A VERY thorough, step-by-step guide to running a. fundraiser!

Transcription

1 A VERY thorough, step-by-step guide to running a fundraiser!

2 STEP ONE WATCH AND READ After watching the How to Videos and reading the How it Works section of the website (and determining that Spell-athon-online is the PERFECT fundraiser for your school or youth group), find a parent or teacher to coordinate the fundraiser which could be YOU! This is a very easy ask as coordinators can have the fundraiser up and running in less than 10 minutes. The main work will be marketing it to your parents and keeping track of incentives/prizes if you choose to offer them. Both of which we explain in FULL detail in later sections.

3 STEP TWO REGISTER A COORDINATOR Register as a coordinator at Please see image below for the information you will need during registration. And don t worry, we never sell or give away your personal information!

4 STEP THREE REGISTER A FUNDRAISER Once registered, you will be taken to a page to register a fundraiser go ahead and register using the info you know. There is no charge and no obligation to run the fundraiser. PLEASE NOTE everything - and we mean EVERYTHING (aside from the name of the fundraiser) - can be edited after you register! Don t worry about getting it perfect just put down what you know and fix it later! As for the name, we suggest keeping it simple, such as Springfield Elementary [or whatever your school name is] Your fundraiser s personalized URL will end with your fundraiser name (e.g. We suggest including the year of the fundraiser so next year when you copy this fundraiser you can still use your school name in the title and just change the year. To the right are the items you will be asked when registering a fundraiser. Some items that might need further explanation are: Sponsorships, Donation Amounts, Grade Levels and Proxy Login. (Please see info on the next page for a full description.) In order to submit your registration, click the button Connect a WePay account later. We will go over this in a later section.

5 STEP THREE (cont d) Item Explanations: SPONSORSHIPS allow a supporter (usually a local business) to sponsor your fundraising efforts with a contribution to the entire organization. They will be acknowledged for their support by having their name and donation amount scrolling on all participants webpages and on the fundraiser s home and See our Sponsors pages. See samples below. If you would like to include Sponsorships, please select the donation amount options in the drop down menus. You will be able to edit this later (but not after the fundraiser goes live.) To view a sample fundraiser with sponsors scrolling, please click here: DONATION AMOUNTS allows the coordinator to select how much to ask for when considering a per word donation. For example, if you live in a wealthy area, and a $50 donation is reasonable, then the coordinator might want to set the cheapest option at $1 per word (assuming the participants will be learning 50 words.) The next option could be $2 for a $100 contribution and so on. In neighborhoods where a $50 donation would be at the high end the coordinator can make the first level at $.25 (for a total contribution of $12.50) and move up to $.50. $.75, and $1. Please note, the donors will always have an option to fill in their own amount and not use the per word method. GRADE LEVELS refers to the straight forward question of which grade level(s) you will be testing OR you may choose to use our special list option. In Spell-a-thon-online.com, each grade level is tested on the same set of words. But let s say you are at a middle school and you want the students to choose what types of words they will be learning. By clicking Art, Music, and/or State Capitals, they can decide! Instead of selecting a grade when the register, they will choose a word list that interests them! If you choose to go this route, do not select the grade level boxes as well since that might confuse the students. Want a Science terms word list? How about a Math terms word list? Send one over we ll set it up! PROXY LOGIN is a username and password that you can distribute to all the teachers or any parent helpers that will be assisting in classrooms while the students are practicing or testing online. We don t expect young, elementary school-aged children to remember their own username and password and with a Proxy Login, they don t have to! If a user signs in to Spell-a-thon-online.com using the Proxy Login you set up, they will be able to sign in any participant to practice or take the test. NO PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION is accessible through this login. Proxy Logins are also used for older students. On test day, the teacher can simply post the log in on her whiteboard and the students can use it to begin testing. More on Proxy Logins in the Testing section. Feel free to register a sample fundraiser first to take the system for a test drive. When you are ready to start a real fundraiser, log in using your coordinator username and password, and click the tab at the top to Start a New Fundraiser.

