A VERY thorough,
step-by-step guide
to running a
fundraiser!
STEP ONE – WATCH AND READ
After watching the “How to Videos” and
reading the “How it Works” section of the
website (and determining that Spell-athon-online is the PERFECT fundraiser for
your school or youth group) you will
need to find a parent or teacher to
coordinate the fundraiser – which
could be YOU!
This is a very easy “ask” as coordinators
can have the fundraiser up and running in
less than 10 minutes. The main “work”
will be marketing it to your parents and
keeping track of incentives/prizes if you
choose to offer them. Both of which we
explain in FULL detail in later sections.
STEP TWO – REGISTER A COORDINATOR
Register as a coordinator at
www.spell-a-thon-online.com/coordinator/register
Please see image below for the information you will need during registration. And don’t worry, we
never sell or give away your personal information!
STEP THREE – REGISTER A FUNDRAISER
Once registered, you will be taken to a page to register a fundraiser
– go ahead and register using the info you know. There is no
charge and no obligation to run the fundraiser. PLEASE NOTE –
everything - and we mean EVERYTHING (aside from the name of
the fundraiser) - can be edited after you register!
Don’t worry about getting it perfect – just put down what you know
and fix it later!
As for the name, we suggest keeping it simple, such as “Springfield
Elementary [or whatever your school name is] 2014”. Your
fundraiser’s personalized URL will end with your fundraiser name
(e.g. www.spell-a-thon-online.com/SpringfieldElementary2014).
We suggest including the year of the fundraiser so next year when
you “copy” this fundraiser you can still use your school name in the
title and just change the year.
To the right are the items you will be asked when registering a
fundraiser.
Some items that might need further explanation are:
Sponsorships, Donation Amounts, Grade Levels and Proxy
Login. Please see info on the next page for a full description.
STEP THREE (cont’d)
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SPONSORSHIPS allow a supporter (usually a local business) to “sponsor” your fundraising efforts with a
contribution to the entire organization. They will be acknowledged for their support by having their name and
donation amount scrolling on all participants’ webpages and on the fundraiser’s home and “See our Sponsors”
pages. See samples below. If you would like to include Sponsorships, please select the donation amount
options in the drop down menus. You will be able to edit this later (but not after the fundraiser goes live.) To
view a sample fundraiser with sponsors scrolling, please click here: www.spell-a-thononline.com/samplefundraiser
DONATION AMOUNTS allows the coordinator to select how much to ask for when considering a per word
donation. For example, if you live in a wealthy area, and a $50 donation is reasonable, then the coordinator
might want to set the cheapest option at $1 per word (assuming the participants will be learning 50 words.) The
next option could be $2 for a $100 contribution and so on. In neighborhoods where a $50 donation would be at
the high end – the coordinator can make the first level at $.25 (for a total contribution of $12.50) and move up
to $.50. $.75, and $1. Please note, the donors will always have an option to fill in their own amount and not
use the “per word” method.
GRADE LEVELS – refers to the straight forward question of which grade level(s) you will be testing OR you may
choose to use our “special list” option. In Spell-a-thon-online.com, each grade level is tested on the same set of
words. But let’s say you are at a middle school and you want the students to choose what types of words they
will be learning. By clicking Art, Music, and/or State Capitals, they can decide! Instead of selecting a grade
when the register, they will choose a word list that interests them! If you choose to go this route, do not select
the grade level boxes as well since that might confuse the students. Want a “Science” terms word list? How
about a “Math” terms word list? Send one over – we’ll set it up!
PROXY LOGIN is a username and password that you can distribute to all the teachers or any parent helpers
that will be assisting in classrooms while the students are practicing or testing online. We don’t expect young,
elementary school-aged children to remember their own username and password – and with a Proxy Login, they
don’t have to! If a user signs in to Spell-a-thon-online.com using the Proxy Login you set up, they will be able
to sign in any participant to practice or take the test. NO PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION is accessible
through this login. Proxy Logins are also used for older students. On test day, the teacher can simply post the
log in on her whiteboard and the students can use it to begin testing. More on Proxy Logins in the “Testing”
section.
Feel free to register a sample fundraiser first to take the system for a test drive. When you are ready to start a real
fundraiser, log in using your coordinator username and password, and click the tab at the top to “Start a New
Fundraiser.”
STEP FOUR – GET EVERYONE ON BOARD
Get your principal, teachers and parent groups (PTA, PTO, etc.) on board!
