Section 4. Local Fundraising

SECTION 4. LOCAL FUNDRAISING 1. Definition of Fundraising Local fundraising can supplement the income schools receive from the government. From the government's point of view, schools that are said to be of good quality must meet national education standards (SNP) including: a). Graduates, b). Curriculum, c). Learning process, d). Assessment, e). teachers and education personnel, f) facilities and infrastructure, g) management, h). financing. Quality in the world of education includes 3 stages based on SNP consisting of input, process and output. (Novita, 2017: 4). In order to create an effective and efficient educational institution, it can be seen from the quality of the graduates produced. One indicator of the quality of graduates of educational institutions is their acceptance in society. To achieve several indicators of success in terms of the quality of graduates, educational institutions must also carry out systematic management activities in the implementation of their education. There are several components to achieving quality graduates. Starting from the fulfillment of educational facilities and infrastructure, both physical and nonphysical, teaching and educational staff, and the most dominant thing, namely financing. (Novita, 2017: 7). When researching the root cause of this problem, it is related to unstable funding. Schools are too dependent on BOS (School Operational Assistance) funds in school funding activities. This will have a negative impact that will disrupt the stability of school funding if BOS funds cannot be obtained according to the planned date. Due to difficulties in funding education, in the end the organizers of basic education units tried to cover all operational needs, starting from making levies or asking for help from school committees to raise education funds. Therefore, schools must raise local funds which can increase the income the school receives from the government. Perhaps more importantly, activities In this way to bring schools and their communities closer together, they create the critical partnerships discussed earlier. By engaging in joint fundraising activities, the school and its leadership enjoy moral support from the community and the community can learn more about what is happening at the school and its strengths and challenges. As we know, state primary schools may not charge fees or charge any mandatory fees. Every child's right to receive a basic education must not be compromised. However, schools can increase the allocation of funds through fundraising by asking the local community for help. The scope of fundraising varies widely. Several schools in urban areas are able to carry out activities that generate quite a large income. Coverage in poorer areas is more limited. However, if parents and community members are involved in fundraising, this will increase their sense of ownership and pride in the school. Involvement in fundraising can help community members realize the value of education and their school in particular. Local fundraising should be linked to the implementation of the School Improvement Plan agreed upon by the school and its community. So School fundraising is the practice of raising money to support educational enrichment programs by a school or group of schools, (e.g., parent-teacher organizations, booster clubs, etc.). One of the most common practices is product crowdfunding. Schools and other nonprofit organizations raise money every year by selling popular consumer goods. Additionally, schools and school groups such as Parent Organizations and Parent Teacher Associations find many creative ways to raise funds, from bake sales, dinner parties, auctions and school carnivals to more aggressive advertising, affinity programs, grant writing, and direct donation requests. 2. Fundraising Event Ideas Ideas for fundraising events might include: a. Bake sales; b. Handicraft sales; c. Movie shows; d. Music, dance and drama performances; e. Sponsored walks; f. Lottery (drawing with prizes from the sale of numbered tickets) selling major vegetables; g. Renting a school building It is always easier to raise funds for a specific, well-defined project (e.g. a new soccer field, outings for students or additional instructional materials). These activities must be planned in the School Improvement Plan (SIP). Successful fundraising begins with an inventory of available resources and skills, possible services the school can provide to the community and potential funders. Remember that it is important to involve the entire community in the event. Let them know that their opinions are valued, because the school belongs to the community. Some community members may not be able to contribute financially to the school, but may be able to contribute to the success of the event in other ways, for example parents may be able to help with work, student supervision, transportation, creative ideas, and skills such as cooking. 3. Product Fundraising Product fundraising dates back to the early 20th century. This practice typically involves the purchase and resale of popular consumer products by non-profit groups where the group sponsoring the sale keeps a portion of the gross sales. Products can be purchased in bulk and paid for in advance by the organization, then resold to supporters. Products can also be ordered using catalogs, order forms and other methods. Backers pay for products when orders are placed or upon final delivery. In some product fundraising models, schools or non-profit organizations are required to pay for a product amount up front. There are three types of fundraising products that schools use to generate income. (1) Pre-Sales Fundraising, (2) Product In-Hand Fundraising, (3) Online Fundraising, with the popularity of online fundraising increasing over the last decade. 4. School Fundraising organized by the school itself Other school fundraisers that generate large revenues for schools include auctions and raffles. With this type of fundraising activity, the school asks for donations from local restaurants and businesses in the area, which are then offered at the event. In the case of the auction, people are allowed to bid on dinner, or anything donated by local businesses in the community. In the case of a lottery, people buy raffle tickets which are then drawn at random from a container. Often donations are solicited by parents acting on behalf of the school, who call, write, or know other parents who work for the company who might be willing to donate. 5. Fundraising Script Scrip fundraisers offer an alternative to fundraisers that rely on product sales or raffle tickets. With script fundraising, retailers offer gift cards (“scrip,” or “cash”) at a discount to nonprofit organizations. The nonprofit organization then sells the gift cards to family members at full face value. Families redeem gift cards for full face value, and the discounts or rebates are retained by the nonprofit as revenue. Script fundraisers differ from other school fundraising programs because there are no sales. Families do their regular household shopping at script retailers with script gift cards. A family that regularly shops with script gift cards can easily accumulate more money per year. Participating schools use these funds for field trips, scholarships, tuition assistance, or fee reductions. One persistent and fundamental question is whether a portion of the funds collected through the scrip program and applied to the family's school account should be considered taxable income for the parent who purchased the scrip. According to ShopWithScrip, a scrip is a deduction of the purchase price from face value, and is essentially a rebate from the retailer, and thus is not considered gross income.