Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
Start with a survey to make sure that parents will support it. This is especially important if you're planning this as your only major fundraiser or you're promising not to do any other fundraisers. Come up with a suggested amount that you would like everybody to contribute, the create a couple more suggested amounts for people who want to be generous. If you're asking businesses to contribute, think about what they will get in return for their contribution. Businesses tend to like to sponsor specific things so they can see their dollars at work and brag about how they helped. Listing the names of businesses who contribute in your newsletter, sending a press release to the local media, creating a "supporters wall" (a bulletin board in the school where you thank them), having kids send thank-you cards -- all of those things help to motivate businesses to support you the first time and the next time you ask. One note about donation drives: Groups tell us these drives tend to have diminishing returns over the years. I'm guessing that eventually the novelty wears off and people lump it in with all the other requests for money we all get during the year.

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