AdoptAClassroom.org’s technology platform connects donors with educators across the country to provide them with the donations they need to purchase school supplies. To help teachers raise donations, we asked a few of our crowdfunding teacher leaders to share their best fundraising tips for maximizing donations.
Who Are The AdoptAClassroom.org Crowdfunding Teacher Leaders?
The following fundraising tips are made possible by our new Teacher Leader program, which is designed to elevate and appreciate teachers for the advice that they share with other educators through our platform. Stay tuned for more information about the Teacher Leader program and our Spotlight Funds in coming months.
These educators were selected as crowdfunding teacher leaders because they are expert fundraisers who have raised more than $1,000 each for their classroom throughAdoptAClassroom.org. We hope their advice inspires you to try new fundraising strategies and get creative!
Fundraising Tips From Crowdfunding Teacher Leaders
1. Leverage Your Network
Special education teacher Nicole raised $1,775 through AdoptAClassroom.org to purchase flexible seating for her classroom. One of the primary ways she raised donations for her classroom is by asking friends who worked for corporations to help fund her classroom.
One of her friends organized a team bingo activity at her workplace to raise funds for Nicole’s classroom. Nicole and her students even made a virtual appearance to thank them for their hard work!
Want more fundraising tips from Nicole? Check out her video:
2. Use Social Media to Ask for Donations
Asking your community for donations on Facebook and Twitter is a great way to receive donations for your classroom. However, there are a few different ways you can change your strategy by social channel to increase your odds of receiving donations.
Karen, a sixth grade teacher who raised more than $2,000 for her classroom through AdoptAClassroom.org, suggests posting your classroom page on neighborhood and school alumni pages. “You’d be surprised by how much alumni love to help their former schools,” Karen shared.
Joanna, who teaches 5th-8th grade for medically intensive students, suggests keeping an Instagram story on your personal page with photos. These sorts of photos can help potential donors understand the work you do and the impact donations have on your classroom.
Of course, you should always keep student privacy in mind when posting images of the inside of your classroom. Read our tips for taking photos of students while protecting their privacy here.
Take advantage of donation matches!
Whatever social channels you post on, make sure to post on the day of our donation match! Posting during a donation match is a great way to double the impact made on your classroom.
We have an upcoming match for AdoptAClassroom Week, August 22 and 23, 2022. You can always see current and upcoming matches on our website here.
3. Write an Email Signature Asking for Donations
Joanna shared another important tip: make sure to add a link to your classroom page to your email signature. Follow our step-by-step instructions for finding and sharing your AdoptAClassroom.org classroom page if you’re unsure how to share your page.
Email is an easy way to get your classroom page out to new audiences. Read our guide on how to ask for donations using email here.
4. Use QR Codes
Joanna used QR codes as an easily shareable, scannable way for potential donors to access her classroom page. These codes are shareable on Facebook as well as on any printed assets.
You can quickly and easily create your own QR Codes online. Just be sure to link to your classroom page in your QR code.
Joanna has a lot of great, creative advice for teachers looking to raise funds for their classrooms. Watch her video:
Ready to get started?
If you’re ready to start sharing your classroom page on social media, make sure you log in and update your page with new information for the coming school year. Potential donors want to know what your needs are this back-to-school season.
Need more fundraising tips? Check out AdoptAClassroom.org’s thorough fundraising guide.
Are you a PreK-12 educator that isn’t registered on AdoptAClassroom.org? AdoptAClassroom.org is the most flexible funding platform for teachers. When you receive a donation, you can spend it on the supplies you need, when you need them.