Help with Scrip Gift Card Fundraiser program

[left210]

Has anyone ever used this? Any PTO officers on here that can help with me questions on implementing this for our PTO fundraiser?

 

[beavismom]

We use Great Lakes Scrip Center and I would be happy to answer any questions that I can.

 

[cpcos2005]

Has anyone ever used this? Any PTO officers on here that can help with me questions on implementing this for our PTO fundraiser?

We use this at my sons school,too

 

[left210]

I am looking to set up the scrip program for our school. When I first heard about it I thought you went through scrip but now see there are different vendors who actually handle the card processing. I did see Great Lakes Scrip but didnt want to just choose one without talking with someone who has done this before. Also, when I went onto the GLS site it said you had to pay a pretty hefty shipping charge each time. Meaning the least expensive was almost $8 to ship for regular mail and overnight or two day was alot more. Also, I saw some other info that you could use a mobile app and reload cards. Do the customers do this or does the scrip rep do this? I like the idea of a reloadable card but not sure how it works. When your school started this, did they start small and invite the entire school later or just jump right in? Any help to get started would be greatly appreciated.

 

[clh2]

Our church uses Great Lakes Scrip.

Our Church decided to stock more commonly used scrip cards, and they are for sale every Sunday morning between services. The downside on this - there was a huge cash outlay to get the "store" stocked up. I am guessing we have $7000 or so in cards stocked. We stock about 50 different cards.

There is one local grocery store that offers a similar program, and the person in charge of SCRIP at church gets those directly from the store.

Our church orders scrip once a week in the fall through spring, and every other week in the summer.

Very few of our members are linked into presto pay for the purpose of ordering ScripNow or to just order their GC's. I don't think anyone has done the "mobile" app, most likely, I'll be the one to be the first on that one. Unfortunately - I just have not been shopping for fun stuff, as I have not been working. I start a new job soon - so that will give me a little more discretionary income, and I will most likely participate with the mobile app.

My DD had been in a private sports club a few years ago - and the monies "earned" by participation in SCRIP went directly to offset her club expenses, and the club requirement was that all orders needed to be paid through presto pay.

I LOVE ScripNow! My DD is now in college, renting a house, and I am easily able to order her scrip - and then just have her print it out at her house when she goes shopping or out to eat. Or - if I am feeling generous - I'll just send her an ITunes e-card because I want to.

People will either buy into the program, or not.

If you do this as a PTO/PTA fundraiser, and are unsure how well it is going to go over - can I suggest that you do it on a limited basis this year, perhaps in late October, through November and early December. Have a limited number of shipping dates - to minimize that expense.

Also - from a school/liability perspective, have a plan in place so that the GC's do not get sent home with the kids.

One nice thing about Kohl's cards from Scrip they can be used to pay your Kohls Charge bill. (You have to do this in the store.) So - to me, this is a win-win no-brainer.

I've never done a reloadable card, I just do not get the point. From what I understand, it isn't an "instant" transaction like the SCRIPNOW is, it can only be done on a day when the SCRIP office is open.

Just my random thoughts...

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

Ya'll need to look into Booster-thon.

Our school has done it twice, we were the first school in the district to do it 2 years ago and now all the other schools do it too.

The first year, the PTO was able to raise almost 24k and this spring it turned out 28k

It was so successful that we were able to cancel every single other fundraiser planned for the year, which was AWESOME

 

[beavismom]

With Great Lakes the new feature isn't actually an app, it is just a special web portal to manage/buy ScripNow. ScripNow is great, but you must be very careful to make sure the store doesn't require you to have the printed certificate. Most will scan the barcode right off your phone, but some will still require a printed certificate.

To answer an earlier poster about why do a reload card, you can reload with some vendors who don't participate in ScripNow and if you use PrestoPay you aren't stuck waiting for the next physical card order.

The only real negative we have experienced is that once in a while the gift cards can't be used in the way you want. Here is my example: I purchased a Walgreens gift card to order contact lenses and then I found out that you can't use a gift card on the Walgreens website and you can't order contacts and pay in store with the card so now I am stuck with the card. I will use it eventually, but it was not as I expected it to be.

The shipping costs are a bit high, but if you have a reasonable amount of participation it won't be a huge issue.

 

[blana]

We use Great Lakes Scrip Center and I would be happy to answer any questions that I can.

We've used them for our daycare as a fundraiser. Great company to work with!