This year I took on a big fundraising role in my school community. I really wanted my students to have some fun. I wanted to have some too. Field trips and more toys, a really great outdoor play environment for outdoor learning were all on my list. Every year resources seem to be disappearing and opportunities seem to be less and less so I gave it a try. Here are a few things that I learned about fundraising along the way. What I will do again and what I will probably leave behind.

So what fundraiser did I try first?

My first kick at the proverbial can in fundraising was Art Cards by Kids you can find the link here. This is a Canadian company in British Columbia that my kids school continue to use and I buy from each year. This company sends you an enlarged sheet for your students to draw on and then shrinks their art down to make cards, notebooks, calendars etc… It’s fun for families, students and makes a good profit for the school. I will do this one again. It didn’t get as much attention as I was hoping for but I think it will build over time and I love that it is art for the kids a chance to get creative.

Second fundraising Runner Up… Candy Grams.

The next fundraising event that I tried was Candy Grams. I found each time I did this one it raised at least $100. We ran them around the holidays and I did some experimenting each time. I had some really helpful adults (for all the cutting out parts) but I found many of the ideas we used were not too difficult to make and distribute while still being very sweet. Pinterest was really helpful for cute ideas.

This fundraiser came with some work attached don’t get me wrong. I’d recommend it if you only need a little cash to get your class on a field trip or to have a special activity for your students. Maybe if you require some extra supplies for a science project or something similar this would be a good one. I will post the two we tried below for some inspiration. The first one is lollipop flowers and the second was a St. Patrick’s day “You Sham Rock!” Too cute. I am a word nerd so this one was my fav. I found it really helpful to attach the order form to the outside of a big envelope and then just collect all the money and orders at one time before they were made.

Next Fundraiser was… (drum roll please) Local Charity B.B.Q.

This one I found out about from my Mom. Our local Buildall hosts annual Charity B,B.Q.’s for non-for profit agencies twice a year. This one showed me the generosity of our community. We were able to keep all the profit and bring those funds back to our school. It was three hours of our time making and handing out the food and it made us a good amount of money. I don’t know when we may get the chance to do this one again as the opportunities were limited but I would do it again in a heartbeat. It showed me that it pays to seek help in the community for support. When you are looking it’s amazing what you can find.

Last but not least – Jerky in a Box

I don’t know about you but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Beef Jerky. This one was an amazing fundraising opportunity and had a really good turn out from our school community. It was also a Canadian Company, a Farm in Alberta, so it was slow roasted and home grown. It came in time for Father’s Day and a good deal of our school participated. The profit to the school was excellent. I would definitely do this one again if I needed to only choose one or two of the options above. I’ll post the link here if you are interested in trying it yourself.

It certainly feels like the kids have been making the biggest sacrifices in the last ten years of budget cuts from our government. No extra paper, books, librarians or field trips anymore. No money available to support these essential resources either. They should be an absolute given for anyone in the public school system. I also don’t think it should be on the families to pay for everything, help sure, but only if able. I don’t know why this has become the way to save money but I do know they deserve much better. Until that day comes I will continue to find ways to give them what they need. I do look forward to the day that fundraising is an extra again and not a necessity because the teachers, we are tired.

Oh one more cool thing I tried and was successful at this year was applying for and getting our school adopted by Indigo Books. This means lots of books, and grants for our school community for years to come. I believe you can apply in February and it’s pretty amazing for your school if you are successful. Highly recommend.

With Love, C.