7 Essential Tips for Fundraising and Securing Classroom Grants

With classroom materials and resources becoming increasingly scarce, we’ve prepared a fundraising and grant toolkit to help you get started on the path tobuilding a stimulating and motivational learning environment for your students. Here you will find fundraising and grant information along with some tipsto help you make the most out of your quest for donations.

1. Have a clear idea of what resources you need. Do you need a new set of computers? Dictionaries? Write down a list of what you need to get an idea of how much fundraising you will have to do to meetyour goal.

2. Create a compelling campaign. Use interesting stories from your students and testimonials from parents to add a personal touch and include details of exciting upcoming projects thatwill include the materials you will get from fundraising.

3. Research which donation based websites are right for your classroom. Depending on what items you need, choose a website that has access to the right donors and materials for your cause. See some options we’ve pulled togetherbelow.

4. Beware of hidden fees. Some websites charge donor fees while others take money off the top of each donation. Be sure to read the fine print to avoid getting less money than youhoped for.

5. Don’t spend unnecessary cash. According to Edutopia, you can have access to books, electronics and othersoon to be discarded items through websites like Freecycle. If you don’t have time to fundraise, this may be aquick solution to obtaining materials you may be missing.

6. Try something different. If you are especially creative, think of ways you can use resources already available to you to raise cash. One teacher sold advertising space on the bottom of tests by asking community membersto “sponsor” the student’s exams.

7. Send a thank you letter. Write a heartfelt note or leave a review for the donor who funds your campaign. In most cases, website donors won’t get the chance to see their gift inaction so let them know exactly how much it means to you and your students!

Resources:

Adoptaclassroom.org– Once you register your classroom, you will receive access to materials that will help you get started with promoting your classroom donation page. Donorscan then search for you through the website based on criteria such as classroom size, location, and poverty level and will have the opportunity to issuetax-deductible grants. To date, Adoptaclassroom.org has raised over $24,000,000 for teachers nationwide.

Donorschoose.org– Post your projects, along with budgetary requirements and materials needed, for donors to fund. Projects can be posted for up to four months, and oncethe project is fully funded, materials will ship directly to the school. Donors are given the ability to track their gifts, receiving photos of the projectin action, and in some cases, written thank you notes from the students!

Gofundme– Although not specifically for teachers, this is a great resource for any kind of fundraising. Customize your campaign, share your cause across socialmedia, and receive updates when your funds come in. Unlike donorschoose.org, campaigns don’t expire and you do not need to post a monetary goal.

Classwish.org– Create a wish list for classroom materials and gain access to funds immediately once the first donation comes in. Classwish.org uses shopping cart listsfrom websites like Michael’s, Britannica, and PBS to help you create your ideal wish list. One interesting aspect of the site is its donation rewardsprogram. Shopping on the website allows you to earn donations to use toward your classroom!

Digital Wish– Give your students the gift of technology by signing up with Digital Wish. Create a wish list for your classroom and use social media, flyers, or emailto spread the word about your campaign. The website also equips you with tools like letter writing campaign resources, free t-shirt printing services, andrecycling fundraising ideas.

Funding Factory– Raise money by recycling old ink cartridges and cell phones. Register your school, and get the community involved by sourcing recyclables and shippingthem at no cost via UPS. For every qualifying item parents, residents, and fellow teachers donate, your account will receive cash. You can request thefunds to be sent to your school in the form of a check or shop the site’s rewards catalog for whiteboards, printers, cameras, and more.

Bonus Resource: Check out Edutopia’s long list of additional educational grants and fundraising optionsavailable to you!