Support from the Top (of the school!) - Fall 2010
Fundraising Fast Facts - Spring 2009
Real People Making a Real Difference in North Brookfield, MA - Spring 2008
Real People Making a Real Difference in Conifer, Colorado - Spring 2007
Fast Facts - Fall 2006
Real People Making a Real Difference in Pensacola, FL – Spring 2006
Fundraising Makes it Happen – Fall 2005
Fundraising Makes it Happen – Spring 2005
Fundraising Makes it Happen – Fall 2004
Fundraising Makes It Happen: Swings, Wild Things and Computer Labs – Spring 2004
Ask A Pro: About the "Pride Factor" in Fundraising – Spring 2004
Real People Making a Real Difference: In Rockaway, NJ – Fall 2003
Fundraising Efforts Strike a Patriotic Chord – Spring 2002
Support from the Top (of the school!) |
Fall 2010 |
A deal’s a deal. So when students at an elementary school in Jacksonville, FL met their fundraising goal by selling more than $20,000 worth of cookie dough last spring, Principal Lacy Healy and Assistant Principal Jennifer Collins knew what they had to do. The administrators had made a deal with their students that if the fundraiser goal was met, both would spend a full 24 hours on the school’s roof.
“We had to think of something really big, so being on the roof was the biggest thing we could think of,” Ms. Healy said. Fortunately the good-natured administrators had sunscreen, water and a tent to help them cope with the Florida heat. “We like to have a lot of fun with our kids because we can be kids ourselves,” Ms. Healy said.
The principal’s support is critical when it comes to school fundraising. Today, many principals would rather delegate fundraising responsibility to someone else – often the school’s parent/teacher organization. However, experts say this hands-off approach can hamper a fundraiser’s success. Whether it’s helping to develop appropriate goals, signing letters and emails encouraging parents to support, or agreeing to spend a day on the roof as an incentive to students, the principal’s support can make or break a fundraiser.
Here are a few other crazy stunts from principals reported over the years:
- Elementary school students in Clifton, CO, enjoyed watching their principal kiss a pig – a promise made to the students if they reached their fundraising goal. The smooch even made it onto the evening news when a camera crew from a local TV station stopped by to record the action.
- After a successful fundraising drive at one Southern California middle school, the principal and top-selling student traded places for one day.
- In a central Florida elementary school, the principal donned an outfit made of wrapping paper held together with gift bows, coincidentally the same products featured in an upcoming fundraiser.
Fundraising Fast Facts |
Spring 2009 |
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Schools and youth groups earn nearly $2 billion each year by selling popular consumer items
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77% of all Americans support school fundraising by purchasing at least one item
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89% of parents with children in school support fundraising by purchasing at least one product
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94% of principals say their schools rely on fundraising
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64% of principals would stop fundraising if they could afford to
- 87% of principals see a valuable return on their fundraising investment
Sources:
Association of Fund-Raising Distributors & Suppliers
National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Real People Making a Real Difference in North Brookfield, MA |
Spring 2008 |
When budget cuts forced a Massachusetts elementary school to trim back its music program, younger students were left singing the blues. The school had no choice but to eliminate music education for students in grades K-2. That’s when the North Brookfield PTA stepped up. Last fall, the PTA raised more than $10,000 selling candles, and it wasn’t long before the younger students were singing again.
“Our school was severely underfunded,” said Lara Sidebottom, former North Brookfield PTA President. “That was the reality, but we didn’t think the students should be penalized.” The PTA used some of the fundraiser proceeds to launch an after school music program for the K-2 students. Parents and teachers volunteered to run the program. And, according to Ms. Sidebottom, it’s been a big hit with the students.
After re-establishing a music program for its school, the North Brookfield PTA went back to work. They allocated money to buy hand sanders for the high school shop class, purchased dozens of classroom supplies and funded a field trip to a local dairy farm where students got an opportunity to name their own calf.
“The kids loved the field trip and it was nice for them to see what else goes on in their community,” Ms. Sidebottom said.Real People Making a Real Difference in Conifer, Colorado |
Spring 2007 |
By now, principal Paul Sandos has probably grown back most of his hair. But last October, the elementary school principal’s locks were reduced to a blue and white Mohawk in front of a full assembly in the gymnasium, and it wasn’t even Halloween. Mr. Sandos was just fulfilling his end of the bargain. He would become “Mr. Mohawk Man” now that his students met the school’s $10,000 fundraising goal.
“You wouldn’t believe how excited these kids were – a couple hundred each day said, ‘Mr. Mohawk Man, we can’t wait until you get your haircut,’” Sandos told a local reporter. “And I think the parents are just as excited as the kids.”
