Playground Planning: The Definitive Guide to Planning a Commercial Playground for Your Church, School, Daycare, Neighborhood, or Public Park
Whether it’s a church playground, school playground, daycare, or a neighborhood public park, each outdoor playground requires significant planning to maximize your funds. Playground planning should recognize that each playground experience is unique to each child, and each commercial playground is unique in its site features, layout, design components, and visual appeal. Also See 14 Layout Considerations for Your Playground. The cycle consists of the following:
- 1. Community Planning- Needs Assessment, Site Plan, Playground Design
- 2. Budget
- 3. Funding
- 4. Installation and Build Day
Community: Playground Planning: top
Read more
Playground Fundraising Ideas- A Review of The Top Performing Fundraisers
What is the best fundraiser for your school playground?
Playground fundraising is one of the most challenging obligations any school PTA/PTO or church can take on. A modest-sized commercial playground for a school of 1,200 students can cost close to $50,000. That’s $41.67 per child! Finding the balance between time, energy, and overall fit given your school’s region and resources and maximizing them is a science. Fortunately, the Fundraising Success E-book Suite takes all of the pain out of the research process for determining the best fundraising ideas. Kimberly Reynolds has reviewed over 170 fundraiser ideas that work for schools, churches, daycares and non-profits and quantified each of these to determine the best overall performers. To view the complete list of over 250 pages and 170 products, in addition to the 300 pages of supplier profiles by category and a whopping authoritative guide to fundraising, visit Fundraising Success and scroll to the link on the left address bar to “My Book” to gain instant access to the e-book suite. This is THE definitive guide to school fundraising.
PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE THROUGH BOOKMARKS, TWITTER, EMAIL OR POSTING TO FACEBOOK–Share Button
“Skip the evaluation section & take me to the list of the top performing fundraisers for school playgrounds!”
How To Evaluate A Fundraiser?
This Section featured in the Fundraising Success E-book contains an impartial yet subjective ratings system for all the main fundraising categories. A point value to the major components of each type of fundraiser has been included in three major categories resulting in a final overall score. The ratings have broken down into three main categories: Financial Aspects, Pro’s & Con’s, and Commitment Requirement, to produce an Overall Rating. She’s also indicated the “Feel Good” factor, too.
Fundraiser Ratings Sample and How They Were Evaluated
Here’s what the Financial Aspects section looks like:
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking 8
Average Unit Price 7
Dollar Volume Per Participant 6
Percentage to Organization 5
Total Dollars to Organization 4
Subtotal (maximum of 50) 30
Here’s what the Pros & Cons section looks like:
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression 5
Organizational Impact 2
Quality of Deliverables 4
Risks 3
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.) 5
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 19
Here’s what the Commitment Required section looks like:
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time 4
Selling Effort 3
Collecting Funds 2
Processing Orders 3
Delivering Goods 2
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 14
Here’s 1 of 170 completed Sample ratings included in the e-book:
*SAMPLE Aquatic Races
Description: An event style fundraiser featuring a river race of numbered, plastic competitors such as ducks or turtles. Sellers ask supporters to sponsor one or more ducks in the river race for $5 each.
Best Suited For: All
Prospective Customers: Fun Lovers
Comments: Increase participation through coupon sheet. “Winning” ducks earn donated prizes for their sellers and their sponsors. Can be huge profit for such a simple event ($30+ average profit per participant).
Feel Good Rating ™: Four ½ stars
Financial Aspects (1 – 10 scale):
Profitability Ranking 9
Average Unit Price 7
Dollar Volume Per Participant 8
Percentage to Organization 9
Total Dollars to Organization 8
Subtotal (maximum of 50) 41
Pros & Cons (1 – 5 scale):
Community Impression 5
Organizational Impact 4
Quality of Deliverables 4
Risks 4
Hidden Costs (freight, etc.) 4
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 21
Commitment Required (1 – 5 scale):
Preparation Time 4
Selling Effort 4
Collecting Funds 4
Processing Orders 5
Delivering Goods 5
Subtotal (maximum of 25) 22
Overall Ranking 84
(On a scale of 1 to100)
List of Top Performing Fundraisers For Your School, Church, or Non-profit Playground Project
- Web Site Affiliate Programs
- Rebates- from Referral Shopping
- Raffles
- Athlet-a-athon
- Aquatic Races
- Golf Tournament
- Wrapping Paper
- Discount Card- Single Merchant
- Discount Cards
- Cards- Discount/Brief
- Car Raffle
- Auctions
- Stone-engraved/Pickets
- Software- educational
- Online Shopping
- CD’s/Music
- Catalog Sales
- Book Fair
- Toner Cartridges
- Special Events
- Music
- Magazines
Descriptions of Fundraisers:Back to list of Fundraisers
Web Site Affiliate Programs: Earn funds for your organization through your web site via affiliate shopping links, supplier rebates, etc. Provide a centralized repository of information, publicize events, conduct on-line auctions, distribute an e-mail newsletter, and automate a host of other fundraising activities
Rebates- from Referral Shopping: Position your non-profit organization to get rebates from your supporters on-line shopping. Use your website for click-through sales. Set up deals with sites that will pay you a percentage of what is bought. Example: Amazon pays a minimum of 5% on all click-through activity from your site.
