This past weekend a local town hosted a Community Yard Sale.
What a great idea for for a fundraiser - for a school or any other nonprofit group. Here's how it works...
Residents in the community pay a $10 fee to have their name included on a list and map. The list contains all of the Yard Sales taking place on a designated Saturday.
The group organizing the event collects the $10 payments, puts together the list of participating homes, and advertises the event. They distribute the list online through email, CraigsList, and other social media. They also hand them out at the School or Town Hall the morning on the Yard Sale.
The organizing group is also responsible for advertising. This may include ads in local newspapers, online news networks, CraigsList, school newsletters and signs posted around town in visible locations. Remember to advertising in the towns surrounding your own - you'll want shoppers to come from all around.
Each homeowner participating in the Yard Sale is responsible for organizing their own yard sale at their home on their front lawn or in their driveway. They sell their own used items. What a great way to clean out your garage, cellar, attic, and sheds!
The first year this local town ran a Community Yard Sale, they had about 10 participants. This year, they had over 50!
Everyone benefits! The organizing group and participating residents both make some easy money, the participants clean out their homes, and the environment is saved by all of the recycling of used items.
It's all good.
Vicki Blaze
PTO Ideas
Parent-Teacher Organizations Sharing Ideas
www.ptoideas.com
I love this super, easy recipe to make gift tags. Wouldn't they make a great item for the students to make and then sell at bake sales?
Credit goes to the creative folks at Kiwi Crate for posting this. Photo has also been reposted from The Studio at Kiwi Crate.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Salt
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Water
Straw, Cookie cutter, Stamp, & Ribbon
Mix salt, flour, and water. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter. Poke a hole near the top to later feed a ribbon through. Stamp a monogram letter, word, or image. Let dry on their own or speed up the process by placing them in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes and then turning the oven off but leaving the dough tags in to dry.
Sell individually or in packages of four at school bake sales.
Enjoy!
Vicki Blaze
PTO Ideas
Parent-Teacher Organizations Sharing Ideas
www.PTOideas.com
50% OFF KIWI CRATES TODAY
I love these science, art, and craft creative packs from Kiwi Crate. They make a perfect gift for your little one that arrives all year long!
Today only get 50% off the 1st month of a new monthly or gift subscription. USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY.
Tomorrow 40% off & Monday it's 30% off. Order today!
YEAR-END FUNDRAISING
Did you know that a large amount of donations are submitted on the last two days of December?
With that in mind, it's not too late to raise additional funds by the end of the year. Not only are people in the giving holiday spirit, but they also know they have to make a donation by Dec. 31st in order to claim it on their upcoming U.S. tax return.
Get to work encouraging year-end giving through these avenues...
SCHOOL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
FALL FUNDRAISER RESULTS
How did your Fall fundraisers go? Here are some results of schools that did great with our Spelling Challenge:
- Goodyear School: about 300 students raised $12,500
- St. Charles School: about 180 students raised $8,600
- Wyman School: about 200 students raised $6,500
- Reeves School: about 600 students raised $11,000 running our Spelling Challenge as a Math Challenge
It's not too late to schedule a Spelling Challenge for the Winter or Spring 2013. If you live in eastern Massachusetts, I'll even run it for you! Just EMAIL ME for more info .
200 Students * 2 Weeks * $10,000 * Find out how!
Thank you & Enjoy!
Vicki Blaze
Editor & Publisher
PTO Ideas
Parent Teacher Organizations Sharing Ideas
www.ptoideas.com
P.S. Please share this newsletter with newly elected committee members and friends. You are also welcome to reprint our articles in your school newsletter, just remember to identify the source as PTO Ideas (www.ptoideas.com).
Did you know that a large amount of donations are submitted on the last two days of December?
With that in mind, it's not too late to raise additional funds by the end of the year. Not only are people in the giving holiday spirit, but they also know they have to make a donation by Dec. 31st in order to claim it on their upcoming U.S. tax return.
Get to work encouraging year-end giving through these avenues...
Email. It only takes a few minutes to put together a clear, concise email campaign. Send it to your subscribers at least 4 times between now and the end of December with the final one set to arrive in their in-boxes on December 30th. Remember to state the goal of the PTO, tell the reader how your organization relates to them, ask for an online donation, and ask the reader to forward your request to family, friends & colleagues.
Telephone. Compile a list of past donors that have not yet donated this year. Call them. Thank them for their past support and update them on the PTO's work.
Media. The week following Christmas is typically a slow news week so it's easier to get a story on TV or in the newspaper. Start putting together a positive story about your school and the work the PTO has been doing to enrich the lives of the students and send it to the media. Don't forget to mention that donations from community families and businesses are important for the PTO to do the positive work they do.
Direct Mail. It may be a detailed letter sent home in the student's backpacks or a brief postcard sent by U.S. mail that tells potential donors how your organization relates to them and exactly what their donation will be used to accomplish.
Newsletter. Publish a donation request in the school's newsletter.
Signs. Post a sign or banner outside your school as a reminder to donate.
Website. Post an advertisement and a "Donate Now" link button on the school's website.
Announcements. Remember to make announcements at school-sponsored events such as holiday shows.
One final tip... remember to proofread every marketing campaign several times yourself and ask a colleague to review it for you too.
Happy Holidays!
Vicki Blaze
PTO Ideas
Parent-Teacher Organizations Sharing Ideas
www.ptoideas.com
We came across these grant opportunities and thought your school and student may be interested in some of them. Just click on the associated links for details on each.
General Mills: Through the Champions for Healthy Kids program, the General Mills Foundation will award 50 grants of $10,000 to nonprofit organizations working to improve nutrition and physical fitness behaviors for youth. Application deadline is December 3, 2012.
IRA Award for Technology and Reading: Honors educators in grades K-12 who are making an outstanding and innovative contribution to the use of technology in reading education. Submission deadline is November 15, 2012.
Goldman Sachs Essay Contest for Innovation in U.S. Education: An essay contest to engage the broader education community and foster greater innovation. The winner will be awarded a $10,000 prize. Concept papers should be based on the following topics: What should we do to create a strong US education system that works for all, that improves student outcomes and enables our country to regain its leadership position in the field of education? Submission deadline is November 16, 2012.
Brinker International: Brinker and it's restaurants contribute more than $3 million annually to a number of worthwhile charities. Their goal is to support programs and projects that are affiliated with children/family, arts, civic, and university related educational programs.
Corning: In addition to Cultural, Community Service, National Programs, and Matching Gifts programs, the Corning Incorporated Foundation awards grants to Educational organizations for community service programs for students, curriculum enrichment, student scholarships, facility improvement and instructional technology projects for the classroom.
Hewlett Packard: Hewlett Packard and Scholastic offer free dynamic skill building materials for students in grades 4 through 6 that raise awareness of the opportunities to reduce the impact of electronics on the environment. The innovative lessons introduce students to the concepts of product life-cycle, environmental issues and the role that students can play in environmental responsibility.
Click here for many more grant opportunities.
Good Luck!
Vicki Blaze
PTO Ideas
Parent-Teacher Organizations Sharing Ideas
www.ptoideas.com
This past weekend a local town hosted a Community Yard Sale. 
