This past week our PTA started recruiting parents to join in on the first round of fundraisers for the new school year and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I remember being excited as a child to receive those shiny fundraiser catalogs. I would take my beautiful pamphlets all over the neighborhood and downtown to local businesses. By the time I turned it back into the school, my catalog would barely resemble the booklet I was so thrilled to receive.
Today’s fundraising has come a long way since those rapping paper and holiday gift sales days! Today’s school fundraising means a lot of online networking and web purchases AND much of it is done year round! I’m still trying to figure out if they are working better, or worse, than the way we used to do it! Is the fundraising word of mouth really getting around?
If you really want to make the biggest impact with your PTA’s fundraiser this year, consider recruiting some help from the pros! Approach local businesses not just to donate, but to help you meet your goals! They can help by allowing you to share flyers with their customers, hang posters in high-traffic areas, or hand out business cards on your behalf.
Where to Find Businesses to
Host Fundraising Events in Your Town
The first place I can think of as being “the pros” is your local car dealership. Auto dealers are always looking for ways to connect with their community, and the best way to do that is with your help! Approach your local dealership to host a Saturday event that will benefit your fundraiser. After all of the arrangements have been made, call your local radio station to let them know your plan. Ask if the kids can appear on the radio to help with promotion – this will help you and the dealership gain momentum (and, of course, the kids will be more than delighted to appear on air!)
Speaking of the local radio station. This is where you go next! Visit every radio station in your area to see how you can collaborate. Again, getting the kids on-air is always a lot of fun for listeners and the kids!
Have you asked the gym? Every gym has a bulletin board or information center for their classes. Request space on their board or ask if they are willing to host a creative membership/charity program for a month. Example: $1 from every new membership in October will go towards your fundraiser.
Every town has a go-to place for dining out and nothing says community support better than a little help from the local eatery. Ask if you can send over volunteers to serve their guests during a special time slot on the weekend (usually, the slowest part of their Saturday is best — especially when working with kid volunteers). Kid/volunteer servers is such a fun fundraising idea that many customers will visit during your special time just so they can see the kids in action!
Are you thinking out of the box this year’s fundraiser yet?
