Teachers. Now more than ever, we are tuned in to all that they do for our schools, families, and most all, our kids! As they head back virtually, hybrid, or full traditional, their career path that they chose (some decades ago) has taken a turn, jump, and back handspring. As a parent organization, what can we do to support them during this transition and from here on out? Most of them dip, yearly, into their own savings for school supplies, rewards, classroom enhancements and more. Help them out by setting up easy-to-use “wish lists” with the below ideas.
See a Need, Fill a Need
What if your teachers really want a new P.E. supply organizer/closet and you’ve been saving for a new craft supply pantry? Finding out what their big items on their wish list are will help you set your budgets and aim for what they need. Set up faculty-only data forms on your website that you can have available all year long. Getting an idea of where they’d like to see your support so that you and your association can vote on that need, will keep your teachers engaged and your association focused.
Wish Lists
Amazon helps fill a need and they make it super simple to set up wish lists. Then you can then send out the link in your newsletters or through social media. Think about setting up one per grade level or have a room parent coordinator help organize one and send out to their parents. With Amazon, parents can ship directly to the school. Take it one step further and set up AmazonSmile so that your parent org will receive a little donation back every time someone shops with an Amazon Smile account linked to your organization.
Setting up item donation opportunities through your website using Membership Toolkit or SignUpGenius is quick and easy. Think about offering to set up “supply pantries” per grade level. Setting up a supply donation list will allow you to organize and get the teachers the supplies they need and want throughout the year. Think about hosting a supply donation month. Make your themes fun and catchy like “Supply September” or “MAY We Have More Supplies”? You can also host “Sharpies vs. Highlighters” anytime during the year and see which one is donated the most. A little class or grade competition never hurts either.
Donation
Don’t forget to have a yearlong direct donation opportunity so you can get direct donations for a big ticket item that your teachers/school want or a donation button for supplies. Sometimes people don’t have the time to run out, purchase, and drop off, but they still want to support and will with a click of a button.
Giving our teachers our continuous support is what we signed up for. When our teachers feel supported, they will continue to do what they love to do—teach and keep the education spark alive within our kiddos. After this last spring, nothing rang louder than the praises for our teachers. Keep praising them! And let’s get them what they need so they can continue to do what they signed up for.
