WOW – what a fundraising year!
Despite my years at Parentkind our PTA members’ innovation, dedication and especially over the last 18 months, resilience never ceases to amaze me.
I had the great privilege of co-hosting our National PTA Week Awards, alongside of new chair of trustees, Alex Peace-Gadsby. And what an event it was, the Parentkind PTA Community team despite the limits of being online made it feel like the Oscars! Congratulations to every PTA that entered – you are all winners.
It was the perfect round up to a tough year for PTAs, a chance for us to inspire, support and celebrate every single one of you and your volunteers. A true stand out fundraiser for me, was the Reindeer Poop Fundraiser at Fielding Primary School PTFA school, although not a winner (this time), I can honestly say that in my whole fundraising career I have never heard of anything like it – innovation at its best. As well as Michelle Draper and Rachel Rodway from High Cross Primary School PTA who won PTA Volunteers of the Year, they truly demonstrated that lifelong friendships can be formed from being on a PTA together and hope to start a new PTA at their childrens’ new secondary school.
Smaller charities are the heart of communities across the UK. During the pandemic and continuous lockdowns, it was smaller charities, such as PTAs that used their networks to continue fundraising for their schools and reach to support people in their communities.
PTAs raise a staggering amount of funds for schools. We’re not just talking a few pounds in fundraising. Over the last three years, PTAs have raised a staggering total of £308.5 million, all of which goes directly to our schools.
With lockdowns in force and social distancing measures in place, events and activities held by PTAs looked different to previous years.
- Uniform sales took a dramatic leap during the pandemic, taking over as top activity held at 52%.
- 1,250 PTAs took part in Parentkind’s Big PTA Quiz. We provided everything you needed to ‘get quizzy with it’ virtually and we mean everything. Over 93,000 friends, families and colleagues collectively raised over £120,000.
- Together our Big PTA Summer and Christmas raffles saw 1,179 PTA’s taking part, selling over 151,000 tickets raising an amazing £226,000. Tickets were sold to friends, families and colleagues as well as to members of the local community (because the reach gets wider when online).
- Almost half of PTAs successfully trialled virtual events such as balloon races, and 28% held socially distanced events such as Halloween trails, treasure hunts, runs and bike rides.
- 11% of PTAs also supported community projects, such as Food Banks, Litter Picks, Food deliveries and Clothes Banks.
Despite the pandemic and continuous lockdowns, you collectively raised a staggering £79.5 million in 2020. You are small yet mighty.
Now, we look forward to continuing to support our PTA members, their parent volunteers, as well as parents as a whole in their child’s education in 2021 and far beyond. We hope you will continue to join us on our journey.
