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Original poster

PTA/fundraising at secondary: what works and what doesn't?

39 replies

nobutreally · 27/11/2017 21:22

I am potentially going to get strong-armed into taking over as chair of my secondary PTA next year. I've been chair at primary but secondary seems so different, and I'm wondering what will/won't work, in terms of reasonable parental involvement!

For context: we are a typical mums net style 'leafy comp' - relatively wealthy catchment, sought-after school with well above average results for the area, although an area where loads go private at secondary. At the moment, the PTA is pretty low key - one key event a year, with a very small group of dedicated volunteers who do pretty much everything.

I'd like to 'up' things a little: but I can't quite get my head around what might work - so mn, at your secondary schools, what are the good earners for the PTA, and what has helped drive engagement? As a parent, what do you love ... and hate?

I'm a firm believer that the role of the PTA is both to raise money and to promote the 'community of the school' - but I can see that the latter is harder to do in the context of a secondary. As a parent do you want to stay at arms-length with school/the PTA - or is the fact that you are in school so little actually a reason to want engage a bit more... (hopeful, I know!)

I've been debating suggesting a ball as I know these are usually serious earners - although may take a while to get enough momentum behind it? Do balls still work at secondary?

OP posts:
HRTpatch · 28/11/2017 09:52

Its all about involving the girls. We had student reps from each tutor group up to year 9, we did an assembly about the fair straight after October half term to start it all off.
We got sponsorship from a local estate agent...about £1500-2000.
External stallholders paid £30 a table....thats £1000 before you even open the doors.
Sixth formers got involved helping the stakeholders in, manning the raffles and tombolas...we did an adult raffle and a girls' one....chocolate tombolas and normal tombola.

bigbluebus · 28/11/2017 08:03

Only fundraising events the PTA put on at my DCs Secondary school were Christmas/Summer Fairs and a quiz night. The biggest fundraisers were run by the school (staff and pupils) which were numerous school concerts by music dept, a school musical which was always a sell out over 3 nights and a big overnight fun event for pupils who got sponsorship to stay awake all night.

Original poster
nobutreally · 28/11/2017 07:49

Thanks all - @endofthelinefinally wine testing is a good idea and sounds nice and easy, adding that one to the list! Do people do cheese and wine any more?!
@BubblesBuddy - the school already does a ball for sixth formers (any spare money raised goes towards their house charities but it's not primarily a fund raiser) so this would be for the parents. I've been on a school ball organising committee and it was a lot of work but not unmanageable if you have a committee I thought. Money tree is a new one on me - what's that?
I don't think we are too leafy for second hand uniform to be a go-er - esp as teens grow so fast (& loose so much sports kit ...!) - and not everyone in the catchment is leafy! But I agree that ime that one is a hassle for relatively little profit (getting it all washed and ready, checking everything is 'new uniform style' when it gets changed, making sizes easy and clear etc. And storing everything : it takes up a ton of space! I think it's almost more public service than fundraiser, but that's still an important thing to do.

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 27/11/2017 23:20

Although mine went to a private secondary, it was small. The ball was attended by all 6th form girls (it was a girls school) and boys if they invited them. In a big school you have maybe just leavers. You also get parents to buy tables or be prepared to be mixed up. It is seriously hard work though and even if you don’t need to pay for the Hall, it takes a lot of organising and it won’t be cheap so needs precise costings. You can make money on all sorts of things during the event. Silent auction used to work well (super donations of course!) and the Money Tree. It needs a very dedicated team of parents though and they must know what they are doing. Rope in the pupils to make table decorations etc. Get a photographer.

Other things were a barbecue in September, a quiz night, a pre Christmas Fair which was really a shopping fair for Mums! Stall holders pay for their pitch. Cafe open at sports matches in the pavilion. Drinks and refreshments on sale at drama and music events.

A grammar school head in a nearby town said they could make £120,000 pa from parents. Leafy Bucks but not that leafy! He’s retired now but you have to make parents want to part with their money and if they think their children are getting a good education and it is cheaper than paying fees, they can be persuaded to be quite generous.

Second hand uniform if it’s at giveaway prices. As many uniforms are fairly cheap anyway will there be much profit in secondhand for the effort and washing/ironing costs or will you be offloading to the charity shop every month with unsaleable donations? If it’s a wealthy ish area, is secondhand going to sell in much volume.

The main thing is maximum effort for maximum reward.

endofthelinefinally · 27/11/2017 22:59

From memory:

Wine tasting with a few bottles as raffle prizes.
Fashion show. 6th formers model the clothes provided and sold by local retailers.
Quiz night with decent food and a bar.

Original poster
nobutreally · 27/11/2017 22:48

HRT - now Christmas fair is interesting as I had assumed we were past that stage! From the sound of it, you aim at the kids rather than the parents? At primary I always felt that Xmas/Easter fairs can be a lot of work for relatively little takings ... but obvious 5-6k blows that out of the water! I guess secondary kids have more disposable income but howon earth do you get to that level?!?

OP posts:
Original poster
nobutreally · 27/11/2017 22:45

Thanks all. Yes, uniform at parents Eve is a great idea - and we have welcome meetings for all years at the start of the year too which would work :-) Interesting that at least one school has managed a ball! I’m conscious that at primary it was a (relatively) easy way to a pretty substantial profit if you can get a few parents bidding on auction prizes & buying loads of raffle tickets on the way in!

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 27/11/2017 22:04

They have the sales after school but heavily advertise beforehand so parents come in especially. I don't pay much attention to who else is there Blush too busy having stress arguments with DC about what to get. There's nothing stopping a child buying though.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 27/11/2017 21:57

Quiz night with fish and chips and a bar works locally at leafy comp. They also do an annual ball with lots of money raising games etc. Less popular comp struggles to get any parental involvement. Second hand uniform sales probably best thing, but they also have refreshments at school events such as achievement evening and school play, lower school disco etc.

HRTpatch · 27/11/2017 21:55

We made about £8000 a year at secondary.
Xmas fair brought in about £5000-6000...we held it on a Friday afternoon 3-6 and aimed it at the girls years 7-9.
About 36 external stalls plus our own raffles, tombolas, refreshments.
3 quizzes a year made about £500 each.
We sold second hand uniform at parents evenings and also to year 6 parents when they came for induction evening.

Original poster
nobutreally · 27/11/2017 21:49

Secondhand uniform is a good one - thanks. When do you/they do it? After school seems logical but few parents pick up (unless it’s a case of parents sending money for kids to buy??)

OP posts:
Original poster
nobutreally · 27/11/2017 21:48

Yes, the parents noble :-) All the local primary schools certainly do balls round here, but I don’t know about secondary. Private secondaries certainly do but that’s a rather different kettle of bananas.

OP posts:
scrappydappydoo · 27/11/2017 21:45

Ours run secondhand uniform sales every half term which are popular - I don't know how much of an earner they are though - I guess they must do ok to keep running.

noblegiraffe · 27/11/2017 21:40

A ball for who? The parents? I'm not sure I'd suggest anything that requires much effort/expense from the parents to get them to turn up. We struggle enough to get them to turn up for a quiz night.

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