School fundraising sites have cropped up by the dozens in recent years, and educators can add a website called Schoola [1] to the list.
Created by a former teacher and school principal, Schoola is a Groupon-style fundraising site that connects parents with local businesses for special deals on food and merchandise, with a portion of the proceeds going to their school.
Schoola bills its service as a “win-win-win”: Parents get discounts on local goods and services, businesses get a boost from their community, and schools get needed funds.
Here’s how it works: PTAs or other school groups negotiate discounted prices with local businesses and then advertise these deals to parents and other community members. Schoola hosts the fundraiser online and collects the money, keeping 15 percent of the proceeds as its fee.
According to a news report from a local TV station, Lakewood Elementary School in Dallas worked with Schoola and a local bakery to raise thousands of dollars for its education programs in just a few days.