If you’ve been considering getting involved with the school’s fundraising program—now’s the time
Summer is finally here. A chance to take a breather and enjoy some time hanging out with the kids—be it in town or somewhere new. Still, fall will be here before you know it, and if you’ve been considering getting involved with the school’s fundraising program—now’s the time. Start looking toward September now to ensure the school gets what it needs all the way through next June.
It’s worth noting that fundraising takes a lot of time. There’s a reason that the image of the PTA mom or dad is a stay-at-home parent, but just because you’ve got a busy schedule doesn’t mean you have to have to stay on the sidelines when it comes to helping out.
We’ve compiled a list of four useful fundraising ideas that take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to generating some cash. For more, check out these 10 quick & easy school fundraising ideas.
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Recycling Drives
What we mean when we talk about recycling fundraisers is collecting all the stuff you don’t use anymore. We’re talking old iPhones, dinosaur laptops, and all the batteries and empty cartridges you don’t need anymore.
There are many organizations you can partner with here that will buy back old technology. HP, for example, will buy back old computers and printers, while Staples and Office Depot offer buy-back programs for cartridges—even if they weren’t purchased there initially. Additionally, you should check in with local recycling centers to see if there is an opportunity to set up a partnership.
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Sell Gift Cards
Schools can purchase gift cards—or scrip—at a discount from local retailers. So, this might include places like Amazon, Macy’s, or a handful of supermarkets in your area. The idea is, the store gets free advertising and guaranteed customers. The school sells the cards for full price, and the school keeps the difference.
According to PTO, schools can raise about $3,000 to $10,000 in a year with minimal effort on their part. The main thing to keep in mind, however, is, you’ll need to choose your scrip partner carefully. Make sure you look for the highest percentage and select retailers that people tend to like—be it a supermarket convenient for the community or perennial faves like Amazon.
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Add your School to Amazon Smile
Amazon donates 0.5 percent of all eligible items you buy to your charity of choice. Likely, many of the parents already shop on Amazon regularly. It just probably hasn’t occurred to anyone to register an Amazon Smile account on behalf of the school. Add your school to the system and spread the word—adding to email, newsletters, and community social media groups. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
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School Fund Center
School Fund Center doesn’t have the flashiest website, but the site offers just about the most passive approach to fundraising—affiliate marketing style. How it works is, you’ll register with the platform, and they’ll give you a line of code to add to your school’s website or the school district site.
Choose your sponsors (options include Macy’s Petco, Verizon, and Zappo’s, among others), and when website visitors click on the sponsored deals and participate in offers, the school earns a percentage of the sale.
Don’t Be Limited by Time
The point is, you don’t need to coordinate the back-to-school carnival or bake a million cakes and cookies to raise money for the school. Most of the ideas we listed above will require some social media savvy—you’ll need to promote them to the other parents and their external networks. But, all are fairly easy to get started. Just set it all up and watch the money roll in.
