How PTAs & Schools Can Show Appreciation to Teachers

Teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future of our children and society as a whole. It is important for PTAs and schools to acknowledge and show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their teachers. Follow along as we explore different ways to show appreciation to teachers and how to leverage FutureFund to help make it happen.

Raise Money for Classroom Equipment or Field Trips

PTAs can take it upon themselves to raise money for teachers’ needs in the classroom or even extra special field trips they may want to take their students on. New microscopes or chemistry sets, art supplies, or even a new projector may all be on a teacher’s wish list. Or, maybe you know there are some social studies teachers wanting to help get their 8th graders to Washington D.C.

Utilizing FutureFund, teachers can be helped to feel both supported and do their best work without feeling stressed to pull everything out of their own pockets. On your school group FutureFund page, you’ll be able to sell tickets to events, sell spirit wear, or hold various other types of campaigns to hit your goals.

Whatever fundraiser you decide on, you’ll be able to offer your earnings up to teachers for their classroom needs. Just be sure to be clear to supporters where and what specifically their money will be used for.

Organize a Teacher Appreciation Week

One way PTAs and schools can organize a teacher appreciation week is by brainstorming a list of activities and gestures to show gratitude to educators. This could include so many different things from special activities to themed days to student-motivated fun.

It’s important for the PTA to delegate tasks and responsibilities to ensure that the week runs smoothly and that all teachers feel valued and appreciated for their hard work and dedication.

Ask for volunteers and utilize FutureFund’s built-in messaging system to announce details of any and all events.

Themed Days

Pick a fun decade or theme and use it as a vehicle to celebrate your teachers during their week of appreciation. As we’ve mentioned before, go for a grunge theme from the 90s, flappers from the 20s, or hippies from the 70s, and you’re sure to have a memorable and fun week!

Every day that you dress up, you purchase a “ticket” to that party through your school’s online store with FutureFund. That money can eventually lead to supporting your teachers in various ways.

Special Activities

Plan for special activities that the teachers can enjoy. From catered breakfasts to food trucks, from candy bars to VIP “room service,” there are a lot of different bits of fun that can be coordinated to celebrate the most important people in the school building.

You may even want to create an online sign-up list asking for volunteers to help set up and serve.

Student Participation

Students are one of the best assets when planning a teacher appreciation week. Leverage their participation to personalize the show of gratitude and to do some of the work such as decorating the school with signs and banners, delivering cards and thank you notes, or other small tokens of appreciation.

Personalized Thank You Notes

PTAs and schools can rally students and community members to write heartfelt messages of gratitude to teachers. Personalized notes can make a significant impact and remind teachers that their efforts are valued and admired.

Letters From Students and Parents

Have the students and/or parents write handwritten notes and cards to their teachers explaining what they love about their class, how they’ve benefitted from their lessons, and, for the parents, how they’ve made a lasting impression on their kids. Those participating can pre-purchase their cards online and snag them from the PTA on the big day of inspirational deliveries.

Creative Presentations

Take the personalized, handwritten notes up a notch by turning those letters into presentations. Allow students or other community members the time and space to present their gratitude and appreciation in this form. Other ways to utilize presentations would be to hold teacher appreciation assemblies and create personalized videos. With proper guidance and support, students can showcase their gratitude in unique and meaningful ways that will leave a lasting impact on their teachers.

Gift Baskets or Care Packages

PTAs can also fundraise with the goal of creating gift baskets or care packages for teachers. All funds contribute toward buying very personalized items that are needed or even wanted to show true appreciation and gratitude toward teachers.

via OccasionsByShakira.com

Through FutureFund, you can run this as a simple donation campaign, where supporters donate money directly and then you utilize it to buy items such as:

