Back to school and back to reality, but the reality is that schools may need a helping hand, so this is how you can raise money for your school during the lockdown.
South Africa (16 February 2021) – This week marks the official start of the 2021 school year, with parents gearing up for a busy time of homework, covering school books and those usual all-important fundraising activities. All those traditional – and fun – ways to raise funds, like cake sales, weekend fun runs, fetes and sunset braais, have been hamstrung by social distancing requirements, leaving schools struggling to get creative.
If you’re among those looking for inspiration, read on for four ways to fundraise during a lockdown safely.
There’s an app for that!
Schools have experienced significant losses over the last year, especially without any opportunity to conduct their usual fundraising activities.
Parents and teachers have had to go above and beyond to keep teaching on track in these extraordinary circumstances. Now, to help show teachers and schools how appreciated they are, secure school payments app Karri (powered by Nedbank) is paying it forward with a R500 000 donation to parents across the country.<
“We are distributing R500 000 in denominations of R500 that will appear in parents’ Karri wallets. This will ultimately help schools by enabling parents to contribute to fundraising initiatives directly,” says Anthea Abrahams, General Manager at Karri. “We are also offering a R10 000 cash incentive to the school that raises the most money from a fundraising collection.”
Whether or not you #FindThe500 in your Karri wallet, supporting schools should be top of everyone’s agenda right now.
Socially-distanced quiz nights
Social distancing is still a big part of everyone’s lives, so events have to take on a new form in order to stay relevant. The last year has been tough, to say the least, but we have learnt a lot about the various ways to stay connected and have fun without having to meet up face-to-face. Hosting a quiz night is fun, regardless of the platform used, so consider hosting one (or more) to raise funds for your school. All that’s needed is for each participant to have an active internet connection for the video call, and of course, it wouldn’t hurt to have a prize donated by one of the parents or the school itself.
All the funds raised from the entry fees are then donated to the school.
A new take on the traditional bake sale
We’ve taken all other forms of shopping online, so why not do our bake sales online too? If the huge boom in baking since the beginning of lockdown is anything to go by, schools can definitely expect some excellent results if they choose to host a virtual bake sale to bring in some much-needed funds.
Depending on the success of the sale, it could even be turned into a fortnightly or monthly event which can be continued well after lockdown regulations are finally relaxed. People will always want sweet treats, and being able to click a button and have these delivered to their door will make it both tempting and convenient in equal measure!
Swipe for your school – and those in need
Raising funds for schools doesn’t have to break the bank; there are ways to show your support without spending an extra cent. This way, you don’t have to stop at raising funds for your school and can extend your assistance to other schools in need too.
MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet aims to change lives “through education, community support, and helping animal and environmental organisations” with its community loyalty programme, which allows South African consumers to support initiatives close to their hearts directly.
By simply swiping your MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet card every time you shop at one of the programme’s retail partners, including Woolworths, Bidvest Waltons, Builders, Engen and more, a portion of your spend will be donated on your behalf to the causes of your choice.
If you aren’t already a MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet supporter, join now, select the schools and causes closest to your heart, and start supporting them today.
by 