Olly Shoes School Fundraiser

I'm always on the lookout to learn about school fundraising programs, especially those that relate to school clothing.  So given that it is National Foot Car month, I was pleased to learn that Olly Shoes partners with local area schools and offer either a discount on required shoes to parents or a percentage of sales back to the school to assist in funding school programs.

If you missed it, you can check out the Retail Round Up post on Olly Shoes from earlier this month which features several great selections fro school shoes.  There is a useful link labeled School Shoes in the upper right hand header of their web page to take you right to the selection of great school shoes including pediped, School Issue, Merrell, Jumping Jacks, Sperry, Puma, and New Balance.  They also carry Jefferies socks and tights.

So far, they are working with schools in PA, DE, MD and NJ. To receive information about our program and get your school involved, email your request to info@ollyshoes.com.

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Tiny Prints PTA School Fundraiser

If the holiday cards you receive look like the ones I receive, you are about to purchase and receive photo cards over the holiday season.  Instead of the annual family letter with highlights of the past year, many of us opt to send a photo card so distant relatives can see for themselves how much the kids have grown.

School PTA and PTO groups looking for a passive fundraiser should consider Tiny Prints. Tiny Prints is an online store for cards, invitations, stationary and photo books.  They are known for fresh, updated designs and high quality products.

Few parents enjoy selling typical fundraiser items to friends, family and co-workers, so passive fundraising options like this one are an easy sell.Tiny Prints pays a generous 13% commission on every order placed through a co-branded online storefront.   So many of us are planning to order holiday cards or invitations over the course of the year anyway, it is an easy way for the PTA to raise funds.

If you are not involved with your PTA or PTO, please share this article with them.  Email it to the person heading up fundraising and the other officers. If you are the PTA representative in charge of fundraising, below are the steps you'll need to get started.

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Here's how your school can partner with Tiny Prints during this peak buying season to create a co-branded online store that you can promote through the normal PTA communication channels:

1. Tiny Prints manages this program through an affiliate partner.  So the first step is to create an affiliate account with ShareASale.  If the PTA has a unique email address that is regularly monitored which travels with the new officers each year, I'd advise you use it to set up the account.  This can help ensure a smooth transition from year to year.
2. The next step is to register with Tiny Prints for a custom storefront web page for the school PTA or PTO group. They will then contact you with instructions to set up the site with some basic information.
3. Once the site is up and running, you'll need to promote the site and it's unique web address through the PTA at meetings, in newsletters, on the school's website.  You can also encourage parents to share the information with their friends and family via social media so even more people can order through the co-branded storefront.
4. Lastly, collect commissions.  

Related Posts:

Fundraising with the Lands' End School Rewards Program

French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program

Myself Belts School Fundraiser Program

CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

Video Pick: A Global Perspective on School Uniforms

This video pick is from Euronews. It is a great piece highlighting use of school uniforms in different countries around the world.

Podcast on Student Standard Attire

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) produced a podcast series called Today's Middle Level Educator.  One episode, published in October 2009, featured a conversation with Ernie Rambo, an educator in Las Vegas Nevada. The episode is titled "School Uniforms: Jeans or Jackets"?

The description reads:

"Ernie is a classroom teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, and has been directly involved with the implications of the Uniform issue.  Jack and Ernie examine the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms and talk about questions the teachers might have regarding the uniform issue and how to address student concerns."

The podcast is just over 17 minutes but is worth the time if you are a school administrator or parent at a school considering implementing a student standard attire policy.

Video Pick: The case for a School Uniform Dress Code

This quality video by French Toast School Wear makes the case for a school uniform dress code and addresses criticism of restricting individuality.

Related Posts: 

French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program 

School Uniforms at French Toast - Retail Round Up Series

CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

Haven't heard of CookiesKids?  Me either, until recently. The are known as the World's Largest Kids Department Store and have 6 retail locations in New York City.  In 2007, they were noted by Crain's Magazine as the #1 School Uniform Headquarters in the United States. The Cookie's website, which they consider their 7th store, features a special school uniform section. You can check out my overview of School Uniforms at the Cookie's, the Kids Department Store from the Retail Round Up Series.

