For instance, we shared their great news that eFundraising has increased the percentage the non-profits get to keep from their fundraisers. This is great news and should definitely help you make your decision about what kind of fundraisers to choose for your school.

Now, we have the opportunity to introduce you to the eFundraising team, by way of YouTube! Their creative team put together a terrific “behind-the-scenes” video that gives viewers a great insight into this company. I particularly like the part when the customer service lady is eating a cookie while talking on the telephone! I guess their cookies are just to delicious to put down!

The video is short- only three and a half minutes, and it will really give you a good insight into who you will be doing business with. It’s well worth the click.

With Microsoft Works I created two documents that may be of help to you. First is a personalized checklist for all the to-do’s involved in planning and organizing a bake sale.  This checklist can be customized to fit your bake sale to-do’s as well.

Bake Sale checklist (excel)

We all know just how important volunteer involvement is in any fundraiser.  This is the best way to keep track of your bake sale happenings from planning to clean up and all the sweet stuff in between.  Feel free to download and customize this document and be sure to print plenty of copies to hand out to your volunteers.

Bake Sale Volunteer list (excel)

The most important thing to do is advertise as much as possible.  Be sure to keep a couple of  flyers on hand so wherever you go you can ask if they would allow you to post one of the flyers in their location. Reynolds has a variety of templates to boost the look of your bake sale advertisements.  Use the signs as flyers to help get the word out.

Bake Sale Sign (PDF)

Bake Sale Table Sign (PDF)

And finally when it comes to pricing all the delicious cookies, cakes, brownies and other sweets that are there for the sole purpose of raising as much money as possible for your group or organization, go ahead and do it up right with these decorative labels.

Bake Sale Label template (word)

Bake Sale Label template (PDF)

1. School Carnivals Are Incredibly Popular With Students and Parents Alike
Quick, which would you rather do- go to the school carnival or visit to the dentist? See? No contest. OK, maybe that’s not a fair fight, carnival vs. dentist, but the fact is, a school carnival is one of the absolute highlights of the year for any school that has one. It has all the best rolled up into one great package: people having fun, the school making money, and if it’s a really good carnival, there’s always food of some variety on a stick.

2. Carnivals require lots of people as volunteers, but the work is fun and not stressful.
Even though carnivals require a number of people willing to take charge of a wide range of responsibilities, the vast majority of jobs involve having fun and interacting with people. Whether it’s baking items to sell, running games, passing out prizes, decorating the carnival space, face painting, or even selling tickets, the atmosphere of a school carnival is light and enjoyable. These are exactly the kinds of jobs to break new volunteers in on. Once a person has mastered the art of the school carnival, he or she may be ready to take on more challenging volunteer duties within your fundraising team.

3. Carnival Expenses are Low
Since carnivals are held in the school building itself, there won’t be any facility rental fees the school will have to pay, which can often be one of the most expensive items in the budget. Also, food can be donated, and games can be used year after year. Many decorations can also be used more than one year. Of course, there will be a desire to add some new things each year, but the core of the activity can be relatively inexpensive to operate year in and year out.

4. Carnival Income is High
While expenses are kept low, the opportunities to generate revenue are high. Of course, you have the admission tickets, but there can also be charges for food, entertainment, games, and contests. All of these can be purchased with tickets or tokens, so that cash doesn’t have to be handled and potentially lost. Also, revenue can be made from renting out booths to local non-profits, so they can market themselves to the carnival attendees.

5. School Carnivals Become Instant Traditions and Reliable Income
In fundraising, you are always looking for something that will be a guaranteed success, year after year. It’s important to be able to count on a certain range of income. Therefore it is wise to develop activities that will become traditionally expected by your community. Carnivals are so popular, they become one of these traditions almost instantly. Imagine holding your first carnival one year, and then canceling it the next. That doesn’t seem very likely.

6. People are Familiar with the Concept of a School Carnival, so They Come Ready to Have a Good Time.
Even if your school hasn’t ever held a carnival before, most people have been to at least one sometime in their lives. Therefore, you’re not going to have to do a lot of explaining or convincing to get folks involved. This is one of the reasons why you could expect a very respectable turnout your very first year doing it. People are hesitant to try things that are unfamiliar to them. The good news is that most everybody not only knows what a school carnival is, but they also have good memories of it.

7. Carnivals Allow for Teachers and the Principal to Relax
Once you swing open the doors on the school carnival, a whole new feeling spreads over the school. Gone are the worries about tests and having a hallway passes. The joyous, euphoric, and electric atmosphere allows everyone, including teachers and the administrative staff to relax and enjoy the festivities. Having worked as a school principal, I always felt is was important to take every opportunity to have fun with the parents of my students, as well as my staff of teachers. It improved all our relationships and increased our ability to work together.

