Schoola: A New Idea in School Fundraising

Ashley O'Neill
February 8, 2012

Fundraising. It's an inevitable part of the school experience. And it's easy to see why: The economy has hit all of us, schools included, and when there isn't as much money coming into a school, the amenities for our children start to wane. We've seen librarians lose their jobs, music programs cut, and school supply closets becoming bare. It's a tough situation. And because we care about our schools and our children and our children's education, we get out there with the popcorn and wrapping paper and cookie dough and sell as much as we can. Every little bit helps, right?

But what if there were an easier way to do it? What if there were a way to stop selling door-to-door (or cubicle-to-cubicle) and raise money for our schools by helping our neighbors save money? It sounds counter-intuitive, but it works. And that's the brand new idea that we have here at The Savvy Source. We call it Schoola.

Schoola is based on the group coupon model, except instead of raising money for a big company (or for Savvy Source, in this case) we're raising money for schools. And what makes this idea even better is that it's based on keeping the money right in your neighborhood—parents, schools, neighborhood businesses all working together to raise money as a team. It's an intriguing idea, right? Here's how it works...

Step One: You gather a group of schools in your neighborhood to work together as a team. It can be any combination of schools: preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, private, public, or charter. The key, though, is that you're all in the same community; you live near each other and you visit the same businesses.

Step Two: Talk to a great local business you already know and love. You don’t need a lot of deals in order for this fundraiser to work. In fact, you  need just one. Schoola will walk you through the process of creating a deal that the parents of your school (and family, and friends, and coworkers) will love!  And when each school on your team brings a deal, you will have something special to show to your school's parent community. Even better? You're all helping to raise money for all of the schools, working together to make your education network stronger.

Step Three: We do the rest! We host and facilitate the fundraiser. We give you the tools to share it with the parents and give them the tools to share it from there. We handle all purchases, transaction fees, and fulfillment. And most importantly, we send the checks to participating schools and businesses within one week of the end of the fundraiser.

We had our very first Schoola fundraiser in the Lakewood neighborhood of Dallas, and it was a smashing success for everyone involved. The four schools (two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school) raised 160% of their target goal, bringing much-needed funds quickly into the schools themselves. And parents got great deals on cupcakes, spa services, dance camps, and even a wine tasting.  It was a huge benefit for the whole community—the neighbors, the schools, and the local businesses. The success even caught the eye of two local news stations.

Interested in trying this ground-breaking fundraiser in your school and neighborhood?  Contact us at support@schoola.com, and we'll get you started. Happy fundraising!