It’s always recommended to have 100% buy in before you begin. In-person meetings are always preferred, but if
those are hard to schedule, a phone call or email will suffice. Here is a sample email you can send:
Dear
,
I have found a great way for our school to raise money while keeping education a priority – www.Spell-a-thononline.com! Instead of using our kids as salesmen to hock unneeded products to their family and friends, we’ll be
asking them to learn how to spell 50 words (and we can choose the words so it can match what the kids are learning
in class OR we can use pre-set, grade-appropriate lists and have the fundraiser up and running in just minutes.)
Parents would simply register their kids online and then send out email solicitations to their family and friends.
Supporters will click a link in the email which will direct them to the student’s personal webpage. Because all
solicitations are through email, the list of possible donors is endless! The best part – our school will keep 91% of all
the money collected online (candy, gift wrap and magazine sales typically give back only 50% of the money
collected.)
The system is designed to allow for our kids to practice the spelling words online at home or at school. They can even
take the test online – or teachers can administer the test in class with paper and pencil. And no one would need to
enter the scores into the system as donors are supporting our students based on how many words they are learning,
not how many words they get correct on the test.
Typically the fundraiser would last for 3 to 4 weeks - the first 2-3 weeks parents would be registering their students
and soliciting donations while the students are learning their words. During the 3rd or 4th week, the students would
take the test and send out last minute solicitation requests. The test could be taken in class online or by hand, or, if
everyone has internet access at home, it can be assigned as homework.
I really want to give this a try. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Parent Volunteer Extraordinaire
Now that you have your principal, teachers and parents on board, here are some questions you might
need to address with the powers that be to make sure you are all on the same page.
What grades will be participating in the fundraiser?
How much money do you want to raise?
Will you be offering business “Sponsorships”? (Please see FAQ’s page for a description of Sponsorships)
When will the fundraiser begin?
How long will the students have to register, practice spelling and solicit donations?
(Typical time is 2-3 weeks)
When will you start testing?
How long will testing last? (Typically one week)
Will you be testing by hand (paper and pencil) or online?
If testing online, will the kids test at school or at home?
If at school, do you have laptops with earphones? Everything is online, so if you decide to test at school, make sure
you wifi and internet provider can handle the traffic as the system contacts the server after each question – nothing is
downloaded to school ipads or computers.
If testing online, do the teachers need to know the scores? The system records all the scores of the tests and keeps
track of which words are misspelled. The coordinator can export the data into an Excel file and email it to the
educators for their reference. Keep in mind, many teachers prefer to test by hand and not rely on another individual
to get them the grades.
Will you be offering incentives? See Marketing Plan for more on incentives.
What are you raising the money for?
Will you be using the grade appropriate, pre-set word lists or will the educators supply words lists to you?
STEP FIVE – SELECT WORDS
You need to assign a word list to each grade. This list can be one of our many pre-set lists, or made up of words you
enter into the system.
If you use the Preset Lists button, you can have your
fundraiser up and running in just a few minutes! First
select the grade you wish to add words to, then click on
the button
then select the appropriate list.
Click SAVE and repeat the process for each grade!
If the educators at your school would prefer students
learn a specific list of words, you will need to enter
them to the appropriate grade. The easiest way to
enter words would be through “Manual Entry.”
First, click the grade you wish to enter the words for,
then click the “Manual Entry” button.
Start typing in the word you wish to use in the “Find Word” area
and click “Search.” A list of similar words will pop up. If you see
your word with an appropriate sentence listed, simply click the
“Search” button next to it.
If you see your word but want to write your own sentence, simply
add your sentence then click “Select.”
If your word doesn’t appear, click the “Add You Own Word” tab
and type in the word and sentence, then click “Add.”
Your word lists will be saved forever so your school can use the
same lists year after year without ever having to re-enter the
words!
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have a lot words to enter as we can sometimes help out!
STEP SIX - SPONSORSHIPS
Offering Sponsorships is a great way to get local (and parent–owned) business involved!
Sponsorships offer a great marketing opportunity to local businesses. Their name and donation amount will be
scrolling on every participant’s webpage, as well as on your fundraiser’s home page. You may choose the different
levels (amounts) of sponsorships when you register your fundraiser. Here is a sample Sponsorship flyer or eblast:
We have a great opportunity for you to advertise your company while donating much needed funds to {enter
your school name here}! We are hosting an online Spell-a-thon and our students will be asking all their friends and
family to sign on to their personal webpage to support their fundraising
efforts. As a sponsor, your business will be scrolling on EVERY participant's
webpage to be viewed by EVERY potential donor! Not to mention all the
parents at our school! Your company information will also be listed on our
online, personalized "Sponsors" page as well as scrolling on our main school
fundraiser page.