I spoke with a company representative and learned that they work with over 1200 schools, mostly in New York City and others across the US. They are focused on working directly with schools to offer quality uniform items at the lowest possible price point.

Cookie's offers two different school uniform programs. The "Direct to School" program allows schools to place bulk orders at a discount to distribute or sell to students themselves. In the "School Webstore" program, Cookie's will create a custom website that features your school uniform or items that comply with your school's uniform dress code.  Parents are offered free shipping on orders over $49 and the school received a 5% royalty which is "donated back to the school to help underprivileged students pay for their uniforms".

Cookies also offers a in-house embroidery program and screen printing department to customize your school's uniforms.  If it's plaid you need, CookiesKids offers 38 different plaids in a variety of styles.

To see if you school is registered, check out their school search.  To sign up, complete the online form to have a representative from the School Sales Department work with you to design the uniform program for your school.

Related Posts:

• French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program
• Fundraising with the Lands End School Rewards Program
• Myself Belts School Fundraiser Program

Myself Belts School Fundraiser Program

If your school is looking for a fundraiser idea, you might want to check out Myself Belts. Myself Belts TM, the belt kids can fasten themselves, is a product and company owned by two Moms. Their product is simple enough for kids to use themselves during potty training, but functional and stylish enough to use as they grow older too. Earlier this Spring, I met Talia Bahr Goldfarb on Twitter. She sent us a complementary belt for my daughter to try. Here you can read our review of the Myself Belt for School Uniforms.

The company also offers a fundraising program that offers a generous 20% donation back to the school. They will assist the organizer with flyers and order forms. The order is shipped free in bulk to the organizer or school for local distribution. They even offer to set up the school logo which can be embroidered on the belts.

If you're looking for a more passive fundraiser, you can provide a copy of the school logo to Myself Belts. They will digitize the logo for a small fee. You can then spread the word in your regular PTA newsletters or email blasts. Parents can then order themselves online. When they add the school's logo, the school gets a 20% of the proceeds. Couldn't be simpler.

If you're ready to get started, contact MyselfBelts at sales@myselfbelts.com. Please tell her the Uniform Mom sent you.

(photo used with permission from Myself Belts)

Related Posts:

• French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program
• Fundraising with the Lands End School Rewards Program
• CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

ISO Feedback on School Uniform Fundraiser Programs

So naturally, I'm curious to hear feedback from schools that participate in school uniform fundraising programs.  Do parents take the time to enter the school code in their online orders, and if so what kind of royalty does the school receive for their efforts?

If your school has promoted a school uniform fundraising program in the past year and are involved with the administration of the program, I'd like to hear from you.  Please complete the survey below.  If you participate in programs with several brands, please feel free to complete this brief 4 question survey multiple times.

If you weren't involved with the program but you know who was, please forward this link to them so they can complete the survey.

Based on the feedback collected, I'll plan to share the feedback in a future post.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Why Non Uniform Days as Fundraisers are a Bad Idea

School Boards implement uniform dress codes for a variety of reasons. One of the most commonly cited reasons is nicely stated by the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (SC) to "to reduce stereotyping based on apparel and build unity across social and economic lines". So I applaud Susan Gleaton, a trustee in that school district, for questioning why principles are allowed to declare dress down days that allow students to pay cash to be exempt from the school's uniform policy for the day as reported in the Times and Democrat. Via Twitter, I see evidence of these types of fundraisers used at schools in the US and the UK. I encourage other school boards to examine if this type of activity is occurring in their schools and decide if it is a practice consistent with the goals they set forth when implementing uniform dress code for the students.

These "fundraisers" teach kids that you can buy your way out of following the rules. It promotes a perceived benefit for those with the ability to pay. Aren't we trying to teach kids that socioeconomic status is irrelevant to ones ability to succeed in school, both academically and socially. If your child attends a school with a uniform policy or uniform dress code, you are likely well aware of the both sides of the uniform debate.

So instead of recounting that debate, lets take a look at what students themselves are saying about the specific issue of non uniform days: