How to Host a TCSD#1 School, Club, or Team Fundraiser

STEP 1: IDENTIFY AN UNMET NEED AND SET YOUR OUTCOME GOAL

Good fundraising always starts with a real problem that you’d like to address and an outcome that you’d like to achieve. The problem should be one that can’t be addressed through your school’s site budget or other district funds, and the outcome should be one that impacts the TCSD#1 community as broadly as possible. A great example: Many local students don’t meet the criteria for federal free and reduced lunch, but still face food insecurity. That’s an unmet need. Our outcome goal is to ensure that every child in need has access to free meals.

STEP 2: SET A FINANCIAL GOAL THAT WILL HELP ADDRESS THIS NEED

Your financial goal should always been realistic and transparent. In the example above, we use district food service data to estimate the cost of all those free meals, including the cost of the food, its preparation, packaging, and distribution. Be honest about what you need to achieve the outcome that you want.

STEP 3: CHOOSE THE TYPE OF FUNDRAISER THAT BEST FITS YOUR GOAL

TCSD#1 and the Fund for Public Education partner to enable easy, professionally managed fundraisers that fit different needs:

• General Donations: Donors can give any amount to support the school, project, club, or team of their choice, over any period of time. This is great way for donors to invest in the programs that they love most.

• Peer to Peer: Donors can choose to support specific students taking part in a larger event. This includes events like read-a-thons, art contests, etc. It’s a great way for kids to engage their families and friends in support of a good cause.

• Ticketed Events: Donors can purchase a ticket for a one-time event. This is a wonderful way to raise community support by showcasing students’ talents.

• Sales: Donors can purchase items or services in support of our schools. This includes car washes, bake sales, craft sales, etc. It’s a great way for kids to engage with the community.

• Raffles: Donors can buy tickets for a chance to win a special prize. By law, raffles are required to follow specific rules that other types of fundraisers are not subject to. If you apply to do a raffle on behalf of TCSD#1, you’ll receive special instructions on how to solicit and receive raffle prizes.

• Auctions: Donors bid on items. Auctions can be very time consuming and don’t typically pay off as well as other types of fundraisers. We strongly discourage auctions if the items’ individual worth is less than $10,000 each.

STEP 4: PICK A DATE FOR YOUR FUNDRAISER

Look for a time of year that gives you enough time to adequately plan your fundraiser, that works well for students and for the community, and that doesn’t overlap with other fundraisers.

STEP 5: SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

Every school fundraiser is subject to the same financial approvals and processes as any other financial transaction within TCSD#1. This ensures equity and transparency. To gain approval, you will need to submit a brief application, which will ask for your goals and other basic information about your fundraiser. Depending upon the amount of your financial goal, this then goes through a series of approvals.

• Financial Goals up to $2k: Approval of principal

• Financial Goals from $2k to $5k: Approval of principal and FPE ED

• Financial Goals from $5k to $10k: Approval of principal, FPE ED, and TCSD ED of Resources

• Financial Goals from $10k to $25k: Approval of principal, FPE ED, TCSD ED of Resources, and Superintendent

• Financial Goals of $25k and greater: Approval of TCSD#1 Board of Trustees and FPE Board of Directors

Applications for fundraisers under $25k can typically be approved in 1-2 weeks. Applications for fundraiser greater than $25k may take up to one month to approve. Please plan accordingly.

STEP 6: WE WILL SET UP YOUR FUNDRAISER ON OUR ONLINE PLATFORM

Once approved, your fundraiser will be set up on our online platform, Rally Up. As a fundraising leader, you’ll have access to the back-end of your fundraiser page, will be able to see where you’re at relative to your goals, and will be able to share updates with donors.

STEP 7: SPREAD THE WORD

For donors to support your fundraiser, they need to know about it. We’ll help you spread the word through press kits, social media, and district outreach.

STEP 8: RAISE FUNDS FOR THE PEOPLE AND PROGRAMS THAT MEAN THE MOST!

The money raised by your fundraiser goes into a special account, that is then available for you to spend on the tools and services needed to meet you outcome goal.