Category Archives: fundraising

How to successfully fundraise for outdoor classrooms

With budgets being ever tightened, schools are increasingly having to look at alternative ways and means of how they fund their outdoor learning programmes and playground projects. But we have built up a lot of knowledge and experience in helping schools find the necessary ways and means of successfully doing this.

But you need to be prepared to put in the effort as without pain, there never is a gain!

Our approach would be to spread your net widely over various ways of raising money so that you are thereby reducing your risk of failure if one doesn’t work out. Here is the plan you need to follow:

  • Apply for a grant. There are various grants out there which will support and fund capital items such as outdoor classrooms and we know which ones to approach and how to approach them. You need to remember that bid writing is incredibly competitive (especially in this financial climate) and time consuming but we can offer you experience-backed advice as to what you need to do in order to be successful
  • Get a crowd funding site up and running. Organisations and schools are increasingly looking at this medium to publicise their project to the local community and beyond. There are now specialist educational crowd funding websites which do not charge but which give you a great platform to promote your project. These websites offer you an opportunity to use video too as an effective medium
  • Be entrepreneurial. Schools are now renting out their premises to generate extra income – before and after school clubs, functions at the week-end and even weddings! The Hideout House outdoor classrooms can also be used for outdoor weddings for example and don’t forget weddings are big business. You just need to apply to the local registrar office for a license to conduct civil service ceremonies. Think too about fitness classes and renting out your sports facilities to local clubs and societies
  • Corporate sponsorship or donations are also a good source of funding. But you need to put some effort in and think like a business. Our local village school sent a flyer round recently asking for money for a bus they wanted to buy at £30K – that is all it said. No mention of what is was going to be used for or how it would benefit the school and children. You need to sell this if you are going to be asking for money – another way would be to ask for set amounts which are easily affordable rather than just saying you want £30K for example.
  • PTA events which a lot of schools do anyway. But make them a little bit more creative and fun otherwise apathy will soon set in from both the PTA and parents. We have developed quite a few creative ideas

If you would like to know how we can help you raise money for outdoor classrooms or any playground project you have in mind (and tell you about all the schools we have already helped), then please contact us on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

School fundraising opportunities to make the most of between now and the end of the year

Schools will soon be inviting members of the local community to join them at their annual summer fete, not least because it’s an occasion that creates a sense of community cohesion (generating good PR), but also because it presents a perfect school fundraising opportunity.

But whilst almost every school hosts a summer fete in order to raise funds, only a small number of schools are making the most of the lead up to Christmas to raise funds, despite schools having great fundraising success at this time.

Indeed, schools that are successful at raising funds in the lead up to Christmas typically join the School Christmas Card Project – I know Christmas seems a long way away, but registration for our 2016 School Christmas Card Project is now open.

With the School Christmas Card Project an average school of 250 pupils can easily raise £500 or more and there is absolutely no upfront cost, whatsoever, to the school.

The School Christmas Card Project allows children to create their own artwork which is then printed on to professionally produced cards which the school sells at a profit to parents.

Parents place their orders and pay the school before we ask for any payment at all, and as we offer very competitive prices for our high quality products, you can maximise the earning potential for your school.

You will find everything you need to join our School Christmas Card Project on our website, including:
How it works
A free information pack
And our price table 

If you are unlikely to be the person to get involved in co-ordinating this kind of school fundraising project, please do forward this email onto a member of staff or a member of the PTA who is likely to be responsible.

Kind regards,
Steve

School Christmas Card Project
Start your 2016 School Christmas Card Project now!
Tel: 0114 453 9562
Ecclesall Print, 237A Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PU.

School fundraising opportunities to make the most of between now and the end of the year

Schools will soon be inviting members of the local community to join them at their annual summer fete, not least because it’s an occasion that creates a sense of community cohesion (generating good PR), but also because it presents a perfect school fundraising opportunity.

But whilst almost every school hosts a summer fete in order to raise funds, only a small number of schools are making the most of the lead up to Christmas to raise funds, despite schools having great fundraising success at this time.

Indeed, schools that are successful at raising funds in the lead up to Christmas typically join the School Christmas Card Project – I know Christmas seems a long way away, but registration for our 2016 School Christmas Card Project is now open.

With the School Christmas Card Project an average school of 250 pupils can easily raise £500 or more and there is absolutely no upfront cost, whatsoever, to the school.

The School Christmas Card Project allows children to create their own artwork which is then printed on to professionally produced cards which the school sells at a profit to parents.

Parents place their orders and pay the school before we ask for any payment at all, and as we offer very competitive prices for our high quality products, you can maximise the earning potential for your school.

