Room Mom Donation Request Letter for Class Projects & Parties (2024)

In our last post, we examined the most common situations in which room moms would need to ask parents for money for teacher gifts. In response, I’ve been asked by a few room parents, “How do I ask for donations for class projects or for class budget contributions?”

Even though this is a known room mom duty, asking for donations from parents can feel really awkward at first. But if you are clear and direct about what the money is going to be used for (their child), the process will be simple and painless. Use this collection of custom templates to make writing the email to parents a breeze.

When Should Room Moms Ask for Class Contributions for Projects?

In general, you can ask for class donations either:

1. At the beginning of the year (the Class Budget Method)
2. Or approximately 2 weeks before each individual project throughout the year (the Case-By-Case Method– not sure if that’s a good name, but it makes sense 😅)

When writing your donation request email, it’s important to specify what the donations will cover. These are usually items for class events such as:

• Drinks and snacks
• Plates and napkins for parties
• Craft supplies
• Supplies for party games (like Christmas party games)
• Party decorations

All of these directly benefit their child, so most parents are more than happy to contribute to the class budget or class project.

Option #1: The Class Budget Method

This will vary for each school, but some room moms are allowed to collect donations upfront to create a class budget. This fee will cover items for parties and projects throughout the entire school year.

Many room moms like this method because you don’t have to ask for donations over and over again each time a project or party comes up on the calendar.

In order for a class budget to work, you should have a pretty good idea of how much everything is going to cost for each event. Add up all of your estimated costs and divide that by the number of students in the class.

If you are unsure of the costs, it’s best to overestimate a little just to be safe. Any leftover money in the budget can be put towards the Teacher Appreciation gift at the end of the year from the class. After all, the teacher has put up with our kids for the last 10 months. She deserves every penny. 😎

When using the Class Budget Method, you will need to keep good records of everything you’ve purchased with the funds. You can find a Class Budget Template in the Room Mom Resource Library to get you started. You can keep track of all the money received under the Donations tab, plus track purchases throughout the year in the Expenses tab. The balance will be calculated automatically!

What is the Best Way to Collect Money From Parents?

By far, my favorite way to collect money from parents is through PayPal. It’s easy, and all the transactions are recorded for future reference. I have a tutorial on how to set up a custom PayPal.me link in this post. It’s super easy to do.

But for some parents, nothing beats the good ole money-in-an-envelope routine. I always instruct parents to address the envelope “To” my child and include a note saying who it’s from. It’s also a good idea to let the teacher know before you do this. Otherwise, she may be a bit confused when she gets bombarded with random envelopes out of nowhere. 🤷‍♀️

A blank copy of this template can be found in the Room Mom Resource Library. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the above example and customize it to suit your needs.

Note: This template can be combined with the Parent Introduction Letter since both are sent at the beginning of the year!

Don’t forget to follow up with a Last Reminder Email one day before the stated due date. Many parents get busy and forget to send money after reading your initial email. A friendly reminder is always helpful for busy parents! 🙌

Sending out the Last Reminder Email the day before your stated due date will create a sense of urgency. This encourages parents to take action immediately instead of putting it off. I usually get more than DOUBLE the donations from the Last Reminder Email vs. the initial email!

Option #2: Collect Donations for Specific Class Projects or Parties

What if you don’t want to keep track of a class budget? No problem. You can opt to collect money from parents only when you need it.

Personally, I prefer to collect money on a case-by-casebasis. I generally have absolutely noidea how much a project is going to cost until I have purchased thesupplies. I’m just not very good at estimating or planning out very far intothe future.

Sending out an email to collect for a specific project orevent is similar to collecting for a teacher gift. Your email will looksomething like this:

Just like our other donation templates, it’s important to send out a Last Reminder Email as a gentle reminder for busy parents who didn’t take action after seeing your first email. Send this email 1-2 days before your previously stated due date.

Conclusion

I hope these templates make asking parents for class contributions easier for you! Now that you know about the two most common methods, you can choose one that fits your room-mom-style best.

Don’t forget to ask for parent volunteers to help out with the class party or project. Use this room mom volunteer letter template to get parents involved!

If this was helpful for you in your Room Mom journey, please let me know in the comments or send me an email at info@roommomrescue.com. I would love to hear from you!

Keep up the good work, room mom!

Amy