5 Ways Schools Can Keep Summer Engagement High

School is out for the summer! Even though your donors are traveling and having fun in the sun with family and friends, it’s important to keep them in the know about what’s happening at school! Supporters should hear from an organization at least monthly—not necessarily with just asks—to maintain a positive relationship with them. 

We want to give you five creative ideas to keep your donors engaged throughout the summer so that your fundraising campaigns and events throughout the year can be a success. 

1. Thank You Calls

Do you have students who need service hours? Or families who benefit from financial aid who would like to pay it forward? Buy pizzas and have a call and thank you note writing night at school one night in the summer. Donors who receive a thank you call are more likely to give again, so this is a smart strategy for donor retention.  

Some things you should plan for your thank you call night: 

Donor List

Don’t forget to segment your list and provide your volunteers with pertinent donor tidbits. Do your best to assign volunteers to a list that they have a personal connection to. Have athletes call sports boosters or scholarship recipients call those benefactors.  

Volunteers should use personal information in their calls, voicemails, and notes such as gift amount, number of times donated, alumni status, and any other relevant donor information. 

Script

Write some talking points for those who pick up the phone, as well as a voicemail script. Keep the voicemail under 30 seconds, and don’t forget to include “Hi, my name is…” and “I’m calling from school to thank you,” as well as a callback number if the donor wants to chat with your staff. You’d be surprised how many people forget the basics! 

Consider adding a few impact points for calling volunteers to choose from. Some examples include:  

• The percentage of students who were able to go to school because of scholarships. 
• Test score improvements and how donors’ gifts made that happen. 
• Information about new investments in labs or the arts and what those donor investments mean for your students 

Thank You Note Template

Provide a short template for fully handwritten notes. Give volunteers a little freedom on which impact points to include if you have a few that would work for your different donor segments. Make sure your volunteers give a personal introduction, such as, “As a member of the class of 2024 ….” 

Donors who receive hand-written thank you notes are nearly four times more likely to give again than those who do not. It is a smart strategy to keep your supporters engaged. 

2. Social Media Blitz

Can you ask high-value volunteers, students, sponsors, or staff to do a social media takeover or a post series you curate? Social media posts that include photos of people holding a sign sharing their “why,” a “day in the life” video tour of students or staff, or thank you messages from volunteers or your students can increase engagement. 

Make sure you give people the tools to be successful! Provide talking points or scripting, ideas, signage, sharing instructions, and branded wearables.  

3. Showcase Impact Data

Data that highlights your school, students, and staff successes provides objective information to prospective families as to why you are the best choice. Think about the things that make your community different! Some questions to get you brainstorming include: 

• How many students have a parent or guardian who is an educator themselves? 

• How much in scholarships do your students earn? 
• How do your students perform on high school entrance exams? 
• How many volunteer hours do your students perform annually?  
• What is the percentage of students who do sports? 
• How many of your students perform above the state average on standardized tests? 

Tools like Canva make it easy for your school to highlight this impact data in a visually interesting way.

4. Plan an Easy Summer Event

Events take time and energy, of course. But you can keep your community engaged and raise a little money with light effort.  

Can you do a summer ice cream night, movie viewing, or parents’ night out? Find a local ice cream shop that would donate the proceeds for a night or a cart/truck that would come to your school’s playground.  

Do you have a screen in your auditorium or football field that you can project a movie on? A $20 per parent donation, where they can bring their own food and drink, is a great way to encourage community building! 

A parents’ night out requires older junior high students and/or alumni to volunteer their time, as well as access to your gym or multi-purpose room. For $20 per student or $40 per family, parents can drop off their kids in a safe environment on a Friday or Saturday night. Kids can play, do crafts, or watch a movie for a few hours, and your school can raise some money!  

5. Send a Monthly Newsletter

You should make a communication plan for the summer. Everyone should lighten their load when school is off. But if you don’t connect with people for months, the fall will be needlessly frustrating, as people restart their routines. The occasional reach that includes updates on new hires, upcoming events, summer reading information, and impact data can make a big difference in long-term, sustainable relationships with your families and supporters.   

Enjoy the slowness of summer and have some fun in the sun! Use this idea list so you are successfully set up for your upcoming school year. Consistent engagement will fuel future volunteer recruitment and fundraising success. Looking for a fundraising and donor management platform that schools love? Connect with GiveSmart today!