Fundraising for Cash-Strapped Schools

I read an interesting article this week on the state of our schools and the funding situation that many schools currently face. The article said that almost half (49%) of parents of children at state schools had been asked for an extra financial donation to their school in the last year. 31% of those stated that they feared there would be negative consequences for their child if they did not pay up. This was coupled with a comment by Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, who said “Requests for voluntary contributions have increased because schools are so cash-strapped. This is a sign of the severity of the funding crisis caused by the government’s under-investment in schools”.

If you’re reading this then hopefully you are a parent, teacher, headteacher, or PTA member interested in how you can assure further funds for your school. In this article, I’m looking at why fundraising is so challenging, and how we might be able to help.

Fundraising is a headache…

As we all know it can be a real headache for the Fundraising Committee and the Treasurer. How do you generate enough funding to do the activities you want to do for the rest of the year? Examples are; keeping the building in good repair, sending the children to worthwhile events and activities, providing the equipment the children need in order to obtain the best education?

As it becomes increasingly difficult to generate funds, a large number of those groups are turning to larger fundraising events in order to generate money for their organisations. Over the last 5 years we have seen a huge surge in the number of groups that are running Bonfire Night events in order to generate funding.

Bonfire Night, Summer Fete’s and New Years’ Eve parties have always been a popular way of bringing in funding. However, over the last few years we have been increasingly invited to fire professional displays for organisations and groups who had previously put on displays or had just not considered a Firework event before at all. What’s more, many new clients have already come back to us and upgraded to even bigger displays next year in order to generate even more funds.

It costs less than you think…and can generate a lot more than you think!

With an Electrify Bonfire Night Fireworks display not only are you giving your audience a larger, choreographed display with professional category fireworks that will really amaze your guests, you no longer have the worry of safety and insurance. At Electrify we take care of everything from coming out to do a site visit and risk assessment to the £10 Million liability insurance we carry as standard. That leaves the organising committees free to look at other revenue streams from the night such as hot food, sales, glow toys, competition stands and small fair ride pitches.

Don’t take our word for it, this is what our clients had to say about our displays this year:

“I organise a fireworks night as a fundraiser at my children’s school and everyone always says it is truly the best display they have seen, our crowds have trebled over the last 3 years as has our profit. Value for money with the most fantastic service… everything is taken care of so all you need to do is sell tickets! Could not recommend enough” Jane Lee – Forestdale Primary School PTA

Tops Tips

Our existing school clients started off small, made a good profit in year 1 however have grown year on year
We advise on the best place to have your display, where to keep your audience and ensuring the display is safe for all involved
We carry £10 million public liability insurance, and do risk assessments and organise the display set up, firing and clear up
Attendance tends to be high as people are looking for firework displays to go to at that time of year, and are more likely to attend their own schools display if it doesn’t clash with a large public event. A small entrance fee will make a big difference to your fundraising efforts
You can blow them away with our amazing professional displays. Recently we held a display at a school who had previously done fireworks themselves – they were blown away by the difference between a professional display and their hand-fired retail bought fireworks. Their crowds have grown year on year ever since – 2018 will be year 5 for them (and us!)
Your customers come with money and spend at stalls until the fireworks are done. This allows you to put on additional stalls to raise further funds:
1. Competition stalls (hook a duck, basketball throwing)
2. Hot food stalls
3. small fair ride pitches
Ever see glow sticks and flashing toys at firework displays? That’s because kids buy them by the bucket-load, and we can provide them for you at a low cost giving you an extra revenue stream on the night
Prices for our firework display include VAT, so many organisations can claim that back, making it even cheaper to hold the event