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PTO Fundraising

When it comes time to organize the next PTO fundraising program, teachers and parents should consider using the Internet to their advantage. Online school fundraisers are not new and they are increasing in popularity and in success. There are several methods of using the web to raise money, including those listed here.

The only thing the school or PTO needs to have in order to get started soliciting donations online is a PayPal account. Although there are other ways to collect the money electronically, PayPal is a secure and trusted method that is used by millions of businesses.

Social Networking: The PTO can set up a page dedicated to the fundraiser on social networking sites like Facebook. This page should contain all of the information about the fundraiser such as why the funds are being raised, how much is needed and when the money is needed. The page can also have a link that allows people to donate online.

Using social networking sites is the best way to reach hundreds of people in a single day. These sites have millions of visitors and regular users who log in and share their information with each other. News of the fundraiser can go viral in a very short period of time.

Email: PayPal has an email add in that lets people solicit donations through their email. The PTO can create a newsletter updating the community on school news and activities. The newsletter should also detail the fundraiser and explain how to donate by simply following the link in the email.

Web Presence: If the school has a website, the PTO can request that a page be set up for their use complete with a donation button. PTO members can update their page to let the community stay abreast of school news and make donations when needed. The website can add a credit card payment option that allows guests to make donations. Depending on the designer, the school could have it set up so that the donor could choose where to donate such as the PTO, Booster Club or other school organization.

If the school does not have a website or the PTO wants their PTO fundraising to be a separate web presence they can set up their own using any one of the free website makers. Weebly is one such website maker that includes templates and is simple to set up. The PTO members can also add a PayPal donation button to the website. The website can be marketed through social networks and school newsletters as well as through the use of Google keywords to help people find it through searches.

There are also companies who specialize in online fundraising and will help the PTO fundraising project by customizing a website with their choice of products and helping them to get started. These sites offer products magazine subscriptions through a web portal that accepts credit card payments.

The company then sends the group the profits. Many other product fundraising companies are moving toward helping groups set up a website within their website when they choose to use them for fundraisers. Fun Pasta is one such fundraising product that is moving towards setting up custom pages for their clients to use.

PTO fundraising meets modern day technology when websites and email are used to solicit donations from the community. The use of the Internet to implement fundraising projects takes the danger out of door-to-door sales, keeps people from feeling pressured into buying something they don't want and also allows them time to make their donation at their leisure. Thanks to technology PTO fundraising has moved to new levels.