Parental involvement in schools and donating prizes for events...

[CocktailQueen]

I am on the PTA of our lower school (Outstanding ofsted; very middle class areas so no overt $£££ problems) and am organising the grand draw at our summer fayre. Sent a letter out in book bags 3 weeks ago asking for donations for grand draw prizes, to be handed in by tomorrow. Guess how many prizes we have, from 370 pupils??

Yep. 4. Bloody hell. Makes you wonder why we bother. The PTA raises about £10,000 per year for the school. Gah.

Anyone else got any bright ideas how we can encourage parents to participate a bit more?? rather than simply criticising the PTA for things it does or doesn't do

Have you been specific about the type of prize? I would assume that you would be looking for things with a good monetary value from companies.

Our school ask parents for small specific items like cups filled with sweets or small toys, cakes or old books/jigsaws.

Without going through each parent's bank statements, how can you really judge an individual family's financial situation?

Could you maybe ask for donations for grand draw prizes from local businesses instead, in return for sponsorship or free advertising at the fayre?

What did you donate?

£10,000 per year

that is pretty good. Are the parents donated out?

For our annual summer shindig, we wrote to companies and get donations. Days out to local attractions, gift voucher at florist, free manicure, day at at the races, hamper etc etc

last year we had 30-40 prizes, all good. It makes the raffle very attractive, and we sell lots of tickets

I did specify things in the letter I sent out - an mot, beauty treatment, box of chocs, etc.

we do also ask local businesses but wanted to ask parents first. We ask businesses to donate for grand draw at Xmas fayre so don't want to ask them again for this!!

My DCs primary asks businesses for both fairs, as they may not be able to give to one and not the other. They also make up hampers as gifts, so people can give little things to make up one worthwhile prize.
Even in a middle class area at present lots of parents are feeling the pinch, and especially those with small businesses (who can also feel very put upon at always being asked for prizes etc.).
Businesses that are quite useful for the summer fair are days out ones, and anything associated with picnics/BBQs.

If I'd received that sort of list from the PTA (and I'm secretary of our PTA) I'd be worried that the donation I could afford would be judged as inadequate next to the more valuable items.

So I'd probably decide not yo donate hut to make an extra cake for the cake stall or something equivalent.

£10k?! How? We raise about £2k. Share your wisdom!

Same here whattodo.

I don't think we asked parents to donate anything for the raffle, instead the pta targeted all the local businesses. I wouldn't expect a parent to donate the price of a beauty treatment for example even if I thought money was no object for them.

As to fundraising, arrabella, we raised 3K at our spring fair this year (and we are most definitely not a middle class school where people have money to spend!) No entrance fee, no fancy stalls or ticket prices but a decent bbq helped bring in 500.

One of our best fundraisers is selling icecreams after school one day a week in the summer term. Someone goes to lidl or Iceland and gets whatever is on offer but we usually have everything from ice pops to magnums. Even with our wonderful summer weather we still have sales of about 100 a week (double if the sun does shine!)

Our PTA do the big raffles as hampers - so each year group is given a theme like chocolate, afternoon tea, pamper and then you send in things according to that whether home made or bought. Its not offputting in terms of amount, and makes up something you really want to win.

What our school does is have a non-uniform day where they have to bring in an item for the fair instead of paying for it.
Each form gets asked for a specific item group, which people try to bring in, but really anything is accepted.

We also do the hampers suggested above by year group. You do things like craft, and people can choose to give something big (craft set), medium (pack of pens), small (rubber) or nothing.

The PTA also has about 50-60 places that may give prizes, and write to them (or get the children, that's usually more successful). It used to be about 40+ would give something, but at present with economics being the way they are it's less than that, but still very successful.

A school I know does the themed hamper thing and its really successful.

At ours reception have to take in cakes Years 1&2 fill a vista coffee cup with sweets or toys year 3&4 chocolate fir chocolate tombola and years 5&6 bottles. Any parents with a business are asked if there is anything they can donate.

mintyneb - I love the ice-cream idea! Do you just put them in a cool box to keep them frozen?

It is hard to get parents to donate and everyone will think that someone else is donating a prize IYSWIM. Hmmm - perhaps ask the Year 1 parents to donate a box of chocs, Year 2 biscuits, Year 3 jar of sweets etc. Might be more likely to get something then?

