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rfr10
26-Jun-08, 18:41
Three pupils from Wick High School (including myself), over our last year at the school, will be trying to raise small amounts of money for the school departments to improve them for the pupils and the teachers working in them. By small amounts of money, I mean between £100 - £1000.

We are currently trying to meet the costs for the following-

A digital piano for the music department
Portable basketball hoops for the PE department
A colour printer for the English department
Sound & mixing equipment for school concerts, etc

and also extras requested such as...

Decorative bordering for the History department
Class pack of calculators for the maths department


If anyone would like to come up with fudraising suggestions which you are likely to sponor for a small amount, please let me know.

Thanks.

*Martin*
26-Jun-08, 18:48
Why are there only 3 of you?

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 18:51
Why is there only 3 of you?

Well, it started off as just myself going to apply to the youth bank for money but I gathered a couple of friends to help out aswell.

It's our own little group, nothing involving the school at all, apart from it's them who will be getting the money from us to buy certain necessities.

Venture
26-Jun-08, 18:53
Can you tell me why its up to the pupils to raise the money?

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 18:56
Can you tell me why its up to the pupils to raise the money?

It's not but we decided we'd like to try and raise some money for the school ourselves.

*Martin*
26-Jun-08, 19:00
maybe you should try and get as much of the school involved as possible

strength in numbers
more hands make less work
etc.
etc.

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 19:02
maybe you should try and get as much of the school involved as possible

strength in numbers
more hands make less work
etc.
etc.

There should already be a 6th year grop after the holidays for fundraising. All we want to do is make small amounts of money at a time to get new things in different departments.

tootler
26-Jun-08, 19:11
There should already be a 6th year grop after the holidays for fundraising. All we want to do is make small amounts of money at a time to get new things in different departments.

Hi rfr10

Well done for getting on with it yourselves - we need more folk like you around the place!

Go to http://www.how2fundraise.org/ It's a great new site run by the Institute of Fundraising and has loads of good ideas to get you started. And if you decide to try applying for any grants, pm me and I'll give you a hand with the application forms - I've got a qualification in "Winning Resources and Support" - right up your street - but I only fill in forms for nice people doing community projects that I like the look of & I never charge!:D

If you go down the grants road it'll be tricky because you're asking for stuff that the HC should really be providing & many funders won't swallow that, but it's worth a try - form yourselves into a committee (3 people's plenty!), write a constitution (Niall Smith from CVG can help you with this) and you're rolling.

Good luck!

justine
26-Jun-08, 19:14
maybe you could ask the local people to help with your fund raising,i do like the idea of a fundraising bunjee jump...

Margaret M.
26-Jun-08, 19:17
What a generous offer, Tootler. I love your positive attitude!

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 19:20
Hi rfr10

Well done for getting on with it yourselves - we need more folk like you around the place!

Go to http://www.how2fundraise.org/ It's a great new site run by the Institute of Fundraising and has loads of good ideas to get you started. And if you decide to try applying for any grants, pm me and I'll give you a hand with the application forms - I've got a qualification in "Winning Resources and Support" - right up your street - but I only fill in forms for nice people doing community projects that I like the look of & I never charge!:D

If you go down the grants road it'll be tricky because you're asking for stuff that the HC should really be providing & many funders won't swallow that, but it's worth a try - form yourselves into a committee (3 people's plenty!), write a constitution (Niall Smith from CVG can help you with this) and you're rolling.

Good luck!

That's great thank you! I'll probably be in contact when we need this if that's ok? :)

Venture
26-Jun-08, 20:08
rfr10 is this the same scheme that previous 6th year pupils have done. Sort of an enterprise thing as part of your studies. I always thought the idea was to raise money for local charities. Handn't realised you could put it towards the school itself. As already mentioned these things should be provided as part of your education. Well done for the idea.

111heather
26-Jun-08, 20:17
why dont you have car boot sales fiver a table use the car park an the hall you would get a few people intrested

speedo215
26-Jun-08, 21:46
when i was in 6th year 4 years ago we did an enterprise class making sandwichs 4 the teachers and we donated the profits back to the school, in a way to say sort of thanks, maybe if you speak to head of home ec and ask her about doing something like this

Solus
26-Jun-08, 21:54
car wash or motorbike wash ? I got a few you can start on, £5 a car ?

