To start a fundraiser ask yourself:

1. What are you raising the money for?
If it is for general funds, you'll have the least amount of success. If you are trying to buy books for the library, a new piece of playground equipment, or to fund an artist-in-residence, or a scholarship, you need to communicate that to your parents.

2. When do you want to hold the event?
Depending on the complexity of the event (auction, dinner gala, benefit concert, sock hop) you need a few months lead time to gather your helpers, create posters/flyers, ask for donations and SET A BUDGET.

3. Set a budget.
There is always some expense your PTO will have to cover (decorations, photocopies, postage, table cloths, props, thank you notes for the volunteers, food for the volunteers, food for the prep meetings - yeah bring food and they WILL come!).

4. Donations.
My booster club is having a TOUGH time with donations in these challenging times - if you can't get a donation, ask if you could get a BREAK or discount on any items.

What are you willing to do for that business if they donate? Give free ad space on your website and parent newsletter? create posters with their name on it at the event? Hold your thank volunteer appreciation party at their business?

THANK YOUR DONORS. Did you mail a thank you LETTER (no e-mail) to your donors? Did you send a photo of your kids grinning with a big sign in front that says "Thank you Business Donor"? Donors love to be gushed with thanks. If you thank them, they will remember and donate again.

5. Is this a new event? If so, it takes at LEAST FIVE YEARS for an event to catch on in our community. Don't expect to make a ton of money your first year.

6. You gotta spend money to make money. We held a first-ever benefit concert featuring our talented H.S. Music directors and H.S. Alumni and raised $1,000 - of which $300 was expenses (mostly advertising and feeding the artists). Not bad for a first try. The directors had such a blast, we'll do it again every other year - we'll probably build attendance on that.

7. TAKE NOTES. Do your successors a favor and PLEASE take notes! Hold a debrief meeting immediately after your event to discuss what you spent your money on, what went well, what didn't - what could be changed. Who has connections to cheaper items, or other donors, etc. Hindsight is 20/20 and someone always comes up with a shoulda/coulda/woulda.

Why re-create the wheel every year? Please take notes!

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How about having a "nonfundraiser"? Where you simply ask for donations/contributions. Our school PTA did this for the first time this year and made up a form for people to turn in with their taxes. The student with the highest amount of donations/contributions gets a Wii.

hi my name is Belia Anaya im the new Parent Liaison for PTA Program at Versia L. Williams located in Fort Worth ,tx. Im having problems how to star the program.. do u have any tips or ideas that could help start the prgram.. i would really appreciate it .

thanks fpr your time,
Belia Anaya

When a company comes in and runs a fundraiser, they take 40%, 50% or even 60% of the funds raised. When we plan an inhouse fundraiser, we know that we will get to keep most of the funds, but that some will go to prizes and set up. Kids that are use to the big productions that companies can bring in, will expect some excitement. You can generate a lot of that for free, but some funds are needed.

If you board isn't use to putting aside money to start fundraisers, then perhaps approaching them about part of the profits being used to pay the costs. Then perhaps it won't seem like money is being taken from other areas.

I will be running a first time fundraiser myself. It amazes me that when I ask other boards for an idea on such a fundraiser what their costs were they make it sound as if everything was all donations? I find that hard to believe. So if you make 80-90% on any fundraiser you are doing great. So figure in your goal and deduct say 12%. That is always a good start then error from there for future years.That is my plan for this one when it is presented to the board this summer.

Business is business, they really can't expect you to eat the start up costs do they? Mistake #1 was letting them get away with it the first time. Time for change...I ran an extremely successful first time fund raiser this year. I had no idea what the start up costs were to be and I told the board that. I also told them that while I was willing to pay the costs up front, I was to be reimbursed from the profits. I submitted all the receipts at the end and was cut a check. I then held back that same amount of money from the profits for start up money for next year's fundraiser. It takes money to make money...but it doesn't have to be your own. Be a smart business woman and lead the way for future fundraisers...not everyone can put money up front nor can they expect to give it back as a donation. Good luck to you...