MissPB, the PTA have a freezer at school so icecreams can go straight in there once they're bought. On the day volunteers set up a couple of tables in strategic points in the school grounds and bring out the icecreams in the cool bags - I think they usually just use Lidl cool bags (the ones that look like carrier bags?). That seems to be enough to keep everything cold as the icecreams sell out pretty quickly.

Even if the parents are ok financially what do you want them to donate? I am employed so what can I offer service wise and I wouldn't really know what to donate unless it is food or drink.

Our PTA went out and got our local high street involved. Voucher for various restaurants, business and services came in. They also ask the parents but if you give a bottle of wine that's then absolute fine.

Do you have stalls with "adult" items? You could ask them for raffle prizes as a reduction of the stall fee.

I did specify things in the letter I sent out - an mot, beauty treatment, box of chocs, etc. - looking at that list, you'd get a lot of boxes of chocolates for most middle class schools.

DH works for a bank in an IT (not helpdesk) role, I work as a PA, my neighbours either side both have office jobs, amongst my friends, all either work in a civil service role or an office based job - unless you have an unusually high number of service providers in your area, it's unlikely in a well off area you are going to get donations like that, and putting on services will make people think in terms of that and think "oh, there's nothing I can offer to do".

Plus in my experience, people in well off areas don't have the time to be going buying something so you can raffle it off, or will think that's a waste of money and they might as well give you the cash directly.

DS nursery did a booze trolly raffle - most parents put in at least a bottle of wine, some donated expensive things and it raised a lot of money.

BTW - when you say affluent area, what percentage of the DCs have a SAHP? Because I know my mum who's just retired as a teacher said she found it odd when she moved from a school in a poorer area to a posh one how little involvement the parents had, but then she said most DCs were being picked up by childminders, nannies or grandparents because both parents were working and just didn't have the time or energy to help out, what time they did have off was dedicated to a million jobs - they were quick to give money or spend a lot at events, but not actual time or effort.

If you don't have a lot of SAHMs at your school, then you won't get the same level of involvement unless you make it easy for them.

DontmindifIdo: this is my problem. All PTA meetings are in the morning and requests to do them in the early evening were declined as "what can we do with the children"

I volunteered 2 years for the NCT, all of us had babies and small toddlers and we managed various events by meeting after 8pm. Strange how sometimes it works if all want to change things.

I would love to be involved but as I work 4 days a week it will be a dream.

You could suggest donations of duplicated (unwanted) birthday / Christmas presents. Most people have some of those .

I use it as an excuse to get rid of stuff languishing in my cupboards- unwanted gifts, drink bottles I don't remember buying etc

Thanks all! We now have 35 pressies so think we are ok.

Lots of good solutions there, though, so thank you for those!

Well I dont donate anymore after donating a bottle of wine to our PTA which they said thank you for but it never made the prize draw.

On prize draw day the other donoated prizes to be won were things like a week in a luxury holiday cottage in Cornwall, A weeks skiing in Chamonix, A spa day at some local beauty farm owned by a parent. etc etc

My bottle of wine never saw the light of day. Thats about my limit on what I can offer anyone apart from maybe - use of my tent for a week.

I got the message loud and clear from our PTA that a bottle of wine was tombola fodder and so low class!

We always badger local businesses, plus also some parents who have skills, e.g. A hairdresser would put in a voucher for a cut and blow dry with her, a dad with a helicopter sometimes offers a 20min ride, a cake maker might put in a voucher for a fancy cake etc...For the grand prize we just buy this, e.g. Last time it was an ipad 2, the big draw prize made people spend more so the cost was recouped but it sounds a hell of a lot better than a top prize of a hamper that is bound to have very little in that you like!

I am chair at a secondary school and we have recently held a raffle.....we only want a maximum of 15 prizes. We got a couple from parents at school who had contacts in local restaurants but the majority from asking local businesses. And always cash for top three prizes.

Made nearly £3k.

Our school holds a non school uniform day. To join in you give something for the tombola, bottle or can or jar. We usually get about 70% donating something so it works quite well.

Donations for the raffle tend to be from outside companies, tickets to places, people with small businesses etc.