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Make Sure The PTA or PTO Hears About The Fundraiser And Repeat

by: JohannaAbleson
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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.

Be specific. If you are kicking off a fundraiser and you know what you're raising the money for, let your parents, teachers, and volunteers know. If you aren't sure what you're going to do with the money yet, tell them what you did last year. If parents and teachers know that they will benefit they will be much more likely to support your sale.

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.

The second thing you will want to do is write and attach to your sales brochure a letter to the parents of your students. In this letter you will tell them again why you are doing a fundraising project. You might even take this opportunity to tell them what you spent the money on that was raised in last year's fundraiser.

Methods: Email If you are fortunate enough to be able to use the school's e-mail system to announce your sale. This is a one button operation that give you great coverage with the parents of your school children.

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 You can post signs advertising your fundraiser in various places around the school where parents will likely see them when dropping off or picking up their children.

Place signs in the school with pictures of the prizes to keep the students motivated. Place them in key places where the students will see them daily in common areas. People are very visual and notice things that are different or new in their environment.

Methods: Do a live kick off This is much more motivating to students than a video presentation. They can see how the prizes work and it means that something different happened at school today. When parents ask their children about the day, they will remember this much better than sitting at their desk and seeing someone on a TV screen in their classroom.

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 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.

About the Author

There is no need to switch your cookie dough sale this year. Before throwing in the towel on finding Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, take note that AIM Fundraising is now a national distributor for Otis Spunkmeyer sale products.

Make Sure The PTA or PTO Hears About The Fundraiser And Repeat

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