Fundraising pressure growing, say schools and PTAs

New research from Easyfundraising says 81% of schools need to raise more money than they did five years ago

Posted by Stephanie Broad | January 20, 2016 | Law, finance, HR

• #fundraising
• #schools
• #pta
• #academies
• #independent-schools
• #easyfundraising

According to new research, 81% of schools need to raise more money now than they did five years ago. Despite the growth of new technology in schools, books and learning materials are still the top reasons for raising funds. 

A survey of over 250 schools and PTAs around the UK was carried out by donation sute easyfundraising.org.uk. It asked schools and PTAs about their fundraising habits and requirements, highlighting the growing pressures faced when it comes to raising essential funds.

Although books and learning materials were the most essential reason for fundraising, 61% raise funds for technology such as iPads, and 36% need funding for computers.

With 74% of schools and PTAs needing to raise between £1,000 and £10,000 annually, the necessity for fundraising has never been more important. But with the survey differentiating between schools with and without PTAs, schools with PTAs perform much better in reaching their annual targets than those without. 79% meet or exceed their target, whereas 52% of schools operating without a PTA fall short of their fundraising goal. Only one school without a PTA exceeded their annual target.

Caroline Adams, Head of Marketing at easyfundraising.org.uk, said: “The role of the PTA is crucial in helping schools provide vital resources. When schools miss their fundraising targets, there’s added pressure to exceed those targets in following years, something that can be felt across parents and staff alike.”

Despite having growing fundraising targets to meet, 61% of schools believe it is now harder to raise funds than five years ago.  Both schools and PTAs cite less disposable income from parents and a lack of engagement with the school as reasons for this. They also identified a growing feeling of resentment towards fundraising on all sides, with the majority asking for donations at least once a term.

For more information on the survey and its results, visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/blog/school-fundraising-study-results