Tag Archive for: PTA fundraising ideas

Funding Opportunities For New School Playground Projects

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How We Can Save You A Lot of Time and Hassle When Looking To Raise Funds For Your School Playground Project

If you are looking to raise funds to pay for a new playground project at your school – this could be playground equipment, outdoor classrooms and shelters, safety surfacing, trim trails, forest school projects, sensory and communication spaces, gardening projects etc – then we have 25 years experience of helping schools find and raise the required funds to pay for our products.

But the first question we always ask of schools is this – how much time do you realistically have to give to this? Raising money is something that typically requires quite a bit of effort on all stakeholders’ behalves   –  researching applicable grants, reading all of the funding criteria, completing and submitting bids, knowing what makes a successful application or not, re-submitting if turned down originally etc.

But at the Hideout House Company, we can offer you a solution and a way round all of this. Firstly, we don’t just rely on one particular avenue for funding (e.g grants) as we feel that it makes much more sense to pursue a varied mix of initiatives so as to maximize opportunities and thereby reach your funding target a lot faster. Our proven method involves accessing grants (and we can tell you which ones we would recommend you apply for and which are applicable), crowdfunding, unique PTA fundraising ideas, company or corporate sponsorship, the exploitation of revenue generating streams (such as renting out your existing school grounds and facilities) and we can also offer part payment plans whereby you can pay in annual, monthly or termly instalments over typically three to five years. If you have already raised some money towards your playground project, then you can have the equipment installed now (and the children can enjoy the benefit of it immediately) but this gives your school the flexibility to pay in pre-arranged instalments over a longer period of time which can work within your budgets. Once we have your quote drawn up, we can easily give you some quotes for using this option.

We have built up many associations and partnerships with specialist companies who can help you with all of the above and we have proved that they work. We have also put together a comprehensive and informative page on our website which can be found on this link: School Grant and Funding

Basically, we can get you from A to B a lot faster and with far less hassle.

To see our comprehensive product range of school playground products, please have a look at our website www.hideouthouse.com

And then please get in contact with us so that we can talk through your project with you, offer some suggestions and advice and explain how we can help with funding opportunities.

The Hideout House Company

Tel: 01832 275902 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

 

 

 

 

Funding and Grants for Outdoor Classrooms

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A question for you – and that is:

Does your school have sufficient funds in the school budget to pay for your playground/outdoor learning/outdoor classroom projects and if not, do you have enough time to try and source external funding to pay for it?

If the answer to the above is no, then you might want to have a chat with us.

We have invested a lot of our time and energy trying to understand how schools can successfully find alternative ways of paying for our products and it is working as we have helped a lot of schools recently get full funding for their project. We will work alongside you and tell you how we can help you with applying for grants and which grants are applicable to you; we will tell you how you can now potentially lease our products; we will tell you how you might be able to generate extra income by letting out your existing facilities; we will tell you about how to set up a crowdfunding website and approach local companies for sponsorship. And we have a unique PTA fundraising events night which is something no-one else is doing.

We are more than happy to provide testimonials or put you in contact with schools we have worked with on the above.

If you would like to talk further with us about how we can help your school with funding opportunities, then please contact us on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com

solar panel and wind turbine system

eco outdoor classroom

 

Tesco Bags of Help Grant Scheme For Schools

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The Tesco Bags of Help programme has changed slightly as of this August. Applicants can now apply all year round and they will be making multiple grant awards each month. Application and decision times are therefore hopefully greatly reduced.

However, the amounts they will give out are reduced to either £1000, £2000, or £5000.

Applications are now open and you can apply whether you have been previously funded or not.

Programme Information

The new programme is very similar to the old one. Their aim is to support projects which will “promote community participation in the development and use of outdoor spaces”.

What do they mean by this?

They will fund projects that deliver either a physical environmental improvement or encourage the use and long term sustainability of outdoor spaces.

Any non-profits, including schools, are eligible to apply. Grants can be the full amount a project needs, or can just provide a contribution towards the costs.

As we specialise in supplying products to schools which meet their grant funding criteria, then please do visit our website www.hideouthouse.com to find out a bit more about what we as the Hideout House Company do or give us a call to discuss how we can help you with your application bid.

