Elementary schools always seem to need extra money for special projects, and fundraising is a significant source of finances for such needs. Planning is extremely important, though, as overlapping money making activities can dilute the impact for all entities attempting to obtain additional funds. It’s important for an elementary school to maintain a master calendar of events and to establish policies for classes and clubs that want to schedule their earning activities.
Established elementary schools often have established times for traditional Elementary School fundraising projects. Annual events can be included in the master calendar right away. In these cases, the only significant changes from one year to another may be in the specific approach to raising money. Holiday earners may include sales of cookie dough, Christmas and Hanukah gifts, or wrapping paper. Spring programs may include sales of snacks and goodies. These may change as companies providing the products adapt to current trends, but usually a well established schedule allows these fundraisers to be managed with ease.
Newer schools may find that they need to decide on appropriate Elementary school fundraising campaigns and times. It’s important to keep a sense of timing in mind, as many projects coordinate well with traditional seasons related to products to be sold. Holidays lend themselves well to such programs because of the seasonal mindset of gift buying. An emphasis on the fact that those purchasing from a promotional activity will be supporting the school’s need for additional funds is helpful. Even more helpful, having a specific intent for the earnings is a motivator for those being asked to purchase. If the youngster and parent promoting the campaign are able to say that the proceeds will be used to add to the library, purchase computer equipment or fund physical education equipment, the potential purchaser may be more motivated to participate.
It’s important in Elementary School fundraiser planning to recognize that too many money making activities may foil your plans. Parents may feel obligated to purchase, but if the requests to do so seem endless, wallets seem to tighten. Don’t allow your students and organizations to overwhelm others, but rather, show appreciation for the generosity of your supporters. Provide feedback in the form of parent communications that convey the results of the project. Including a thank you will allow parents to recognize that they’ve made a difference in their participation, making it more likely that they will contribute in future campaigns as well.
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