6 STEP FOUR GET EVERYONE ON BOARD Get your principal, teachers and parent groups (PTA, PTO, etc.) on board! It s always recommended to have 100% buy in before you begin. In-person meetings are always preferred, but if those are hard to schedule, a phone call or will suffice. Here is a sample you can send: Dear, I have found a great way for our school to raise money while keeping education a priority Instead of using our kids as salesmen to hock unneeded products to their family and friends, we ll be asking them to learn how to spell 50 words (and we can choose the words so it can match what the kids are learning in class OR we can use pre-set, grade-appropriate lists and have the fundraiser up and running in just minutes.) Parents would simply register their kids online and then send out solicitations to their family and friends. Supporters will click a link in the which will direct them to the student s personal webpage. Because all solicitations are through , the list of possible donors is endless! The best part our school will keep 91% of all the money collected online (candy, gift wrap and magazine sales typically give back only 50% of the money collected.) The system is designed to allow for our kids to practice the spelling words online at home or at school. They can even take the test online or teachers can administer the test in class with paper and pencil. And no one would need to enter the scores into the system as donors are supporting our students based on how many words they are learning, not how many words they get correct on the test. Typically the fundraiser would last for 3 to 4 weeks - the first 2-3 weeks parents would be registering their students and soliciting donations while the students are learning their words. During the 3 rd or 4 th week, the students would take the test and send out last minute solicitation requests. The test could be taken in class online or by hand, or, if everyone has internet access at home, it can be assigned as homework. I really want to give this a try. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Parent Volunteer Extraordinaire

7 Now that you have your principal, teachers and parents on board, here are some questions you might need to address with the powers that be to make sure you are all on the same page. What grades will be participating in the fundraiser? How much money do you want to raise? Will you be offering business Sponsorships? (Please see FAQ s page for a description of Sponsorships) When will the fundraiser begin? How long will the students have to register, practice spelling and solicit donations? (Typical time is 2-3 weeks) When will you start testing? How long will testing last? (Typically one week) Will you be testing by hand (paper and pencil) or online? If testing online, will the kids test at school or at home? If at school, do you have laptops with earphones? Everything is online, but nothing is downloaded to school ipads or computers. If testing online, do the teachers need to know the scores? The system records all the scores of the tests and keeps track of which words are misspelled. The coordinator can export the data into an Excel file and it to the educators for their reference. Keep in mind, many teachers prefer to test by hand and not rely on another individual to get them the grades which is fine! The system doesn t need to know the scores. Will you be offering incentives? See Marketing Plan for more on incentives. What are you raising the money for? Will you be using the grade appropriate, pre-set word lists or will the educators supply words lists to you?

8 STEP FIVE SELECT WORDS You need to assign a word list to each grade. This list can be one of our many pre-set lists, or made up of words you enter into the system. If you use the Preset Lists button, you can have your fundraiser up and running in just a few minutes! First select the grade you wish to add words to, then click on the button then select the appropriate list. Click SAVE and repeat the process for each grade! If the educators at your school would prefer students learn a specific list of words, you will need to enter them to the appropriate grade. The easiest way to enter words would be through Manual Entry. First, click the grade you wish to enter the words for, then click the Manual Entry button. Start typing in the word you wish to use in the Find Word area and click Search. A list of similar words will pop up. If you see your word with an appropriate sentence listed, simply click the Search button next to it. If you see your word but want to write your own sentence, simply add your sentence then click Select. If your word doesn t appear, click the Add You Own Word tab and type in the word and sentence, then click Add. Your word lists will be saved forever so your school can use the same lists year after year without ever having to re-enter the words! Please contact us at fran@spell-a-thon-online.com if you have a lot words to enter as we can sometimes help out!

9 STEP SIX - SPONSORSHIPS Offering Sponsorships is a great way to get local (and parent owned) business involved! Sponsorships offer a great marketing opportunity to local businesses. Their name and donation amount will be scrolling on every participant s webpage, as well as on your fundraiser s home page. You may choose the different levels (amounts) of sponsorships when you register your fundraiser. Here is a sample Sponsorship flyer or eblast: We have a great opportunity for you to advertise your company while donating much needed funds to {enter your school name here}! We are hosting an online Spell-a-thon and our students will be asking all their friends and family to sign on to their personal webpage to support their fundraising efforts. As a sponsor, your business will be scrolling on EVERY participant's webpage to be viewed by EVERY potential donor! Not to mention all the parents at our school! Your company information will also be listed on our online, personalized "Sponsors" page as well as scrolling on our main school fundraiser page. Simply sign on to {enter your fundraiser home page web address}, then click the link "Sponsor the Fundraiser" and follow the easy instructions. Coordinators may enter offline Sponsorships (those who paid by check) through the Sponsorships button in the left side menu. Both online and offline Sponsorships will scroll on all pages. Please note, while it is possible to enter offline sponsorships, it is NOT possible to enter offline participant donations.

