Elementary School Fundraising Ideas

Elementary schools all across the nation are being affected by budget cuts.  School programs are being cut, there are less teachers and less money to purchase much needed supplies and technology for learning.

Having said that, there have also been a number of changes in the fundraising industry.  The economy has taken a toll on several industries and some school fundraising companies have not been able to adapt. 

Today, parent groups such as PTA, PTO, PTSA and PTSO groups want to do their own thing.  They want exciting, new and unique school fundraisers.  The thing about new and unique is that sometimes it doesn't perform.

So, if you are a parent group such as a PTA, PTO, PTSA or PTSO and you have not chosen your fundraiser, keep the following in mind:

The numbers won't lie.

Any fundraising company you consider needs to be able to offer you a sales history so you know what to expect.  You take what you know about your past sales and determine if a fundraiser will perform for you or not.  If something seems out of place when you speak to a fundraising company you will know they just want to earn your business and not keep it.

Elementary school fundraising companies should want to offer you their REAL sales figures.  This protects the school from estimating their income too high and being disappointed and it but the fundraising company will look great when it sells in excess of what it estimated.

In the end, when you choose an elementary school fundraiser, get the numbers and compare them against what you know about your past sales.  If you are going through the trouble of fundraising, make it count! 

If you want new and unique elementary school fundraising ideas and you don't get the estimated sales figures, don't be surprised at the results!

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Thanks so much for looking.  I encourage comments (both good and bad) below :)
You can always take a look at the Believe Kids Elementary School Fundraising Ideas.  Thanks!

Announcing TheFundraisingPLN.com - Personal Learning Network for School Fundraising

Please take a look at The Fundraising PLN when you get a chance -  www.thefundraisingpln.com

It's about time elementary school fundraising got some good advice and inspiration.  Please share with your parent group (PTA, PTO, PTSA, PTSO) as well as principals, educators and parents.

Through education, we will change funding in schools!  So, we offer fundraising ideas and advice for your enjoyment. 

Check it out!! www.thefundraisingpln.com

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The Personal Learning Network for School Fundraising is brought to you by Believe Kids Fundraising.  Hope you like it :)

Easy School Fundraisers that Do Not Involve Selling...

There are several different types of folks out there that are involved with the fundraising at their schools, but a few commonalities exist among school principals, administrators and parent groups.

Everyone is searching for the easy money.

Hey, who can blame them? There's no way one can blame a school for wanting to get money the easiest way possible? After all, schools are in the education business, not venture capital. I believe school reform requires budgetary reform and I do not believe schools waste resources as some folks I read about suggest.

I am a fan of schools just cashing checks.

The problem is that nobody has the check to write today. So, schools everywhere are left to wonder what the best way is to raise money for their school.

Anyone researching fundraisers is on the lookout for easy school fundraisers that do not involve selling or just a fundraiser that is easy. They want new and fresh fundraising ideas - they want originality and excitement. They want the approval of parents.

And they want to raise thousands of dollars in just a few weeks.

Now, I suggest a balanced approach where there is one main traditional fundraiser per semester. I believe in putting every possible marketing effort and placing the utmost importance on just this one fundraiser. This will most effectively cover the many thousands of dollars in a few weeks rule above.

Obviously, I have my professional opinions here which could be viewed as a conflict of interest. It's just that I believe a proven traditional product such as a catalog sale, a frozen cookie dough fundraiser or a large school-wide event is the way to go for this main fundraiser.

I accept schools and parent groups desire for something fresh and new and there is plenty of room for other efforts. Which takes me back to balance. If you do a large fundraiser let's say and it's two weeks in duration. There is certainly other opportunities to fundraise throughout the year. I believe it's best to take your chances on new, unique, environmentally or safety driven efforts after the main fundraiser of the year is over. I do recommend fewer fundraisers wherever possible.

