Make Sure The PTA or PTO Hears About The Fundraiser And Repeat
Posted by: Johanna Ableson in Finance, tags: FinancePTA 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: Letters, Two things I always suggest are to send a letter out to parents early in the year telling them what fundraisers you will be doing and when. Tell them how you’re going to accomplish your goal i.e.: catalogs sale, cookie dough sale, car wash, smencils or such. This might keep them from feeling 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: Use The School Email System. If your organization or the school has many or most of the parent’s email addresses, then use that as an alternate way to get the word out the your fundraiser is about to begin.
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 Sending a note home in the student “take home pack” is another good way to get the word out to parents. I recommend that you send a reminder note on Friday’s.
Methods: Signs If placed in strategic positions around the bus lanes and auto que lines, most of the parents will see them everyday. The main thing is that you don’t want to simply start a sale and forget about it until “money collection” day.
Inside the school is where you want to do promotions that appeal to the students. The very best promotions will be geared toward the prizes that the students can earn. Things that are “different” will stand out to the students as the walk through the halls.
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: PA System Remind students daily via regular morning announcements about the ongoing fundraising drive. This is an excellent opportunity to keep students motivated for the duration of the sale.
Work closely with your fundraising representative. Planning is key to communicating your fundraiser to your parents, faculty, and students. If you know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, it is much easier to facilitate and run a profitable fundraiser and that is what it is all about. Your goal is to raise the most money possible for your group in the particular sale you are planning. After all, if you raise all the funds you need in the first one, you won’t have to do a second fundraiser! You can achieve that by working smarter, not harder.
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