School fundraising is a bit of a touchy topic in the US. It usually follows a similar structure that entails third party companies using students to sell items (candles, wrapping paper, coupon books, etc.) to their family and friends. Then kids are incentivized with prizes for reaching sales goals. This process creates classroom competitions which become a headache for parents who are forced to drive their kids around to ask everyone they know to purchase their items. Worse yet, some parents purchase the items themselves just to be done with the fundraiser. This model puts equal pressure on parents as it does students and moves the focus off the cause and onto material items.
Traditional school fundraising also doesn’t foster a love of philanthropy in children or connect the donors with the cause they are supporting. At Sixpence, we believe that fundraising should connect both the fundraiser and donors with a common cause. We understand that schools and teachers need fundraisers to afford necessary items for their students. On the Sixpence app, teachers and/or schools can create a campaign for donors to support the fundraiser with roundups on their daily purchases.
Students that promote a Sixpence campaign will be able to explain the cause they are supporting and exactly where the donations are going. This fosters a sense of social responsibility in students from a young age since they are untiting towards a common fundraising goal and not a classroom competition.
When people feel more connected to a cause, they are more likely to increase their fundraising efforts and donors are more likely to donate. Rather than needing multiple fundraisers throughout the year, Sixpence allows donors to a make a one time decision to support a campaign and then make continuous donations effortlessly on their everyday purchases.
With Sixpence, students are given the opportunity to know the true heart of fundraising: to make a difference in their community and we think that's cooler than any fundraising prize.