For further information on the Tesco Bags of Help grant please visit:

https://www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tescocommunityscheme/pages/Category/apply-for-a-boh-grant-tes2

The Hideout House Company Ltd

Tel: 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

Successful Fundraising for Schools

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The-Secrets-to-Planning-a-Successful-Charity-Event-A-First-Timer’s-GuideI cannot think of one school I have worked with these past couple of years who have been able to pay for our products entirely out of the school budget. Sign of these still austere times I guess. So increasingly schools are having to look to alternative ways of finding the necessary funds for their playground projects…and this is where we come in.

I am convinced that in order to be successful, the expression “where there is a will, there is a way” is of paramount importance because I have seen so many schools fall by the wayside because they have simply given up or not put in the required effort. And the other thing I am convinced of is that you need to think outside of the box when implementing your campaign and maybe go outside of your traditional comfort zone – and be a bit more commercially minded. And school governors need to understand this too.

But we also understand that school staff are busy and sometimes do not simply have the time to devote to the cause. We therefore work with schools on how to implement a strategic plan on how to raise the necessary funds and this can involve a whole facet of initiatives which usually run concurrently to maximise the chances of success.

  • We look at ways the school PTA can help fundraise but we like to come up with novel ideas which inject a breath of fresh air into somewhat fatigued traditional school fundraising events;
  • We advise on potential grants which could be available for your school project;
  • We tell you about renting or operating leasing possibilities for our products which now a lot of schools can take out on a typical 3-5 year lease period;
  • We tell you how to set up a crowdfunding website for your school to help spread the word and give your project a far wider audience;
  • We tell you how to approach local companies for financial support and donations;
  • We tell you how you can rent out your existing school facilities to earn a meaningful income (some schools we know who are doing this are getting approximately £30K a year for renting their premises and facilities);
  • We tell you about our own customer referral scheme whereby your school can earn commissions from the Hideout House Company for referring us to other schools;
  • We tell you about a scheme we have with the green energy supplier Ecotricity whereby your school can earn money each time someone switches to their tariffs

All we ask in return is that you are dedicated to the cause and are prepared to push the boundaries out a bit more than usual!

For further information about how we can help your school run a successful fundraising campaign, please contact Simon Fearnehough on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Our website is www.hideouthouse.com

 

 

An Alternative Way For Schools To Fund Outdoor Classrooms

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Enclosed octagonal and rectangular classrooms

Enclosed octagonal and rectangular classrooms

We sell a lot of outdoor classrooms to schools and ever more so those which are fully enclosed with solid wall panels and glazed panels. The reason being is that schools can use them all year round without worrying about the elements (we can also insulate them if they were going to be heated) plus they can use them as buildings which the wider community can utilise and benefit from too.

But the challenge is always funding or lack of it to be more precise. “Love them but we have no budget” is the usual response I hear from head teachers or school business managers. There are undoubtedly grants which you can apply for which will fund these type of buildings but let’s assume that there is no room in the school budget to afford these outdoor classrooms and you cannot get a grant. But you want and need an outdoor classroom for your school. So we have thought “outside of the box” on this issue and come up with following proposal.

Firstly, you can take out an operating lease on these type of buildings (this applies to your school whether it is an academy or within local authority control) over a typical period of 3 years where at the end of the lease period the school then has the option to return the equipment with no further payments or extend the agreement for one final year.

  • If the school extends for a final year the quarterly payments will be charged at ‘fair market value’, typically no more than 60% of the quarterly repayments on the original 3 year lease
  • At the end of the fourth year the equipment is then abandoned to the school with no more rentals to pay, no title is passed to the school

So you have the benefit of the asset now but can spread the payments over a period of time or school budget accounting periods. But we still haven’t got the money to pay for the lease payments I hear you cry.

By way of an example incidentally, a £12,000 enclosed outdoor classroom would cost £80 to rent per week over a three year period.

First question to ask yourself…..could the building be let out for before and after school clubs for example and if so, would you have any idea what a school could charge for this? Could the PTA use it or some of the money they raise each year be used to offset the lease payments?

or we have an association with a company who rent out school premises such as sports facilities or halls (for further information on this see my blog link given below). In terms of hiring halls for example they have on their books some smaller schools in a rural setting earning £10-15k per year but the larger halls in busier cities can attract up to £60k of revenue (obviously dependent on the types of activities allowed). They also have an IT system which does all of the administration for the bookings and they do all of the marketing as well – in return for this, they ask for a commission for all bookings taken. All the school has to do is obviously have someone on hand i.e. site manager, caretaker – to let people in and out.

