Have parents ever asked you “How can I help?” or “Do you need any supplies?” Rather than sending home lists of what you need and crossing your fingers, try these 2 online organizations to help you get the supplies you need for your classroom. We’ve also gathered a list of classroom ideas to take your school’s fundraising even further.

Adopt-A-Classroom

Adopt-A-Classroom provides a way for parents, family, community members and anonymous donors to directly support you and your classroom. To date, Adopt-A-Classroom has raised over $14 million, impacted over 50,000 classrooms and improved the learning environment for an estimated 1.2 million students. And since partnering with the NEA, $10,000 has gone directly into the hands of NEA members across the country.

Benefits of Adopt-A-Classroom:

• Any teacher can register for a free account
• All contributions are tax-deductible
• 100% of the donation goes to you, the teacher; Adopt-A-Classroom takes $0 out for administration costs
• Your donations can be used at a variety of online stores including K-5 Kaplan, Classroom Direct, The Teacher Store at Scholastic.com, OfficeMax and more

James Rosenberg, founder of Adopt-A-Classroom, says “We are excited to introduce Adopt-A-Classroom to the millions of educators across the country and help them easily receive donations from their community for resources they need in their classrooms and schools.”

You can print out and copy this Donor Card to hand out to parents, and print this flyer to share with your colleagues. 

(IMPORTANT: When registering your class, be sure to choose “NEA Member Benefits” in the “How did you hear about Adopt-A-Classroom?” drop-down box.)

Digital Wish

Digital Wish’s mission is to modernize classrooms and prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce by helping educators inform parents and community donors about their classroom technology needs.

How does it work?

• Create a wish list of technology products (Flip video camera, computer software, projectors, etc) on DigitalWish.com
• Write a brief statement to tell prospective online donors how their support will make a difference in your classroom or school
• E-mail your wish list and personal note to parents and other potential donors, or print out the information to send home

After a purchase, Digital Wish automatically donates an additional 2-10% in funding for your next technology project. To date, Digital Wish has granted more than 17,200 educator wishes!

Local Fundraising Ideas

Still need a budget boost? We’ve compiled these tried-and-true local fundraising opportunities to help you meet your goals.

• Race for Education: Students walk around a designated area (track or gym) as many times as they can within an hour. Family and friends sponsor students per lap or upon completion. Students can be involved by writing the sponsor letters. At one school in Pennsylvania, the student who raises the most donations wins a limo ride to lunch with the school principal.

• Student-Created Art: During art class, or designated classroom time, students create original drawings or paintings. The artwork is then sent home with an order form to have the image transferred to a variety of items including clocks, trivets, shirts, note cards, canvas tote bags and more. Many parents buy items for gifts as well as a permanent copy of their child’s talent. One vendor for this type of fundraiser is originalworks.com.

• Dress-Down Donations: Many schools now have some sort of a dress code in place for students and faculty. For a donation, students and faculty can dress down for one day. Of course limits about appropriate attire are set, but almost everyone participates when they are allowed to showcase their personal style.

• Spirit Wear: Working with a local or national printing company your school’s logo or mascot is printed on t-shirts, wind breakers, hats, magnets, duffle bags and more. A great way for students to show their school pride at school activities.

Ongoing Fundraising Programs

And don’t forget about these ongoing retailer fundraisers:

• Campbell’s Labels for Education
• General Mills’ Box Tops for Education
• Grocery Store Loyalty Card Programs (incl. Kroger, Safeway, Giant, Price Chopper, Harris Teeter)
• Kemp’s Nickels for Schools
• Recycling Printer Cartridges and Cell Phones
• Target’s Take Charge of Education