrator’s office isn’t huge, but he had a gigantic bookshelf in there that made the area for guests to sit very cramped and uncomfortable. I’m not sure he was aware of this or not, but the lack of comfortable seating for guests sent a message that conversations in the office didn’t have a high priority to him. I got rid of the book shelf and put in much more comfortable chairs. It was very important for me to make sure people felt comfortable coming into see me. This kind of openness and accessibility was one of my top priorities I wanted people to get used to.

Do Something for the Teachers
Every school has its oddities that don’t make sense to outsiders. In these cases, it usually takes someone who hasn’t been in the community very long to point these things out. When I first got to the school, kids were allowed to freely come into the back portion of the school office. They could walk right into my office, which was in the back, or into the teachers lounge at will.

Now, ours was a small school and the kids were generally very well behaved, so it wasn’t ever really a problem. However, when I came in, this just didn’t make sense to me. Beside all the privacy concerns in a school office, I wanted to make sure that teachers had a place to take a break from the students. So, I immediately had a gate built which prevented kids from being where they shouldn’t be. It worked great and the teachers were happy. In this, my goal was to do something for the teachers that they would appreciate and realize I wanted to serve them.

Conclusion
While I wrote this article specifically about the school I worked in, I’m sure you can think of many examples from your own school that need attention. If you are a leader and you are contemplating some major changes in the way you operate, I would strongly recommend undertaking some physical tasks first. You are much more likely to win supporters through the easy jobs than through some of the more serious policy decision that are to follow. When trying to lead a school community, you need every advantage you can get!

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:

The possession of a personal investment in the cause.
When reviewing possible candidates to take over your leadership role, you should look for a person who has a very important reason for wanting the institution to do well. In essence, this person should have children currently enrolled in the school. Believe it or not, there are many people willing to volunteer for an organization with which they have no personal connection. And while these people may be fine to have as volunteer workers, I would hesitate to put them in the ultimate leadership role. Leadership is often hard and lonely. During these challenging times, it helps immensely to have the inspiration of your own children to remind you of why you are working so hard. It’s too easy to back out if you have no personal ties there.

A refusal to give up in the middle of things.
Far too many people have the tendency to give up when things get difficult. And invariably, things get difficult. Whoever takes over the fundraising leadership role needs to have amazing tenacity. The school can not afford to have its leader start a big fundraising event, only to fizzle out half-way through the planning process. Look at past performance on smaller tasks to judge if your potential replacement has the stick-to-it-ive-ness needed to see things through to the end.

The ability to genuinely listen to others.
If your new leader is so focused on his or her own voice that he or she won’t truly listen to the advice or council of others, your organization is in jeopardy. A good leader seeks to involve many and actively listen to various ideas and opinions. This engagement will make volunteers feel invested in the process. Failure to listen will result in a leader with few people to lead. Ask yourself how your perspective successor has related to others during stressful fundraising tasks in the past.

A willingness to set an example by being the hardest worker in the room.
Some people falsely believe that leaders get to sit back and put their feet up while everybody else does all the hard work. A good leader would never even dream of slacking off, even for a moment! The good leader knows that his or her volunteers will respond enthusiastically when they are inspired by the hard work and dedication of their leader.

Whoever succeeds you as fundraising leader needs to recognize the difference between working hard and working smart. Volunteers don’t expect to see the leader doing the exact same jobs they are; rather they want to see the leader out front, actively blazing a trail, making sure the overall goal is on track. If the leader is spending all of her time stuffing envelopes, a volunteer might wonder who is steering the bus. This can be a difficult line to find for a new leader. I would suggest having this worthwhile conversation with whomever will be taking over for you before you offer the position.

A grasp on the true nature of the group.
Your fundraising successor should be keenly aware of the make-up of the school in which he or she is serving. I know this may sound like an obvious suggestion, but there truly are some people out there who think that local PS 81 is Harvard. In other words, they may mis-judge the socio-economic realities of your particular institution. This misjudgment could become a problem when selecting the types of fundraisers your school will undertake. If your crowd wants Fritos, don’t give them foie gras.

A vision for what the group can become.
While it is important to understand who the crowd is now, it is also vitally important to be able to see what the crowd can become. I’m not talking about cultural evolution, but rather a gradual growth in how parents support the school. If the annual school carnival consistently brings in $2,500, a new leader should be thinking of ways to get the same carnival producing $4,000. If 15 people regularly show up to a PTO meeting, the new leader figures out a way to hit 25. This vision is necessary to growth, and it is a trait your successor must posses, or else your organization will have serious problems.

Conclusion
There are no two leaders who are exactly the same. That’s what’s so wonderful about leadership. However, these above characteristics build a solid foundation upon which a successful leader can grow. Think back to when you lead a school fundraiser for the first time. I’m sure you learned dozes of important less from then on that have molded you into the effective leader you are today. Now it’s time to give someone else the chance.