Schools have this annual need for a budget in operations. Due to budget constraints, many schools suffer losses and pushed to the brink of discontinuing operations. To survive and continue providing quality education to students, schools find ways to raise the needed funds to make ends meet. Fortunately, modern technology has paved the way for a more modern way of raising funds for schools. The best thing with these online fundraising platforms is that they have a global reach. There is an enormous potential for raising a huge amount of money. There are many platforms to choose from. Read on and explore the power of online fundraising options for schools. To learn more about the best fundraising methods, you can check out Fundraising Zone.
Online Shoe Drive Fundraiser
A shoe drive is a popular and traditional fundraiser for schools. But with the innovations brought about by the genius minds of people in some organizations, they were able to integrate an online platform for a shoe drive fundraiser. Traditionally, shoe drive is run by asking students to bring their gently used shoes from home to the school. Every pair of shoes collected is set for a scheduled sale. The problem with this kind of fundraiser is that it will need a few volunteers to sort the shoe collection. Additionally, handling the sale can be time-consuming and problems may arise if there will be many pairs of shoes left unsold. These shoes may end up in the garbage pile instead of being turned into valuable dollars.
Probably, fundraising organizations saw these problems that they changed the way a shoe drive is facilitated. With the online shoe drive fundraiser, the organizer will do all the work. The school will have no need for volunteers, except to those who would gladly donate their shoes. The collection of shoes will be handled by the organization. Everything will be provided for free. Even fundraising coaches are provided if the school requests so. Digital materials for promotion and marketing strategies are all provided by the organizer. There will be no scheduled sale as the organizers will pick up the collection and pays the school according to the assessed value of the collected shoes. It’s that plain and simple.
T-shirt Fundraiser
T-shirt fundraiser is also popularly used in schools to raise funds. Again, the traditional method of using the t-shirt fundraiser can be similar to the shoe drive campaign. The difference is that the t-shirts that will be sold are new, and typically designed with the school brand or themed according to the fundraising cause. Schools often sell the t-shirts as part of the enrolment fees. If a t-shirt for a cause is scheduled for a sale date, then just like the shoe drive, volunteers are needed for the sale. Inventory of t-shirt requires an upfront cost. Overstocking could add more problems as the school will not be able to recover the expenses for the initial investment.
Fortunately, several online fundraising organizations probably saw these problems and formulated effective ways of facilitating t-shirt fundraising for schools. Using some online platforms for a t-shirt fundraiser enables schools to eliminate initial investments and inventory. The organizers will do all the work including the selling of the t-shirts.
The Powerful Crowdfunding
Thanks to the innovative and creative minds of the organizations that started online crowdfunding – probably the most powerful and effective online fundraising tool for schools. Due to the effectivity of crowdfunding, many organizations built their own online platforms to help not just the schools, but also individuals, profit, and non-profit organizations. Whatever the cause is, several crowdfunding platforms are available online to help. So, how does it work? This online fundraising application simply combines the power of social media and fundraising webpages. With its global coverage, a hundred thousand dollars can be easily collected within a 48-hour timeframe. The school simply creates a crowdfunding campaign by telling its story and sharing its cause. The rest will go viral via different social media platforms with the help of students, teachers, parents, and friends. The best thing about the online crowdfunding is that most platforms offer their services for free.
Combining the traditional fundraising for school activities, with the power of social media platforms, can really make a huge difference in collecting even a huge amount of money for a cause. Innovating ways of facilitating school fundraisers is an eye-opener not just for schools but also to other entities needing funds for a noble cause. The use of the internet combined with the right social media platforms brings a powerful force of pooling funds that can significantly sustain the funding needs of many schools.