Connecting Schools With Great Fundraising Ideas.

Ok, the title of this article might be a little misleading, because, of course, we want to raise as much money as we can for school programs in 2009. But, hear me out on the zero dollar part.

As readers of this blog probably know, I have been very interested, as have many others, in the historical developments surrounding Barack Obama and his journey to the White House. I’m not only intrigued by the political and policy aspects, but I’m also curious about his personal story.

So, I was naturally drawn to the news surrounding the Obama’s decision to send their daughters to a private school in Washington DC. I have no problem with this decision; I was the principal of a private elementary school myself, so I respect the decision the Obamas made on this particular question.

The school they choose is called Sidwell Friends. This particular school has a history of presidential children attending. Both Amy Carter and Chelsea Clinton were enrolled there, for instance. I wanted to learn more about why this school attracted such an elite student body, so I recently visited their website.

Of course, with a tuition approaching $30,000 per year, the school can afford to provide a superior education in many areas. When I started thinking about this, I was immediately a little jealous. I tried to think about everything I could have done at my school with that kind of a budget. But then I started to wonder about all the things that Sidwell does that don’t cost any money, but still add to a sense of excellence there.

For example, I read on the Sidwell website that they are hosting a series of one night seminars for parents of enrolled students called “Math Classes for Parents”. There’s a night for addition, one for subtraction, and one each for multiplication and division. The purpose of these evenings is to explain to parents how math is being taught to their children, what terminology is being used, and the logic behind the approach. Armed with this knowledge, parents are better able to help their students with homework, but they are also more likely to get involved in the overall educational process, which could even include volunteerism or financial donations. (Personally, I wonder if the Commander-in-chief will be attending multiplication night.)

In the past I have written about the profound impact that a healthy school spirit has on a school’s fundraising success. Any type of activity that gets parents into the school and engaged with their child’s educational experience will have similar results.

These math nights don’t cost the school much. I’m sure the teachers are volunteering their time, which is valuable, I admit, but budget-wise, I’m sure the events are negligible. Maybe some coffee and cookies? But the long-term benefits for the school are huge.

I mentioned this idea of math night to one of my own child’s teachers, and she said that she had worked in another district that did the same thing. So, I’m guessing that these math nights go on all over the country, I just hadn’t come across the idea myself until now.

But this is what I would like to hear from you, the readers of this blog. Are you involved at a school that has done something that has provided a great value but has had very little or no cost at all? What can we learn from your experience?

Please send me a comment below so we can talk about this question.

There’s that old expression, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” When it comes to school fundraising, this mindset could be a great one to adopt in the coming year.

How can we accomplish our goals without having to work so hard at fundraising?

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