School Fund-Raising Activites That Work

By Gary Carnow

School budgets are lean across the country, and teachers and parents have responded with a renewed interest in fund-raising. Fund-raising is no longer just selling chocolate bars or collecting newspapers. Schools are turning social events and fun fairs into big money-makers.

There appears to be a trend for public schools to do what colleges and universities have done for many years — tap into the pockets of school alumni. Unfortunately, the average public school in America has absolutely no relationship with its alumni. If your school does have a dynamite database of alumni contacts, you already have a head start on the fund-raising effort. That's why technology-using educators are often great fund-raisers.

There are no guidelines that will tell you how much you might make in a year, but with a well thought-out plan and aggressive volunteers, you can have the new playground equipment that costs over $30,000; or a brand-new, state-of-the-art multimedia center valued at over $60,000 in no time!

Seven Steps to Get You Started

Develop a fund-raising objective. What will you do with the money? How much do you wish to raise in a year?
What kind of fund-raiser do you want to try?
Determine how you will go about your task. Will you fund-raise once a year, in the fall and in the spring, or all year long? Will your fund-raiser become an annual event? Will you look to an outside agency to run your fund-raiser?
Determine whether or not your parent community will support a fund-raiser. Is the community receptive to fund-raising or have they been hit up once too often? Does your parent community object to fund-raising? Do they object to paying a premium for goods they don't want? You may not be able to sell anything in this kind of community. Instead, try another kind of event. Some schools have simply eliminated all fund-raisers on a trial basis and have solicited direct donations instead.
Recruit volunteers. Forget sign-up sheets — they just don't work. Instead, contact parents directly. Make all volunteers feel welcome and appreciated. Make sure all have specific responsibilities and introduce them to other parents. Don't overbook your volunteers. People volunteer their time when they feel they are really needed. Remember to thank all volunteers with either a thank-you note or a token gift such as a long-stem flower or a volunteer tea.
Make sure your fund-raising activity is legal. Consult an attorney (perhaps a parent volunteer). Be sure you understand your individual state laws before you have a raffle or a casino night. Check insurance before hosting a sporting event. Make sure your school board allows fund-raising activities. Check your local board policies.
Determine how profitable your fund-raising activity is likely to be in relation to the amount of effort required to reach your goal. Walkathons and jogathons are by far the easiest to do and typically raise a large sum of money in a short period of time. Readathons, spellathons, and most other "athons" are also considered relatively easy to carry off, have academic connections, and are usually quite profitable. It is realistic to raise over $8,000 with such an event. Auctions and clothesline sales also yield similar results, however, they are more difficult to carry out.

Gary A. Carnow, Ed.D., is the Director of Technology and Information Services for the Alhambra School District in the Los Angeles area. He specializes in instructional and administrative planning and uses of technology. Dr. Carnow is the recipient of the Marshall McCluhan Award in Global Communications for his work in training teachers to use technology in their classrooms, and has obtained over 20 million dollars in grant funding.