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Really, you can run the All Saints program on a shoestring, or even
non-existent, budget. This is one of the few school-community projects
that can involve several hundred people with little or no capital outlay.
But, if you want all the "bells and whistles" or to get into all facets
of the program, you will probably have to look at Fund raising.
First of all, why would you need money? Well, the real need of Fund raising
for this project is for the resources used by the students in the field on
Halloween. These involve an identification shirt (ranging from a regular
t-shirt right up to a heavy weight sweatshirt); flashlights; and two-way
radios. All of these are discussed in detail in the "Resources and Sources"
document in this package.
The identification shirts run on average $10.00 (for a Fruit-of-the-Loom
t-shirt) to $19.50 (heavy weight sweatshirt). The radios range from $49.00
to $179.00. Flashlights run from $6.98 to $19.99 per unit. Then, on top of
that, you may want to consider batteries for the electrical units. This
could run around $100.00. As for all these things, these are only needed
for the Community Patrol facet of this project. The other facets can run
quite efficiently without any funding whatsoever.
But if you are looking at a full program and are determined to have all
the necessary hardware, experience has taught us that there are two ways
to raise funds.
As you are aware, everybody is "hitting up" companies and service clubs
for donations for many worthy causes. There is no question that money is
tight during these times of tight dollars and shrinking budgets. But, since
this program is so community based and involves both youth and seniors,
many groups tend to be more generous than they would be with other
activities such as those with a recreational or entertainment centre.
It is suggested that you ask for donations from companies which would
normally not be asked. As a result, we have received generous donations
for our local program from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union Local, the local
community newspaper, the Town Recreation Department; the school's Student
Council, etc.
As for the amount? Well, we calculated the number of shirts we need (and
of what type); then estimate the cost which is reasonable for each student
to pay; calculate the shortfall and then ask two or three sponsors to
equally divide this amount which is in the range of $350.00 each for about
100 student participants.
We have found that most sponsors like to be informed of how much you are
seeking and they can then determine the extent of their contribution. As a
result, be specific as to the amount you need and exactly what the money
is going to be used for.
By far, the most successful method to raise funds for the All Saints
project is by creating and holding a raffle of various goods and services.
In this folder is the resource information for setting up a raffle
similar to the one we ran in our area this past spring.
You can undertake this raffle either in the spring or even next fall. The
leg work can be done over the next few months and things can be in place
by the first week of March.
This leg-work involves asking various businesses to donate prizes for the
draw; designing and getting the tickets printed; etc. Ideally, you want to
set up the raffle so that there are no costs. A local printer, for example,
should be asked to print the tickets in exchange for acknowledgment of
their donation on each ticket sand on any or all promotional materials.
As for the prizes, when you contact a merchant for a donation, you should
have in your mind the type of prize you want. Try to limit yourself to one
prize for each type of product. For instance, one clothing store; one
furniture store; etc. This gives the merchant exclusive exposure which is
very desirable to them.
As for the prize distribution, it is up to you. We had a lot of winners.
Everyone likes to be a winner!!! So, we had fifty. If you have the prizes,
you may wish to try this approach. Or, you may want just one, or two, or
even three grand prizes. This should be a local decision.
We sold our tickets for $2.00 each with $1.00 going to the student to pay
for his/her All Saints shirt and the other $1.00 going to the program to
pay for supplies etc. In all, the students sold 2400 tickets on a raffle
worth around $5600.00 in goods and services. As a result, they bought
their shirts and the program raised enough to subsidize this fall's
program as well as to add some equipment to the program such as an
additional three radios, batteries and flashlights.
We have found it far better to give the student a percentage of each
ticket sold. Some will sell a few tickets, some a lot and some none at all.
But, they key here is to provide an avenue for everyone to get involved
regardless of their socio-economic class.
All money should be kept by the teacher "in trust" for each student. This
involves some book keeping but it is really not that complicated. Sample
record forms etc. are contained in this Fund raising folder. We put ALL
money raised in the general account of the Students Council. It is up to
the teacher/advisor in concert with school administration as to how this
money is to be handled.
Remember...
(a) Don't leave it in the school or in the classroom;
(b) Don't keep a stash of money at home. In both these cases, you are
begging for problems.
Properly run, this form of fund-raiser could turn into a virtual "gold mine" for your program. But, bear in mind it may take a year or two to build up the confidence of the community to become as generous as ours has been.
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