Fundraising at BCSIS, 2006-2007
Finances and Fundraising
The curriculum, classroom materials, and supplies used by BCSIS exceed what is standard and funded by Boulder Valley School District, the State of Colorado, and Federal sources. Our school must raise approximately $50,000 this year to meet these extra expenses. Of these funds, 76% goes directly to the classroom teachers as discretionary funds to cover supplies and materials, 16% is earmarked for teacher professional development, and 4% covers the costs of school-wide events and materials (the FallFest and the gardens, for example). A mere 4% of our budget is for administrative costs, because fundraising is done by the "Friends of BCSIS," a volunteer parent group which oversees fundraising, but is committed to upholding the community values of our school at the same time. (We also have a lot of fun – come join us and see!)
The Full Participation Donation by parents is the primary way BCSIS raises funds to support our school. Every family is asked to donate $200 per child per year. If your family is able to donate more than this amount, your money will help sponsor another family. Families with less financial means are asked to donate whatever they can, and sponsorship is available. The donation can be split into monthly or semester payments by making confidential arrangements with the Treasurer. We accept checks, credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) and cash. Since BCSIS has IRS 501c3 status, all monetary donations are tax deductible. See the Donor Card (PDF) or Donor Card (txt).
- Fundraising Events. To raise the balance of funds needed for the school (which we anticipate will be about $20,000 this year), and to bring everyone together for fun and fellowship, the Friends of BCSIS holds several fundraising events throughout the year. There are many opportunities to get involved in helping coordinate these events, and we hope you will mark your calendars and plan to attend. Encouraging friends and neighbors to participate in events is a great way to introduce our school to the greater community. Please see the school calendar for more information about dates and times.
- Grant-Writing. The 2005-06 school year was exceptionally successful for BCSIS in terms of grant awards: seven Impact on Education classroom grants, a Colorado Tree Coalition matching Grant for $2,000, (which was matched in-kind by a local tree farm, giving us a generous $8,000 worth of trees), and a GOCO grant (Colorado Lottery Funds) for more than $30,000 to renovate our playgrounds! This area is quickly becoming an important source of funding for special projects at our school. If you would like to help with grant writing or research, please contact Denitta Ward, 303-527-1193, ddward@comcast.net
- Grocery and Bookstore Certificates. Our school offers grocery certificates for sale in the main office, and from parent volunteers before and after school. You can purchase cards for Vitamin Cottage, Wild Oats, Boulder Cooperative Market, Boulder Bookstore, and King Soopers (which are redeemable at Safeways and Albertsons). The school receives 5% of each grocery certificate sold (20% from Boulder Bookstore), so this is a way to monetarily help the school that doesn’t cost you anything! The funds from grocery and bookstore certificate sales are earmarked for the new playground and landscaping around Aurora-Seven.
- On-Line and Credit Card Kick-Backs. The following electronic fundraisers are painless ways to earn money for BCSIS, because once you sign up your cards or bookmark your Web browser, you don’t have to make any other effort.
- Amazon.com – the school will make 5% on any Amazon.com purchases, if you enter Amazon's website through http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/bcsis-20 .
- Target Visa – when you use a registered Target Visa at a Target store, BCSIS will receive 1%, and 1/2% of purchases at other stores. BCSIS’s school ID number is 112936. Visit http://www.target.com/ .
- Escrip – several local businesses contribute based on sales made by registered credit cards or Safeways cards. Register your cards on the Web (http://www.escrip.com/) or by form available from the Treasurer.
