AGENDA
actually meals cost $16 (£12). Last year we made a loss of $500 (£370). We always invite the incoming kindergarten families and encourage them with a free lunch and tickets for the carnival l Staff Appreciation Week: at this school we ran a week of events – typical in this district – but when I was a teacher in Michigan, we had just one day when parents would bring in snacks for the teachers. Here, staff and teachers received a treat every day. We filled the staff lounge with candy one day, had a breakfast cart another, and a taco guy came in and prepared lunch on another day. This year the budget was $2,000 (£1,500) from our PTA funds l We support three low-income families at Christmas through our district education foundation. Two grade levels support one family by anonymously providing items from that family’s wish list.
How do you communicate with parents? Each class has a room parent who sends out emails to the class most weeks. Our principal has a weekly email that we hop on. Our vice president of communications sends out a monthly PTA newsletter, plus we use Facebook, Instagram and the school website.
What are your biggest challenges? Getting more people involved. The reputation of the PTA was cliquey, but we have brought in new parents by directly speaking to them or asking for recommendations. I always make an effort to introduce myself at events and thank everyone for attending. The next generation of volunteers are younger and we have some dads. They’re excited to be taking over. Another challenge was dealing
with questions from parents – the emails were overwhelming, so we created a dedicated email address, which my VP monitors. When one parent moaned their
child received only one orange slice at the jogathon, I offered her the perfect job for next year – you get to be in charge of orange slices!
12 AUTUMN 2025 School Fundraising
The silent auction raised an incredible $200,000 (£150,000)
What can we learn from the US?
Rose Levien is a Brit who lived in San Francisco for seven years with her husband and three children, two of whom were born there. Now back in the UK, she has been involved with the Reepham Primary School PTA in Norfolk (220 pupils) for four years and is bringing her experience of US PTAs to the UK.
‘San Francisco is a cosmopolitan city that’s not completely representative of the US, but what really stood out for me there was the idea that family, children and education came first,’ says Rose. Before Rose took over as chair
at Reepham Primary School PTA, the group typically raised less than £4,000 a year. She says her background in professional fundraising definitely helped but is not vital. In Norfolk, Rose recently organised a runathon event based on one she had seen in America. Every child was encouraged to participate by running laps around the school’s athletics field. Together with another parent and some volunteer support on the day, they raised an impressive £11,000 plus £3,000 from corporate sponsorship, with 145 children participating. It
was a record-breaking amount for the school. ‘American schools are a lot bigger,’ explains Rose. ‘They hold the same series of events each year. The highlight for us was the silent auction, which raised $200,000 (£150,000).’
Rose’s secrets for success l Set your expectations high. If you’re going to put in all this effort, make it worth it and aim big! l Nurture a different attitude. In the US, the expectation to contribute a certain amount is set at the start of the year. We need to embrace a new mindset about the role of the PTA and how families contribute – not necessarily with money, but with their time or skills. l Create a committee for each event so they have ownership and are not being asked to do multiple tasks across multiple events. l Recognise the importance of class reps. They are key to sharing your message on a regular basis. l Be transparent. Share the fundraising calendar for the year, and how much you expect to raise for each event. l Professionalise your message and be consistent. Think of your PTA as a professional charity.
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