You will find everything you need to join our School Christmas Card Project on our website, including:
How it works
A free information pack
And our price table 

If you are unlikely to be the person to get involved in co-ordinating this kind of school fundraising project, please do forward this email onto a member of staff or a member of the PTA who is likely to be responsible.

Kind regards,
Steve

School Christmas Card Project
Start your 2016 School Christmas Card Project now!
Tel: 0114 453 9562
Ecclesall Print, 237A Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PU.

How half a minibus can be an absolute bonus – and a perfectly practical idea

Much of the world comes in unbreakable units.  You can’t really have half a person (unless you work in a mortuary and really need to do the odd bit of dissecting).  You can’t have half a football either – or at least not meaningfully.

And you might imagine that the same applies to half a minibus?  But strangely enough, the notion of half a minibus is not only practical, but it is one that hundreds of schools now utilise.

Not surprisingly large numbers of schools have a situation in which their minibus is booked to overflowing, meaning that some sports events, such as away fixtures and the like, become hugely difficult operations to arrange.

You know you can’t possibly justify another minibus, because you only have this problem a few times a week, but you also know that if you could have a minibus for these additional occasions life would be so much easier.

However, there is a solution.

Growing numbers of secondary schools are leasing an extra minibus (meaning that there is no initial large payment required – just a monthly lease fee) and then sharing it part time with one or two other schools.  There are many ways in which this can be done, but sharing with a local feeder primary school is one of the most popular.

In this way the cost of running the minibus is shared, and each school knows exactly when it has the extra bus and arranges events around it.

Better still, there is no issue about the cost of repairs, servicing and the like, since leased minibuses come with all the arrangements and all the costs of servicing and repairs built into the lease.

If you have not leased a minibus before, or not thought of sharing one before, probably the best way forward is to give me a call and I can talk you through how it works – not least because a fair number of schools are now involved in shared minibus leasing projects, so we have a lot of experience in helping to set up such a project.

But if you want to take a look at who we are and what we do before you call, you’ll find more information about leasing at www.minibusleasing.co.uk.

Email: minibus@benchmarkleasing.co.uk

Tel: 01753 859944

Calling all school fundraisers!

I know Christmas seems a long way away, but registration for our 2016 School Christmas Card Project is now open!

Raise money for your school with schoolchristmascardproject.org.uk

Our School Christmas Card Project allows your pupils to create fantastic, professionally printed Christmas Cards with children’s artwork and raise loads of money for the school. And with absolutely no upfront costs whatsoever, it’s a fantastic, easy and very popular way for schools to raise money for the PTA or other charity.

You can order our free info pack from our website – click here.

Children create their own artwork which is printed on professionally produced cards and other products, which the school sells at a profit to the parents. It is a rewarding and fun project for the children and the whole school to be involved in – and an average school of 250 pupils can easily raise £500 or more! The children will love getting directly involved with school fundraising and parents will love seeing their children’s artwork on professionally printed cards!

We offer packs of Christmas cards, gift labels, thank you postcards and wrapping paper so there’s plenty to choose from!

How much does it cost?

Absolutely nothing! The project is completely free to the school – you just keep the profit! Parents place their orders and pay the school before we ask for any payment at all. We offer very competitive prices and our products are very high quality which means you can maximise the earning potential for your school with accessible and great value cards, labels, thank you cards and wrapping paper. You can view our price table on our website.

If you feel your school would benefit from raising money with the School Christmas Card Project – please visit our website for more information. Alternatively, please forward this email to your school’s art teacher or suitable coordinator for the project.

Thank you for your attention – we know we still have the summer to look forward to, so let’s not wish away the months just yet…if you order your free info pack now, we’ll keep the reindeer in hibernation for a little longer 🙂

Kind regards
Steve

Please visit our website for more information:

schoolchristmascardproject.org.uk

School Christmas Card Project
Start your 2016 School Christmas Card Project now!
Tel: 0114 453 9562
Ecclesall Print, 237A Ringinglow Road, Sheffield S11 7PU.

 

PE to the ready! (and yes, every step really does count).

With the end of term weeks away, I’d like to share with you today a great idea to give your pupils extra motivation as they run, swim, bat and field. After all, you work hard every day making the benefits of sport available to all your pupils. And our passion is helping injured and disabled people to walk again, very often using sports as a rehabilitation tool.

So here comes your Every Step Counts challenge, which will change the lives of people like 8-year-old amputee Nirmala! It could be a ‘race for rehab’ on sports day, an Every Run Counts cricket match, a sponsored walk or ‘stepathon’.

And until 18th July, all the money raised by your school will be doubled by the UK government. So there’s never been a better time to get involved – request your Every Step Counts pack today at www.handicap-international.org.uk/pack

Our Every Step Counts campaign is raising essential funds to provide life-changing rehabilitation to disabled people around the world. With every donation doubled, the money you raise will go that much further, helping twice as many injured and disabled people.