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 21:55
rfr10 is this the same scheme that previous 6th year pupils have done. Sort of an enterprise thing as part of your studies. I always thought the idea was to raise money for local charities. Handn't realised you could put it towards the school itself. As already mentioned these things should be provided as part of your education. Well done for the idea.

We're not doing it as part of a school committe though. We are running it the 3 of ourselves, mostly, outwith school time. There is a charity committee for 6th years at the school but this is a completely different thing altogether. As Wick High School's Highland Youth Voice Rep. I am very keen to improve the school by covering costs for necessary equipment in the school. This year is the end of my 2 year elected Highland Youth Voice representation and to continue to be WHS rep, I will have to be re-elected in September/October this year and also re-elected onto the executive committee of Highland Youth Voice. If I am re-elected, I will still only have 1 year left and I will have to stand down in 2009 when I leave school. I'm very keen to do as much as possible between now and then.

rfr10
26-Jun-08, 21:56
why dont you have car boot sales fiver a table use the car park an the hall you would get a few people intrested

Good idea!

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 15:28
I have now completed an application to the Young Scot Action Fund for further funding so hopefully this will have a positive outcome aswell.

Torvaig
27-Jun-08, 15:38
The best of luck to you and I hope you raise lots of dosh! :lol:

Cattach
27-Jun-08, 15:38
What a generous offer, Tootler. I love your positive attitude!

I agree with margaret. Great to see this group making an effort and already a good idea or two. A small number of post have sent out some negative vibes regarding who and why participants. What is important that this group of three want to do something for the school and maybe other groups of three will form but sometimes people like to do their own thng without being submerged in a big group. Remember action and decision making is often best left small groups as big groups get bogged down with contradicting ways to approach a topic or a problem.
Well done and every success.

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 16:45
I now need some suggestions for a few things to buy for the school. I have £540.16 to spend if we receive the grant.

Any suggestions?

We'd really be focusing on the whole school in general or the Geography Dept., Technical Dept., Science Dept., RME Dept. or the Modern Languages Dept as we've listed items for all other departments.

Venture
27-Jun-08, 16:55
I agree with margaret. Great to see this group making an effort and already a good idea or two. A small number of post have sent out some negative vibes regarding who and why participants. What is important that this group of three want to do something for the school and maybe other groups of three will form but sometimes people like to do their own thng without being submerged in a big group. Remember action and decision making is often best left small groups as big groups get bogged down with contradicting ways to approach a topic or a problem.
Well done and every success.

There were no negative vibes intended from the genuine question that was asked by me. I maybe should have worded it better. I didn't think it right that rfr10 should be spending money he would raise on essentials like calculators and printers. These should be provided by HRC as part of their education. I have absolutely no objections whatsoever to him buying things the school would not normally provide which improves things for the pupils. rfr10 knows me very well and that I would be the last person to object to what he intended to do for the school. Just in case you missed the first "well done" cattach in my second post. Here's another one. Well done rfr10 keep up the good work pity there were not more like you.;)

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 17:59
Here is an updated list of what we HOPE to buy for the school-

Digital Yamaha Piano
Sound & mixing equipment
Portable basketball hoops
Colour All in one printer
Decorative bordering for display boards
Class pack of calculators with one for a SMART board aswell
Smoothie maker
USB Flash drives
5 DVD players


what do you think?

I need some more suggestions by the end of tonight as I'll be sending the form off tomorrow. I have £400 left to spend.

I thouht of some Chewing gum recycling bins or just general recycling bins which are very modern but don't know if the school will have space.

tootler
27-Jun-08, 23:09
I need some more suggestions by the end of tonight as I'll be sending the form off tomorrow. I have £400 left to spend.


I'm bowled over by your fantastic go-get-it attitude.. you're making me feel really old!:lol:

I haven't seen the Young Scot application form, but unless they're specifically asking for shopping list of items with prices, you could perhaps slip in something more general to make the spending more flexible?

