Blogs

Q. Someone wants to donate money to my classroom/school/program. What should they do?

It is District policy that all monetary donations are processed through CPSF. People interested in donating to a Corvallis classroom, school, or program can use our secure online server at www.cpsfoundation.org, can mail or deliver their donation to 1555 SW 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333, or can give their donation to a District employee who will send it to us by courier. In all cases, the donor should clearly indicate which classroom, school, and/or program the donation is intended for.

Q. What happens then?

We deposit donations to a Corvallis School District account, typically within one week of receipt of the donation. We then add the donation to a spreadsheet where individual classroom and program accounts are tracked. We send a tax receipt to the donor and answer any future questions related to the donation. At the end of the fiscal year, we audit each Foundation account to ensure that donations were spent in the manner in which they were intended.

Q. How do I spend the funds once they are in my Foundation account?

You would contact the OA or bookkeeper at your school or in your department and access these funds in the same manner as any District funds. Foundation funds are spent through the District purchase order process and are subject to all District spending policies.

Q. How do I find out how much money I have in my Foundation account?

You can contact the OA or bookkeeper at your school or you can call our office at 541-757-5857 or email us at foundation@corvallis.k12.or.us and we will be happy to give you your available balance.

Questions - please call the Foundation office at 757-5857 in the Central District Office

Last week, CPSF offered two Fundraising 101 workshops for teachers and parents raising money for Corvallis schools. Each workshop began with the question, "What do you want to get out of this?" Not surprisingly, the most consistent answer was, "How do we raise more money?"

Our goals are the same: raise more dollars for our schools and District-wide programs. Locate resources. Fill in the gaps. This is challenging in times at the best of times, and in times of economic decline, it can seem overwhelming if not impossible. The good news is that we live in a generous community that truly values education.

As the workshops continued through some of the standard methods of fundraising--direct donation drives, auctions, tournaments, raffles, and sales--teachers and parents were able to share techniques with one another and CPSF staff were able to see where more support from our office is needed. We also saw that many of our dedicated fundraisers aren't aware of the services that we can provide for their efforts.

Both workshops were a terrific success. If you missed it--don't fret: we'll be offering it again soon!

Over the next few months, I'll be looking more closely at these issues and soliciting input from other school district employees and parents who weren't able to attend our Fundraising 101 session. As we at CPSF develop a plan for meeting fundraising education needs throughout the District, we'll also be developing materials to add to the web site that might help in the short term. I'll be adding fundraising news and discussions here on the blog on a more regular basis.

We also encourage you to call our office if you have questions about a fundraising activity for your school. We're happy to help you help our students!

Earlier this week, I met with a group of dedicated fundraising volunteers--our scrip coordinators. These are the parents that coordinate scrip sales at their schools, and I am constantly amazed at how much energy, creativity, and time they put into this fundraising activity.

I often get questions about the scrip program. Here are answers to the most common ones:

What is scrip?

A scrip card is essentially a gift card. Schools or parent groups purchase these gift cards either from a national broker or from local businesses that have agreed to be part of the program. They purchase the gift cards at a reduced price, then sell them at full price. Profit ranges from 3% to 15%.

What gift cards can I buy?

Each participating school has different merchants that they keep in stock, but you may be able to special order others. You can see the list of national merchants that participate by going to Great Lakes Scrip Center. Local merchants include:

Fred Meyer * American Dream Pizza * The Beanery * Big River * BiMart * Book Bin * CIBA * Coffee Culture * Creative Crafts & Frames * Dairy Queen * Dutch Bros. Coffee * Francesco's Cafe * Izzy's * Jamie's Great Hamburgers * La Rockia * Matt's Cavalcade of Comics * McDonald's * Papa's Pizza * Pottery Place * The Retreat Day Spa * Richey's Market * Toy Factory * University Hero * Woodstock's Pizza * Burst's Candies * Dream Dinners * Garland Nursery * Marzini's & Cirello's * Creekside Coffee * Home Grown Gardens * Real Deals * UPS Store

Where can I buy scrip and how long does it take?

Scrip is sold for all eight elementary schools in Corvallis. Some scrip may be in stock and available immediately; other scrip may require a special order. Special ordered scrip is usually available within two weeks of your order. Contact the school's parent organization for more information.

CPSF does have some scrip in stock. Call our office at 757-5857 to find out if we have what you're looking for.

Is this the same as eScrip?

No, eScrip is a separate program in which you register a membership card or credit card and the school receives a percentage of your purchase each time you shop with that card. More information about eScrip is available at the eScrip web site.

Still have questions? Feel free to give our scrip coordinator, Rhonda, a call at 766-4855.

Each year CPSF is able to award four Mario and Alma Pastega Golden Apple Awards to outstanding educators in Corvallis public schools. Traditionally, Golden Apple Award winners receive a check, a golden apple, a certificate, and a homemade loaf of bread presented by local philanthropist and award founder Mario Pastega at the Back-to-School Rally in late August or early September. One of the questions we sometimes hear is “How are Golden Apple winners chosen?” As we prepare for this year’s rally and award presentation, it seemed like a good time to answer that very question.

In May, Executive Director Fred Kane sends out a Call for Nominations to Corvallis School District administrators. Prior to the first Executive Team meeting of the school year, administrators nominate employees by sending a one-page explanation of why the individual is deserving of the award. After all nominations are received, the Executive Team reviews nominations and chooses one elementary school teacher, one middle school teacher, one high school teacher, and one classified employee to receive the award based on their long service (5+ years) to the district, the perception of them as an outstanding employee, and their success in engaging students in meaningful learning experiences.

In addition, administrators can nominate any district employee or community member for a Stellar Service Award. The Stellar Service Award, also supported by the Mario and Alma Pastega Foundation, is given at the sole discretion of the Superintendent to someone who has provided exemplary service to students, parents, staff, and community members while promoting the goals of the district. This award has been given since 2002.

A dedication to recognizing educator excellence is a valuable tool for recruiting and retaining high quality employees and encouraging innovation and dedication to student learning. CPSF is proud to be able to administer such an important program!