Please order your pack today online at www.handicap-international.org.uk/pack, by calling me on 0870 774 3737 or emailing john.mcgeachy@hi-uk.org.

By organising an event your school will play an amazing role in this special campaign. Every step your students take, and every pound you raise, counts!

Best wishes,

John McGeachy

Supporter Engagement Officer
Handicap International UK

P.S. To see who your support could help, why not read Nirmala’s story, who lost a leg in the Nepal earthquake last year. Nirmala has bravely taken her first steps with her prosthetic leg – will you please take your first step with us today?

Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work tirelessly alongside disabled and vulnerable people to help meet their basic needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. It is a UK registered charity (no. 1082565). www.everystepcounts.org.uk

TRIED AND TESTED ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF FUNDING YOUR SCHOOL PLAYGROUND PROJECT

We hear so many times from schools about the wonderful plans to develop their school playgrounds – be they outdoor learning areas, outdoor shelters & classrooms, play equipment, natural play etc – but the discussions always end up talking about money! We know budgets are tight and we know your time is not exactly in plentiful supply either…..but we have a solution to all of this.

We have invested a lot of our time working alongside schools and their PTAs to help you find alternative ways of funding our products. We, alongside our strategic partners, can help you put together a funding programme which could include:

* Grants
* Unique PTA events such as a pedal powered disco or film night
* Help with letting/renting out your existing school facilities – schools who are already doing so are earning an average of £30K per year
* Corporate sponsorship
* Crowdfunding websites
* Operational leases

All we need from you is a bit of dedication but where there is a will, there is a way!

Please therefore have a look at our website www.hideouthouse.com to see exactly what we do but we are always open to new ideas if you don’t see exactly what you are looking for on there.

And then give us a tinkle to discuss how we can help you.

Look forward to hearing from you

With kind regards

Simon Fearnehough
Director

Email: simon@hideouthouse.com   Telephone: 01865 858982  
Websites:
www.hideouthouse.com

Do you sometimes wish you had that little bit extra towards that all important project?

ABC Fundraising is a charitable fundraising company specialising in helping charities and schools secure grants towards their work.

Over the past few years we have helped dozens of schools and educational charities raise well over £500,000 towards their projects, via successful grant applications to various local authorities, lotteries, trusts and foundations.

We are currently offering our assistance to schools around the country – projects we can help you achieve funding towards include:

– School playground development, or new play equipment
– New surfacing or playground markings
– Outdoor classrooms, shelters, or furniture
– Gardens, planting, or forest areas
– Before or after school clubs
– Holiday clubs, extra-curricular, and community activities
– Any other projects potentially beneficial to the development of your pupils or community

Working with us will cost the school no money up front – we will only charge a fee if your bid is successful, and you receive a grant towards the project. Everything we do is completely transparent, and you have complete control over your project direction and content of applications. However, we can of course provide experienced advice upon how to give your grant application the best chance of success.

Please get in touch if you are interested in our services – we will be happy to discuss your project and how we can help.

Contact details

Call Andy Bond at ABC Fundraising on 07598722722 or 0131 308 0687

Or email us at: andy@abcfundraising.co.uk

Want more information? Visit our website at www.abcfundraising.co.uk

It doesn’t matter where you are based. Although ABC Fundraising is based in Edinburgh, we are experienced at working with schools and charities around the UK.

Do you sometimes wish you had that little bit extra towards that all important project?

ABC Fundraising is a charitable fundraising company specialising in helping charities and schools secure grants towards their work.

Over the past few years we have helped dozens of schools and educational charities raise well over £500,000 towards their projects, via successful grant applications to various local authorities, lotteries, trusts and foundations.

We are currently offering our assistance to schools around the country – projects we can help you achieve funding towards include:

– School playground development, or new play equipment
– New surfacing or playground markings
– Outdoor classrooms, shelters, or furniture
– Gardens, planting, or forest areas
– Before or after school clubs
– Holiday clubs, extra-curricular, and community activities
– Any other projects potentially beneficial to the development of your pupils or community

Working with us will cost the school no money up front – we will only charge a fee if your bid is successful, and you receive a grant towards the project. Everything we do is completely transparent, and you have complete control over your project direction and content of applications. However, we can of course provide experienced advice upon how to give your grant application the best chance of success.

Please get in touch if you are interested in our services – we will be happy to discuss your project and how we can help.

Contact details

Call Andy Bond at ABC Fundraising on 07598722722 or 0131 308 0687

Or email us at: andy@abcfundraising.co.uk

Want more information? Visit our website at www.abcfundraising.co.uk

It doesn’t matter where you are based. Although ABC Fundraising is based in Edinburgh, we are experienced at working with schools and charities around the UK.