According to an article in The High Timber Times, the PTA took a new tact for last fall’s fundraiser, and it achieved greater results. In the past, parents were tasked with promoting a lot of smaller fundraisers throughout the year. This put a heavy burden on everyone involved, and created apathy in the community. But last fall, the PTA raised all of the money it needed for the entire year with one big fundraiser.
The fundraising goal was $10,000, and the students raced past that mark to finish at about $15,000. The money will be spent on materials for classrooms, to send teachers to the Colorado chapter of the International Reading Association, to buy student planners for homework and several other activities.
Mr. Sandos was a good sport, and his willingness to look a little goofy in front of his students provided the extra motivation needed to help the school exceed its fundraising goal. Mr. Sandos said he had no regrets, but admitted he was slightly concerned about sporting his new look at the Colorado Association of School Executives in early November.
| Fast Facts | Fall 2006 |
- The majority of Americans (77%) supported at least one product fundraiser during the past 12 months.
- Among total respondents, 76% “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that “product fundraising sales are an important financial resource for America’s schools and youth groups.”
- Among those who participated in a product fundraiser in the last year, 82% said they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the products.
- Most parents in the U.S. (71%) say their children participated in at least one product fundraising program by selling at least one item last year.
Among parents/guardians whose children participated in a product fundraiser, 88% said “supporting the school or youth group” was a very important or somewhat important factor in determining why they and/or their children] sold products to support a school or youth-group fundraiser.
Statistics from a survey involving telephone interviews with 1,000 adult Americans and including a statistically significant proportion of parents of school-age children. Survey conducted in June 2006 by the market research firm, Synovate, for the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers.
| Fundraising Makes it Happen | Spring 2006 |
Before Hurricane Katrina, there was Hurricane Ivan. Ivan roared ashore in the middle of the night on September 16, 2004 – leaving parts of the Florida panhandle in shambles. Pensacola was hit especially hard, with more than 10,000 homes destroyed and $6 billion in damage.
Schools were closed for weeks after the storm, roads were blocked with fallen trees, and phones were silent. But by the time Christmas arrived, the ingenuity of a local fundraising company had helped rebuild the community.
Tim Tidwell, who owns a fundraising company headquartered in Pensacola, says he spent the days following Hurricane Ivan brainstorming ways to help his community get back on its feet.
“All we had to offer was our primary product – coupon books,” Tidwell said. “We knew people wanted the books to save money. We knew the schools needed funds now more thanever, and we knew that restaurants needed to get the word out that they were still in business and re-opening. An idea began to form, and we went to work.”
Tidwell’s company made phone calls to the school
superintendents, the local ABC TV affiliate, and several
banks in his community. With the approval of school administrators, WEAR Channel 3 produced a community
public service announcement publicizing the damage at
dozens of schools. The PSA encouraged viewers to visit
one of 50 local bank branches and purchase Gulf Coast
Savings Books to help the schools rebuild.
Tidwell says the synergy between the schools, the TV station, and the banks paid off in a big way.
“We raised about $5,000 in school profits,” Tidwell said. “We ended up writing a check to nearly every school in our two-county area!”
Tidwell says principals at most of the schools used the money to buy basic items like books, desks and backpacks – but at least one principal spent the fundraising proceeds on underclothes and socks for children at the school.
But perhaps more importantly, Tidwell’s company became part of the solution – and illustrated how businesses and schools can work together even in times of crisis.
| Fundraising Makes it Happen | Fall 2005 |
For one music program, fundraising keeps hitting higher and higher notes. At the start of each new school year, the chorus at Grayson High School in Loganville, GA, sells pizza pies and pretzels, snacks that are especially popular with busy coaches and teenagers. Now in its fifth year, the sale originally helped the fledgling chorus build its new program by purchasing musical masterworks such as "The Messiah" for the library. Then the chorus got famous.
Last year, the group auditioned for and won an invitation to perform at the Georgia Music Educators Conference in Savannah, where the girls in their green dresses and the boys in their tuxedos wowed the audience. "It was one of those amazing performances that happen just once in every blue moon," says Renee Wilson-Wicker, director of choral activities. "Everything completely fell into place. There was lots of good karma and concentration. We received a standing ovation that went on for quite some time." The group performed seven different pieces of music for 30 minutes, ranging from the sixteenth century to modern day. The three-day trip cost about $300 per student, so the $5500 raised from the pizza and pretzel sale went mostly into individual accounts, with some of it diverted to a general fund to assist students who could not otherwise attend. In addition to their own shining moments on stage, the students heard peers from other schools perform and attended conference lectures. Then they toured Savannah, a historic city on the Georgia coast.