Raffles: Event style draw or door-to-door ticket sale. You can do this as a standalone fundraiser or as a supplement. Various levels of interest based on the value of the prize(s). Can be a three-week community offering or a single night draw.
Athlet-a-athon: Event featuring athletic achievement with sponsorship backing. One example is the walk-a-thon where participants walk laps around the track with each sponsor contributing a certain amount per lap.
Aquatic Races: An event style fundraiser featuring a river race of numbered, plastic competitors such as ducks or turtles. Sellers ask supporters to sponsor one or more ducks in the river race for $5 each.
Golf Tournament: Event-type fundraiser based around a golf outing. Each player seeks sponsorship from various supporters who pledge contributions based on that person’s individual performance or that of their foursome. The fundraising is geared toward getting the maximum amount of sponsorship per player. The golf outing itself is a reward.
Wrapping Paper: The traditional holiday fundraiser featuring the catalog sale of gift wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons, bows, address labels, and other related packaging items. Most catalogs have a wide selection of paper to choose from along with sample pieces so that prospective customers can see and feel the quality of your offering.
Discount Card- Single Merchant: Immediate sale of cards with discount from a specific merchant. Usually are good for six months to one-year. Examples are discount cards from Dominos Pizza, Pizza Hut, etc.
Discount Cards/Brief Duration: Immediate sale of cards with discount offers included along with organization supporter logo on front side. Cards usually have 12 discount offers on the back or two-for-one deals on food items. These are ones that last for a half-year or less.
Cards- Discount: Immediate sale of cards with discount offers included along with organization supporter logo on front side. Cards usually have 12 discount offers on the back or two-for-one deals on food items. Usually are good for a one-year period.
Car Raffle: Event style fundraiser geared toward selling tickets for a chance to win a car. Prize and price should encourage multi-unit participation by each buyer.
Auctions: An auction done as a fundraising event can be the focal point of a fun evening. Get donated goods, gift baskets, gift certificates, and other popular items. Don’t forget service-based organizations when looking for donations. Also, seek out a professional auctioneer for maximum results. Their patter is part of the fun.
Stone-engraved/Pickets: Perfect for donor recognition. Laser engraved stones can be placed as attractive landscaping additions such as planters, walkway edging, athletic field entrance, school driveway border, etc.
Software- educational: Catalog sale of computer software on a CD with educational content. Could be reading, grade level activities, language, math, SAT preparation, etc.
Online Shopping: Organization gets paid for click-through sales from your web site or by entering an organization ID at a shopping site. An example of a click-through would be having an Amazon affiliate icon at your website. Anyone reaching Amazon through your site that then bought an item would earn your group a 5% commission. This is a way to tap into discretionary entertainment spending.
CD’s/Music: Primarily a catalog sales item, but there are also limited selection music fundraisers that are immediate sales or are done in conjunction with an event. This style offers what are commonly called compilation CD’s – ones that feature a theme or greatest hits/genre packages.
Catalog Sales: The biggest moneymaking fundraiser of all, if you have good merchandise at reasonable prices. One of the keys to getting good response is to have the right catalog for the time of year. An example would be a catalog with house and garden items offered only in the early spring.
Book Fair: Event-style fundraiser, primarily with children’s books. Works even better if you add in books appealing to adults either through direct availability (best) or catalog order. Can be turnkey hosted.
Toner Cartridges: Centralized collection of used toner cartridges from laser printers and inkjet printers. Several companies offer free shipping and generous amounts of cash for these items. Most laser toners are near $10 each.
Special Events: Hosting fundraising event at a central location with sufficient publicity to attract large crowds. Usually centered around a central theme such as an outdoor activity, a family night, an auction, a celebrity guest speaker, Vegas night, and many others.
Music: A Catalog sale of compilation CD’s featuring artists’ package, Christmas music, music for small children, and other types. Good seller at just about any time of year, but strongest near the holidays due to gift giving. Can be an immediate sale as well with a special collection.
