The Educator Magazine U.K. Jan-April 2023. - Magazine - Page 62
What does your school
need money for?
Schools and PTAs undertake
fundraising activities to pay for
everything from building
improvements to subsidies for school
trips. It’s also increasingly common
that fundraising proceeds are needed
to pay for the bare essentials.
According to a recent poll by the
National Association of Head
Teachers, nearly three quarters of
schools are having to rely on
fundraising to supplement their
core budgets.
“We have requested staff to bring in
toys and books for our younger
children to use,” she said. “We have
also had to sell two of our minibuses
to raise additional funds.”
Louise Riley, Meadow Park School
But fundraising isn’t easy. If you’re
involved with school fundraising
you’ll know the feeling of being on
a non-stop treadmill of coming up
with ideas, recruiting volunteers,
organising events, drumming up
prizes, and then starting all over again.
It takes time, energy and passion, so
hats off to all those involved!
But now it’s time to take a breath,
one fundraising company has come
up with an idea that won’t leave you
drained – a digital school lottery.
Your School Lottery operates entirely
online, so you don’t have to print
tickets, source prizes or handle any
cash. They also organise the lottery
draws, and pay out the winners, all
you have to do is spread the word, so
it’s super easy to run – music to your
ears right?
Your School Lottery operates all year
round, even during school holidays,
so the money will keep rolling in,
week-in week-out, even when your
school is closed. And you’ll have
regular funds coming in that you
can spend on anything your school
needs.
“What will it cost?”, I hear you say.
The best thing about this fundraising
idea is that there are no set-up costs.
If you’ve never done a lottery or raffle
before, you’ll need to register with
the local council, which costs £40.
Signing up for Your School Lottery is
completely free, and you’ll receive all
this:
• A website page for your lottery,
where people go to buy tickets
• Personalised marketing materials
that you can edit
• Support via phone, email and social
media
• Monthly payments of funds straight
into your bank account
• Online dashboard and regular email
reports - Plus it’s just as easy for your
school community as it is for you
They don’t have to give up their
precious time to support the school,
and won’t have to spend more than
they can afford. Tickets cost just £1
each and are bought via your
webpage.
Your School Lottery. With just 50
weekly players, you could raise over
£1000 a year. With more players, the
sky’s the limit - one school that has
even purchased a £15k climbing wall
with their lottery proceeds! Here’s
what another St Mary’s & St Peter’s
CofE Primary School, Teddington had
to say about their lottery:
“We have raised approximately
£3,300 for the school in the 7 months
since we joined, and this money has
made a real difference to our school.
We have put this money towards
buying new technology to support
the new ways of learning.”
“When should we launch our lottery”
Now is the perfect time to sign-up for
your fundraising lottery. Get started
now, and your lottery will be well
established by Christmas. Whether
you’re fundraising for basics like
books, or little extras like Christmas
gifts, your lottery could help you
boost the coffers this term.
There’s a weekly draw every Saturday
night, with a guaranteed cash prize
winner in your school every week.
Plus, everyone who enters has the
chance to win a £25,000 jackpot.
How do we know it works?
Your School Lottery is not a new idea,
it’s been tried and tested since 2014.
Over 2000 schools throughout the
UK use Your School Lottery to
generate income week-in-week-out,
even during the holidays. Schools
and PTAs of all shapes and sizes, from
kindergartens to secondary schools
are using this simple and effective
fundraising tool.
“How much could we raise?” Well
that’s dependent on how many
people play your lottery, but this
isn’t just an idea that work for larger
schools. Hundreds of small schools
and even nurseries raise money with
To get the ball rolling with a lottery
for your school or college, simply
sign-up here:
www.YourSchoolLottery.co.uk
or call 01865 582828.