Darryl Davis is a veteran of fundraising for his West Vancouver school, but after years of selling sweets and coffee to parents he's trying something new.
Starting this school year, he and his wife Sarah came up with Wealthy Schools Revolution, a new West Vancouver-based company that plans to raise money for parent advisory councils without charging parents an extra dime.
Instead, they sell non-perishable groceries parents already buy, have it delivered to the school and write a cheque for 20 per cent of their profits to the school's PAC to spend on whatever they want.
"That money already exists and here's schools desperate for cash and always desperate to find ways to make money," he said.
The new initiative requires very little effort for parents, who sign up with their school on the company's website and order their food online, then pick it up at the same time they pick up their kids. Right now deliveries are monthly, but Davis plans to move to twice a month next year.
The average monthly purchase is about $60, said Davis, which adds up to $12 per purchase for the school. If 100 parents sign up and spend $60 each month, that adds up to $12,000 a year.
So far, Westcot, Pauline Johnson, Braemar and Larson elementary schools have signed on, while Vancouver Waldorf School and Seycove secondary will join next school year.
Seycove secondary teacher Ryan Earl said the school plans to use the funds to pay for grad programs such as the banquet after an increasing number of students this year told him they couldn't afford to attend.
The $90 ticket is a huge barrier for students, he said, and traditional fundraisers haven't filled the need despite a supportive group of parents.
"You can't go to the same people asking them to buy things they don't really need," he said. "We're hoping we can extend it into parents being able to elect this month's groceries going to music and other programs, too."
For more information, visit www.wealthyschoolrevolution.com.
