When you launch a PTA fundraiser, community engagement is essential to meet your goals. You can never have too many people join your efforts to increase awareness and raise money for your school’s programs. However, engaging with people outside of your immediate social circle might not come easily to you. Fortunately, you can use these four tips to attract more involvement for your fundraiser.
1. Raise Awareness Around Your Neighborhood
No matter how small you think your fundraising event is, cultivating involvement from neighbors who don’t necessarily have kids in your school can boost your results. Grandparents, church friends, and local business owners are great people to share information with about your PTA fundraiser.
Spread the word about your goals and invite everyone to participate in whatever way they can.
Here are some methods you can use to reach your neighbors:
- Launch a social media campaign to encourage participation
- Have all parents share information about the fundraiser on their social channels to reach their friends and colleagues who don’t necessarily have kids in your school
- Send an email that encourages current volunteers to spread the word to everyone they meet
- Create a school newsletter to inform and encourage parents and grandparents to get involved
- Blog about the details of the fundraiser on the school website for everyone to see, and share a link to it on your school’s social media channels
- Hand out flyers at church and other events you attend to spread the word
- Call or send an email to local business owners asking if they would be interested in sponsoring or participating in the fundraiser
Use every means possible to spread the word throughout your neighborhood about the PTA fundraiser to generate the best results!
2. Boost Visibility With Incentives
You can catch even more people’s attention when you offer incentives to those who get involved in your fundraiser. Local events, such as a farmer’s market or a Sunday church service, are great places to do this. You can set up a booth, and talk to the attendees about the goals for your school’s programs.
Then, you can prompt them to participate in the fundraiser by offering a lanyard, swag bag or other tangible gifts in return. Try to get this swag donated to you from local businesses so that you don’t have to pay any out-of-pocket costs to spread the word about your fundraiser.
3. Ask Local Businesses to Sponsor Your Fundraiser
Speaking of local businesses, you can gain even more awareness and support when you team up with local businesses to sponsor your PTA fundraiser. You could set this into motion by offering to promote the businesses at the school, or by including the name/logo of the business on your promotional materials for the fundraiser. s. In return, the local business owners can contribute to your fundraiser by donating items or making a financial contribution.
In addition, building relationships with local businesses and their employees can secure continued support for your school programs. It lays the groundwork for significant future sponsorships, access to a larger audience and increased contributions.
4. Pitch Your Story to Your Local Paper and News Channel
Media attention is one of the best ways to attract widespread community interest in your PTA fundraiser. Tell the story behind your fundraiser to one or more local papers. Start with a narrative that focuses on one person or group of students at your school and the challenges that they face. Then, provide details about what you hope to achieve to help them overcome those challenges.
This process will provoke an emotional response in readers or viewers, making them more likely to contribute to and join your cause. Also, it will increase the likelihood that local reporters become invested in your fundraiser and want to help you promote it.
Not sure what kind of PTA fundraiser to host? Consider a sneaker drive fundraiser with GotSneakers.
When it comes to spreading awareness about a sneaker drive fundraiser, GotSneakers makes it easy. We’ll send you a Starter Kit filled with marketing materials, pre-paid shipping labels, shoe collection bags and everything else you need to host a successful fundraiser. Combined with the above tips, you’re set up for a successful sneakers drive.