We all know its tough out there these days. Budgets are getting tighter and administrators are asked to stretch their dollars even further. So what do you do when you want to break the ho-hum cycle of the school day and you want to bring in a top youth speaker to inspire your students to strive for their dreams?
We came up with several ways to help pay for Amanda to come and rock the stage at your school…
1. Contact your school’s PTO/PTA. Often this is an untapped resource gold mine at every school. These are parents who want to be involved in the lives of their children’s school. Go to them with a well-thought out plan of action and see if they can assist you with either brainstorming to raise funds or maybe even pitch in with some funds themselves.
2. Share Amanda with another high school in your area on the same day. Amanda’s fee will be cut drastically if you share her with another school. She can speak at your school in the morning, a neighboring school in the afternoon and then catch a flight home. This way, Amanda speaks to more students AND you save money…it’s a win for everyone. Amanda is super easy to promote to other schools and decision makers…just forward them a link to www.AmandaSpeaks.com and share your plan.
3. Check with your school administration for funding from the Associated Student Body fund. For teacher in-service programs, ask about Staff Development — Title VI funding. You can even see about integrating Amanda and her programs into a major theme on campus (i.e. Career Day). Depending on your theme, grant money may be available. Check with your schools district or federal government office to find out who is dispensing these funds in your state.
4. Have student leaders contact local business organizations: Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Elks, Chamber of Commerce. Present your plan and request their sponsorship after all, Amanda’s story is all about failing out in the real world with her business and how to pick up the pieces. Heck, you might even want to invite them to see her speak in person!
5. Create a win-win situation. Contact several of your larger local businesses, especially those related to services for teens and their families. Ask for the owner, CEO or Community Services Department. If they are willing to help sponsor the speaker, you can exchange the favor by announcing their support to your students and parents.
6. Invite multiple clubs on campus to participate and help in a fund raising project. A cooperative effort helps students collaborate and learn about the realities of time and effort in acquiring funding in the real world.
7. Have your vending machines support your goal See about desginating one (or even two) vending machines on campus to be fundraisers. Meaning anytime you buy something from that machine, the proceeds go to supporting your goal of having Amanda come to your school.