We do a Fall Festival like C Brooks. It is our only fundraiser. We do ask the kids to sell spaghetti tickets, but that is all. In essence, we let parents (and others) make donations in exchange for the carnival tickets. I would say at least 1/2 the school brings at least $20. Of that I would say our cost is $4.
The night of the carnival, we don't worry about which games make the most money. The only thing we worry about is having enough games and activities for everyone to get their monies worth.
This is the 9th year and every year it gets bigger. We hope to net $25K this year. Our parents are very much behind it because they know we don't hit them up the rest of the year.
Would it be possible to get some ideas on the letter sent out in the welcome packet...I am new to this...thanks
Would it
Originally posted by njmom: We started an "opt-out" program at our school two years ago. We do a flier that goes out in our welcome packet. The parents have the option to opt-out of the regular fundraisers (gift wrap, cookie dough) and give a donation which they can deduct on their taxes. Last year we had about 20% participation but augmented it with the regular fundraisers which many parents still wanted and participated in.
Tim, I'd like to thank you for allowing me some "Soap Box" time on your forum.
As far as our program competing with catalogs, cookie dough and candy goes, I'm well aware, it's an uphill battle and I wasn't afraid of the challenge, however, the real issue I took was with that of people embracing a "straight donation based" program and not being open to ours. Basically, with our program, students learn words then receive donations based on their knowledge of the words. Virtually a "straight donation based" program, although the kids are actually learning something as well as producing high profits!
Please know that due to arrangements we are making with corporations, we're not currently selling directly to schools, however, you may be one of the fortunate schools that will be receiving our program for free in the upcoming year.
I have to say that when our group started three years ago and I took over as leader I was so against fundraising. The thought of doing a catalog sale the first month of school was NEVER going to happen. Well last year we gave in and tried it and ended up making over 8000.00 (our best fundraiser before that raised 5000.00). maybe we gave against our beliefs BUT we also do alot of family nights that need that money. We are a business, as far as opting out it would never work at our school. Alot of our families can't afford to buy but they sell to others who can. We have a very large percentage that take them to work places and the profit is way more than we can make other wise. When looking at a fundraiser we look at profit, product, work load and whether people will buy it even if it is a gift. It comes to money....money buys events !
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
There's nothing incongruous at all in saying "I'd love to do away with catalog fundraisers" and then not jumping at your fundraiser (though I don't know what that was).
There's an unstated second part of that common ("I'd love to do away with catalog fundraisers")sentence. It's: I'd love to do away with catalog fundraisers provided I can be sure our group will still have the funds it needs to do our important work.
The fact is that fundraisers have one purpose -- to raise funds. The more the better.
Yes, if there were two fundraisers -- one with an educational product or safety product or the like and one with a let's-call-it more value-neutral product (like a Snoopy clock or a candle or cookie dough) -- and everything else (expected profit, work required, support from company, more...) was exactly equal, then I'd pick the so-called better product.
It's rare (I can't think of an example) for the new product to measure up on all those scales (profit, service, work). So it's not apples-apples at all.
And I don't blame PTO leaders at all when they decide not to take chances with the fundraiser that may provide 60% or 80% of their operating budgets. The good work those dollars fund is just too vital.
That makes it very hard for new products to gain a foothold, but that's not unique to the PTO world. Ther ehave been new products/programs that have done well (cookie dough, inkjet recycling) in the past couple of years.
Our school does not use any fundraising company. As a child I was forced to sell. That is the way I looked at because I was in elementary school. Of course the ultimate burden fell on my parents who were factory workers and I swore my kids would never sell anything especially after I saw how much money you could make by community type functions. We do a holiday shop with a company but we make so much from our Fall Festival we look at more of a fun thing for the kids. We are a small rural school and I realize that many schools do need to use fundraising companies to keep up with everyone's need, everyone's needs are different. If presented with a "learning fundraiser" that is no fuss we might consider it, as long as it doesn't involve our kids selling anything.
