I've been asked to help with my PTA because, apparently, there are no parents on the Board anymore. The teacher's have been doing all the work for 2 years! So, can anyone tell me what their PTA does that raises the most money & what their PTA does for them that they like the most? THANK YOU!!!

Andrea - posted on 03/27/2009

That was supposed to be hike bike and TRIKE not trick! Lol

Andrea - posted on 03/27/2009

What age group are you looking at? Square1 Art is amazing. It is simple and easy and the website explains it all. Aim to do it in the fall for Christmas gifts. If you do it in the spring "sell" it for mother's and father's day.



Dance-a-thons have worked before. Also date night. Once a month (or every other month or just for Valentines) parents can drop kids off at the school for a few hrs and pay a small fee ($5/child or so) Have a movie, a gym activity and a small, cheap craft for the kids. See if you can get a local business or bank to sponsor it. Serve pizza, popcorn and drinks.



Hike, Bike, and Trick a-thon. Get sponsors and see if you can get tshirts made. Instead of getting people to sponsor the kids charge a fee. We did $7/child with a $14 max. If you do t-shirts keep the logo the same every year--saves on the printing fees--and just change colors. The first yr we did this the profit wasn't stellar but it was desent. Gets bigger with each passing yr.



Good luck!

Traci - posted on 03/25/2009

Our school mascot is a tiger so 2 times a month on a friday after school we have tiger treats we sell after school.Like candy ,ice cream sandwiches,beef jerky,etc.some are .25 and some are .50.We sell alot .Also at the end of the school year we have an event called Tigers in the park.The kids and parents come to our local park they play,we sell tickets for dinner which is usually BQ.Leading up to that each grade collects things for a basket auction.Like 1st is disney,2nd is mothers day, 3rd gardening etc.then they are auctioned off that night we make good money off that. Our group is called PAT we fix up some baskets also.We sell entertainment books. Hope this helps.

Joy - posted on 03/25/2009

We have an amazing PTA.  Our biggest fundraiser was with QSP-Reader's Digest.  We made over $15,000 with that one.  We also sold coupon books for $20...we got 1/2.  Our mascot is the Knight, so once a month we have a Knight Out, where a local restaurant donates a percentage of sales to us (most supply a flyer).  It's been so successful, restaurants have begin contacting us.  Just this month we had a Casino Knight and made about $5000.  It was an adult only event with professional gaming tables/dealers, catered food, auctions, drawings/raffles, etc.  An absolute blast.  I read that someone suggested a carnival.  We do that each fall.  We don't make any money from the carnival (our goal is to break-even) but hold live and silent auctions at the same time.  We generally make $5-8,000.  The kids play, the parents bid.  A jog-a-thon would be a great way to tie in Health Week with fundraising, too. Have you tried See's Candies or frozen desserts?  Next month, we're hosting a boutique for local vendors.  We're charging $25 for small tables and $50 for larger tables.  You should have a regional and state PTA council.  They'd be a great resource for other ideas. 

Deanna - posted on 03/25/2009

That's a cool idea!!

Debbie - posted on 03/25/2009

Oh and our school just had a Family Fun Night on Friday night where they have different games in several classrooms (looking over my daughter's little punchout necklace she got on Friday, there were 15 games.) Teachers, parents, older kids ran the games. They had some food and drinks they sold in the library, and a raffle. Each grade level had a different theme and families donated items to be grouped together in a basket, local businesses gave some prizes like gift cards and such like that. Then the PTO sold raffle tickets for the prizes. The prices were about $5.00 for a sheet of tickets. Then at the end of Family Fun Night (at 7:30pm), everyone headed to the gym to listen to the winning numbers to see if they won anything. Knowing that our family paid for 2 kids to play the games, along with 4 sheets of raffle tickets, we spent $30 alone that Friday. There were lots of families there as well.

Deanna - posted on 03/25/2009

Another thing we're doing is holding a family dance. The tickets are pretty inexpensive ($5 a family) but it's pure profit as the DJ donated their services and refreshments and prizes are donated by local businesses. We're also doing a silent auction with donated items. I'm hoping that goes over well too.

Deanna - posted on 03/25/2009

I was in the same spot last year. We sold Little Caesars Pizza Kits and made over $4500. We are in a small rural community so that was like a million dollars to the school. It was super easy and they do everything. It is a bit time consuming to compile orders but they even give you a spreadsheet to enter the orders in to. You do need lots of volunteers to help with delivery but it's worth it. We're doing 2 of them next year!! If you decide to do it and have questions I'd be happy to help!

Debbie - posted on 03/25/2009

Oh, and the school also has days where for like $.50 or $1.00 kids can wear hats for a day or bring a hand-held electronic for recess or such like that.

Debbie - posted on 03/25/2009

Oh yeah, and they have Market Days in which they send out a pamplet full of food you can buy and they earn money from it. (I haven't bought anything from it yet.) and they collect those box tops off of food (although I think they should advertise better for that since my daughter has been in the school for 3 years and only recently have I heard them say anything about it.)

Debbie - posted on 03/25/2009

A few of the things our PTO does is have a movie night where they get a new release kid's movie (like Kung Fu Panda or something like that) and has a movie night. They just have a laptop and a project it on a screen in the gym. The parents pay like $5 for a family and the PTA also sells popcorn, soda, pizza, and such while there. They make money for the food and all of the families that come to the school for the families. They just send out a handout and a lot of the kids even come in their pajamas to the school that night.



They also have a walkathon at the school for the kids. I think they even had shirts that had what business donated money for the walkathon, but I'm not that familiar with how that happened. I was only in the PTO when my daughter was in kindergarten and then I got pregnant and had another child and my job was to be the copy cat and make copies of things for the teachers since they have so many other things to do.



