Our Best Fundraising Tips for Schools

AdoptAClassroom.org’s education fundraising platform has been trusted by teachers for more than 20 years. Now, our new School Program gives principals and school administrators the opportunity to use our proven platform to help fund their larger, school-wide initiatives.

Schools can receive donations through our network of individual donors, grants, corporate sponsors, foundations, as well as crowdfund on their own. If your school is just getting started, here are some easy education fundraising tips to get you up and running.

1. Get Approval from Your District ASAP

In order to publicly launch your school’s fundraising page, we require a letter of authorization from your school district. The reason we do this is to ensure that we are in compliance with your district policy and that the correct school contact has access to the donations made in the school’s name. You can find a template for this letter on the School Dashboard after you login.

2. Create a Strong School Page

Your fundraising page should include:

  • A clear goal. Spend the time to set a “SMART” Goal; a goal that’s Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. To get started, consider a smaller goal for a particular need at your school.  
    Note: On AdoptAClassroom.org, you can set your fundraising goal to any amount at any time and you do not need to reach your goal to spend your donation. You can spend your donation immediately on your school’s needs.
  • A well-written story. Tell your donors how your school will be a stronger learning environment when you achieve your goal and get the tools you need. Use precise language to explain your goal and how you will achieve success.
  • Show, don’t tell. Whenever possible, use photos or video to tell your story. If you can, take photos or even create a short video to explain your school’s needs.

3. Share Your Fundraising Page with Your Community

When your fundraising page is live, be sure to share your link with your PTO/PTA, school staff,  parents, and the broader community (small business owners want strong schools). Ask them to share and promote your school donation page requesting donations from their family, friends, small businesses, and community contacts

4. Use the Fundraising Resources on the AdoptAClassroom.org School Dashboard

When you login to AdoptAClassroom.org, you’ll find a fundraising letter, email, offline donation flyer, and example social media posts on the School Dashboard. You can use all of these items to ask for donations from your local community including organizations, businesses, and individual donors. Make sure to customize the copy and make your communications unique to you and your school.

Note: It’s important to let your network know that their donations to AdoptAClassroom.org for your school are tax- deductible. Make sure to include this information in any of your fundraising pleas. We will automatically email donors a receipt with our tax ID number after a donation is made.

To get started with the AdoptAClassroom.org School Program, sign up for our mailing list or register your school.