"Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others." Barbara Bush
If you are thinking about ways that you can donate school supplies to a classroom in need, you have a wide variety of ways to make that happen. Personal donations of money or specific school supplies is the easiest and fastest way to accomplish your mission to help a class. You will also discover that volunteering your time in the PTA or PTO can prove to be very helpful as they prepare fundraisers, and plan how to use the funds for specific needs. You might have the energy to start a fundraiser yourself, and recruit a few volunteers to help you. It is a lot of work, but you will find the staff to be very open to helping you, and you will easily find out what the needs are. Classroom needs may include teaching help, drama, art, or many other areas where you might have some special skills. You can offer your talent, and at the same time meet needs for the classroom.
The simplest way to make a donation to the school or classroom of your choice is to go to the school and find out what those needs are, and then go out and get the supplies yourself. This will require meeting with the administrator, and a few teachers, and offer to help. That will help you establish a relationship that will open doors to your generosity. In one simple visit you will be able to discover what the needs are, where they are, and you will be able to develop a plan for meeting the need. The most difficult way is to call the school board, or District office and ask how you can make a contribution. The difference? Red Tape! Schools gladly accept school supply donations that are brought to them.
You will also find a wide open door if you go to the PTA or PTO. They are always seeking ways to obtain supplies for their schools. By speaking to these organization leaders you may develop a greater resource than you had in mind. Rather than just offering what you can give, you can offer some time, and a helping hand in organizing a school supply donation drive in the community, or some other plan. This will multiply your personal donation, and at the same time involve the community. This method also avoids a lot of "red tape."
There are businesses all over most cities who have pencils, erasers, rulers, and other small school supplies to give away with their advertisements on them. You can make a few calls, set up a meeting time, and go to the businesses to pick up the supplies. When you do this, make a file folder called "School Supplies Donations," place a list of the business information of those who contributed. Ask the company if they would be willing to help next yeas as well. Add that information to the file, and next year follow up. Don't forget to make address labels, and send thank you notes to them for their kindness.
There is always the old stand-by, the basic fundraiser. You can search the Internet, do the research to find the best fundraiser for the school you want to represent. You can donate the initial cost of the fundraiser, and allow the PTA or PTO to conduct it. When you do the initial footwork, you make the decision to do the fundraiser a much simpler task for the officers of these organizations. There are fundraisers that have very small costs to initiate, and the results can be large amounts of money for school supplies. Remember, you can even share with the PTA/PTO officers what you would like the fundraiser to be used for. They may or may not go for it, but either way, the school becomes a winner.
You may have experience or skills that will contribute to the school's educational program. "You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give." Winston Churchill
Career Day is a great opportunity to offer your time and to share with the students some of the options that are out there for them when they graduate. You will usually have opportunity to speak in classes all day. This is both fun, and rewarding. The students will learn valuable information, and you might even stir up hope within them that they did not have before. You can even find a bank or medical company that has pencils and or pens that you can bring into the class as gifts.
Build a garden. If you have a green thumb, you can check with the school to see if you can help a group to build and grow a garden at the school. You can supply dirt and plants or seeds. This is very popular in the elementary and middle schools. There is no limit of lessons that can be taught to the students through this volunteer effort.
Help with a school play by helping to make costumes, set up the stage, work the sound, and much more. These teachers need all the help they can get. While you are at it, you might even be able to teach a student or two how to do your part next year.
There is really an unlimited number of ways to donate and contribute to the schools of your choice. It is worth repeating, If you want to donate to a school and don't know how, "Just do it." Be careful though, giving of yourself is very rewarding, and it is addictive. Go for the gold.