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For lots of PTAs and PTOs, fundraising can feel like an uphill battle. Your time and resources are limited, which makes securing donations and support for your mission no small feat. Fortunately, the right tools can make all the difference, transforming your fundraising efforts from ordinary to extraordinary.
From online platforms that help you connect with your community to strategies that maximize your impact, these tools can help you save time while raising more for your organization. Whether you’re planning a tried-and-true fundraiser or going all out with a fresh, new idea, these resources will empower your PTA or PTO to boost participation and increase donations.
Choosing the right fundraising tools is crucial for PTA and PTO groups because they directly impact your success. The right tools can help you:
The right fundraising tools and resources can turn PTA and PTO fundraisers from stressful endeavors to well-oiled machines while making it much easier to manage logistics, financial transactions, paperwork, and record-keeping.
There are lots of different ways a PTA or PTO can fundraise successfully, and the best thing you can do is combine them into one strategy that uses them all. By tapping into multiple methods for fundraising, your PTA or PTO can build a plan that uses diversified fundraising streams to raise more. Ultimately, that makes budgeting easier and reduces your stress levels.
Fundraising methods you can incorporate into your strategy are:
As you plan your fundraising strategy, take into account your organization’s financial needs, resources, capacity, capabilities, and level of engagement from your school and local community.
The last thing you want when you’re raising money for your PTA or PTO is to pay a ton of fees to a fundraising platform. That’s why it’s so important to be mindful of the fees that different platforms charge. If you’re not, you could be walking away with only half of what you raised.
The most common fees you’ll come across are platform fees, payment processing fees, donor-covered\tip model fees, and subscription fees.
A fundraising platform fee model, also called a percent model, means that a percentage of the funds raised are retained by the platform. Fees can range widely across platforms, so you’ll want to do your research. Typically, the lower the fee, the more your organization keeps. Givebacks is a fundraising platform leader with low fees.
These are the fees charged per donation by a third-party payment processor (think Stripe or Paypal) so that credit card transactions can be run. The standard rate for payment processing fees is usually 2.9% + $0.30, but it can be higher for certain credit cards like American Express.
Sometimes called a “free” model, the donor-covered or tip model has no platform fee, but instead asks donors to volunteer to cover the platform and payment processing fees or leave a tip so 100% of their donation goes to the recipient.
If your PTA or PTO is using a fundraising platform with additional features like communications tools, a contact database, and compliance tools, it’s common to pay a monthly or annual fee for access. There’s a wide range of costs, from free to thousands, depending on the platform you choose. Make sure you know how much a subscription costs before committing.
Anyone who has run a fundraiser knows just how much planning, coordination, and effort goes into making it a success. The best fundraising platform makes planning, promoting, managing, and running a fundraiser easier and more streamlined, helping PTA and PTO leaders save time and raise more.
The fundraising platforms that integrate all the tools you need to run your organization into one workflow are the best for helping you keep organized and increase engagement. Because fundraising platforms for PTAs and PTOs come in all shapes and sizes, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is right for your organization.
To save time and money, find an all-in-one fundraising platform for PTAs and PTOs that offers:
If your PTA or PTO is still offering only a cash payment option, you’re missing out on raising more money for your organization. Making it easy for your supporters to donate or purchase through cashless payments is now the standard, and there are easy, convenient, and cost-effective ways to make it happen.
Whether you’re selling or collecting money through an online store or in-person, a point of sale system like Stripe will let you accept cashless payments quickly and seamlessly. A credit card reader, when paired with a point-of-sale app (like the one Givebacks offers), will allow for in-person payments by card.
Beyond simplifying cashless payments, a good point-of-sale system will make financial tracking and reporting easier for your Treasurer and reduce the risk of fraud that can come with having cash floating around.
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