Fundraising Mums is written by Shannon Meyerkort, an experienced writer and storyteller with three school aged daughters.
I first had the idea for Fundraising Mums in February 2015. It was one of those light-bulb moments.
Having volunteered to help organise an event at school, I went online to search for fundraising ideas. Although there were many great fundraising businesses, there wasn’t much in the way of practical information or reviews. Were they easy to use? What was the time investment like? How much money was raised? What about DIY fundraising ideas? How do you set up a cake stall? What’s involved in doing a Bunnings sausage sizzle?
Fundraising Mums is aimed directly at parents and groups who are organising their own events within schools, sporting clubs and grass-roots community groups as well as people searching for new ideas and inspiration.
It has everything for the first-timer who has found themselves suddenly responsible for raising money at school and no idea where to start, to people who have been helping for years and are looking for new ideas. It is a site which brings together ideas for fundraisers, how-to and check-lists, reviews of commercial fundraising companies as well as offering a space for people to share their success (or failure!) stories. To see a full list of all Fundraising Mums articles visit our index page here.
I also have a site on Pinterest where I share great content from across the globe. Every month I have over a quarter of million people view Fundraising Mums pins – it is full of inspiration and practical ideas, from items to sell at a school fete, recipes for bake sales, how to set up events, DIY ideas you can turn into $$, ideas for book week costumes, teacher appreciation and more.
It’s important to remember that an idea that works well for one school might not be as successful at another. There is a huge difference in raising funds in an enormous high school with 2,500 students and trying to raise money in a small country school with 60 kids. My aim with Fundraising Mums is to have solutions for both these scenarios – and everything in between.
Merge with The Fundraising Directory
In late 2020, after five years at the helm of Fundraising Mums, Shannon decided to take a step back to focus on her other writing projects. After an approach from Mandy Weidmann, founder of The Fundraising Directory, it was agreed to merge the sites, to ensure that the content from Fundraising Mums continued to be offered to parents, schools and community groups across the country.
‘Volunteering at my daughters’ school and running Fundraising Mums has been a huge part of my life, and the lessons it has taught me, and the connections I have made are lifelong. Volunteering – whether it’s doorknocking for a charity, attending committee meetings, helping at the school canteen or turning sausages at the grand final – builds community and helps us grow as individuals. No time spent volunteering and fundraising will ever be wasted’ added Shannon.
Where you will find Fundraising Mums
P&C Voice (WA Council of State Schools Organisation)
Parent Chatter (The Federation of Parents and Friends Associations of Catholic Schools in Queensland)
Mouths of Mums (http://www.mouthsofmums.com.au/)
Pinterest (visit me here)
Sponsored Posts and Affiliate Marketing
I accept payments for sponsored posts and advertising on Fundraising Mums to help offset my time and the costs associated with running a website. Sponsored posts are always labelled as such, but I only accept advertising from companies I feel fit in with the general philosophy of the site and would use personally or at least consider as an option for my own schools. This involves a single upfront payment from the businesses to myself.
I also have a few affiliate marketing links on this site, for companies which I think are relevant and appropriate to readers. When you click on an affiliate marketing link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you, I am paid a small commission. This money goes towards the costs of running and writing Fundraising Mums.
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