Advocacy

ArtRoom Aid: A Teacher-Friendly Online Fundraising Option

Art Room Aid

Art educators have a wide variety of resources available to them to help raise funds for their art rooms, and we’ve covered almost all of them. From keepsakes, to art auctions, to online crowdsourcing, there are many fundraising options to choose from, depending on your goals and personal preferences.

Today I want to introduce you to another great option — a program called “ArtRoom Aid.”

Art Room Aid LogoLaunched in 2009 by one of our favorite companies, Blick Art Materials, ArtRoom Aid provides a way for parents, family members, and arts advocates near and far to support essential learning in classrooms, schools, and other creative spaces across the country.

Essentially, ArtRoom Aid works a lot like other online crowdsourcing platforms, with some additional perks.

ArtRoom Aid allows you to request supplies for a specific project, post exactly what you need to a public supply list, and connect with sponsors in your own community and elsewhere to make an online contribution to your project.

sample list

What I like about this model is the ability to purchase from a specific supply list. Sometimes parents or community members are wary of donating cash because they can’t pinpoint exactly how their dollars will be used. They may feel more comfortable saying, “I purchased the paint for the community mural,” or “We purchased the canvas panels for the art show,” versus making a generic monetary gift. With ArtRoom Aid, both options are available to contributors.

Also, unlike some other fundraising sites, ArtRoom Aid makes sure you don’t lose any contributions if a project isn’t completely funded. You can receive individual supplies as soon as they are gifted, and credit is made available to you as soon as the contribution is made. Some teachers choose to wait until the end of the project to receive bulk discounts on their order or receive free shipping.

The bottom line? With ArtRoom Aid, you have options, which is always a good thing.

Look into ArtRoom Aid and check out some of the projects that are being funded. It’s fun to see what others are doing and perhaps become inspired to start your own.

Have you ever tried Art Room Aid or other fundraisers like it? What did you think?

If you are coming to the Art Ed NOW Summer Online Conference, you will be eligible for a 20% off discount code on your entire Blick order (which will help the dollars in your fundraiser project or budget go even further). There are only a few days left to register!

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Timothy Bogatz

Tim Bogatz is AOEU’s Content & PD Event Manager and a former AOEU Writer and high school art educator. He focuses on creativity development, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking skills in the art room.

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