10 STEP SEVEN EDIT AND PERSONALIZE YOUR FUNDRAISER Before you start the fundraiser and go live, you may edit any part of your fundraiser (aside from the name) by clicking Edit Fundraiser. To personalize your main fundraiser homepage, click Personalize Web Page in the Manage Fundraiser menu. Here you can edit the text that will appear on your fundraiser s homepage. For example, you can let people know what you are raising money for. You can also upload a picture that will be displayed on your home page. The picture to the right is the default that will show on your homepage if no picture is uploaded.

11 STEP EIGHT TAX DEDUCTION RECEITPS If your organization is a 501 (c)(3) corporation, contributions MAY be tax deductible. If they are, any donation requires a receipt issued by your organization. (Please consult with your personal tax advisor for further information.) Don t you hate writing all those tax-deduction receipts by hand? Well, with Spell-a-thon-online.com, you don t have to! Simply click the bottom menu item on the left side labeled Tax Deduction Receipts and enter your organizations name and Tax ID number and click SUBMIT. On the next page you will be able to edit the letter and choose how you would like the letters to be sent. If you check the box labeled Send Automatically, then anytime someone makes a donation, a receipt will be sent right away.

12 STEP NINE GOING LIVE! To start your fundraiser, simply click Start Fundraiser in the Manage Fundraiser menu. Please see next page for WePay instructions. Any item that needs completing will appear on this screen in red and highlighted. Click the link next to the item to edit or complete. Once everything is filled in, click Start Fundraiser again and then click Publish Website and Start Fundraising! PLEASE NOTE once you start your fundraiser, you will no longer be able to edit spelling words, participating grades, or sponsorships.

13 STEP NINE GOING LIVE! (continued) WePay Once you click the orange button at the bottom of the screen that says Create or Connect to a We Pay Account you will be taken to the screen below. If you need to create a WePay account, please fill in your name, and password and click Grant Access. Please note you are granting Spell-a-thononline.com access to deposit money into your WePay account and issue refunds from your WePay account for this fundraiser ONLY. Spell-a-thon-online.com will NOT have access to your WePay account when it s used for other platforms such as GoFundMe, etc. Spell-a-thon-online.com does NOT have access to any of your personal information through WePay. If your organization already has a WePay account, click the blue Log In button and sign in on the next screen. Once your account is created you can start your fundraiser! PLEASE NOTE you will need to verify your personal or your organization s information and connect your personal or your organization s bank account to your WePay account to have your funds directly deposited into your bank. WePay will send you an when you create your account, as well as when you receive your first donation, reminding you to enter your information.

14 STEP TEN MARKETING THE FUNDRAISER Here are some ways you can market the fundraiser to your school: Eblasts If your school has a mass system, be sure to send out eblasts to all the parents remembering that one is usually not enough... Here are some sample eblast ideas: o Introduction to fundraiser: Explain that it is educational and profitable and why you are raising funds. Link to fundraiser homepage and offer easy directions on how to register. o If you are offering incentives, explain them in detail. o Urge sharing through social media. o Explain why your school needs these funds. o Testing date is approaching solicit donations and practice spelling! o After test share how much has raised to date but it s not too late! Last chance to solicit donations. Have teachers announce the Spell-a-thon-online to their students and get them excited about it. Have the room parents send out a personal to the parents in their class these have a higher percentage of open rates vs. the school-wide eblasts. If your school has a Student Council, see if the student members can go class to class and inspire the kids to register. Offer incentives (view the Incentives section in this guide for more information.) Costumes/Spirit Day Organize a Spirit Day where all the kids can dress up as bees, or have the Principal or teacher or a parent dress up as a bee and hand stuff out to all the kids. Have a link to the fundraiser s home page in a prominent place on the home page of your school website. Banner have banners made, or have the older kids decorate posters that can be hung around campus, mainly at drop-off and pick-up locations. The posters/banners should have the URL address of your school s fundraiser so parents can write it down or use their smartphone to register right then and there. Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) - If your school uses social media, be sure to use these mediums to broaden your reach for donors.

