A recent study conducted by Quality Education Data (QED) on behalf of Schoolpop, Inc. (www.schoolpop.com) found that more than half of K-12 schools (58%) believe that fundraising is necessary to offer students a quality education. Fundraising, which used to be supplemental, is now a fundamental part of schools' budgets. But as fundraising becomes increasingly important, school fundraising coordinators indicate that the money raised through traditional methods is insufficient, pointing to a need for more effective means of raising much-needed funds.
“While people might believe that the purpose of school fundraising is to provide students with 'extras' like band trips and new cheerleading uniforms,” explained Bob Wann, President and CEO of Schoolpop, “our survey found that funding for books and educational materials is the primary reason most schools conduct fundraisers.”
This fall, parents can get a head start on fundraising by combining back-to-school shopping and school fundraising into one easy experience. Schoolpop, Inc., the leader in providing fundraising solutions for K – 12 schools, enables parents to give back to their schools while buying things they had planned to buy anyway and at no additional cost.
Each time a consumer makes a purchase through Schoolpop, an average of six percent and up to 20 percent of the sales benefit the designated K-12 school at no additional cost to the consumer or the school. By simply logging on to www.schoolpop.com, parents can register the school of their choice and shop at more than 250 top e-commerce retailers including Toys “R” Us, Gap, Dell, Barnes & Noble and more. Interested schools may register online, or contact Schoolpop at 1-877-724-5767 or at info@schoolpop.com.
Shop for back-to-school items through Schoolpop and raise funds for your school:
- For uniforms, shop at Lands' End, JCPenney, Gap and Frenchtoast.
- Notebooks, pens, pencils, markers and other school supplies can be purchased at OfficeMax, MisterArt or AtYourOffice.
- Backpacks can be bought at Eddie Bauer or L.L. Bean.
- Find soccer balls, baseball cleats, swimming goggles and more at online sporting equipment stores Fogdog and PlanetOutdoors.
- Buy the latest computer software and hardware at Apple including iMacs, iBooks, PowerMac G4s, and PowerBooks.
- Purchase reading programs at online educational Web site Hooked on Phonics.
- Books can be found at Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Britannica.
(Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com)
