our school does it schoolkidz. when PTO did it, we charged $1 extra and we normally only get 200 participant.
I was thinking this year at Silent Auction, you could get back packs (ours was donated by salvation army, we got 65 for our school, check out their website for this free service)...anyway...you could fill out a back pack for each grade level and have all the items they need and auction or raffle it off?
also....why not set up your own "school store"? go out and purchase items in bulk and then set up an assembly line for parent to shop during "school orientation"?
you can have a table of items with a sign like: Did you forget your school supplies?
also.... "all sales profits goes to PTO or... back to your kids!"
We are trying our second time with EZSchool supplies. This is a fundraiser for our group and I do think the prices are higher than what we could put together. Anyway, they go through Coporate Express and my husband has been very happy with that company for their office suppiles so I am confident inthe supplies at least.
Last year was a nightmare. Our packages came three weeks after school started, there was little to no communication from the company to myself but he was call back the parents that would call his cell; the day everything arrived I was expected to sort out 200 boxes alone (the rep had a meeting at another school).....it just wasn't a good experance. And that is the short list!!
You teachers DO need a list but if they are not willing to help, look up a school's list on the web. I was surprised to find quotes being mailed to me and the reps would say they checked out the school's site and used our supply list from there to put together a quote.
We did schoolkidz a few years ago. Our teachers and principal gives us the supply list in May of what is needed the next year per grade and we send home order forms for the parents for the supply kits. The parents then pick the kits up on open house night or the kids receive them the first day of school We always rounded up the nearest dollar amount--we would use any money we earned from the small raise to the next dollar to purchase a few extra kits per grade to be put in the office so when new students come in to the school the parents are offered the chance to purchase the kits. I love using them--I have 4 kids and it was so easy and saved so much time. We didn't do the schoolkids last year because a few teachers did not get us the lists in time.
Oh yes--the teachers have already pulled together their lists for next year and the principal approves them so they don't have anything on there that is not in direct support of education requirements (like one group liked to used file folders and put them on there and the principal nixed it as excessive).
We've been using schooltoolbox for a few years now. We've never had a problem with them. We do this as a service(we round up or down to the nearest dollar). The parents seem to like it and I know the teachers love it. It sure does make life easier for me. I'm one of those parents that prefer to just right a check then go out shopping!