Remember that you have to spend the money on exactly the things you asked for in the application - you can't change your mind when you get the money. So it's important to get things right in the application.

If you can bear to wait a few more days, then do get in touch with staff members to see what they'd like to improve quality of life in their departments.

Otherwise, try to be as general as you can get away with - see if you can categorise your shopping list a bit & be creative. What about selling it to the funders as "A quality of life project to delight the senses and raise morale at WHS"?

Then you instantly have 5 categories:
Improving the sounds of the school: Your music equipment fits here
Improving the tastes of the school: Smoothie maker here
Improving the look of the school: All your IT equipment here (it all has a visual element)
Improving the smell of the school: Tricky one - how about some fragrant planters at the front door to boost morale?! Or some real coffee for the 6th year room!
Improving the feel of the school: All your "feel-good" sports equipment goes here.

Allocate a slice of the available funding to each category and detail examples of the type of thing you want to buy, eg. "Sounds of the school - £4000; to include a mixing desk and digital piano." Then your teacher can still get a euphonium if there's enough money left over because you were general rather than specific in your application. And he can change his mind & have a Roland piano instead of a Yamaha one. Flexibility's good.

Grant fundraising can be fun but do take your time over the application form - it's important to get it right first time - a neat, well thought out form makes a funder feel confident in your ability to spend their money well.

And, rfr, if you apply and they don't award you the money you asked for then don't be too disheartened - it wouldn't mean your ideas weren't good, more likely it would mean you asked the wrong people for the money! Read their guidelines really carefully and only ask for the things they want to give - then your success rate will be higher. It sounds like you've found a good funding source for your needs but make sure you read all their small print before you fill in that form & post it off - e.g. applications are often refused because they're in blue ink, not black (no joke!)

Remember to keep a photocopy of your application form so you know exactly what you have asked for - it doesn't look good if you have to go back and ask the funder for these details after they've awarded you the money!

Best of luck & let us all know how you get on.:D

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 23:31
Thanks for that Tootler.

Unfortunately, both the Caithness Youth Bank and Young Scot Action Fund Application form asks for exact items which you want to purchase AND their exact cost. Now for the CYB application, this is partially my fault as it was actually me who designed the application form. Now here's the sneeky bit-

I'm on the Youth Bank that makes decisions on whether to fund applicants or not so in order for me to have a say on the application form, I've got someone else to complete it and sign it under their name which means I'll till be able to have a say on the application, however, I won't be allowed to have a vote on the overall decision unfortunately- it's not that easy.

Now I've been on the panel for the Big Lottery Fund and Caithness Youth bank and the first thing I notice on an application form is the amount the applicant has written and the neatness of their writing- unfortunatley, we don't all have neat handwriting so as long as I can read it, it's fine. Personally, if I wasn't directly involved in the group applying for the money, I would still provide the grant to whoever did apply as I must say myself, I think it will benefit lots of people and for a long time hopefully.

I'm not sure what the Young Scot Action Fund grant process is though. We'll just have to wait and see. I'd be very disappointed and also shocked if we didn't at least get SOME of the funding for it.

tootler
27-Jun-08, 23:32
rfr, I've just had a look at the new Comic Relief awards site & I think you might be able to sell yourselves to them in their "disadvantaged community" category.(Please don't feel insulted - you're geographically disadvantaged if nothing else, being so far from the Central Belt!)

Go have a look - that particular fund is up to £5K and specifically includes equipment and refurbishing of public buildings by community groups - right up your street.
http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/application/dc-preview.php

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 23:41
rfr, I've just had a look at the new Comic Relief awards site & I think you might be able to sell yourselves to them in their "disadvantaged community" category.(Please don't feel insulted - you're geographically disadvantaged if nothing else, being so far from the Central Belt!)

Go have a look - that particular fund is up to £5K and specifically includes equipment and refurbishing of public buildings by community groups - right up your street.
http://www.comicrelief.com/apply-for-a-grant/uk/application/dc-preview.php


I think I'll be employing you next :) Want a job? :Razz

Thank you!

tootler
27-Jun-08, 23:44
Just one more thought before I hit the hay...

