FUNDRAISING – Tried and tested
Christmas coffee morning and show
‘Christmas is always a busy time of year as we have our Christmas fayre and a Christmas-themed fundraiser. But an event we always make sure we have time for is our Christmas coffee morning, where pupils put on performances for the attendees. The success of this event is down to teamwork between the school staff, the PTA and parents. Parents are asked to donate
cakes, which we serve along with
prizes are donated, which means that expenses are kept to an six members of the PTA help at the event – a couple on the door taking
tickets and the rest serving refreshments. We charge an entry fee of £2 per person (refreshments are included), and £1 for a strip of
of the preparation for the event but the PTA puts out all of the tables, chairs and decorations the night before, and also sets out the refreshment area. The event itself is fabulous;
every child in the school takes part, including our pre-school pupils. Each class spends time rehearsing their performance, some sing, some rap, some do a topic-based performance, some play musical instruments and others read poems or stories they have written. This event is so successful because of the amount of support we receive! Our hall is always packed with parents, carers, grandparents and friends, and raises approximately £400.’ Anne Appleby, PTA Co-Chair, Thomas Eaton Primary Academy, Wimblington, Cambridgeshire (164 pupils)
Hanukkah fair Family photo day
‘We were approached by a parent who runs her own photography business. She had successfully run a family photo day at other schools, so we snapped up her offer. We ran the event at school from 9am until 4pm one Sunday at the end of November. We charged £5 per family for a sitting, which included tea, coffee, squash, cakes and biscuits. We had 28 families each book a 15-minute photo shoot slot.
They then had time to review and select any images they wanted. We earned 10% commission if sales were under £700 and 15% if they were over £700 (which many were!). Families ordered a mixture of prints, canvases and digital fi les (many used these to get Christmas cards printed). The event raised just under £500, which was good for practically no monetary outlay and as the photographer brought along back drops, lights, props and a laptop for viewing the images, it was also an easy event to organise. The photos were all delivered within a week – in plenty of time for Christmas. It was so successful that we’re planning to run it again this year.’ Jo White, PTA Co- Secretary, Icknield Walk First School, Royston, Hertfordshire (349 pupils)
For Hanukkah last year, we joined forces with our local synagogue’s PTA to hold a fair. The synagogue organised the main shopping event, with 20 stalls selling everything from jewellery and plants to bagels and Hanukkah candles. There was even an arts and crafts stall selling items teachers had made! Our school provided activities for the children as a way of entertaining them while their parents shopped. Children could make and design their own snow globes as gifts, have their faces painted or buy walking animal balloons – all were very popular! The synagogue raised over £2,000,
and we were able to raise £250. The main aim of our part of the event was to make sure the children enjoyed themselves, so the total was just a bonus in addition to the fun had by everyone who attended! The synagogue gave us the space
free of charge in exchange for promoting the event at our school, so there was a mutual benefi t. The partnership worked well, as we were able to plan our fundraiser and then clear our ideas with the synagogue. It was a brilliant place for our small school to promote ourselves to the wider community, and I would highly recommend that other schools explore similar partnerships.’ Carra Kane, PTA Chair, Mosaic Jewish Primary School, Roehampton, London (72 pupils)
Share your stories!
We’re always looking for fundraising success stories – could you share the wisdom of your experience? Drop us an email at
editorial@pta.co.uk.
32 AUTUMN 2017
pta.co.uk
IMAGES: SURADECH14; SZEFEI/
THINKSTOCK.CO.UK; MARRIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY
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