A Unique Approach to School Fundraising

May 21, 2016

This is a guest post from Megan Walsh.

It’s a common occurrence hear stories about school cutbacks, budget cuts, and underfunding. In fact, 31 of our 50 states have experienced ongoing cuts to education related expenditures since the great recession in 2008 . Schools are struggling to find the funds to give children a well-rounded education, teachers are compensating with their own pocketbooks, and children are the worse for it. A lack of music and art programs, fewer field trips, fewer hours of Physical Education; all of these cuts affect both academic and social outcomes for children.

When Stacey Boyd, the founder of Schoola, built an inner-city charter school in Boston, she experienced first hand how difficult it was to protect “extra-curriculars” from ruthless cuts. And witnessing the impact on her students is what led her to create Schoola, who’s mission it is to save the programs that help kids reach their full potential at school.

Schoola provides an easy way for schools to generate extra funds, without asking parents or foundations for cash. Working directly with more than 25,000 schools across the U.S., Schoola accepts clothing donations from individual community members, and in some cases corporations, and then sells the clothing online. Schools get 40% of the sales proceeds from every item sold.

This unique approach to school fundraising has put violins back into the hands of students at KIPP Academy in NYC who has raised over $100,000 with Schoola. An art program in San Francisco goes on thanks to the many parents and who donated, despite the fact that the original budget allotment for this program was only $1.

In addition to schools, Schoola has begun to work with other organizations that support kids reaching their full potential. We’ve teamed up with The Malala Fund to raise money for girls around the world to have access to schooling.

Anyone can donate to a school or one of our partner causes by requesting a donation bag online, sending in gently-used or new clothing via mail – its free and easy to donate just by cleaning out your closet.

Our mission is simply to turn the donated items into opportunity for kids. It’s a mission that everyone at Schoola can relate to. Stacey found her confidence and her voice to pursue her dreams in a music class. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for an art teacher. The desire to preserve these opportunities drives everything we do.

Some have asked us, why clothing? The simple answer is that it’s a household resource that has activated a really virtuous cycle – a win/win for everyone involved. For parents, cleaning out closets reduces clutter and allows cherished items to go onto new life. For schools, donation drives are a way to engage their community without asking for money. But most of all, it’s something kids can understand – we’ve seen girl scout troops organize clothing drives and college students activate campus networks to garner donations. They take an active role, and then benefit directly from their efforts.

This simple idea has lead to some incredible results. Not only have we been able to fund field trips, build playgrounds and save school libraries, but we have also brought communities together towards common goals.

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