Fundraising for schools through local business partnerships

Schoola aims to create connections between schools and nearby businesses to raise money for education while offering parents discounts on local goods.

We recently wrote about PledgeCents, the platform that enables schools to crowdfund projects. Now, Schoola offers an alternative fundraising method, creating connections between schools and nearby businesses to raise money while offering parents discounts on local goods.

According to the team behind the new platform, some 79 percent of schools are facing cuts this year, which is leaving them with the problem of having to raise more money on their own to continue their programs. While traditional school fundraising events such as bake sales can provide some help, Schoola wants education providers to team up with local business that are already well familiar amongst parents in the community. Those businesses can then sell their goods in the school or provide regular vouchers offering discounts on products and services ranging from cupcakes to dance classes. This way, parents save money on the goods, while the cash raised through the partnership is split between the school, the business and Schoola. The benefit for the business is an increased number of sales and a reputation as a socially responsible enterprise. The video below, from abc7 News, offers more information about the site:

In a difficult era for education funding, Schoola enables institutions to boost the money they can raise themselves, offering a continuous revenue stream independent of government support. Are there other ways for schools to take advantage of business opportunities such as this?

Spotted by: Troy Tessalone