PayPal Stories Archive

Once schools and parents get kids back into the rhythm of the new school year, the focus turns to fundraising. How do you drum up enthusiasm for giving – and how do you make it easy for busy parents to donate or pay for events, without filling kids’ backpacks with forms and permission slips? PayPal went to an expert for advice: Gary Hensley, the CEO and founder of school fundraising platform Edbacker.

 

“As a former teacher and assistant principal, I know that our schools need annual fundraisers,” Hensley says. “As a parent, I also know that schools don’t always make it easy for us to participate.” He’s gathered lots of tips from parents and schools on how to kick off a stellar fundraising season – and he shares them here with PayPal.

 

Schools recognize that while parents want to contribute, they’re strapped for time. Everyone wants to attend ice cream fundraisers, for example, but it’s tough to squeeze them into a long day of homework and sports. Instead of time-consuming events, many schools now set up online “Dollar a Day” fundraisers so parents can contribute more frequently. And instead of parents and kids going door to door to raise money, consider giving your class, school, or club an online donation page – for example, Edbacker’s page with payments from PayPal. The donation pages can easily be shared with social networks of coworkers, alumni, and family.

 

Online payments can also help you do away with those pesky forms you send home in kids’ backpacks, not to mention the time you spend collecting checks from those same backpacks. Parents often tell schools they’d prefer email messages that explain exactly what’s needed, like donations or volunteering. When you switch to emails, you can keep track of who received them, and parents can forward messages to their networks.

 

In today’s “always connected” world, parents and school staff rely on their smartphones for just about everything – so why not make phones the place where they can donate to your school? Incorporating a mobile giving option helps parents give money with just a few clicks while they’re waiting to pick up their kids from school.

 

Parents love being social – they’re using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Since parents are on social media, your fundraising campaigns should be too. Adding a social element to your fundraising or holding virtual “challenges” can help increase parent engagement. It can also add a friendly competitive spirit to something very important to all: raising money for kids’ education.

 

Online tools offer a wonderful opportunity to help schools and parents fundraise more effectively. For more information about saving time and money when you’re fundraising, visit our Edbacker.com.

 

Edbacker has partnered with PayPal and 92Y, the founding organization of #GivingTuesday, to help schools make the most of the giving season. They will be launching a #GivingTuesday toolkit and hosting a free webinar on Oct 24 at 1pm ET to talk you through success strategies for #GivingTuesday and answer any questions you may have about one of the biggest days for donating.  Register today!