Five Tips for Fundraising at School

By NYMetroParents Staff November 15, 2012

Read below for tips and advice on fundraising in schools. Local fundraising efforts can benefit your child's education, and raising money for schools can be rewarding for your community. School fundraisers are a great way to get the school supplies, quality teachers, and safe school environment that children thrive in. Stacey Boyd of Savvy Source weighs in on school fundraising advice.

apple on top of school textbooks

1. Needs vs. Wants - Focus on doing fundraisers for items and/or places that have items parents really need and want, rather than items that don't hold much value to them. Most parents don't want to buy cookie dough or wrapping paper but that's what schools often offer as fundraisers. Try creating a shopping night for your school or neighborhood. You can sign up local businesses for a given night and they donate back a certain percent of their proceeds to your school.

2. Go Local - Partner with local businesses that have a vested interest in the parent community. Local establishments are always willing to forge authentic connections to attract and retain parents' business. Consider a weekly pizza night at a local restaurant where a percentage of the billings go to your school.

3. Social - Make everything you do social and fun! There's real-world social and social media social; both are great. Parents love getting together for fun activities! For those that love an in-person event, consider a margarita night at favorite Taqueria where cover charges go to your school -- OR the classic staple event, the School Auction. All of these real-world social events can lead to social media conversation to spread the word about what you're doing.

4. Frequency - Don't go to the well too often. This is true of your parent community as well as the businesses you work with. You need a few well planned school fundraisers each season, but don't do one every week. Parents and local businesses don't want to feel that they are opening their wallets at every turn!

5. Technology - Use technology. There are some really wonderful ways to use social media and technology in way that moves us all way beyond the old bake sale! Try Schoola, a website that helps you build an effective local fundraising campaign for your school, while positively impacting businesses in your community. Sites like Fundly and IndieGoGo are also great fundraising donation sites that have social tools built into their system.