Minimize risk

Every PTA, PTO, PTSA and PTSO wants to do their own thing. But perhaps the best way to do that is to fundraise effectively - and do it less. If you take chances and change dramatically on your main fundraising efforts, will the school fail to raise the same amount of money?

This isn't really for me to dictate because schools have a wide range of fundraising efforts. So, here I pose the all important question to you...

What fundraising efforts that do not involve selling are not only easy but raising significant funds? I'm very curious if there are any fundraisers out there that fit the bill.

If you would, please comment below or hit me up on twitter - twitter.com/believekids

I would be very interested in your feedback.

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More elementary school fundraising resources at the School Fundraising PLN

PTA Advice - 4 Steps to Speaking Kindly of Others

It's clearly not a topic or advice only for a PTA group but here's the real deal:

As part of a PTA, PTO, PTSA or PTSO group, you have a responsibility to be kind and encouraging. Through this practice, you will also become more productive as a group and volunteers will feel part of a successful team.

You and your volunteers can be involved very happily and sometimes, it's just a matter of how people are treated.

“if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Of course, you know your group well and I don't. Regardless of the dynamics of your PTA, PTO, PTSA or PTSO group you may be able to change something in perhaps a small way to better include and encourage members.

Instructions for Speaking Kindly to Others:

1) Listen

Become conscious of your surroundings. When you talk to someone or overhear a conversation, are you able to recognize words that are untrue or hurtful? Do you hear someone being put down in order to raise another? Active listening will allow you to actually begin to hear some of the words that bring others down.

2) Take Note

Take note of your conversations. In your discussions daily, do you make a lot of negative comments or complaints that you can become aware of? If there were a news crew filming your conversation, how would you reword your conversation? Take a note of any consistencies you notice.

3) Be aware / Make change

Change your behavior. Replace negative words with positive ones. Replace 'I' with 'We' when it comes to discussions of the PTA. Replace 'No' with 'Yes'. Take sentences with direct blame i.e. 'She did this and now this happened' out of your vocabulary. Speaking kindly requires the use of positive words and being conscious of positive word choice is probably the most difficult part.

4) Practice.

We all know that practice makes perfect. When replacing long-standing bad habits with good ones, give it time. You will eventually replace negative phrases with others and it will become natural.

Remember that if you ever feel stuck you can say nothing. A simple 'I'm not sure right now how I feel about that' and move on - just don't allow your body language to do the speaking for you in that moment :)

You can make a positive impact on your PTA, PTO, PTSA or PTSO group by being encouraging and speaking kindly of others! It's O.K., give it a try!

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising. Believe Kids provides school fundraisers to elementary and middle schools and groups nationwide. Please comment here and also at twitter and thanks for looking!

School Fundraising is a Team Sport!

It's nice to have individual missions, but when it comes to school fundraising, teamwork is your best option.

Why teams are better

Teams have the ability to get more done and influence more people. They can create efficiencies and distribute workloads amongst people with varying talents. There really are a lot of ways a team functions better than an individual.

When it comes to fundraising, you want to create a team that can better promote your fundraiser and then more effectively see it through to completion.

Fundraising Teams

Your fundraising team should involve anyone and everyone on the PTA/PTO but in order for your team to be truly successful, you should consider some other folks as part of your team as well.

Who can be a part of your fundraising team:

• PTA, PTO, PTSA, PTSO Members
• School Principal
• School Receptionist
• Teachers

The reasons to extend your fundraiser beyond yourself are extensive and yet, few parent groups truly consider the principal, receptionist or teachers a part of that group.

Consider for a moment that the principal can get the word out on the fundraiser more than anyone else in the school. The receptionist will handle your incoming calls about the fundraiser and teachers can either support or go against your fundraising efforts.

When planning your next school fundraiser, consider expanding your fundraising group!

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Jay Moneta is the Vice President of Believe Kids Fundraising. The company offers school fundraisers nationwide to elementary and middle schools and other large groups. If you enjoy the content here, please leave a message here or on twitter/believekids