8. Carnivals Build Camaraderie with Both Kids and Adults.
Carnivals also have the ability to help parents get to know one another. I think that when parents of students get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere, friendships can be made. This is not only beneficial to them, but also to the school in that it seems to increase the number of volunteers we get for school activities. Even if you have a busy schedule, if your best friend is working the school carnival, you might also be inclined to do so, because it becomes a social opportunity.

9. Since So Many Schools Do Annual Carnivals, There is Abundant Information Available Regarding Carnival Themes, Games, Contests, Entertainment, Revenue Producers, etc.
With the exponential growth of the Internet, it is simple to find out extensive information on almost any subject- school carnivals, especially. A simple Google search will yield a wealth of knowledge. Also, it is wise to talk with families who are new to your district. Perhaps they have suggestions from their old school that worked. Trust me, if you put the word out there that you’re thinking of launching a school carnival, you’ll have people banging down your door with ideas.

Conclusion
Fundraising for any kind of a group is hard work. Often, the results are uncertain, but I can’t remember a time when I ever was ambivalent about how much money we were going to make. There’s always been an urgency to make as much as possible with every event or sale. With a carnival, you have just about the closest thing to a sure bet that you can find in this world of fundraising. As I mentioned in the introduction, a carnival mixes the best of everything, and everyone has a good time. In my estimation, that makes the idea of having a school carnival a real no-brainer.

Today’s busy lifestyles require families to have convenience foods on hand. Pizza is one of those foods that are great for after school snacks or a quick meal.

So when your organization conducts a frozen pizza fundraiser you’re providing something that people are already buying and will want more of.

Tips for Planning a Frozen Pizza Fundraiser:

1. Review the companies the offer frozen pizza fundraisers and choose one that offers the best product, profit potential and service.
2. Set a goal for your group’s overall sales and then break it down by participant.
3. Offer prizes as incentives for sellers. A stepped scale works well and rewards those who sell the minimum, as well as higher targets. You can even order extra frozen pizzas as prizes.
4. Set dates for the start and end of your fundraiser. A mid campaign check-in where coordinators call participants to see how their sales are going is a good idea.
5. Arrange for storage of the frozen products when they arrive. Make sure your sellers know the date, time and location of the pickup.
6. Celebrate! Have a recognition meeting or party to acknowledge those who sold the most. Announce the total amount raised and describe what the funds will do to support the activities of your organization.

The purchase of these materials will be used to help students go beyond reading at a basic level to achieve comprehension and application proficiency.

From the video, you will see that there is a strong commitment by the teachers and staff at Poinsettia to help children gain a life-long love of reading. There is also a thorough understanding that these early years are critical for a child. As Principal Ahle points out in the video, students who aren’t reading by the end of second grade are likely to be non-readers for their entire school careers.

Take a moment to watch their terrific video application, which is posted below. Thank you Poinsettia Elementary for sharing your needs with Top School Fundraisers. We wish you great success in achieving your very worthy goals!

However, most of the non-profits out there are not as well funded as the Obama campaign, so creative means must be found to underwrite the expense of acquiring such technological tools.

In the first part of this article, I want to identify a handful of the items that are very popular right now in the educational realm, although many of these devices can be adapted for use in other non-profit environments, such as museums, senior centers, or community-based organizations. In the second part, I’ll look at some solutions for finding help funding these rather expensive items.

I saw first-hand how in-demand these items are, when we were going through the applications for the 2009 Top School Fundraiser educational grant program. Schools ranging from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade, all across the United States and Canada, were invited to share with us a particular need in their school that was related to learning. (To find out more about the grant click here.)

Here are some of the ways we saw computer-based technology being introduced in classrooms. You’ll clearly see why educators would want these items.

Smart Board Interactive White Boards
(Taken from the Smart Board website)

People choose the SMART Board interactive whiteboard because it helps energize presentations and motivate learners. In 1991, it was the world’s first interactive whiteboard. Today, it is the world’s leading interactive whiteboard. Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard engages students and audiences around the world.

The touch-sensitive display connects to your computer and digital projector to show your computer image. You can then control computer applications directly from the display, write notes in digital ink and save your work to share later.

Best of all, the full-featured SMART Board interactive whiteboard is incredibly easy to use. If you can use a computer, you can use a SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

ELMO Projector
(Taken from the ELMO USA website.)

Even in an increasingly virtual world, reality is often the best teacher. Actual specimens, real three-dimensional objects, authentic documents, and pages directly from a book all make visual presentations more diverse, realistic, and vivid. Make the most of your real-world materials with an ELMO P3OS Visual Presenter. Deliver real-time, true-to-life presentations that catch and keep the attention of everyone in the room. Integrate your resource into data files for easy transfer to a PC or SD card storage. And let the learning begin.

