Raising money for the School

Where the money goes

In previous years, the PTA have found themselves having to provide funds for many things that could have been called "essentials" such as books, IT equipment etc. With the school's budget deficit being made up last year, we are now in the happy position of being able to donate towards the niceties of life for our children!

So far this year we have subsidised the cost of swimming lessons and agreed to help fund trips and extra activities such as the climbing walls and, hopefully in the future, sailing lessons. Of course, the adventure playground still needs plenty of work on it to demolish unsafe old equipment and replace with new items, and this will no doubt take up the bulk of our fundraising this year.

We will keep you informed how the money is spent throughout the year, but in the meantime if anyone feels there are other resources or activities that the PTA should fund please feel free to let us know your suggestions.

⇑ Back to top

Money raised at PTA events

⇑ Back to top

Helping at PTA Events

We have found that even half an hour of someone's time really helps to spread the load and makes it more enjoyable for all our helpers. If we know we have extra volunteers it also makes it possible to run more PTA stalls. Perhaps your children would enjoy helping you to run a game or man the sweet stall? Or maybe your children's grandparents would like to feel involved by helping out? Any assistance you can offer would be very gratefully received, so please do contact us or respond to the notices we put up in the week or so coming up to the event.

Alternatively, you could support us by making donations of food, drink, raffle prizes etc. when requests go out connected with our events - we are always amazed and gratified by people's generosity when we do!

Or simply attend our events and enjoy yourselves (and spend lots of money!).

⇑ Back to top

Supporting PTA activities

Sometimes we are asked for ideas to help the school save money on practical help such as providing plants for the troughs outside the school or helping to maintain the children's pond area. In the past, Mike Randall has even got parents painting and decorating or even plumbing! If you or a member of your family have any time or particular skills that might help the school, please let us or the school know.

⇑ Back to top

Company Matched Giving

Matched Giving is a corporate arrangement where companies pledge to donate to an organisation a sum relating to the amount their employee donates to or raises for the organisation. For example, a parent, who works for a company that supports Matched Giving, volunteers to work on the refreshment stall at the Summer Fair. The profit made by the stall is £100. The parent’s employer will then match this amount with a further £100 (assuming they offer a 100% match). The amount offered and conditions will vary from company to company. The PTA are a registered charity, which is often a precondition.

Alternatively, a parent may opt to make a donation to the PTA, which again could be matched by their organisation. Don't forget, direct donations can be made using Gift Aid, allowing us to claim extra money from the Inland Revenue!

⇑ Back to top

easyfundraising

Do you ever shop via the internet? If so, you could raise money for the school! We've started using a great website where you can raise funds when you shop online. Over 400 top retailers are participating in the scheme including: Amazon, NEXT, Currys, Dixons, John Lewis, Vodafone, ToysRUs, Marks & Spencers, Tesco, HMV, E-Bay, the AA and Debenhams. Other PTAs around the country have been using this and recommend it as a way to get money for nothing!

All you have to do is log in to www.easyfundraising.org.uk, register as a supporter of Lytchett Matravers Primary School PTA, and instead of going directly to the retailers' websites you use the retailer links provided on the easyfundraising website whenever you shop online. When you order your goods the retailer will make a payment to the PTA at no extra cost to you. Many retailers now give discounts and special offers when you shop online - some of which are exclusive to easyfundraising members. No personal information comes to us, just a cheque every quarter.

Please pass this message on to your friends and family. The more people we can involve, the more money we can raise.

Thank you!

⇑ Back to top

easysearch

You can also help us to raise money by using easysearchas your search engine.

Use easysearch every time you search the web and they will us give 50% of the fees paid by advertising sponsors. Simply go to http://lychettmatraverspspta.easysearch.org.uk, select "easysearch from my browser" and start searching.

easysearch is completely FREE to use and you'll raise about 1p for every search you make. It doesn't sound like much, but the pennies soon mount up and an average surfer making just 10 searches a day could raise £25 a year or more.

⇑ Back to top

GIFT AID

Using Gift Aid means that for every pound you give the PTA in direct donations or for a sponsored event, we get an extra 28 pence from the Inland Revenue, helping your donation go further. This means that £10 can be turned into £12.82, just so long as donations are made through Gift Aid. Imagine what a difference that could make and it doesn’t cost you a thing!

If you are a taxpayer, please fill in a Gift Aid declaration form (.doc .pdf) and give it to the school. Then when you next give a donation or sponsor an event, indicate on the form we supply that it is a Gift Aid donation. You don’t have to do anything else - we can now claim 22% of your donation/sponsorship money back from the Inland Revenue.

Parents that pay income tax at the higher tax rate of 40% can also claim some further tax relief for themselves. Using the above example of £12.80, they can claim back 18% (40% minus 22%); giving them £2.30. They claim this by entering the actual donation in the Gift Aid section of their annual tax return.

Further information is available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift-aid.htm

⇑ Back to top