National PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in the United States, with more than 6 million members. As a not-for-profit association of parents, educators, students, PTA aims to improve the quality of learning and living of the students within the school.
PTA fundraising is an important and integral part of the organization, which supports many programs needed in schools. The fundraising project must support the goals of PTA and be related to educational, charitable, and philanthropic purposes. Important issues such as education, health, welfare or legislation of children, motivate a lot of families to contribute money for PTA causes.
Short steps for fundraising
- Executive board and association must approve the fundraising events in advance;
- Recruit enough volunteers to conduct the project and set up clear tasks and work schedules for each;
- Solicit donated goods and services;
- Clear the dates with the school and reserve needed facilities and equipment;
- Make firm arrangements with merchants. Obtain all necessary permits. Be sure merchants are fully covered by their own liability insurance and Workers’ Compensation.
Types of PTA Fundraisers
- Direct sales – your PTA orders an inventory of fundraising products to be sold by your volunteers. The volunteers sell the product, deliver it, and collect payments, usually in one trip.
- Order taker – also known as brochures or catalog sales. PTA presents a fundraising brochure to the potential supporters and then collects the orders. Order forms are sent to the fundraising company, which will ship the products to the contact person for your PTA. Your members and volunteers then deliver the products to your supporters.
- Special event – requires a much bigger preparation time . Your PTA may work with a fundraising company that conducts the entire event and you will be responsible for securing the facilities, advertising, and selling tickets for the fundraiser. Another alternative is a complete do-it-yourself fundraiser that your group comprises from scratch.
- On-line – The fundraising company your PTA is working with will create a personalized web site for your group to inform supporters about your goals and to encourage them to participate with a donation or to buy products. Another solution is to have a coded link on your organization web site that will take the visitor to a personalized page on the company’s site.