Simply sign on to {enter your fundraiser home page web address},
then click the link "Sponsor the Fundraiser" and follow the easy instructions.
Coordinators may
enter “offline”
Sponsorships (those
who paid by check)
through the
“Sponsorships”
button in the left side
menu. Both online
and offline
Sponsorships will
scroll on all pages.
Please note, while it
is possible to enter
offline sponsorships,
it is NOT possible to
enter offline
participant donations.
STEP SEVEN – EDIT AND PERSONALIZE YOUR FUNDRAISER
Before you start the fundraiser and go
live, you may edit any part of your
fundraiser (aside from the name) by
clicking “Edit Fundraiser.”
To personalize your main fundraiser
homepage, click “Personalize Web Page”
in the Manage Fundraiser menu.
Here you can edit the text that will appear on your
fundraiser’s homepage. For example, you can let people
know what you are raising money for.
You can also upload a picture that will be displayed on your
home page. The picture to the right is the default that will
show on your homepage if no picture is uploaded.
STEP EIGHT– TAX DEDUCTION RECEITPS
If your organization is a 501 (c)(3) corporation,
contributions MAY be tax deductible. If they are, any
donation requires a receipt issued by your organization.
(Please consult with your personal tax advisor for
further information.)
Don’t you hate writing all those tax-deduction receipts
by hand? Well, with Spell-a-thon-online.com, you don’t
have to! Simply click the bottom menu item on the left
side labeled “Tax Deduction Receipts” and enter your
organizations name and Tax ID number and click
SUBMIT. On the next page you will be able to edit the
letter and choose how you would like the letters to be
sent.
If you check the box labeled “Send Automatically,” then
anytime someone makes a donation, a receipt will be
sent right away.
STEP NINE – GOING LIVE!
To start your fundraiser, simply click “Start
Fundraiser” in the Manage Fundraiser
menu.
Any item that needs completing will appear on the next screen
in red and highlighted. Click the link next to the item to edit or
complete.
Once everything is filled in, click “Start Fundraiser” again and
then click “Publish Website and Start Fundraising!”
PLEASE NOTE – once you start your fundraiser, you will
no longer be able to edit spelling words, participating
grades, or sponsorships.
STEP TEN – MARKETING THE FUNDRAISER
Here are some ways you can market the fundraiser to your school:
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Eblasts – If your school has a mass email system, be sure to send out eblasts to all the parents – remembering
that one is usually not enough... Here are some sample eblast ideas:
o Introduction to fundraiser: Explain that it is educational and profitable and why you are raising funds.
Link to fundraiser homepage and offer easy directions on how to register.
o If you are offering incentives, explain them in detail.
o Urge sharing through social media.
o Explain why your school needs these funds.
o Testing date is approaching – solicit donations and practice spelling!
o After test – share how much has raised to date – but it’s not too late! Last chance to solicit donations.
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Have teachers announce the Spell-a-thon-online to their students and get them excited about it.
Have the room parents send out a personal email to the parents in their class – these have a higher percentage
of open rates vs. the school-wide eblasts.
If your school has a Student Council, see if the student members can go class to class and inspire the kids to
register.
Offer incentives (view the Incentives section in this guide for more information.)
Costumes/Spirit Day – Organize a Spirit Day where all the kids can dress up as bees, or have the Principal or
teacher or a parent dress up as a bee and hand stuff out to all the kids.
Have a link to the fundraiser’s home page in a prominent place on the home page of your school website.
Banner – have banners made, or have the older kids decorate posters that can be hung around campus, mainly
at drop-off and pick-up locations. The posters/banners should have the URL address of your school’s fundraiser
so parents can write it down or use their smartphone to register right then and there.
Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) - If your school uses social media, be sure to use these
mediums to broaden your reach for donors.
STEP ELEVEN – INCENTIVES
Incentives are a great way to get students excited about the fundraiser. They encourage students to reach a
set goal, as once they do, they will get a prize. There are plenty of ways to incentivize. Sample goals and prizes
include:
 If a student registers for the Spell-a-thon-online they get a prize. Suggested prizes: pencils with bees on them,
trip to the treasure chest, homework pass, popsicle, sugar-free candy, bee stickers, etc.
 If all the students in an entire class register for the fundraiser, the entire class wins a prize. Suggested prizes:
pizza or popsicle party, extra recess, no homework, pencils with bees on them, etc.