But even bigger things were in store. The conductor of a college chorus who heard the Grayson High group sing in Savannah approached Wilson-Wicker after their performance and invited them to be the lead choir the following year at Carnegie Hall in New York City. "Since our program is only in its sixth year, it's a pretty big deal for these kinds of things to come along," says Wilson-Wicker. "The kids realize they really can do great things and they are very musical and at the top of their game. These experiences have given them a lot of pride."
| Fundraising Makes it Happen | Spring 2005 |
Getting people focused on the goal is paramount to a fundraiser’s success. The goal is the positive result of what’s in it for the children — the physical end product and the emotional benefit it brings. Frey Elementary School in Acworth, Georgia, ties its fundraising goal to academics. Principal Joyce Piket and Assistant Principal Kathy Curran meet with both the leadership team, comprising teachers from each grade level and specialty area, and the PTSA to articulate the school’s needs. In Frey’s 2004 Blazing A Track of Success campaign, the team’s fall gift-wrap sale raised $12,000 to fund a running track and covered pavilion as part of the school’s academic and athletic agenda.
The pavilion, complete with picnic tables, will serve as a refuge for physical education classes preparing to do practice drills prior to hitting the field in the “Hotlanta” (Atlanta) sun. Teachers will also be able to do lessons outside and kids can enjoy the occasional lunch away from the cafeteria. With the running track complete, the hope is that the pavilion will be active by the end of this school year.
According to Piket, the Frey track and pavilion are part of a sprawling state-of-the art nature trail, an ongoing school fundraising project, or “goal”, costing in excess of $30,000. The nature trail is used year-round for one class activity or another, including: weather station, science class, stream water testing, landscaping, and observation of vegetation
growth and animal tracks. The acreage even boasts Indian artifacts and a civil war campsite.
The Frey fundraising team is proud of what the nature trail has been able to do for the school, the community, and its children. “At Frey we offer a wealth of education and opportunity for learning, whether it’s inside the building or outside in nature,” Curran says. Piket says that the nature trail is essential to making life easier – and more enriched – for teachers, parents and students.
| Fundraising Makes it Happen | Fall 2004 |
An elementary school PTA in Cumming, GA, raised $40,000 in six weeks. Why? To build a new baseball field which they did and with the $10,000 left over, the school sponsored a tennis tournament and sock hop to celebrate!
- Thanks to fundraising, students at a Catholic School in Michigan gain first-hand experience at problem solving and team building skills through “Destination Imagination.” This unique program, launched by teachers and parents at the pri-vate school, is just part of a series of efforts designed to sup-plement the academic program with character building opportunties for students of all ages.
- Middle school students in Long Beach, CA, used the money raised from their holiday product sale to pay for weekly visits to a nearby retirement home. This goodwill effort enables stu-dents to share stories and glean wisdom from elder residents and retirees.
- An elementary school PTA in Indiana put their fundraising dollars to good use over the years funding everything from a new computer center for parents, a Holiday Shop for students and other resources for low-income families to the “Jet Set” program—
designed to get fathers more involved in school activities.
| Swings, Wild Things and Computer Labs | Spring 2004 |
It should be no surprise that 9 out of 10 schools conduct fundraising programs each year. Nor is it shocking to learn that product sales are the most popular means of school fundraising. Product fundraising is a way of life for schools and other non-profit organizations; an annual buying and selling frenzy that begins as soon as order forms arrive in student book bags. Lost in reams of wrapping paper and freezers overcrowded with cookie dough and pizzas, we forget about why we fundraise and what it makes possible.
Product fundraising drives are for the school that needs to improve its library. Or the youth soccer team to have the chance to shine at the playoffs. It’s for the foreign language class to enrich classroom experience by going where the language is spoken. And the church group to make much-needed repairs to its buildings. It’s for the high school band that wants the experience of marching in the Rose Bowl Parade. Every day, in big cities and small towns, fundraising drives by committed volunteers are making big things happen. These are real people making a real difference. Why do they do it? Because they can. Because it’s worth it.
This issue of The Fundraising Edge is dedicated to recognizing these fundraising efforts and the wonderful things that come as a result.
Making It Happen: In Laverne, CA
When it comes to fundraising, Ramona Middle School is in a category all its own. The Southern California school with a student population of 1,400 has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to make their school a better place. Many credit the school’s success to Principal Lois Klein, but she points to Brad Smith, PE teacher, Activity Director and 18-year veteran of Ramona Middle as the “man with the plan.”
