Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

When I first took the position as the administrator of a private elementary school, I was curious what kind of a toolbox I would have access to. Most good toolboxes, of course, have many compartments to store different kinds of tools that will help complete a job.

The tools I was interested most in weren’t hammers and screwdrivers and wrenches, but rather donors, volunteers, and school spirit. All of the tools I was interested in would help shape our effort to provide the necessary funds to keep the school operational and thriving.

Unfortunately, the situation I walked into had a pretty empty toolbox, so one of my first tasks was to stock it with as many useful items as I could.

Today, I want to write about the tool of school spirit, and how it relates to fundraising success.

If you find yourself at a school that is struggling to raise money, whether it be in a small fundraiser like a cookie dough sale or a large event like an auction, one of the fundamental reasons for your lack of success may be a lack of school spirit.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself or others close to you to determine if your students, their parents, the teachers, key donors, and anyone else involved at your school has enough spirit to motivate them to work for your school’s financial success. continue reading

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If you are reading this blog, chances are you are a pretty involved parent in your child’s education. You are most likely involved in fundraising activities, field trip chaperoning, room mothering (or “fathering”), and the countless other opportunities to play a vital role in your child’s education.

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. continue reading

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Here’s a quick idea that I have seen work on more than one occasion. For your next group-gathering fundraiser, like a school carnival, ice cream social, or book fair, see if you can recruit some of your local high school athletes to work the event.

Imagine: football players scooping ice cream, cheerleaders doing face painting, basketball players running a free throw competition. Of course, all the players should be dressed in their team’s uniform.

It is amazing how much elementary or middle school kids look up to high-schoolers. And, if the high-schooler is the starting quarterback, captain of the cheer squad, or point guard for the hoops team, you’ve got a bona-fide celebrity on your hands.

You can include this celebrity attendance/participation in all of your marketing materials. It’s sure to draw a crowd.

I would also add that there is an additional revenue opportunity with the athletes there, as well. As long as it is very clear that the revenue generated goes to the school, think about charging for photographs or autographs from the players. This can be done in good fun and as long as the high-schoolers don’t get an inflated ego because of it, I know they’ll have a good time.

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Maybe it’s the upcoming presidential election. I, like so many others, have been absolutely fascinated by this political season. In my case, that’s not too much of a stretch, as I have always been a political junkie. But, these past few weeks have especially seemed to permeate a majority of my thoughts.

So, I’ll therefore blame this latest installment of “Jump Start Your School Spirit” on my obsession with all things politics.

One of the basic plays straight out of Campaigning 101 is to develop what’s called “a Message Calendar”. The leaders of a campaign will seek to match the daily, weekly, and monthly calendar with specifically timed messages on policy, philosophy, or even attacks against an opponent. A candidate will do everything in his or her power to stick to this well-thought out strategy, even though reporters and the opponent will try to take him or her off message. continue reading

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When I was a kid, I attended Houghton Elementary in Saline, Michigan. Houghton was one of two elementary schools in my town. The other one was called Jensen.

Our official school nickname was the Houghton Hawks. Jensen was The Jets. Nice alliteration, I know.

However, being kids, it didn’t take long for us to use alliteration in a more pejorative fashion. On our playground, the Jensen Jets quickly became referred to as Jensen Junkyard. Likewise, the fine students on the other side of town quickly responded by tagging us as the Houghton Hogs. And thus, a rivalry for the ages was born.

At first blush, this kind of name calling and institutional animosity would seem like a bad thing. After all, it takes a village… why can’t we all just get along… Give peace a chance… I want to buy the world a Coke… Pick your platitude. continue reading

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Common sense tells us that a school’s ability to raise funds can be impacted by the level of school spirit that exists within the community. The more intense the school spirit, the more likely there will be people ready to donate. Low school spirit signals apathy, and that can definitely sink fundraising efforts.

I am going to start a series of blog posts on how to increase school spirit in some potentially radical ways. When I say “radical” I certainly don’t mean anything illegal. Rather, I’m referring to a method that will challenge the status quo within your school. These suggestions may not be for everyone, but I’m fairly certain that each one of the upcoming topics will get folks talking. It will be up to you to decide if they will be talking in a favorable manner or not.

What’s Your Logo?
Today I want to talk about your school’s mascot and logo. Already, I can hear people screaming in protest. I, myself, attended Eastern Michigan University when we changed our school teams’ name from “The Hurons” to “The Eagles”. The school administration claimed our nickname was insensitive to Native Americans. I’m not about to wade into that argument, but I did witness first hand how polarizing such a move can be. In fact, I think you can still buy bootleg Hurons t-shirts, just off campus. So, I can definitely understand how this might be a “taboo” subject for some. continue reading

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