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Elementary and Middle Schools have various reasons to conduct a school fundraiser. The reasons go from filling in for shortfalls in the school budget to providing extracurricular activities for the students. Regardless of the reasons for the school fundraiser, there are particular challenges that become evident when trying to run one.

Of all the things that get put in place to effectively run a school fundraiser, one very important aspect often gets overlooked. That is how do you communicate the importance and solicit the help of the parents of the students. Parents are busy doing the things that are most important to them. Unless they are reminded in a way that catches their attention they will often forget or simply not be aware of your school fundraiser when it happens.

Involvement of the parents is paramount in a successful school fundraiser and if you are the one running it you should include plans to make sure that the parents of your students are informed about your fundraising plans.

Here are 4 tips that will help you get the most out of your school fundraiser.

1.) Start Your Communication With Parents Early in the School Year

At the beginning of the year we should send a letter to the parents outlining our plans for any and all school fundraiser events that are planned throughout the year.

2.) Secondary Correspondence

Parents of your students have a full schedules and circumstances may make an upcoming event slip their mind. If you send a letter home in the student’s take home pack a few days before school fundraiser starts they will more than likely take note of it and remember to ask their child about it when the time comes around.

It cannot be stressed enough that the outcome of your school fundraiser can be greatly affected by how well you communicate with your student’s parents.

3.) Send out a Newsletter about your school fundraiser.

Use your school’s newsletter to keep parents informed of things that are going on at school, especially when it comes to your school fundraiser. Be sure to ask your parents to sign up for the newsletter in all correspondence that is sent home. This will pay big dividends down the road.

Public schools usually have a newsletter or ezine that is sent home regularly. Another option would be to have a form that could be placed on the school’s website where parents can read about current events at school. It would be a simple matter for parents to sign up for the newsletter or check the school website.

4.) Gather Email Addresses of each mom or dad at the school.

When forms and notices go home that needs to be completed by parents and returned ensure there is a space the parents to write their e-mail address beside the signature line.

If you build a database of all these email addresses that you collect, you can send out reminders when it is time for the school fundraiser. You would be surprised at how effective this is in making your school fundraiser a more successful.

These 4 tips will help you increase participation in your next school fundraiser.