Magazines: Catalog sale of subscriptions to national magazines. Wide appeal and substantial revenues. Several hundred magazines available through subscription wholesalers. Watch and make sure that prices aren’t too much higher than what your supporters could get directly from the magazine themselves.
Website Shopping top
Rebates – from Referral Shopping top
| Easy Fundraising Ideas |
| Schoolpop, Inc. |
| Mr. Z’s Fund Raising Corp. |
| Fundraising.com aka Raddatz Marketing |
| Funding Factory |
| 51 Fun Graphics |
| eFundraising |
| Current USA, Inc. |
| Century Resources, Inc. |
| Boston’s Best Coffee Roasters |
| America’s Fund Raisers, Inc. |
| American Trends Corporation, dba Amtrec, Inc. |
| American Publishers, Inc. |
| Alternative Fundraising, Inc. |
Raffles top
| Thomas Fund Raising |
| G&P Distributors |
| Crossman’s James River Supply, Inc. |
| Charity Mania |
Athlet-A-Thon top
| Computhon |
Wrapping Paper top
Golf top
| Champion Golf Events, Inc. |
Discount Cards top
Discount Card- Single Merchant top
Discount Card – Brief Duration top
| Easy Fundraising Ideas |
| Fasttrack Fundraising |
| Great American Opportunities Inc |
| Educational Activities |
| Additional Funding, Inc. |
Car Raffle top
| Car Raffle |
| Dave’s Imports |
Auctions top
| America’s Fund Raisers, Inc. |
Engravings-Stone/Picketstop
| Picketmaster |
| Profit Resources |
| Memories On A Bottle |
| Impressions In Stone |
| Amazing Pavers |
Software-educationaltop
CD’s/Musictop
| The Uptown Shop |
| Superior Fundraising, Inc. |
| Soundtastic, Inc |
| Music Rewards Fundraising, aka GAO Inc. |
| GBI Marketing |
| Believe Productions |
| Bake & Co. |
| American Publishers, Inc. |
Catalog Salestop
Book Fairtop
| Troll Book Clubs |
| The Book Fair |
| Fundraising.com aka Raddatz Marketing |
Toner Cartridgestop
| Funding Factory |
| Five Star Fundraising |
| Cedar Creek Fundraising |
| Cartridges For Kids |
Special Eventstop
Musictop
Below are links to products and resources for your playground fundraiser or any fundraising ventures you are pursuing. If you are in the Georgia, North Carolina, Florida,Tennessee, Alabama, or Kentucky and would like assistance with additional resources for funding your playground, visit us at www.KorKat.com.
Fundraising E-books
| Fundraising Success E-book | The definitive guide to fundraising. Packed with over 480 pages of references and resources. Scroll through left navigation bar to “My Book” |
| Fundraise $50,000 E-book | |
| The Beginners System For Writing Funded Grant Proposals | |
| Let’s Raise Money | |
| Increase Your Church Fundraising Today! |
Fundraisers by Organization
| General Fundraising Ideas | |
| General Fundraising Ideas II | |
| School Fundraisers | |
| School Fundraising Ideas | |
| PTA Fundraiser | |
| PTO Fundraiser | |
| Elementary School Fundraiser | |
| Middle School Fundraiser | |
| High School Fundraiser | |
| Booster Club Fundraiser | |
| Daycare Fundraiser | |
| Church Fundraising Ideas | |
| Church Fundraisers | |
| Non Profit Fundraisers | |
| Sports Fundraising Ideas | |
| Cheerleading Fundraising Ideas |
Fundraisers by Product
| Magazine Fundraiser | |
| Pretzel Fundraiser | |
| Cookie Dough Fundraiser | |
| Candy Fundraiser | |
| Coffee Fundraiser | |
| Flower Bulb Fundraiser | |
| Candle Fundraiser | |
| Lollipop Fundraiser |
5 Ways to Save Thousands When Buying Your Playground Equipment
Stretching your playground equipment budget:
Buying playground equipment requires a wealth of resources including funds and manpower. With some commitment from your local community, you can save thousands with these tips. Here’s how your playground equipment budget will normally be allocated by percentage with a typical turn-key project:
| Description | Percentage |
| Equipment | 60% |
| Installation | 28% |
| Playground Borders | 7% |
| Mulch/In-fill | 10% |
| Taxes/Shipping | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
How Can We Compare These Playground Designs?
Comparing your playground designs
Be sure your playground incorporates as many play experiences as possible. Remember, it isn’t always the number of play events that are on a play structure that make it a good value, but the value of the play itself.
As an example, let’s compare Playground A vs. Playground B
