Let The PTA or PTO Members Know All About The Fundraiser
Date: Wednesday July 16, 2008Posted in: Education, Family
Your PTA or PTO members usually do not “get it” the first time… or two… or three. The reason you are doing the fundraiser is important and should be “shouted from the rooftops” over and over again. You might find it hard to believe how long and loud you have to “get the word out” in order to get even a respectable number of PTA or PTO parents “in the know” on a particular point or event. Following are some guidelines to help you make sure that everyone knows what’s up.
Have Specific Goals For Your Fundraiser. It is always better to be raising money for specific items or events than to be raising money “because the PTA or PTO needs it.” You will find that if you communicate to the parents and teachers precisely what you are going to do with the money raised, they will be much more willing to participate.
Methods: Take Home Backpack Flyers, There are several things that should always be done in preparation for your fundraiser. One action is to send a letter (take home packet) to parents shortly after school starts telling them about the PTA / PTO fundraising plan. Mention in the letter how you’re going to accomplish your money making goals. Mention to them what program or procuts you will be selling. ie catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, candy sale, smencils etc. Most will feel a sense of ownership in the PTA or PTO plans.
Secondly, do a school and fundraiser specific parent letter. Use a school mascot on your parent letter. Remind parents what you’re raising the money for again. They’re busy and might not remember your first note or may not have seen it the first time.
Methods: E-Mail If your school has a school wide email system or a call out system, use it to announce your sale. This is a great way to let parents know to check their children’s backpacks for their selling kits. I can’t tell you the number of times people have said that they didn’t even know a fundraiser was going on. That is missed opportunity every time it happens.
Methods: Marquee Announce your fundraiser on the school’s marquee. Many parents drive to school twice a day and are likely to see it if it is left up for several days before the sale begins.
Methods: Reminders via students In most schools students go home once or twice a week with a “Take Home Pack.” This is an excellent opportunity to have the teachers in the school include a note about your fundraiser. Remember that you don’t have to include lots of details in this note. These are simply reminders to the parents.
Methods: Signs If placed in strategic positions around the bus lanes and auto que lines, most of the parents will see them everyday. The main thing is that you don’t want to simply start a sale and forget about it until “money collection” day.
Place signs in the school with pictures of the prizes to keep the students motivated. Place them in key places where the students will see them daily in common areas. People are very visual and notice things that are different or new in their environment.
Methods: Do a live kick off A live presentation, especially one that is out of the ordinary, will leave an impression on the students. When the children return home, if the presentation has been memorable enough, the students will promote the sale better than a flier or letter ever could.
Methods: School Wide System During the daily announcements remind the students about the fundraiser. Take some time to do some bragging on some of your top selling students. This is a great opportunity to keep students motivated.
Work closely with your fundraising representative. Planning is key to communicating your fundraiser to your parents, faculty, and students. If you know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, it is much easier to facilitate and run a profitable fundraiser and that is what it is all about. Your goal is to raise the most money possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning. After all, if you raise all the funds you need in the first one, you won’t have to do a second fundraiser! You can achieve that by working smarter, not harder.
About the Author:
There is no need to change your cookie dough brand this year. Before giving up on finding Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, notice that AIM Fundraising is now a nationwide distributor for Otis Spunkmeyer brand products.
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
