By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

The scramble for fund-raising dollars through door-to-door sales may become a thing of the past, based on the success of several new approaches at work in Fayette County's public and private schools.

J.C. Booth Middle School has just signed on with an on-line shopping site appropriately called shopforschool.com. Parents at Kedron Elementary and St. Paul Lutheran School are using scrip to buy everything from gasoline and groceries to Victoria's Secret lingerie and home improvement items.

According to Booth's fund-raising chairman, Mary Kay Rudd, the proceeds donated to the school from online purchases of clothing, books, toys, office supplies are earmarked for wiring the schools' 13 trailers for computer hookups. There is no computer availability in the portable classrooms at this time. “Teachers who use the trailers are at a significant disadvantage,” Rudd said, noting that this is the school's number one fund-raising priority.

Companies such as Barnes and Noble, Land's End, REI and Office Max are just a few of the recognized retailers marketing on the school shop line. Rudd pointed out that relatives in other states could pitch in and help their grandchildren's or godchildren's schools by simply typing in the name of the school to benefit from the sale. Busy parents tired of hustling gift wrap, candy and fruit can make their contributions easily in the comfort of their homes, Rudd added.

This is Kedron's third year in the scrip program and its coordinators, which include Debbie Dixon, Brenda Vogler and Bonnie Hahn, have found that persistence does pay off.

Their receipts have grown steadily since the fund-raiser's inception, and the mothers believe their participation has helped them improve their household budgets. Their motto is “Carry scrip, not cash.”

“The first year, we raised $5,000 and the next year, $11,000,” reported Vogler. The school has already raised in excess of $4,000 and Christmas sales made with scrip will boost profits significantly, the team predicted.

The committee purchases scrip, which can be compared to a gift certificate or travelers check, through the National Scrip Center in California based on the orders placed by parents at the beginning of the month. Profits are based on a percentage level offered by the company accepting scrip. The profit margin can be as low as 4 percent or as high as 20 percent.

“The key is talking to everyone in the school,” said Hahn.

Getting in the habit of carrying scrip in place of cash has caught on among Kedron parents. Some loyalists only patronize businesses that honor scrip.

Parents can also designate how they want their percentage of scrip profit directed, according to Hahn.

Initially, placing the scrip orders and sorting out the paper certificates was a time-consuming affair, taking 18 to 20 hours. A computer program has been designed to handle the hours and the volunteers said they expected to streamline the process to about three hours.

The money raised from fund-raisers can be used for big projects, such as providing computer capabilities to Booth's trailers, or providing additional books and software for schools' media centers. With the failure of a referendum for a one-cent special sales tax in September, fund-raisers have become even more important.

Enrichment materials, clinic supplies, fine arts programs and a host of other items would be unavailable without the money raised by PTOs through scrip, online shopping and Market Day, food order program, which is available in most elementary schools in the county.