Nine years ago, Smith and fellow teacher Mike Riggs (they both also happen to be Ramona Middle grads) wanted to improve their alma mater’s physical fitness program but knew that the state’s shrinking tax base would not be able to meet their needs. So the fundraising began.
“We started out small, with just a couple of treadmills, and built our way up,” according to Smith. Today, Ramona Middle School is on the leading edge of physical fitness with a state-of-the-art fitness lab containing dozens of steppers, tread mills, elliptical and upright machines, and an outdoor challenge course costing in excess of $125,000. The lab is completely self-funded through fundraising efforts.
“Three major universities conduct tours of our facility as a model of physical education,” Smith proudly reports. But more than that, Smith takes pride in the life-long benefits his students will realize. “Everyone can’t play a team sport,” says Smith. But by teaching kids how to use these machines and calculate their heart rate and measure body fat, Ramona Middle’s fitness program, is giving students the tools they need to stay healthy now and into adulthood. “Every quarter our students are required to run a mile, we keep a three year portfolio on their progress,” Smith says.
Principal Klein is even more pleased with the improved test scores her students have turned in since the school’s improvements to its fitness program. “Research shows that when physical fitness in children improves, so do academic test scores,” says Klein. Ramona Middle’s impressive academic standing among other schools in the area may also have something to do with two other Ramona Middle School programs — Renaissance and Action. Activities held year-round under these two programs recognize academics, citizenship and team-building prowess. All of it — Renaissance, Action, the fitness lab as well as eight grade graduation activities and teacher and volunteer recognition are completely funded through the school’s volunteer fundraising efforts.
Here’s a quick rundown of Ramona Middle’s annual fundraising drives: the PTA and Associated Student Body (ASB) split $33,000 earned through a fall gift-wrap sale. The jog-a-thon raised a net $20,000 for the physical education department. A cookie dough sale by the ASB raised an additional $18,000. A spring magazine sale netted another $7,000.
Making It Happen: In Brooklyn, NY
Nazareth Regional High School has a population of 544. Many of the kids are first-generation Americans in a middle class neighborhood, and their families struggle to pay the tuition for this private Catholic school. One hundred percent of Nazareth students graduate and 90 percent go on to higher education, compared to the on-time graduation rate of 40 percent for the public schools serving the same community. Many credit Principal Pete Doran and his fundraising efforts that resulted in a state-of-the-art computer lab and curriculum.
Upon graduation, students at Nazareth who successfully complete its computer training program receive a special certificate, which Doran believes will give them a competitive advantage in landing a computer job right out of school. “Then they can help pay for the college tuition their parents might otherwise not be able to afford,” says Doran.
“We couldn’t do this without the $30,000 we raise each year through the fall catalog sale,” says Doran. “We have 40 top-of the-line computers and next year we want to go wireless. We can’t do this by raising tuition. Fundraising is an absolute necessity.”
Making It Happen: In Lawrenceville, GA
Last year, Creekland Middle School, serving 2800 students just outside of Atlanta, GA, raised close to $40,000 through one fundraising drive — a magazine sale. The money was earmarked for a lot of different things — from a defibrillator machine for the health clinic and new computers for the media center to an anti-drug speaker series for the children. But the largest portion of the money goes to the school’s “Accelerated Reading Program,” a special initiative that promotes reading in the school community. The PTA Co-President reports, “Our accelerated reading program is very important to our school community, and that’s why we devote more than 40 percent of our fundraising dollars to this initiative.”
Let us know what inspires your group to raise funds. Include a description of how you plan to raise the money and how you plan to spend it. If we feature your story in a future issue of The Fundraising Edge, your group will receive $100 to apply to those fundraising efforts. Write to Fundraising Makes It Happen at AFRDS, 5775 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Building G, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30342.
Fast Fundraising Facts
- Schools and youth groups raise $2 billion each year through product sales.
- 8 out of 10 school principals say fund-raising is worth the time and effort.
- 7 out of 10 principals report an increased need for fundraising over the last decade.
- 8 out of 10 parents purchase items to support school fundraising.
- 6 out of 10 parents actually help sell fundraising items.
| Ask A Pro: About the "Pride Factor" in Fundraising | Spring 2004 |
Many principals and parent volunteers look at fundraising as a “necessary evil,” dismissing the very real (and tangible) benefits that fundraising provides. We asked a couple of fundraising professionals to share their thoughts on why taking pride in fundraising can make all the difference.
“Principals and parent group volunteers who are committed to reaching their goal will devote resources of time and energy to lead the charge; communicate expectations; and serve as cheerleaders. Their enthusiasm combined with the resources of a professional fundraising company will have a synergistic effect-turning just another fundraising drive into a community project. And when a community project is successful, everyone takes pride in the results.