So if a school were to utilise this service, this would hopefully generate enough extra income to pay for the outdoor classroom leasing payments. You already have the school asset so you need to put it out work. But I am well aware that this would have to be run past Governors and many questions would be asked! See therefore some testimonials below from schools who are already using this system.

But all I am trying to do is find a way of not just giving up and saying there is no money. That would be very un-British!

Angela Mellish – Bursar School: St Bernards

QUOTE: “We wouldn’t be without BookingsPlus! It has saved us so much time with the speedy invoicing and online payments. We recently had the auditors in who commented that the system was an auditors dream. The audit trail is tight, and there is a good level of control within the system such as not being able to delete invoices and payments. The ability to add reasons to credit notes and voided invoices provides the perfect picture as to what is happening. From booking through to payment, it is easy to keep track of everything. The auditors said they would recommend the system to other schools, and so would I”

Steve Munday – Head Teacher William Edwards School

QUOTE: “The BookingsPlus system gives us a significant revenue boost, which we have been able to invest in ICT/ technology, sporting equipment and staffing to ensure that we can provide the best possible learning environments and opportunities for our students. Equally importantly it has helped us to become an integral part of the local community by giving local groups, charities and organisations the chance to use our exceptional facilities. Everybody wins!”

Blog on renting out premises

Generate Money for Your School – Rent Out Your Premises

For further information on the above or to explore opportunities how we can help  your school get funding for our outdoor classrooms, please call 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

4m x 3m enclosed outdoor classroom

4m x 3m enclosed outdoor classroom

How To Successfully Use Crowdfunding For Your School Playground Project

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Schools are beginning to use crowdfunding ever more as a successful way and means of raising money for their school playground projects. If you are not fully aware of what crowdfunding is, it is best described as asking a large crowd of donors to each make a small donation to your school – mainly done via the internet of course. It should be effective for schools given the fact that they have a ready-made network of people in their community – be they local businesses, parents, PTAs etc – who all have a vested interested in seeing the project come to fruition. You can also use a crowdfunding campaign to help raise awareness of your school and its vision and to create new partnerships and alliances.

To be successful though, you need to bear in mind the following:

  • Concentrate on projects which are more likely to motivate your local community to donate. Create interesting and compelling stories which very clearly demonstrate how all parties will benefit and prosper as a result. Crowdfunding is all about the sharing community and people power!
  • Be clear in your online communications – explain what the project is, why it is so badly needed, who will deliver the project, in what timeframe and who will benefit; get all associated costs together because you will need to have a target
  • Go for the low hanging fruit first – contact parents, local businesses etc
  • Use social media to its full effect. The average individual has 170 contacts on social media so you can easily spread the word very quickly through this medium
  • Get noticed – you need to make your project interesting and don’t be afraid to be creative. Give your project attention-grabbing straplines and spend some time doing exciting visuals to be used on your website, social media, blogs etc. Use video too – put together a short film (with the children’s involvement perhaps) explaining how the funds will be used, who will benefit and how. Crowdfunding sites with videos are far more likely to attract funding and to succeed.
  • Contact the local press and radio stations as they are always interested in supporting good local causes and will give your project much needed and welcome publicity
  • Consider offering rewards. Rewards are what you give donors in return for their donations. They give an added incentive for people to sponsor your school project – for example, a mention on the school website, offering the school hall for business meetings when not being used, tickets to the next PTA event, have their logo or name on the products if applicable etc
  • Last but not least, always say thank you and keep in touch – get the children to write thank you notes.

For a good example of a successful crowdfunding campaign, please have a look at the below link:

Brooke School crowdfunding campaign

There are some crowdfunding websites which specialise in school projects. These are:

www.crowdfunded.org.uk

www.hubbub.net

www.crowdfunder.co.uk

And then you need to give us a call as we specialise in all kinds of products for school playgrounds including outdoor play equipment, outdoor classrooms, shelters, nature play areas, classroom buildings and growing gardens.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com