• Customized Items: These items can range from practical to sentimental. You can tailor each to suit individual preferences and interests as well. Ideas include:
  • Personalized tote bags, customized coffee mugs or tumblers, engraved desk plates, initial stationary sets, customized classroom signage or wall art, personalized planners, diaries or bookmarks, personalized t-shirts, and themed gift baskets for spa days or summer time.
• Wellness Products: Teachers often lead busy and sometimes stressful lives, so wellness items can be a thoughtful way to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Ideas include:
  • Aromatherapy diffusers, head massagers, yoga mats and accessories, lotions, bubble bath, and face masks, stress-relief tea sets, guided meditation app subscriptions, ergonomic desk accessories, portable water bottles with infusers, or gift cards for wellness services such as massages.
• Classroom Supplies: Teachers often appreciate classroom supplies that can enhance their teaching environment and facilitate learning experiences for their students. Ideas include:
  • Dry erase markers and whiteboards, chart paper and easel pads, bulletin board borders and decorations, classroom organization tools such as bins and baskets, basic art supplies, stickers and incentives, educational games and manipulatives, or teacher planners.

Special Recognition Event

Gifts are great and meals are fun too, but PTA’s and other members of the school and community can come together to create special recognition events to really shine a light on teachers and show appreciation in another type of heartfelt way.

Award Ceremonies

A special recognition ceremony dedicated to honoring the dedicated educators who shape young minds with passion and dedication would be a memorable way to show gratitude.

Volunteers can donate time to set up, usher, and clean up for the event. Monetary donations can also go towards decor and a food and drink reception, as well as the awards or trophies themselves.

Student Speeches

Similar to the creative presentations mentioned previously, students willing to take their appreciation and show it through a speech very well could be the highlight of an educator’s year and career.

Community Involvement

When planning these types of ceremonies, be willing to reach out to community members. There are a lot of local supporters who may love to not only donate time, money, food, drink, gifts, or awards, but also want to be present and a part of the event to vocalize their appreciation for the educators in their lives and their children’s lives.

Professional Development Support

There’s also the option of showing support to teachers through professional development opportunities. This can be done through the offering of workshops, seminars, and resource allocations.

Giving educators the space and time to expand their skill sets, explore innovative teaching methodologies, and stay in the know of emerging trends in education that they are truly interested in, is one of the best ways to show appreciation for their profession.

Funding Workshops

When creating goals for donations on the PTA or school’s FutureFund pages, create a campaign that will fund educational workshops for educators. Just be sure to talk with them first. Survey teachers for what they are interested in or what their needs are to ensure that the experience will be truly valuable for them.

Providing Resources

Along with workshops, PTAs can also work to allocate resources to provide teachers with access to a diverse array of training materials, books, online courses, and educational subscriptions. This may include anything from Scholastic memberships or ClassDojo. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the partnership between PTAs and schools has the ability to help strengthen ties through weeks, days, or moments of teacher appreciation. By collaborating on initiatives that recognize the dedication, passion, and hard work of educators, fundraising efforts can be leveraged to give back to the ones who begin and end the days with our children. This all helps to foster an environment where teachers feel valued and empowered to excel in their roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use FutureFund’s messaging system to fundraise for teacher appreciation initiatives or other specific fundraisers?

FutureFund’s messaging system lets you:

• Send messages to every parent in your school community or filter your audience to reach specific groups.
• Create unique sender profiles to make sure the message is always coming from the appropriate party.
• Use customizable message templates to save time when broadcasting updates or announcements.

Should my school fundraiser be a Purchase or a Donation campaign?

Use Purchase campaigns to sell event tickets or physical items (like baked goods, merchandise, or arts and crafts).

Use Donation campaigns to collect money from community members in support of a specific goal or cause (like a food drive).

Sometimes you can leverage specific holidays, such as Teacher Appreciation Week, to market a certain event or campaign with even more appeal to the community.

What are some creative fundraising ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week?

We love brainstorming ideas for your fundraising needs. Check out some of these lists:

• Teacher Appreciation Week Resources
• 20 No-Cost Teacher Appreciation Ideas
• 20 Inexpensive Teacher Appreciation Ideas

How can I use FutureFund to track my fundraiser’s success?

FutureFund gives you the ability to generate financial reports for fundraising campaigns in just a few clicks. To do this, navigate to Store and click the Reports tab near the top of your screen. Then choose Campaign Summary from the drop-down menu and click Generate Report.