Ummm ... they also get a percentage of how much people spend at a restaurant twice a year. They've gotten Max and Ermas and City Barbeque to give them a percentage of purchase price from people who buy that particular day and show that they are from the school. Generally it's just by giving them the sheet they received from the school advertising what day to eat there. (Yesterday was the day for City Barbeque, that's why I thought of it.)



I'm sure they're other things they do but those are the ones I thought of immediately.

Stephanie - posted on 03/24/2009

Oh...another thing if it can be organized....a school carnival. Include things like a cake walk (pay $1), charge for tickets, call local vendors to see if they would be willing to donate items or gift cards for a raffle. Each class will have a different game theme, and tickets would be collected in the class rooms or gym. Carnival's are fun!

Also, I know Christmas is a long way away, but you could do a gift wrap fundraiser thing. The PTA would provide the material, paper and tape and tags, the parents would provide the gifts that need to be wrapped. Charge $3-$5 per gift, depending on size.

The parents havent been involved much, probably because they may not fully understand what the PTA does and how it helps their children. Can I suggest, if you take on this duty, send out a short letter, introducing yourself and giving the parents and students of upcoming activities to raise money. Ask for their feedback. Keep them informed, monthly, of future plans and what the money raised has purchased or helped with in some way.

Even if your looking at 15-20 pizza's, it would be either a monthly thing, or every other month, you should still get a good price for bulk purchases. I'm here if you need me!

Daminique - posted on 03/24/2009

Wow! 40-50 pizzas! I don't think there's any way we would get that many. We're having such a hard time to get any parent involvement at all. Any other ideas you have would be greatly appreciated!! I'm going to check in to the pizza idea. I like that one. We have Papa John's also. I'm near Houston, TX. You've been so helpful!!

Quoting Stephanie:

Usually, tons of families participate. When that happens, the pizza place will offer us a huge discount. The charge is per size. I know for a large pizza, the PTA charges $10. The families can eat at the school in the cafeteria or they can take it home. Prior to passing out flyers, I would find a good pizza company, talk to the manager and let them know that you are trying to raise money for the school to help fund new materials or activities for the kids. Let them know the pizza orders will be big...40-50 pizza's. I would also inform the manager that the pricing needs to be reasonable enough for the PTA to make a profit. If their pricing isnt right, go to the next best place in town and so on. We have really good luck with Papa Johns (not sure if you all have one of those or not). If the larger chains are not willing to help...I would find a good small pizzaria and talk to them. To get an idea of how many families would participate, you could do a survey asking what they would like the PTA to do to raise money for the school. I hope this helps...if not...I can come up with more ideas!

Stephanie - posted on 03/24/2009

Usually, tons of families participate. When that happens, the pizza place will offer us a huge discount. The charge is per size. I know for a large pizza, the PTA charges $10. The families can eat at the school in the cafeteria or they can take it home. Prior to passing out flyers, I would find a good pizza company, talk to the manager and let them know that you are trying to raise money for the school to help fund new materials or activities for the kids. Let them know the pizza orders will be big...40-50 pizza's. I would also inform the manager that the pricing needs to be reasonable enough for the PTA to make a profit. If their pricing isnt right, go to the next best place in town and so on. We have really good luck with Papa Johns (not sure if you all have one of those or not). If the larger chains are not willing to help...I would find a good small pizzaria and talk to them. To get an idea of how many families would participate, you could do a survey asking what they would like the PTA to do to raise money for the school. I hope this helps...if not...I can come up with more ideas!

Daminique - posted on 03/24/2009

How do you get the pizza's cheap enough to make a profit? How much do you  pay for the pizza & how much do you charge for it? Do the families pick them up to take home or do they eat there at the school? Thanks for all of the great ideas!

 

Quoting Stephanie:

I think working with the PTA would be great! Our PTA holds "Pizza Parties" once a month. The charge is minimal and the parents can order any style and size pizza they want before hand. When they show up, they pay the PTA for the pizza. Also, our PTA holds "Skate Night" once a month at our local roller skating rink. The cost is once again minimal - $2 per child, but that money goes for the PTA funds. We also have "Special Days". Special Days include: Hat Day, Pajama Day, Stuffed Animal Day, Sports Day(clothing or hats), and Pillow Day. Each child pays $2 to participate as well as brings in a canned food item for the local food bank. All of these events are great for the kids and the parents feel apart of it too when we have the Pizza night. In the summer, before school lets out, our school is planning a car wash! Good way to earn money there! Also, there is an event coming up where the kids will go to near by homes of the elderly or disabled and assist them in light outside duties, such as, cleaning out leaves from flower beds, picking up sticks in the yard, sweeping off porches, drives, patios and sidewalks...etc. I hope these ideas help you. I wish you luck and just have fun with it!

Stephanie - posted on 03/24/2009

I think working with the PTA would be great! Our PTA holds "Pizza Parties" once a month. The charge is minimal and the parents can order any style and size pizza they want before hand. When they show up, they pay the PTA for the pizza. Also, our PTA holds "Skate Night" once a month at our local roller skating rink. The cost is once again minimal - $2 per child, but that money goes for the PTA funds. We also have "Special Days". Special Days include: Hat Day, Pajama Day, Stuffed Animal Day, Sports Day(clothing or hats), and Pillow Day. Each child pays $2 to participate as well as brings in a canned food item for the local food bank. All of these events are great for the kids and the parents feel apart of it too when we have the Pizza night. In the summer, before school lets out, our school is planning a car wash! Good way to earn money there! Also, there is an event coming up where the kids will go to near by homes of the elderly or disabled and assist them in light outside duties, such as, cleaning out leaves from flower beds, picking up sticks in the yard, sweeping off porches, drives, patios and sidewalks...etc. I hope these ideas help you. I wish you luck and just have fun with it!