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PTA and PTO Members Just Don’t Get It The First Time. You can never cover the important things too much. For instance, why you are doing your fundraiser will give your parents a good reason to get behind the effort. If it absolutely needs to be communicated do not be afraid to repeat your message over and over. You would be shocked at how little information actually makes it to your PTA or PTO parents consciousness. Following are some tips and tricks to ensure that “the important stuff” gets noticed.

Give Specific Reasons For Why You Are Doing It. It is much better to give your parents very specific reasons for the PTA or PTO fundraising drive. You should have a specific goal set and a list of what the PTA or PTO is going to do with the money raised. Parents and teachers will be much more willing to help if they know exactly why you are raising the money

Methods: Take Home Flyers, Several things that should always be done in preparation for your fundraising drive. One action to take is to send a letter out to parents early in the year telling them what fundraisers you will be doing and when. Tell them in the letter what you need funds for and how you’re going to accomplish your goal i.e.: catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, candy sale, smencils etc. They won’t feel as though your hands are constantly in their wallets.

Secondly, do a school and fundraiser specific parent letter. Use a school mascot on your parent letter. Remind parents what you’re raising the money for again. They’re busy and might not remember your first note or may not have seen it the first time.

Methods: E-Mail If your school has a school wide email system or a call out system, use it to announce your sale. This is a great way to let parents know to check their children’s backpacks for their selling kits. I can’t tell you the number of times people have said that they didn’t even know a fundraiser was going on. That is missed opportunity every time it happens.

Methods: Marquee Announce your fundraiser on the school’s marquee. Many parents drive to school twice a day and are likely to see it if it is left up for several days before the sale begins.

Methods: Reminders via students In most schools students go home once or twice a week with a “Take Home Pack.” This is an excellent opportunity to have the teachers in the school include a note about your fundraiser. Remember that you don’t have to include lots of details in this note. These are simply reminders to the parents.

Methods: Signs Use signs advertising your fundraiser in bus lanes and your pick up and drop off points in the school. Your parents and students will see these every day.

Have signs posted at various locations around the school. This type of promotion is geared mainly to the students, so signs or posters that appeal to students is the best thing to do to get students to look at them and remember.

Methods: Do a live kick off A live presentation, especially one that is out of the ordinary, will leave an impression on the students. When the children return home, if the presentation has been memorable enough, the students will promote the sale better than a flier or letter ever could.

Methods: School Wide System During the daily announcements remind the students about the fundraiser. Take some time to do some bragging on some of your top selling students. This is a great opportunity to keep students motivated.

Work effectively with your fundraising representative. Organization and planning is key to communicating your fundraiser and your goals to your parents, faculty, and students. If you know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, running a profitable fundraiser is easier to do. If your goal is to raise the most money possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning, your fundraising professional is your best resource for making that happen. You can achieve your goal by working smarter, not harder.

Tags: Education

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