Fundraising


‘WE RAISED


£8,000 BY TELLING OUR STORY’


To run a successful fundraising campaign, be specific about what you want to achieve – and why it’s important, says Georgina


Bygott, PTA chair at St Michael’s C of E Primary School in Oxford


I


t wasn’t until I asked our primary school headteacher what the PTA could help with that I learnt about the shortage of computers at the


school. As an IT project manager, I was shocked to discover that our one-form-entry school of 200 pupils possessed only 30 laptops. This meant that IT lessons were limited


as one set of laptops was rotated around the school. Since I had been unaware of this


issue, I realised that most other parents would be too. I also knew that, like me, they would want to do something about it. We all appreciate our wonderful school and want to ensure the teachers


have everything they need to enable our children to achieve high learning standards. This clearly includes equipping


our school with the necessary tech for the new computing curriculum. So last autumn our PTA launched the ‘Project CAFÉ’ (Chromebooks Accessible For Everyone) campaign to raise £8,000 for 30 laptops and a storage trolley. We began with an event to engage


the school community in something fun – a cake (or biscuit) decorating competition, open to pupils, parents and school staff. This was a ‘soft’ way of introducing Project CAFÉ and getting people on board, without immediately asking for money. Entrants paid a £2 fee to submit a photograph, and could enter as many times as they liked, with all proceeds going towards the laptop campaign. Following this, we carried out


pre-launch messaging about the crowdfunding campaign, through ParentMail and our PTA slot in the headteacher’s messages home. The aim was to raise awareness about Project CAFÉ and why it was important, and the feedback we received showed that parents


FundEd SUMMER 2021 33


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