Ask any parent volunteer about fundraising, and you will probably hear some version of the same sigh. Families are tired of selling wrapping paper, candles and cookie dough to the same relatives and coworkers every year. Product sales can raise money, but much of each sale goes to the vendor, and the work falls on the same small group of volunteers. Fortunately, there are ways to fund a school, PTO or booster club that do not involve selling anything at all.

Why move away from product sales

  • A meaningful share of each sale typically goes to the product company, not the program.
  • Families end up asking the same people again and again.
  • Order forms, deliveries and money collection create a lot of volunteer work.
  • Results are hard to predict from one year to the next.

None of this means product sales are wrong. Some traditions are worth keeping. But most programs benefit from adding sources of support that ask less of families and arrive more reliably.

Ideas that do not require selling

  • A direct-give campaign: simply ask families and supporters for a donation, with a clear goal and a clear purpose, such as new uniforms or a field trip fund. Many families prefer giving directly to selling products.
  • Business sponsorships: local businesses support a season, an event or a scoreboard in exchange for recognition in programs, on banners or on your website.
  • Employer matching gifts: many employers match employee donations to schools and nonprofits. Remind families to check whether theirs does.
  • Alumni and community giving: former students and players often want to give back, especially for a specific need they remember.
  • Grants: local foundations, community funds and businesses sometimes offer grants for education, arts and athletics.
  • Experience events: a fun run, a family movie night or a parents-versus-students game raises money through participation and pledges, not product sales.
  • Recurring support: monthly gifts from families, alumni and businesses that arrive without a new campaign each time.

Building recurring support

Most school fundraising is episodic. The fall drive raises money, the spring event raises a little more, and each one starts from zero. Recurring support changes that. Even a modest amount arriving every month lets a booster club or PTO plan ahead: commit to equipment purchases, set aside scholarship money for families who cannot afford fees, or budget for a trip without waiting to see how the next event goes.

Recurring support can come from families who choose to give monthly, from alumni, and from local businesses whose participation does not depend on remembering to write a check.

How the BrightStar Impact Network works for schools

Every business in your community pays to accept credit cards. The BrightStar Impact Network lets local businesses direct part of that existing cost toward your school or club. When a business moves its card processing to BrightStar and designates your organization, BrightStar donates a share of its profit on that account to you every month.

  • There is no cost to your school, PTO or booster club to start a network.
  • The business pays the same or less than it does now, guaranteed in writing.
  • The donation comes out of BrightStar's margin, not from the business or from families.
  • Nobody sells anything. Volunteers simply share a link with business owners in the community.
  • Donations continue every month for as long as the business processes with BrightStar.

Getting started

  1. Check with your school or district about any policies on fundraising and business partnerships, and confirm how donations should be received by your organization.
  2. Register your organization with BrightStar at no cost and receive your network page.
  3. Make a list of families, alumni and boosters who own or manage businesses: restaurants, dental and medical practices, contractors, auto shops, salons and retailers.
  4. Add the businesses that already sponsor your teams and events. They have already shown they want to help.
  5. Share your network link in newsletters, at games and at events, with a simple explanation.
  6. BrightStar handles the statement reviews, proposals and setup with each business.

Talking with business owners

Many volunteers feel uneasy asking businesses for anything. The Impact Network makes that conversation easier, because you are not asking the owner to spend money. You are offering a free review of a cost they already pay, with a benefit for the school attached. A simple approach works well:

  • Start with people you know: a parent who owns a restaurant, a coach who runs a contracting business, an alumnus with a dental practice.
  • Explain it in one or two sentences, then share your network link and let BrightStar handle the details.
  • Make clear there is no obligation. If BrightStar cannot match or beat their current rate, nothing changes for them.
  • Follow up once, politely, and then let it be. Owners who are interested will act when the timing suits them.

Business owners who join often become your best advocates, because they can tell other owners from experience how the process went.

Good practices for any fundraising

  • Be specific about what the money will do. People give more readily to a named need.
  • Thank supporters publicly and often, with their permission.
  • Keep clear financial records, use two people to count and reconcile money, and report results to members.
  • Share progress during the year, not just at the end.

Less selling, more supporting

Your volunteers have enough to do. Starting a BrightStar Impact Network costs nothing, asks nothing of families beyond sharing a link, and turns the card fees local businesses already pay into steady monthly support for your students. If you would like to see how it would work for your school or club, reach out. We are happy to explain it to your board or parent group.

Published · BrightStar Merchant Services