The Positive Outcomes of a Fundraising Student

The Fun in Fundraising

Fundraising is a mutually beneficial endeavor. For the giver, it provides them with the knowledge that their contribution is helping to make a difference. As for the receiver, they are able to use those contributions towards helping those in need. Yet, this could not be achieved without the individuals who collect these contributions. For school fundraisers, these collectors are the students themselves, and they receive an array of benefits from their fundraising experience.

The Many Perks of Helping Others

First of all, these students are building confidence. It can be intimidating to ask for funds as a young student. These students are prone to meet new people that are interested to hear why the funds are needed. The students then discuss the cause in hopes that their words will inspire others to give. Not every individual will donate, but when one does, the student will build the confidence to continue asking others.

Another benefit of fundraising for students is that it provides healthy competition. Students enjoy working for something when they know there is a reward at the end of it. This will cause the student to understand that the more effort put into something the more they will receive in the end.

Lastly, these students will learn about responsibility. Many fundraisers provide students with a folder in which to collect funds. These folders are entrusted with students and they have full responsibility of the contents inside. This shows the students that the success of the fundraiser is quite literally in their hands, and they will be more cautious of how they care for the collected funds.

Fundraising is an Accomplishment

The most important benefit is the feeling of accomplishment. Whether these students raise one dollar or a hundred, they help their school get nearer to a goal. At Paragon Promotions, we believe that fundraisers will continue to be a successful way for schools to reach their goals- one reason being the students, another being us. We want nothing more than to see every school grow to provide their students with the best possible education and experience. Visit us here, and discover how we can help your school achieve your goals.

How to Get ALL Parents Involved in Fundraising

Family is an integral piece to a solid and successful fundraiser. As a family owned and operated business, we understand the support that family can provide when you are taking on a new endeavor - whether that be opening your own business or your child starting a new fundraiser with their school.

It is our prerogative to make every family feel involved in their school’s fundraiser. Schools in the United States are becoming increasingly diverse. While this provides children with great opportunities to learn about other cultures, it can be difficult for schools to get families of all cultures involved in fundraising because of language and cultural barriers.

Our dream is to make it easy for all parents to get involved with their child’s fundraiser.

To help reach this goal, we’ve hired José Lopez as a bilingual project consultant to bridge the gap. José’s roots in Mexico and US cities with cultural diversity aids in the fundraising process for families that are not native English speakers.

José pictured in the center with co-worker, Richie

José Lopez has been working with Paragon Promotions since July. Initially hired as a Spanish translator, José’s position quickly evolved into a bilingual project consultant. He works to get hispanic families, and families of all cultures, involved by reaching out and explaining the fundraising process on a more personal level. He loves “providing new and different perspectives” to Paragon’s methodology and “opening eyes to new initiatives.”

José has a passion for helping people and volunteering. He also works in the community to help people with immigration resources and has previously donated his time as a Spanish translator to low-income based clinics.

José is a long-time family friend of Tom and Diane Stone, Paragon’s founders. He works with the planning and execution of kick-off events and open houses, as well as sales. When asked what his favorite part about fundraising is, he said “going out and getting them excited!”

We are thrilled to have José on board. He brings positivity, fun, and most importantly, the kids love him!

José pictured left wearing the "Duck Dynasty" beard during our "Beard for a Day" fundraising contest.

Safe Fundraising in The Sun

Although fundraising is important for your child to raise money for their school or activity, these upcoming summer months can be long, hot and dry. Being outside can be detrimental to your child’s health. Make sure that your child is fully protected from the sun to provide an engaging and fun fundraising experience.

Here are some tips to keep your child fully protected and staying healthy during the summer months:

Make sure your child has sunscreen. Being exposed to the sun for too long can have harmful effects on your child’s skin. The human eye cannot perceive it, but natural sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) photons that can penetrate the skin and in the long run cause skin cancer. Sunscreen acts like a bulletproof vest that deflects the UV rays before inflicting damage on your child’s skin.

Did you know? SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and the number is how long you can stay under the sun. Look out for this number on the label of sunscreen bottles to make sure you’re buying the appropriate sunscreen for your child.

Give your child plenty of water. Make sure your child has a water bottle. Have your child drink water before and after doing any strenuous activity; drinking enough water can prevent your child from getting dehydrated.

Did you know? Without water, your body would stop working properly. Water makes up more than half of your body weight and a person can't survive for more than a few days without it. 

Buy your child a pair of sunglasses. Just as how the sun’s UV rays can be harmful to skin, it is also harmful to eyes and can lead to age-related eye problems. Visit your eye care professional for the best quality and warranty eyewear for your child. Beware of inexpensive child sunglasses because they can pose other unwanted risks such as containing lead or non-durable frames.

Did you know? Human eyes contain a small blind spot where the optic nerve passes through the retina. Our brains use information from the other eye to fill in the vision gap so it is rarely, if ever, noticed.

Have your child take frequent breaks to go under a shade. The sun is at its strongest peak from between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. If your fundraising event takes place between these hours, have your child take breaks in shaded areas.

Did you know? Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around 8 minutes!

Your child's safety is always the number one priority. Follow these steps and make sure your child is receiving proper care throughout the coming summer months!

Motivate Your Kids with the "Spring Cleaning" Fundraiser

It’s that time of year again -- the time for spring cleaning! While having a clean house is a refreshing feeling, parents are usually the ones who end up getting stuck with most of the work. What if you could motivate your child or children help you?

To motivate your children to help with tidying up the house, implement a “Spring Cleaning Fundraiser” at your child’s school. This will require a group of parents who want to give back to their school community, teach their children the value of helping around the house, and lessen their own cleaning responsibilities.

Every classroom teacher sends a letter home with their students. This letter will introduce the fundraiser to the parents: parents pay their kids to do household chores, but the money goes directly to a classroom (or entire school) purchase. Students could raise money for a new playground equipment, new musical instruments, or a new classroom pet!

When the kids hand their parents the letter, they’ll think they’re informing their parents for the first time. The catch is that your school’s PTO or PTA can agree upon a dollar-per-chore amount beforehand and inform all parents. For example, kids will earn $1.00 for their school each time they help clean the dishes after dinner.

Cleaning ideas include:

· Dusting
· Sweeping
· Making beds
· Watering the plants
· Doing dishes
· Etc.

You, as a parent, can explain to your child the importance of teamwork and responsibility. Cleaning as a whole family will make it more fun for your child. You could even set a timer for a chore that’s more work; and if they do it in a certain amount of time, you will give them more money.

This fundraiser can last for a week, a month, or a semester -- it depends on how high of a goal your school wants to set.

Although the money isn’t specifically for them, keep reminding your children that they are putting the money they earn to a good cause. At the end of the fundraiser, the teachers will give each student who participated a certificate of excellence or hard work.

Happy cleaning!