SUMMARY
- An article in The New York Times profiles a public school in New York and the challenges its PTA has had in its fundraising efforts in the wake of changing financial demographics in the area. Even small changes, such as bake sale price increases, created feelings of animosity between wealthier newcomers to the neighborhood and lower-income families with a history in the area.
- PTA leaders who find themselves in such situations often face the dilemma of how they can fundraise as much as possible without alienating parents in lower-income families. This issue can be very difficult to navigate for PTA members who are doing all this fundraising as volunteers in their spare time.
- Many PTA leaders and members do not have the expertise or experience necessary to find ways to balance the need for raising more funds with the need to foster a culture of inclusiveness in schools with broad demographic ranges.
INSIGHT
Fundraising is an undeniably critical part of school communities, whether it’s for important school programs, lunch offerings, field trips or afterschool activities. PTA members work on a volunteer basis, yet are often tasked with a significant amount of fundraising work that can fall outside of their training and can quickly become quite stressful. While the New York Times article linked above describes the particular struggles of one individual school in New York, these are issues that could occur just about anywhere in the nation.
Flex Academies is pleased to partner with school districts and PTAs to improve their fundraising efforts and overcome many of the stresses and challenges associated with the fundraising process. We leverage the relationships we have with vendors and allocate portions of enrichment tuition to fundraisers.
- “4 Ways to Fundraise with Flex Academies”
https://flexacademies.com/2017/05/04/4-ways-to-fundraise-with-flex-academies/
