4 Ways to Ensure Child Safety in School Fundraising

Copyright (c) 2008 AIM Fundraisingproject be aware and conscious of your safety
Seniors need money for their class trip or prom. Thepolicy. Print your policy and give a copy to each of
school band needs money to travel to a competition.your kids as well as to their parents.
Youth sports leagues need to earn funds forThis will ensure that your parent pool understand that
equipment and the PTA needs money to fund a fieldyou are not promoting unsafe sales practices, and
trip. These are all very real and good reasons forthat their children are not being encouraged to "do
fundraising activities.what it takes" to make a sale.
When managing any type of team or schoolCover repeatedly that your students should be
fundraising activity we should have the phraseconcentrating their sales effort in a safe manner by
"Safety First" planted firmly in the minds of ourlimiting their sales efforts to friends, family, neighbors,
player, students and parents alike. Though as adultsand their parents coworkers.
we may have this mindset already, it should especiallyC.) Communicate the need with reinforcement
be emphasized to our young people.You might create safety conscious posters to display
When developing a school fundraising campaignin high traffic areas of your school. Ask other
where children will be your primary sales force it iseducator peers to assist you by adding verbal
imperative that you take the utmost precaution forreminders in class. Have "Safety First" or a similar
their safety. Develop a plan for the safe conduct ofstatement printed on all sales materials. If need be
your fundraiser and ensure that everyone knowsbuy are rubber stamp with your slogan and use it on
about it and make sure it is enforced.all printed sales literature.
A.) Focus on Safety FirstD.) Structure your prize program and sales
With chilling stories of criminal minds in theinstructions to promote school fundraising safety
newspapers and TV news we recommend thatOne of the best ways to ensure that your kids are
under no circumstances should your kids be goingsafe while fundraising for their school or team is to
door-to-door selling for your team fundraiser orgive the best and most exciting prizes at a level that
school fundraising project without appropriate adultcan be reached without the kids feeling like they
supervision. Clearly, if your school fundraising planhave to "sell the world" to get them. Something else
requires door-to-door cold call sales you shouldthat you can do is during your fundraiser kickoff,
completely revise your plan. And this should not beinstruct the students how they can sell what they
limited to product sales. Other types of fundraisingneed to sell without going door-to-door by asking
activities such as a car wash or a bake sale outsidesome of their friends or relatives to take their
of local stores should have adult supervision as well.brochure to work for them.
B.) Develop a written policy concerning schoolDo not put your kids in unsafe situations. There is no
fundraising activities.amount of money that is worth jepardizing the
All fundraising activities should require that an adult besafety of the children.
present. Ensure that everyone involved in your