Support
commitment, and we’re confident it’s going to be a regular event.’ Nicola Mills, PTA member, Tibberton Community Primary School, Tibberton, Gloucestershire (107 pupils)
GRANDPARENTS With more and more grandparents helping out with childcare, it’s a natural transition for them to become involved in the school community. While senior supporters potentially have more time to contribute than your parents, they aren’t just an extra pair of helping hands. With a lifetime of experience, they may well have skills and expertise to bring to your school, whether it’s a retired accountant who would make a perfect PTA treasurer, or a former graphic designer ready to help with your next marketing campaign.
Success story ‘My granddaughter brought a letter home from school asking for a volunteer to be treasurer of the PTFA, and my daughter-in-law suggested I give it a go. Not having the restrictions of a job or a young family meant I was free to help out whenever needed. The headteacher then said they were looking for midday supervisors and asked if I would be interested. I discovered at the age of 60 how much I enjoyed working with children.’ Sue Stone, former PTFA treasurer, Greenleas School, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire (560 pupils)
ALUMNI Your school alumni will clearly increase year-on-year, meaning there is huge potential for support – but engaging with them can be tricky due to GDPR. You’re able to contact your alumni with the information you have – providing you’re entitled to still hold the information – as this falls under legitimate interest. Bear in mind that when contacting
alumni via email or SMS, you must have permission in order to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). Be sure not to bombard them with communications as this could damage the potential of a long-lasting relationship. An alternative means of contact
is social media. Make an alumni group for people to join of their own accord. Use this to keep them up to date with what’s happening in the school and how they can help. Pupils who have fond memories
of the school will want to ensure it’s doing well and will want to help where they can. This could be through set monetary donations, or by offering their skills to help the school. Invite people back to talk at careers events or to run workshops.
LOCAL COMMUNITY Schools are often at the heart of a community, which is why it makes sense to pull in the support of people who aren’t directly linked to the school. A way of making a real impact is a project that benefits and
brings together the school and community, for example setting up a computer café where those outside the school can drop in and learn computer skills from older pupils. This will enable pupils to develop their knowledge and communication skills, while proving the school with a valuable asset that people will want to support. If you hold events, open these
up to the public. Not only will this mean more footfall and therefore more profit, but you will also have a captive audience to whom you can spread your message. Promote the result of the event publicly too, include how much profit was made, resources purchased and the impact it has had on the children.
Success story ‘After running the village May Fair for 10 years, our local Scouts group offered our school the opportunity to take it over. Seeing the financial potential, we decided to give it a go. After four months of planning, the event was held on the village recreation ground on the May bank holiday afternoon. Our target was £4,500 in the first year but we exceeded it by £1,100. Last year we raised £7,120. Feedback has been amazing, and we’re predicting 2,000+ attendees this year.’ Lizell Williams, PTFA chair, Headcorn Primary School, Headcorn, Kent (240 pupils)
SPECIALIST SKILLS
The key is to find out what skills people have, and how they can transfer these to the school: n Organisational skills lend themselves to planning fundraisers, including making volunteer rotas and creating schedules and event guides n Secretarial skills mean the ability to take minutes or organise communications n Writing skills are fantastic for grant applications and press releases n Design skills will come in handy for
putting together posters, flyers, newsletters and event programmes n Marketing and communication skills are beneficial when promoting events and the school as a whole, and also for approaching potential business sponsors
FundEd SUMMER 2019 23
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