OUR COMMUNITY IS STRONGER BECAUSE OF YOU, AND WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU
By Sarah Morford & Lynnette Kile
Schools have always needed funding to do more, be more, provide more. I have early memories of sponsored jump rope-a-thons, cake walks, and selling chocolate bars door-to-door to my neighbors. As elementary education itself has changed and become more virtual, technical, and innovative, fundraisers, too, have evolved with the times. We as volunteers continue to find new ways to engage our communities in support of the exciting educational opportunities we want our children to have.
In the past several years, the North High Mount PTA has evolved our fundraisers to be community-driven, modern, inclusive, and based even more around tailored experiences. As the needs for computer and STEM and gardening labs have grown, so has our capacity to be creative. Enter Covid-19. There is not a single industry or corner of our community that has not been touched by the effects of the pandemic. Asking for money, even for our kids, has never been harder. AR events, campus improvements, events throughout the year all depend on successful fundraising.
So how do we ensure our kids have what they need to learn dynamically when asking for donations feels almost taboo? We innovate. We expand. We create new opportunities. We ensure that we are adding value to your sponsors’ businesses.
We trust you’re asking yourself, “How can I help?”
We love this question. Here are a few ideas:
Frequent our sponsors! Tell them you’re there because of their support of North Hi Mount. This promotes re-engagement, and shows sponsors that we love and will always support them. Over a dozen businesses we asked to donate this year have closed, and that means that the ones still standing are fighting for support and name recognition. Book your next haircut at Lundquist Hair Design or the Gents Place, order in dinner from Buffalo Bros. or Tuk Tuk Thai, call your local realtor Will Huffman for your next home and Abby McIntosh for your mortgage loan.
Talk to your favorite businesses. Do you know a business in our area that our families would love? Tell them. Give them the opportunity to get their name out to hundreds of people with the tagline - “this business supports our amazing school.” If you go to the same pizza place every Friday, imagine if 5-10 other families did, too. The power of our community is so strong.
Be creative. Can you tap your extended family to put together a theme basket around one of their favorite things? Can you think of a service or product you have always wanted to share with people and donate it? Can you talk to your kids about how they can earn money doing chores or services that they can then donate to their school? Do you have a timeshare or season ticket experience that you can donate?
Make plans to attend the auction and share it with others. People love friendly competition and bidding brings out the best in people. Support our auction by sharing it, attending it, and bringing home items that support our amazing school.
We know it’s a tough year for everyone, but we also know that the power of our community is infinite and that when we ask, you always open your hearts to the power of educational and social transformation. Our school changes lives.
What can you do this week to help us reach our goal? We need you. Our community is stronger because of you, and we can’t do this without you.