The East Orlando Sun

The days of candy bars and magazine subscriptions as school fundraiser material may soon be a thing of the past.

Thanks to the Fuel My School program, East Orlando schools have found a faster, easier way to raise support via the Internet.

Sunrise Elementary School has raised more than $17,000 in funds and resources since starting the program in 2011. Much of that went to a technology fund, which helped put sorely needed projectors and computers into their classrooms.

"If a parent says, 'How can I help?' I send them right to Fuel My School," Sunrise Elementary Principal Shayne Grove said. "It's easy — they'll know exactly what we need and they can write it off on their taxes."

Windermere resident Lisa Hilgenfeldt founded FMS to make fundraising easier on parents and schools alike. The program gives each member school a webpage that they can use to connect directly with potential supporters and provide them with a number of ways to track and meet schools’ individual needs. Each FMS page links visitors to several different options for supporting their school.

"It's a one-stop shop to go to support your school and drive funds and resources to your school," said Lisa Hilgenfeldt, the founder of FMS.

One choice that parents and sponsors have is the "school mall." This option allows anyone to shop at various online retailers that they would already be using, such as Amazon or Best Buy, where a percentage of the proceeds will go directly to the school. The most direct support method is the school wish list, which allows administrators to post items or materials that the school needs and connect with someone who can meet that need.

"When we first started our wish list, we had cases of water on there, "Grove said. "It was up there for less than a week and a mom brought two cases of water for our clinic."

Sunrise teacher Maggie Franklin uses the technology provided through FMS on a daily basis. She is able to use one of several “technology carts” that have a variety of devices used to enhance the learning process.

“The projectors help us save paper as well as give students a visual element to connect with,” Franklin said.

Sunrise PTA members Jamie Korenstein and Jenny Burton have been working with the school’s site for more than a year. Burton prioritizes communicating with the community through email as well as through the school's FMS page.

"Just keeping it organized and updating it are key," Burton said. "You have to remind people, 'There's a new wish. Go look!'"

Though schools like Sunrise are making huge strides in fundraising through FMS, some are still figuring out how to make it work for them. Waterford Elementary principal Charles Lindlau admits that, though he has seen some wishes granted through the program, his school hasn't had as much success as other schools in the East Orlando area. He pointed out that the school has been notifying parents through emails, phone calls and newsletters, but they will continue promoting it through other mediums.

"This Monday, we're filming a commercial starring our young students to get the word out," Lindlau said. "We want to show just how simple it is."

Simple, yet effective.

Convenience has become a sort of rallying cry for those who are trying to spread the word about FMS. The concept was born out of Hilgenfeldt's frustration with the typical fundraising methods. Her son was cut from his freshman football team because the school didn't have enough helmets.

"I have four children in Orange County schools and I'm doing everything that's required to support their education," Hilgenfeldt said. "In our life, we don't have the time to do that in the traditional way."

Help during a budget crisis

School funds are tight. OCPS per-student spending has been consistently dropping, going from $6,945 to $6,667 just since last year. In the midst of this, FMS is providing a new way to meet very specific needs that schools may not have room in the budget for anymore.

"From a stapler to an outdoor water fountain to some really specialized sensory equipment, all of that is available out there," said Sara Au, head of the Orange County Public Schools' Partners in Education initiative, who has been helping OCPS partner with FMS. "But since Fuel My School gives us an online reach, it makes it that much more accessible."

Since its launch in the fall of 2010, every school in Orange County has joined the program and Lake County schools are joining rapidly. Though Hilgenfeldt said that the program will always be focused on Central Florida, schools in seven other states have started using FMS.

In total, Fuel My School has helped grant more than 300 wishes and pumped more than $100,000 into Central Florida schools. The success of the program comes as no surprise to Grove.

"To me, it's a no-brainer," Grove said. "It's really easy and my main suggestion would be to have an outstanding parent group."