Beanstack invites U.S. K-12 schools to participate in a national readathon, proceeds to benefit the participating schools.
Beanstack presents the first annual Read to Raise Challenge, kicking off in fall 2021 for K-12 schools in the U.S. As school leaders and parent volunteers begin to plan ahead for fall fundraising, previous methods may be difficult or impossible with schools at varying levels of re-opening. Some Beanstack clients even report that their school communities have become smaller as a result of the pandemic, making it difficult to maintain their annual fundraising goals.
A Fundraiser for Any School Status
The Read to Raise Challenge will support schools by offering an easy-to-manage, virtual readathon. 90% of the money raised by each school will directly benefit that school community. An additional cash prize donation of up to $5,000 will be awarded to top-performing schools.
A recent SLJ survey reveals that school library and media center budgets were hit hard during the pandemic. School librarians are getting creative to cover the gap, and this national readathon offers an integrated and innovative way to bolster budgets and incentivize student reading.
Each participating school will receive set-up support, a toolkit of launch and promotional resources, and an invitation to a virtual event to get students excited to read. Students will aim to read 20 minutes per day; they will invite family and friends to donate and follow along to see their reading progress.
Solving Two Needs with one Deed
Selling candy, popcorn, and other items are longtime fundraising favorites, but they don’t provide educational benefits to students. Books fairs are popular among school libraries, but they aren’t as profitable or as equitable, as many families may not have the disposable income to participate. A readathon is a great alternative, because any student can participate just by reading, and the benefits go beyond fundraising. Readathons also save educators time and effort, because they do not require in-person contact, inventory management, collecting cash, or recruiting volunteers.
"Beanstack is already the best app for motivating students to read more,” says co-founder and CEO Felix Lloyd, “so when we saw schools start using Beanstack for readathons, we knew we could make a major difference for our partners by helping them close their funding gaps."
All schools that subscribe to Beanstack are eligible and encouraged to participate. Schools will receive 90% of all donations pledged during the challenge, which is significantly more than alternative fundraising solutions. Additionally, a Beanstack subscription allows schools to participate in year-round reading challenges and to run their own challenges and readathons on demand.
For more information about the Fall 2021 Read to Raise Reading Challenge, including prize details and how to join, visit the challenge website: https://landing.beanstack.com/read-to-raise-2021-reading-challenge