At our school we do pay for some of the aide positions. We have paid for extra hours for the nurse aide and for the complete hours for the library aide. We let the principal know that was not really what we wanted to do, so this year we will only be paying the salary of a media aide. Long-term paying for salaries is not a good idea. As budgets get cut in the school district they will rely on your group more and more. It's easy to cut supplies - it's not so easy for you to cut out a person.
Anyway, if you do decide to do this we had extremely good luck with our pledge drive last year. We did a really good job of explaining why the extra funds were so critical. We played up the idea that if we want to keep our kids standard of education the same then we need to open our wallets and give. Print up your budget and show exactly how much money the school expects from you. Do a chart showing where your money goes. Emphasize how large the student/teacher ratio will be if you can't pay for these aides. Be clear, honest, and urgent.
We used to only ask for $25 for the pledge drive. Two years ago we upped it to $75. Last year we asked for $180 per child (with the tag line "$1 per day for your child") and needless to say we brought in a lot more. People will meet your expectations if you tell them exactly what you need them to give and why.
There are several current topics running about why this kind of fundraising is not only hard on parent groups but can put them in a difficult position. Honestly, I would lobby your school district to give your school what it needs. Then I would try finding volunteers or parents that would be willing to help fill in the gaps. Especially in lower income areas, people seem to be more willing to donate their time than their money.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
Due to a different teacher allocation formula for this year, our school of 190 children will be losing 1 1/2 teaching positions. WE have reconfigured our classes and waived cap, but want to "purchase" two instructional assistants from our school board for around a total of $25,000. Our fundraising, which was totally lackluster last year at $7000, won't come close to paying for that.
Any ideas for a different fundraiser that could come up with these funds? We're a SMALL town with a lot of lower income families, so that does not help....