It might sound obvious, but if you're applying to several different funding sources, don't list the same items in all the applications at once - you might end up with 3 digital pianos!:lol:

But, seriously, you can get into all sorts of trouble if you do hedge your bets in this way. So it's usually best to wait and see what you get from one source before you formalise your application to another. Or confess on the form that you've applied to another source for exactly the same thing - be up front & honest and you won't go wrong.

You young whippersnappers can stay up all night filling in forms, but I'm getting far too old for that! Good luck & good night!;)

rfr10
27-Jun-08, 23:54
Just one more thought before I hit the hay...

It might sound obvious, but if you're applying to several different funding sources, don't list the same items in all the applications at once - you might end up with 3 digital pianos!:lol:

But, seriously, you can get into all sorts of trouble if you do hedge your bets in this way. So it's usually best to wait and see what you get from one source before you formalise your application to another. Or confess on the form that you've applied to another source for exactly the same thing - be up front & honest and you won't go wrong.

You young whippersnappers can stay up all night filling in forms, but I'm getting far too old for that! Good luck & good night!;)

What we've done is applied for a grant for the following from Caithness Youth Bank-

Digital Piano
Sound & mixing equipment
Printer
Bordering
Calculators
Basketball hoops

and the rest from YSAF-

whiteboards
DVD players
smoothie maker
USB flash drives

best thing is, we've managed to stay within a budget of £1700 which isn't bad!

TBH
28-Jun-08, 00:03
Tootler, you seem refreshed by the enthusiasm of rfr10, I am sure they would love to have you on board. Well done rfr110 and your friends, hope everything works out fine for you all.

Venture
28-Jun-08, 00:22
There has been quite a lot of pupils complaining that they want to take their bikes to school but there is nowhere to put them. I know something like a bicycle shed is out of the question but what about these things you get that are put in the ground and then the bike is pushed into it and then locked. You might be able to get a grant on the Healthy Living side of things.

rfr10
28-Jun-08, 09:38
There has been quite a lot of pupils complaining that they want to take their bikes to school but there is nowhere to put them. I know something like a bicycle shed is out of the question but what about these things you get that are put in the ground and then the bike is pushed into it and then locked. You might be able to get a grant on the Healthy Living side of things.

Good idea. I'll check up prices, etc on them today.

Only thing though, since the bikes are still going to be situated outside, it's likely you'll get the odd one who will try and break someones bike so I'm not sure. What do you think?

Venture
28-Jun-08, 09:55
I thought about that too. If they were placed somewhere that was monitored by the CCTV then that might solve it. I think a lot more would cycle to school if they had somewhere to put their bikes.

rfr10
28-Jun-08, 09:58
Do you know what they're actually called? The same sort of things they have at tesco, just a metal tyre holder in the ground. I'm not sure what you call them and I can't seem to find them on the internet.

Venture
28-Jun-08, 10:06
Ive managed to find this site.

http://www.barriersdirect.co.uk/categories/9_bike_stands_and_shelters?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Yahoo_CPC

Venture
28-Jun-08, 10:08
The wall ones look quite good and not too expensive either.

rfr10
28-Jun-08, 10:10
Found some, what about this? -

http://www.bikecare.co.uk/acc/acc/storage/1up1down_front_long.jpg (http://www.bikecare.co.uk/acc/acc/storage/1up1down_front_lge.jpg)

rfr10
28-Jun-08, 10:21
If you think it's a good idea, I'll apply right now to the "Help yourselves" fund. Do you think it would be best to consult the school first of all or will they easily be able to install these cycle stands?

rfr10
28-Jun-08, 10:28
Actually, no, I'll have to wait until I get a constitution first.

Venture
28-Jun-08, 10:46
If you think it's a good idea, I'll apply right now to the "Help yourselves" fund. Do you think it would be best to consult the school first of all or will they easily be able to install these cycle stands?

Go ahead and apply for the money. Do you have to specify which bike stands you want when you apply? If not you can hopefully get the money then consult with the school which type would best be suited to the space available for storing the bikes.