AGENDA
How it’s done Stateside
Zena Alli considers the different experiences of school fundraising across the pond and asks, should we do PTA the USA way?
W
hile some experiences of being on a PTA are common wherever you are (the need for more
volunteers is surely universal), others can be wildly different. This includes expectations around what the PTA is likely to provide. In the US, PTAs fill the gaps left by government funding, paying for things that – in the UK – we
assume will be covered as part of the school experience. Education funding varies from state to state, but it’s not uncommon for PTAs to be paying towards classroom supplies. This has meant that many parents see contributing to the PTA as a non-negotiable part of their child’s education, as they’re not paying for optional extras but essential services.
The Miraloma Fun Run was a Stateside success for Rose Levien and the PTA
‘New volunteers are excited to take over’
Caitlin Fredericks, president, Birney Elementary PTA, Los Angeles, California (430 pupils, age five to 11)
What is your community like? Overall, we are a more affluent area than other parts of LA but we also have families who qualify for free lunches.
How long have you been president? This is my second and final year. Each board member stays in their role for a standard two-year period. When I resign, my vice president (VP) will become president. If I were not leaving because my youngest is now 11, I would become VP, so we always have someone there who’s done it before.
How do you organise events? For each event, there is a sub-committee with a teacher liaison. Our principal comes to all of our meetings and events. Teachers show up to some events – for instance, they will bring their own children to our carnival.
How do you raise money? Joining fee: There’s a joining fee for volunteers of $12 (£9). Jogathon: Each kid shares their personal web donation page with family and
friends. We use an outside company for the web pages. We raised almost $60,000 (£45,000) this year. PTA Pops: As we live in southern California, the kids always want popsicles. Our school is a healthy school, so we sell fruit-based popsicles for $1 (75p). We’ve raised almost $1,000 (£750) this year Merchandise: We sell items including personalised water bottles, wrapping paper and home goods.
Where do you spend your money? Our criteria on spending mean we cannot pay teacher salaries or for anything curriculum-based. l We provide a teacher grant of $2,000 (£1,500) to each grade level of three teachers, to spend on supplemental educational supplies, such as class library books or pencils l Four assemblies per year l A field trip for each grade level l Teachers’ welcome lunch as well as a thank you lunch at Christmas l Twice a year we have a Birney Store of Goodies where kids spend the Birney Bucks they've earned for good behaviour l STEM night: an evening of science, engineering and maths fun
l Multi-cultural evening: parents bring in a dish from their culture for a pot-luck meal, and we have a fashion show and presentation by pupils l School dance: a glow disco with a DJ, merch, photo booth and a meal provided by a local restaurant. We charge $25 (£18.50), plus $5 (£3.70) per additional child, to cover expenses only l Movie night: a large outdoor screen and popcorn. Pizza or candy is $2 (£1.50) l Carnival: this is our community event and a chance for parents to say congratulations to their children on a great school year. It costs around $15,000 (£11,000) to produce. Our hope is to break even by charging $1 (75p) for entry, $20 (£15) for unlimited use of the inflatables and $10 (£7.50) for food, when
When I resign, my VP will become president. We always have someone who’s done it before
School Fundraising AUTUMN 2025 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
