When evaluating whether or not to move to a new form of fundraising, here's what I would consider: Can this new program match the level of fundraising of the old program for certain? Can it deliver a predictable (based on history) level of funding in a timely manner? Does it require more work than our volunteers have had to do in the past? Are we committing to a clear-cut contract with specific responsibilities for each party? Has this program been proven by others (get references)?
Those are generic points, but specifically speaking to this idea...I would be VERY skeptical that such a program could replace the other fundraising you are doing. It might be a way to supplement, especially if your parent community wouldn't mind a lot of little fundraising programs throughout the year (ours would, but each school has its own personality). It's been my experience that the PTO is already responsible for advertising (send home flyers or order forms) and tallying (in some cases)fundraising orders. But this program you describe seems to have some big unknowns (for example, how does the PTO monitor the deals? What if the broker doesn't broker any deals this month? What if no one buys a car from that dealership this month?) I'm a PTO treasurer, and I like certainty. I would be very uncomfortable with diving into a new unpredictable fundraising program without testing the waters. Maybe pilot the program for a month. And as far as the 25% goes...we strive to get 50% return on our fundraising dollars, so paying a 25% fee doesn't seem out of line.
What's the 25% - a service charge, commission? And to whom does it go? At a previous school district, a realtor would dontate $200 for every house sold either to a school parent or by a school parent. Their name would be put on the marqui for the week of their donation. I wasn't involved in this situation, but according to the realtor it was a very cut and dry deal, no gray areas attached.
Hello,
First time poster, I have an interesting question for this group.
Our PTA president has made the following suggestion and something about it doesn't quite sit right. She has a friend or neighbor that is proposing to broker deals with businesses that would give money to the school for services rendered or merchandise purchased. For example he might set up a deal with the local car dealer so that $200 goes to the school if one of our families buys a car there. As always there is a catch in this case it would be a 25%. The school meanwhile would still be responsible for tallying and sorting receipts, advertising, and exclusivity in brokering deals. So this "deal" is supposed to replace our other fundraising efforts. With the president being the one who proposed this you can imagine that it is on the fast track. So my questions are these:
#1 Is it legal (I am in California if that matters)
#2 Are there others that provide this type of service?
#3 If this is something that gets done from time to time isn't 25% a little steep?
Also any comments about this would be appreciated.
