I'm new to my PTO this year and we have one major fundraiser planned. I am the co-chair and I have found that there are ways to add fundraising to events such as, adding a bake sale (donated items), raffle prizes (donated items), and pumpkin patch to the Octoberfest; we have a holiday craft day and this year will be adding vendors to sell crafts. The table rental will be 100% profit plus a bake sale, raffle baskets, and anything else small I can come up with by then. Usually this is done just for hte school, but I am planning to promote it to the community to draw more people in and hopefully make more money.

Basically if you have events planned, there may be ways to add things in to help raise money. It may be small, but it can add up.

And defintely look into Upromise/grocery stores, Campbells Labels and Box Tops since the parents are using their cards and buying the products already!

Hi,
What are your Valentine goody bags? How did you run that event? Thanks sounds like a great idea!

Here are our fundraisers for the year and about what we made with each one. We have a small school of just over 300 kids with over 50% receiving free and reduced lunches, so we try to do fundraisers that everyone can participate in and that has been supported over the years

Home Interior Candle sales $5000
Coke/Candy/Nacho Sales - 4 times $400 to $500 each sale
Fall Festival- about $3,000
Santa Shop - about $650, but expect at least $1000 this year (long story)
Valentine Goody Bags about $300

We also have a couple of dances

While this may not seem like a lot to some, this was considered a successful year for our PTO.

Good Luck. Hang in there.

First of all don't give up....If you dont' like the way things are going hang in there and make changes. We are a small private school with 150 students grades prek3 -5th grade. Our PTO has been active for 6 years. Last year we sent home a break out of fundraiser held the previous year, how much was netted and what the school was able to purchase with the funds..This past year we raised close to $55K.

We sent home a fundraising guide listing every possible fundraiser that would be held last year. We explained that even though we needed the fundraisers to held offset the budget that fundraisers were optional. Some of our fundraisers cost money, other were sending in labels or grocery receipts. Every little bit helps. Here is a break down of our fundraisers from last year

Theme Raffle Baskets - Sold tickets for $1.00 during open house - raised $914.00
Ice Cream Social at cold Stone Creamery - raised $241.00 for one event
Originial Art Work - we sent this home and parents who wanted to purchase cups, magets etc with their child's art work has them draw something and send it.
Entertainment Books/Sally Foster Gift Wrapping - $1300.00
Elementary Lunches
Book Fairs -2 Scholastics and 1 Usborne
Hi Ho Jewerly Store gave a % of sales for all items bought in their store during certain dates
All Things Educational - a % of sales were used for our teachers to earn credit to purchase items they needed
Read-a-thon -100% profit. For every child who collected $30.00 received a nice gift (one year lunchbox with school logo, last year a nylon bag with school logo)
Silent Auction- $28,000
Golf Tournament- $11,000
School Cookbook - we do new supplements every other year for new parents. they are in 3 ring binders so you can add the supplements
School Pictures - we receive a % of sales of school pictures
School Store


Below items don't cost anything out of pocket (so to speak)
Campbell Soup Labels
Box Tops
Grocery Store Receipts from Farm Fresh/Krogers/Harris Teeter/Food Lion - turn in receipts from Sept - June and receive a % of all sales and you order items from their catalog
McDonald Garden Center - a local nursery where we turn in receipts and receive a % and can purchase flowers, mulch, items for science class
Tyson Label Collection
Nestle Bottle Water Labels
Recycle injet, laser, fax and copier cartridges and cell phones
Regrister Target Credit Cards
Upromise

We heard both postiive and negative feedback. We actually heard more positive feedback as parents felt like they could actual chose which event to participate in and those who could afford it could still help by regristering their credit card, grocery cards and sending in box tops and soup labels. We even had someone want an opt out options this year so they can write the entire amount off as a donation.

For the 2004/2005 funds we used to buy all new computers for the technology class, field trips, accelerated readers, teacher appreciation lunch, button maker, student directory, fireproof cabinet, screen covering, music supplies for all classes, globes, speakers for computers, cot for nurses office, added 4th grade all purchased social studies material and books for LA, back to school picnic to name a few of the items.

I hope this helps please feel to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want more information on any of these fundraisers.

I agree that you need to stick with it and try to make things better.

How well is your group communicating with parents about where the fundraising money is going? That clear communication can go a long way in getting cooperation from your families in helping with the fundraisers and helping them understand why your group is doing so many fundraisers this year.

Perhaps for next year, your group can look at doing more things like family nights at restaurants and events at the school that raise money but don't seem so overwhelming. You also might want to take a look at your budget and really consider what things are necessary and maybe do a little cutting.(That can be a hard thing to do, but could be a better option than having parents walk away from the group and it's efforts because they are tired of the constant request for money.)

I can sympathize with you, a few years ago at the elementary school my kids attended the PTO did 3 fundraisers really close together and I heard lots of parents complaining about feeling like the group just constantly had it's hand out.

Quitting is not the answer - staying on board so you can try to make a change could be worth the effort. At least you would know that you tried.
As President the 2 previous years, I felt very uncomfortable having a lot of fundraisiers. I didn't want parents thinking we were always there with a hand out. However, we needed funds for our general budget and we wanted to finish our playground as well.
first, your PTA needs to plan out their year and space out their fundraisers. Although its the early part of the school year, there are holiday's that approach very quickly and parents (especially those with lower income) need to budget finances to afford gifts for those holidays. If you are a board member, simply ask that the board sit down with a calendar; a yearly view. Mark down all events fundraisers and sales. You will be able to clearly see if you are overdoing it in any one month.
Playground fundraising can be done late winter/early spring when the kids are thinking about getting back outside to play. What's a playground if you don't have the general funds for the year. Your board needs to set their priorities and think of the overall population of your school families & their financial status. Although members of your board may not have a problem having 3 fundraisers going on simultaneously, some may and it will have a negative impact on one or more of your causes.