Fundraising at Schools – The Do’s and Don’ts

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Fundraising at Schools – The Do’s and Don’ts

Whilst fundraising can be very fun & enjoyable, there are also many measures you should try to make sure you do and don’t do to ensure everyone is happy and willing to help. And by saying everyone I mean students, teachers, volunteers and visitors such as parents, family & friends – basically anyone who will come anywhere near your event!

Fundraising "Do's"! Here are a few simple do’s and don’ts to help your fundraising event become more successful!

Things to make sure you Do

Shout about it! – Not literally, but do make sure everyone knows what event you are running, when it is- time day and place and why! You could also ask your pupils to create flyers and posters that you could post around the school and hand out with the weekly parents newsletters.
Another great idea is to keep parents and pupils up to date with your progress by creating a large chart which can be placed in a busy area such as the main reception .You can keep it updated regularly with the amount of funds raised and you can watch your target get closer and closer each time.

Rules, rules, rules – Introduce rules into your event to ensure it runs smoothly and to avoid any upsets and clashes between helpers or visitors. Split your volunteers into groups, pair or singles and give them specific areas to cover.

The boring small print – As boring as form filling and quote searching can be, it is really important to research what insurances and licencees you need to have in place for your event, never just assume that you will be covered.

Remember to ask – Don’t be afraid to ask for new PTA members if your group is shrinking or if you are in need of extra help. Parents’ circumstances may have changed from when they previously chose not to join and they may now be willing to help raise funds. You can ask monthly or quarterly in the school parent newsletter or on your school’s website.

Things to make sure you Don’t do

Timing is key! – If there are expensive school trips that you have just sent letters out for, don’t straight away ask for donations and contributions, parents have a lot to pay out for these days so it’s best to work with them. Arrange fundraising events that don’t clash with expensive school trips, be fair to parents, this will also increase the amount of parents that attend or donate.

Avoid Pressure – Do not put pressure on anyone to participant in your event, this will only put them off all future events as well as your current event and they won’t be as willing to help you spread the word about your event.

Don’t forget – Make sure you created a checklist to ensure you have covered everything. One important thing to remember is to ask donors to sign a Gift Aid declaration form. If you are a registered charity or are raising funds for a registered charity, this signed form will enable the charity to reclaim basic tax on the contribution.

Don’t Overload yourself – Organising too many events in one go will just exhaust you, your volunteers and also your visitors. Parents and family can only attend so many fundraising events per year. Don’t overload yourself or them, stick to the events that offer you the greatest profit and that have the most interest.
Also, before deciding on an event, make sure you have enough volunteers to help out and don’t over work them as fundraising can incur a lot of work if there are not enough volunteers to help out.

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Fundraising at Schools – The Do’s and Don’ts

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