I find that groups who look at fundraising as a “necessary evil” rather than an opportunity to make something happen as a school community aren't as successful. They tend to be satisfied with a turnkey fundraising sale relying too much on the company's resources, and not enough on their own. This “fundraising-in-a-box” attitude underestimates the power of community and overestimates the ability of an outsider to make a difference. It has to be a team effort to evoke pride.”
— Pat Bieneman, Fundraising Professional, Lynnwood, WA
“I think some people see fundraising as a 'necessary evil' because they wish their school didn’t have to raise money in the first place. Yet, they very much want the benefits that come from fundraising projects. I take a great deal of pride in the fact that I can provide them with easy, effective solutions. It's also my job to work with the volunteers to bring everyone "on board,” focus on those benefits, and pull together to reach their goal. That's the kind of teamwork that builds success and, ultimately, pride.
— Jim Pike, Fundraising Professional, Lakewood, NJ
| Real People Making a Real Difference: In Rockaway, NJ | Fall 2003 |
Every day, in big cities and small towns across the continent, enthusiastic volunteers and dedicated professionals are working together to raise money for school libraries, youth soccer leagues, high school bands and scores of non-profit groups. And, every year – thanks to these efforts – schools, churches and other non-profits raise nearly $2 billion to help pay for important programs that enrich young lives — people like Kerry Babcock (left) and Melissa Conrad.
Kerry and Melissa are athletes. Members of the Thunderbirds Special Sports Team (a Special Olympics training program in New Jersey’s Passaic County), they participate in sectional, county and state competitions every year. At the Summer 2001 NJ Special Olympics, Kerry and Melissa earned gold medals in track and field. They work hard, they’re proud. They deserve to be.
Working behind the scenes are their coaches Sue and Danny Smith. They help Kerry and Melissa train — cheering them on at every competition. The Smith’s also spearhead the fundraising efforts that pay for the uniforms, bowling track and field equipment and facility rental for every Passaic County Special Olympics event throughout the year leading up to and including the Annual Dinner Dance — expenses totaling $7,000 to $8,000 each year. To keep this 400-member Passaic County Special Olympics Team afloat, the group holds one major product sale — along with a yearly raffle, an art auction and advertising sales in the team’s journal.
It’s a big task, but the Smith’s have great partners — Jim Pike and his two brothers Jesse and John. They are second-generation fundraising professionals now responsible for running a 30-year-old family business located in Lakewood, NJ.
“We might be able to do it without Jim Pike, but we wouldn't want to,” says Sue Smith, remembering Pike’s personal commitment and hands-on support. In the end, Sue says the best part of her volunteer job with the Thunderbirds Special Sports Team is seeing the athletes’ faces. “I love to watch them excel and develop confidence. It’s so neat to see them come out of their shells.”
| Fundraising Efforts Strike a Patriotic Chord | Spring 2002 |
From Miami, FL, to Seattle, WA - and hundreds of cities, villages and townships in between - local papers this fall chronicled their citizens' fundraising efforts to relieve the families of victims of September 11 and workers at Ground Zero.
Most poignant were the stories about American school children responding to President Bush's call to focus their fundraising efforts on helping the children of Afghanistan.
"This is an opportunity to help others while teaching our own children a valuable lesson about service and character," Bush said in a speech shortly following the attacks. Afterwards, Americans went into action. The U.S. Postal Service established a special zip code for contributions by children. The American Red Cross launched America's Fund for Afghan Children to which six-year-old Justin Washington of Miami, FL, contributed the first dollar.
Fourth graders at St. Philip's Episcopal School raised $1,500 for the Red Cross in a 110-day bake sale. Students at Northwestern Elementary, Middle and High Schools in Kokomo, Indiana sold patriotic tee shirts. Kristin Strickland, 11, raised money by feeding 15 chickens daily, then collecting and selling their eggs for $1.50 per dozen to her neighbors in Philmont, VA. Three students at Horning Middle School sold candles and bracelets during school functions. Students at Crestwood Elementary, Springfield, VA, donated $2,000 from their annual fundraiser. The list goes on and on.
"We like the idea of kids helping kids," said one high school senior.
As of February 22, school children in America and their families had raised $3.7 million. The money has paid for 1,700 winter jackets, 1,500 winter tents, 10,000 gift parcels, blankets, kitchen sets, emergency health supplies and mobile healthcare units throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and neighboring Middle Eastern countries.
For more information on America's Fund for Afghan Children, visit the website: kidsfund.redcross.org.
