I am excited to share that we are just weeks away from launching our new initiative to add public K-12 schools to GiveMN.org.  If you have made your way to this blog, chances are you are hoping to raise money for your school or school district.  Good news!  If you are tired of selling wrapping paper or organizing carnivals, there is an easier way.  Great news! It is free.  Sound too good to be true?  I promise it’s not. There are already hundreds of schools raising money on GiveMN – and as a mom of two school aged boys - I want to make sure YOUR school is on GiveMN.org  too. 

If your school is a nonprofit or has a PTA, PTO, school foundation or other nonprofit that fundraises for your school, then you are already on GiveMN.org and can just hit the “Nonprofits Get Started” green button on the lower right hand corner of any page on Givemn.org to set up your page and start fundraising. If your school does NOT have a nonprofit affiliation, we will now be able to add it to the website.  Starting in early September we will have more information on how to add your school to GiveMN.org. 

For all of you who want to leverage the power of online giving for your school, please email schools@givemn.org   to join the mailing list with other school and community leaders and get updates on how to set up your page, learn more about the GiveMN online giving tools and be the first to know about how to win money for your school as part of this year’s Give to the Max Day on November 15!

About Giving to Schools on GiveMN.org

Since launching in 2009, GiveMN has revolutionized online giving in Minnesota by helping more than 6,200 nonprofits raise over $50 million. To help meet increasing school needs and streamline school fundraising efforts, GiveMN will offer its online fundraising tools to all Minnesota K-12 public schools in the fall of 2012. Just as GiveMN has changed the giving landscape for nonprofits, GiveMN’s online giving tools have the potential to revolutionize school fundraising in Minnesota.

GiveMN and its technology platform partner, Razoo, piloted this program with seven public schools in the spring of 2012. The schools participated in online training, designed and personalized their pages on GiveMN.org, fundraised over a six-week period and received their disbursement checks. Schools raised funds during the pilot by experimenting with integrating the online giving tools into existing fund drives as well as creating unique student-driven efforts. All pilot participants agreed that GiveMN will offer much-needed tools for school fundraising and will help them raise critical resources for their schools.

“This is perfect timing.  We need more resources for fundraising.  This is the first year ever we are literally out of money.  I am using every penny we have to finish the year.” - Principal, Emerson Spanish Immersion Elementary School

“GiveMN is great!  We want to fundraise from our alumni, grandparents and aunts and uncles who don’t live in Minnesota…. I see so many ways that GiveMN will increase the financial support base for our school – and students in need in our community.” – Principal, Mound-Westonka High School

“GiveMN is easy.  It was easy to upload a video and share an inspiring image of our students reading together.” – Red Wing Elementary School PTA Chair

Starting in September, GiveMN will launch a statewide campaign to train schools and PTAs about online giving. All efforts will lead up to the November 15th Give to the Max Day event which will feature a media campaign and prizes to incent giving to K-12 schools.

Want to see how this works?

Check out these schools who are already raising money successfully on GiveMNorg:

Southside Charter School (Minneapolis)

Burnside Elementary (Red Wing) (a public school who was part of the GiveMN schools pilot program)

Nova Charter School (St. Paul) 

Marshall School (Duluth) 

Tartan High School (Oakdale) (a public school who was part of the GiveMN schools pilot program)