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Finding Money
Communities almost always rally around the cause of putting AEDs in
schools once they are aware of how important they are and how simple they
are to use. There is no such thing as too much public awareness and the
effectiveness of your drive to raise money (if you must do so outside the
school) will bear fruit if and only if you have saturated the community
with information about your program. Notes sent home with children, radio
spots, TV interviews and articles in the newspaper, well in advance of
asking for contributions, simplifies the job of raising money.
Have a specific goal in mind that will be
sufficient to cover the cost of the AEDs, miscellaneous supplies (like
cabinets), and training. If you are seeking a large amount, present it as
a multi-year project in which half the AEDs will be purchased and placed
the first year and the remainder the following year.
Some school districts are financially
sound enough that once you have sold the school board on the idea, the
money is made available. Believe it or not, even if the money comes in
this way, it’s not a bad idea to tap the community for something–AED
cabinets, training manikins, or training AEDs. The most effective
programs are those where the community members feel they have a vested
interest in the program.
In School
- Donations from Clubs or from past graduating
classes.
- Discretionary funds that a building administrator
may have.
- Teacher Dress Down days where $5 allows them to
wear jeans to school on Fridays.
- Fund Raisers like car washes; bake sales;
competitions to see what class in a building can bring in the most
pennies; 50/50 ticket sales; raffles; dances; the list is endless.
- Contributions from the PTA/PTO, sports booster
clubs, or band parents clubs.
In the Community
- Contributions from Hospitals and individual
physicians;
- Contributions from other professional groups
(attorneys, accountants, etc.);
- Donations from groups that use the schools for
meetings;
- Contributions from civic organizations–Kiwanis,
Rotary, Jaycees;.
- Contributions directly from
businesses–restaurants, car dealerships, industry, malls, etc.;
- Veterans Organizations–VFW and American Legion;
- Fraternal Organizations–Elks, Eagles, Moose, Free
and Accepted Masons, Knights of Columbus;
- Jars or cans for contributions placed at local
fast food and other restaurants, convenience stores, and gas stations (A
color picture of an AED and a request for assistance is all that is
required).
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