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Fall is here, and for superintendents and finance leaders, it’s go time. With fundraising efforts ramping up, student fees coming in, and new programs launching, the first few weeks of the school year can feel like a whirlwind of spreadsheets, payment portals, and paper forms.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
This year, set your district up for success with a simple, smart, and stress-free checklist designed to help you stay compliant, streamline your tech stack, and make fundraising a breeze.
Let’s dive into the essentials!
Before schools kick off their fall fundraisers, take stock of the tools being used across your district. Are parent groups using a dozen platforms to sell tickets, collect donations, and track sales?
Best Practice: Consolidate fundraising under one platform that supports your district's hierarchy and financial oversight—with tracking, transparency, and ease.
How many apps, platforms, and spreadsheets does your staff log into daily? Disjointed systems cause confusion, missed data, and compliance risks.
Fall Goal: Simplify your tech stack. Look for an all-in-one platform that handles fundraising, payments, reporting, and communication—without adding another login.
Whether it's a PTA fundraiser or a band trip, all funds flowing through your schools should follow clear compliance protocols. From account codes to audit trails, now’s the time to reinforce district-wide rules.
Pro Tip: Pick a platform that lets you enforce approval flows, track funds, and run reports—automatically.
Field trips. Chromebooks. Activity fees. When these are handled inconsistently, families get confused and books get messy.
What to Do: Set up centralized fee tracking and payments that align with your district’s policies—and give families a clear, mobile-friendly way to pay.
Does each school have different roles, permissions, and workflows? Good! But make sure your systems support that without creating chaos.
What You Need: A platform that supports district hierarchy—from the top down—while giving schools and groups room to run their own show.
Your systems are only as strong as the people using them. Make sure staff and parent group leaders are trained and confident in your tools.
Start-of-Year To-Do: Offer quick walkthroughs or tutorials for your chosen platform so everyone feels empowered, not overwhelmed.
Fall is packed with fundraising potential—from spirit wear sales and game day concessions to a-thons and photo fundraisers. Kick these off district-wide with the tools to track totals, compare performance, and support school pride.
Make it Easy: Use one system to launch, sell, collect, and report across every campaign.
Want to stay audit-ready all year? Start with clean reporting from day one.
Checklist Item: Ensure your finance team can easily run real-time reports, sort by school or program, and keep an eye on inflows and outflows at all levels.
Parents want to support their schools—but they also want things to be simple. Whether it’s donating to an a-thon, paying a fee, or buying spirit gear, your system should make it fast, mobile, and secure.
Fall Focus: Use automated reminders, custom storefronts, and family-friendly tools to boost engagement from the start.
Start strong, but think long-term. What’s coming in spring? Are there planned capital campaigns, district-wide events, or tech updates?
Checklist Tip: Choose tools now that will scale with your needs, not ones you’ll outgrow by semester two.
At Givebacks, we know that superintendents, finance professionals, and school leaders are juggling a lot. That’s why we built the all-in-one fundraising and payment platform made for school districts.
With Givebacks, you can:
Whether you’re prepping for the next fundraiser or just trying to keep up with fees, Givebacks gives you everything you need to start the school year strong—and finish it even stronger.
Ready to check everything off your fall prep list? Visit givebacks.com to get started today.
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