15 STEP ELEVEN INCENTIVES Incentives are a great way to get students excited about the fundraiser. They encourage students to reach a set goal, as once they do, they will get a prize. There are plenty of ways to incentivize. Sample goals and prizes include: If a student registers for the Spell-a-thon-online they get a prize. Suggested prizes: pencils with bees on them, trip to the treasure chest, homework pass, popsicle, sugar-free candy, bee stickers, etc. If all the students in an entire class register for the fundraiser, the entire class wins a prize. Suggested prizes: pizza or popsicle party, extra recess, no homework, pencils with bees on them, etc. Whichever class has the most students registered by a certain date wins a prize. Suggested prizes: pizza or popsicle party, extra recess, no homework, pencils with bees on them, etc. If a participant sends out at least 3 solicitation s they win a prize. (This would be based on the honor system as parents would have to write a note stating they sent three solicitations.) Suggested prizes: pencils with bees on them, trip to the treasure chest, homework pass, popsicle, sugar-free candy, bee stickers, etc. If a participant raises a certain amount of money they win a prize. This can be done two ways. For example, for every $100 a student raises, he/she wins a $5 gift card or a trip to the prize booth. Or, you may offer prizes as each participant hits a certain level. For example, once a participant raises $50 they win a pencil, a key chain or a homework pass, etc. (something small). Once they raise $100 they earn a trip to the prize booth or something slightly larger than the $50 prize. Once they raise $250 they get to go out to a restaurant for lunch with the principal during school one day (all the kids would go at the same time). Once they raise $500 they get an hour in a game truck after school, or a limo ride to lunch, or a $50 gift card to Target, etc. If a participant raises the most money in his/her grade (or school) they win a prize. Many businesses or parents will be happy to donate an ipod or something similar as a prize for the top fundraiser in exchange for a simple Thank you to in the marketing eblasts. Exporting participant and donation information to keep track of incentives - The system allows coordinators to download all the participant/donation information to Excel. As long as you (or your helper) have basic knowledge of Excel, you can keep track of the participants, what grade they are in, and how much money they have raised. To download each participant s donation information, sign on as a coordinator and click the side menu item Donations. Here you can see all the participants who have raised money. You may sort the list by Name, Grade, Number of Donations or Total Donations. To export the list, check the top box to the left of the NAME header (this will check the boxes next to every participant s name.) Then scroll to the bottom and click the button labeled Export Checked Entries to Excel. Name your file in the pop up and click EXPORT. An Excel pop-up might appear, in which case you click either open or save and follow the instructions.

16 If you are running a grade level contest, you may use the Filter by Grade option up top to get quick totals. If you simply want to export a list of all the participants, log in and click the side menu item View Participants. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Show All button. To export the list, check the top box to the left of the NAME header (this will check the boxes next to every participant s name). Then scroll to the bottom and click the button labeled Export Checked Entries to Excel. Name your file in the pop up and click EXPORT. An Excel pop-up might appear, in which case you click either open or save and follow the instructions.

17 STEP TWELVE TEAMWORK Is it just you or can you recruit a team to help? If you have helpers, you can turn this into a HUGE event, ensuring its success breaking all records of past fundraisers! Suggested jobs can be: Chairperson - overseer (ideally someone who has helped to run a previous Spell-a-thononline.com fundraiser) Accounting this is only needed if you have incentives or are offering prizes. This person keeps track of all donations through the website (how much per student, how much per class/grade, etc.), makes sure the hand drawn thermometer on the office window stays accurate, and tracks everything in Excel. Spelling List Coordinator if you choose to upload your own spelling lists, you may want someone to help input the words and sentences. Please keep in mind that we do have many lists for you to choose from which require no additional time at all! updates in charge of communications for news eblasts, inspiration, updates, instigating competition, etc. Awards - in charge of choosing and purchasing (with school funds) the student and teacher prizes Mrs./Mr. Spelling Bee this fun parent or teacher (or principal!) dresses up as a bee and inspires the students by handing out "healthy" candy and promoting the Spell-a-thon-online Testing Coordinator - in charge of setting up school facilities if testing at school, communicating details to teachers and parents, coordinating parent volunteers for test day Sponsorship solicitations leading a team in soliciting local businesses and explaining the great marketing opportunity they can get while supporting their neighborhood school

18 STEP THIRTEEN STOPPING THE FUNDRAISER Once everyone has tested and the last minute donations have come in, all you have to do is click the left-side menu item labeled STOP Fundraiser. Make sure your information is correct and click the STOP button at the bottom of the page. And don t worry all the information you entered for your fundraiser will be saved for next year s Spell-a-thononline! All you will have to do is select a new name (we suggest adding the year to the title for easy reference.) That s it! If you have any questions please don t hesitate to contact us at Fran@Spell-a-thon-online.com Happy fundraising!