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:

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CookiesKids School Uniform Fundraiser Program

Understanding those Laundry Symbols on Garment Care Tags

"In the “good old days” laundry was done with soaps, scrub boards, wash tubs and lots of elbow grease.

Today’s advanced washing machines, hi-tech detergents and laundry additives make wash days easier and more successful, especially with the array of fabrics used in contemporary clothing. 

The laundry basics, however, haven’t changed and are more important than ever. Here is a quick refresher to help get sparkling- clean results, washload after washload." -- 

--Textile Industry Affairs

As we settle into fall, the kids new back to school clothes have been worn and washed several times now. We want them to last the entire school year and in some cases, into next year so they might find a second life as a hand me down. In order to extend the life of clothing items, you must pay attention to the manufacture's recommendations for laundering. Since 2000, the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Care Labeling Rule requires manufacturers and importers to attach care instructions to garments.  Manufactures can find a useful guide on compliance with the rule from the Bureau of Consumer Protection.  As consumers, following the manufacture's recommendations will give you the best results to keep new items looking new longer. Be careful when treating stains and look for warnings on the label before using any products that contain bleach.

When you do read the labels, you'll also notice laundry symbols on the care tags that are supposed to be quick reference for us. But if you've never seen explanation for what the symbols mean, they are kinda difficult to understand. I found several sources that give a nice overview. My favorite was from the Textile Industry Affairs; another is the Wikipedia entry. It is smart idea to print one of these cheat sheets and hang it somewhere handy in the laundry room. A creative idea to keep it from getting caked in detergent is to frame it in a simple, inexpensive certificate frame (like this one at Walmart) and hang it on the wall.

As I was researching the laundry symbols for this post, I found a ton of examples on Pinterest of photos of decorated laundry rooms where they creatively used the laundry symbols as artwork. Take a look at my Laundry Board on Pinterest. You just might be motivated to spruce up your laundry room. But you aren't the crafty type to try to imitate these ideas, some of these examples are from products available to purchase on Etsy.

photo used with permission from Microsoft

Video Pick :How to Rock a Uniform

Here is another recent video you can share with your tween or teenage daughter. It's from @Madisradd, or Madison.  According to her YouTube page, she is 17 years old and lives in Virginia.  Her channel features many crafty DYI projects. In this video, she shows ideas on how you can "Rock a Uniform".

 

Enter to Win a 3 months Subscription to Little Passports (Ends 11/7/13)

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October 24 to November 7

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We appreciate the support of our sponsor and co-hosts, please show your support by following them on their social medias pages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Uniform Mom is not responsible for the awarding of the prize.  Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment.  If you have any questions about this giveaway, please email the host at nysavingspecials@gmail.com

UniCycle, an exchange program in Northern Ireland

I recently came across a website, run out of the Bangor, Northern Ireland,  that maps out a program to help parents reuse and pass on outgrown uniforms.  The program is called UniCycle with the tagline to "repurpose grown out, not worn out uniforms."  The site points out that parents save money, children see recycling happening and the planet benefits too!  Because I'm also a supporter of these ideas, I wanted to share this site and program with you all.

Marianne Kennerley, the founder of UniCycle,  is quoted as stating why she started Uni-cycle:

"When my 5 year old son, Peter, grew out of his school trousers, still within their one hundred day guarantee, I had no-one to hand them on to.  With a younger daughter, Cerys, a year behind, parts of his school uniform had simply nowhere to go.  

Standing in the playground one day I realised that children grow at different rates and within a short space of time there can soon be be a surplus of barely worn uniforms that could and should be reused."

The website suggests that groups organize a uniform exchange program with a 3 step model.

1. Collect uniforms by organizing a collection day
2. Call to Action for the PTA volunteers to repair uniforms that need mending and sort the items by type and size.
3. Hold the uniform exchange in a the style of a pop up shop.

The site provides a toolkit which contains a suggested pricing model and sample flyers that can be used to promote the collection of items or the exchange day itself.  It rewards parents that donate items with vouchers that can be used to purchase other items at the exchange.  

What a great program that can be emulated anywhere.  To learn more:

• Follow Marianne Kennerley on Twitter @uniform_recycle
• Visit the site at http://uniform-recycle.org.uk/

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Pass the Fingertip Test

During the development of a schools uniform dress code, there is typically some back and forth that leads to an common understanding of the policy between the school board and the larger community of parents and students.  Once the policy is adopted, enforcement can be a constant battle for school administrators everywhere.  Recent articles included in the "in the news" series show many examples of battles between administrators and students, and in some cases, a larger group in the community.

A policy with clearly stated expectations and guidelines makes it easier for parents to understand so they can guide the student's choices when shopping.  Consistent enforcement by different teachers make clear examples of what's acceptable and what's not acceptable.

The length of a girls hemline for shorts, scooters, and dresses is a huge area for consternation.  Many schools have tried to set a simple easy to understand rule of thumb which is commonly referred to as "the fingertip test".   A young lady passes the fingertip test when the length of the skirt is below the fingertips of the student while standing with her arms extended straight down.  The same test works for jumpers, scooters and shorts. Maybe its a backlash to the mid-thigh trend we've been seeing for the past few seasons, but this fall, I noticed a trend of several retailers offering new longer lengths. Lands End's fall school uniform catalog features girls skirts in 3 lengths: above the knee, top of the knee and below the knee.  The French Toast fall catalog page on girls skirts feature both "the long and short of it" featuring two knee length skirts and one long skirt.  This can make shopping easier if your school has adopted the fingertip test as a rule of thumb to guide enforcement.

Below are some examples of new longer skirts:

Lands' End
 Girls' Plus Solid Pleated Skirt (Below The Knee)

French Toast
Kick Pleat Skirt

Lands' End
Little Girls' Solid A-line Skirt (Below The Knee)

French Toast
Knee Length Straight Skirt

Lands' End
Little Girls' Box Pleat Skirt (Below The Knee)

What do you think of these knee length and longer styles?

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.