Yes, this is the face of fundraising at my school. There is much debate about what to sell and how to sell it. Three years ago, we started a Read-a-thon fundraiser to kind of change things up. We were tired of giving 40 or 50% to companies to help us raise money. We did away with wrapping paper and cookie dough and organized a Read-a-thon from scratch. That year we raised $18,000. The next year, we split the endeavor with PTO. They partially took over and our profit was $14,000. This year we completely handed the whole thing over to PTO. Our profit was $11,000. What did we do wrong, you ask? We realized that the teachers had much more influence in the classroom than parents did. As teachers stepped away from the fundraiser more and more each year, the students didn't get the same competitive edge as they did when teachers were "pumping them up" daily in the classroom. We realized that the teachers were the driving factor in the success of this fundraiser. However, it doesn't stop there. Now, the PTO feels like the Read-a-thon has been exhausted and that people want something for their money, not just the idea that a child did some reading. They want to sell wrapping paper, and candy, and plants, and trinkets. There is an ongoing disagreement between the PTO and the school over what people want to buy. Everyone who has talked to PTO wants the novelty items. Everyone who talks to the school wants a reading or a fitness fundraiser. What works well at your school? What event or fundraiser do parents, teachers, and students really seem to come together for the good of the school? Is there any new, exciting, or innovative way that your school raises money? I would love to hear some different ideas and maybe have something that I can bring back to settle this disagreement!
GSU Blogger - Dr. Sauers
Monday, February 15, 2016
"Family Feud"
Yes, this is the face of fundraising at my school. There is much debate about what to sell and how to sell it. Three years ago, we started a Read-a-thon fundraiser to kind of change things up. We were tired of giving 40 or 50% to companies to help us raise money. We did away with wrapping paper and cookie dough and organized a Read-a-thon from scratch. That year we raised $18,000. The next year, we split the endeavor with PTO. They partially took over and our profit was $14,000. This year we completely handed the whole thing over to PTO. Our profit was $11,000. What did we do wrong, you ask? We realized that the teachers had much more influence in the classroom than parents did. As teachers stepped away from the fundraiser more and more each year, the students didn't get the same competitive edge as they did when teachers were "pumping them up" daily in the classroom. We realized that the teachers were the driving factor in the success of this fundraiser. However, it doesn't stop there. Now, the PTO feels like the Read-a-thon has been exhausted and that people want something for their money, not just the idea that a child did some reading. They want to sell wrapping paper, and candy, and plants, and trinkets. There is an ongoing disagreement between the PTO and the school over what people want to buy. Everyone who has talked to PTO wants the novelty items. Everyone who talks to the school wants a reading or a fitness fundraiser. What works well at your school? What event or fundraiser do parents, teachers, and students really seem to come together for the good of the school? Is there any new, exciting, or innovative way that your school raises money? I would love to hear some different ideas and maybe have something that I can bring back to settle this disagreement!
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Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked for a charter school in Tampa, we were always strapped for cash. We only received the State money for our kids and nothing from the local school district. We didn't have a library and the facility was run down. To counteract this, we were always fundraising. It was almost as if they parents were paying for private school with all the fundraising!
I will say this, the most effective and biggest profit came from the annual auction. Tickets were sold to attend a sit down dinner and items were donated for a silent auction. There were all kinds of items in the auction from tickets to sports events to technology to paintings by local artists. The year I was there, the theme was denim and diamonds. Everyone attended the event dressed in denim and bling. At the time, a CEO of Busch Gardens had a student in the school and we were able to hold it there. It was cool.
I had an extremely aggressive and helpful PTO :) The way you handle this situation is very important and has many political implications. Whatever decision you make, I would strongly encourage you to do the leg work to get the support of the PTO. You may never get full support, but you should hopefully be able to get the majority.
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