 Whichever class has the most students registered by a certain date wins a prize. Suggested prizes: pizza or
popsicle party, extra recess, no homework, pencils with bees on them, etc.
 If a participant sends out at least 3 solicitation emails they win a prize. (This would be based on the honor
system as parents would have to write a note stating they sent three email solicitations.) Suggested prizes:
pencils with bees on them, trip to the treasure chest, homework pass, popsicle, sugar-free candy, bee stickers,
etc.
 If a participant raises a certain amount of money they win a prize. This can be done two ways. For example,
for every $100 a student raises, he/she wins a $5 gift card or a trip to the “prize” booth. Or, you may offer
prizes as each participant hits a certain level. For example, once a participant raises $50 they win a pencil, a
key chain or a homework pass, etc. (something small). Once they raise $100 they earn a trip to the “prize”
booth or something slightly larger than the $50 prize. Once they raise $250 they get to go out to a restaurant
for lunch with the principal during school one day (all the kids would go at the same time). Once they raise
$500 they get an hour in a game truck after school, or a limo ride to lunch, or a $50 gift card to Target, etc.
 If a participant raises the most money in his/her grade (or school) they win a prize. Many businesses or parents
will be happy to donate an iPod or something similar as a prize for the top fundraiser in exchange for a simple
“Thank you to _____” in the marketing eblasts.
Exporting participant and donation information to keep track of incentives - The system allows coordinators
to download all the participant/donation information to Excel. As long as you (or your helper) have basic knowledge
of Excel, you can keep track of the participants, what grade they are in, and how much money they have raised.
To download each participant’s donation information, sign on as a coordinator and click the side menu item
“Donations.” Here you can see all the participants who have raised money. You may sort the list by Name, Grade,
Number of Donations or Total Donations. To export the list, check the top box to the left of the NAME header (this will
check the boxes next to every participant’s name.) Then scroll to the bottom and click the button labeled “Export
Checked Entries to Excel.” Name your file in the pop up and click EXPORT. An Excel pop-up might appear, in which
case you click either “open” or “save” and follow the instructions.
If you are running a grade level contest, you may use the “Filter by Grade” option up top to get quick totals.
If you simply want to export a list of all the participants, log in and click the side menu item “View Participants.”
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “Show All” button. To export the list, check the top box to the left of
the NAME header (this will check the boxes next to every participant’s name). Then scroll to the bottom and click the
button labeled “Export Checked Entries to Excel.” Name your file in the pop up and click EXPORT. An Excel pop-up
might appear, in which case you click either “open” or “save” and follow the instructions.
STEP TWELVE – TEAMWORK
Is it just you or can you recruit a team to help? If you have helpers, you can turn this into a
HUGE event, ensuring its success – breaking all records of past fundraisers!
Suggested “jobs” can be:
 Chairperson - overseer (ideally someone who has helped to run a previous Spell-a-thononline.com fundraiser)
 Accounting – this is only needed if you have “incentives” or are offering prizes. This person
keeps track of all donations through the website (how much per student, how much per
class/grade, etc.), makes sure the hand drawn thermometer on the office window stays
accurate, and tracks everything in Excel.
 Spelling List Coordinator – if you choose to upload your own spelling lists, you may want
someone to help input the words and sentences. Please keep in mind that we do have many
lists for you to choose from which require no additional time at all!
 Email updates – in charge of communications for news eblasts, inspiration, updates, instigating
competition, etc.
 Awards - in charge of choosing and purchasing (with school funds) the student and teacher
prizes
 Mrs./Mr. Spelling Bee – this fun parent or teacher (or principal!) dresses up as a bee and
inspires the students by handing out "healthy" candy and promoting the Spell-a-thon-online
 Testing Coordinator - in charge of setting up school facilities if testing at school, communicating
details to teachers and parents, coordinating parent volunteers for test day
 Sponsorship solicitations – leading a team in soliciting local businesses and explaining the great
marketing opportunity they can get while supporting their neighborhood school
STEP THIRTEEN – STOPPING THE FUNDRAISER
Once everyone has tested and the last minute donations have come in, all you have to do is click the
left-side menu item labeled “STOP Fundraiser.” Make sure your information is correct and click the
STOP button at the bottom of the page.
And don’t worry – all the information
you entered for your fundraiser will be
saved for next year’s Spell-a-thononline! All you will have to do is select
a new name (we suggest adding the
year to the title for easy reference.)
That’s it! If you have any questions –
please don’t hesitate to contact us at
[email protected]
Happy fundraising!