Here is a link to an article I wrote about a school asking for this very item.

Desktop and Laptop Computers
We could never get enough of these in our schools, right? These days, a classroom without access to computers feels as empty as a computer without internet access. It deprives students of the opportunity to reach out into the world, find new information, and discover new ways of seeing and thinking.

Here is a link to a video made by one of the schools who applied for the Top School Fundraiser grant. This school received an honorable mention and their video demonstrated the frustration that many non-profits are coping with on a daily basis.

Conclusion
These are just three examples of recent technological equipment that can improve the services of a school or other non-profit. The next installment of this series will look at the costs of these items and some suggestions for trying to get them donated or purchased at a greatly reduced cost.

Laptop keyboard photo: IainBuchanan

Art teacher Wanda Boudreaux said:

Students who are involved in the process of thinking critically and creatively are apt to succeed in more subjects. We believe in the “multiple intelligences” approach to learning and understand the importance of curriculum integration and crossover in teaching. Our experience in teaching visual art provides overwhelming evidence in support of these beliefs.

After taking inspiration from a well-known piece of art students acquire new skills and practice techniques. Students engage in projects that challenge them to create an original response. We present a wide variety of activities in order to promote discovery and experimentation with materials and methods. Among that broad range of art making experiences, grade appropriate projects have included photography, shaded drawings, paintings, collages, installation art, printmaking and sculptures.

Our goal is to help students develop a strong relationship with art, which they will carry with them as they grow.  Children’s spirits are an open door through which art is eagerly embraced. Our Art Program provides a necessary opportunity to inspire the creative and critical thinking that, while deepening their individual humanity, also gives students’ greater success in all subjects.

To recognize the importance of fine arts and this presentation in particular, we selected Will Rogers as an Honorable Mention. Congratulations Will Rogers students, parents and teachers.  Keep up the great work!

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There are so many different varieties available - milk chocolate, chocolate with almonds, chocolate crispy, and so much more. Each of these chocolate bars are made with the finest ingredients.

Your group can raise funds with the famous $1 bars, the chocolate bars that have been used by many groups to raise money. There are also $2 King Size bars in many of the same flavors. Some of these bar wrappers can even be personalized for your group.  It could have your school’s name and a photo of your school, mascot or just a logo.   It’s up to you.  (For example if you are having a band fundraiser, use the band logo!)

No matter which one you choose you will sure to be creating a winning fundraiser when you choose the bar that has been made famous simply because of its great taste and its great fundraising potential.

Find out more about World’s Finest Chocolate online or give them a call (toll free) at 1-866-249-0089.

Like the first two schools to garner the honorable mention recognition, Loma Verde submitted a high quality video in making its application.

In the request, the principal of Loma Verde, Eileen Smith, (on behalf of her 385 K-5th graders) discussed a situation in her school that more and more schools are coping with nationwide, and that’s the problem of a rising number of students who don’t have English as a first language. As a result of this, Principal Smith has found that even though these students can be very bright and have excellent ideas to share, they are having great difficulty joining in the group learning process due to the language barrier.

To help students with this challenge, the folks at Loma Verde requested $4,000 to purchase two Elmo Digital Visual Presenters and two LCD projectors. These tools would be shared by the teachers to better explain and allow participation by all students. Principal Smith described, for instance, how one of these Elmo Projectors (I don’t think there’s any relation to the Elmo on Sesame Street…) can be used to both project and enlarge the image of a sheet of paper, but it can also be used as a large projection microscope for 3D items. It’s very clear to see how useful these items could be in a classroom where verbal communication is sometimes difficult.

Once again, we are learning first-hand how some very serious problems in our school districts can be solved, or at least greatly helped, by new technology. Unfortunately, new technology is very expensive and often out of financial reach. This means that creative and effective fundraising methods are needed now more than ever. That’s the goal, here at Top School Fundraisers.

Stay tuned for many more posts dealing with the ever-increasing need to fund large technological purchases for our schools.

Thank you, Loma Verde, for your excellent application. We wish you the best in finding all the funds you need to help bridge this gap.

Watch to see the simple yet compelling video presentation from the principal of Loma Verde Elementary School.

The students at Star Prep find themselves in an unfortunate situation that many students are facing today- insufficient access to up-to-date technology. The cost of both hardware and software have made it increasingly difficult for cash-strapped schools to keep up and provide their students with the tools they will need to compete in a global marketplace.

In the near future, Top School Fundraisers will be looking at some solutions to this growing problem. We urge schools, like Star Prep Academy, to keep searching for the necessary funds.

Take a couple of minutes to view their video application. You’ll get a great sense of a wide-spread need throughout our entire country.

Thank you, Star Prep, for your terrific application! We wish you the best in meeting your goals.